End of Language Training

So...about that first night at my apartment. Little did I realize how hot it was going to get in my room. The heat, along with the sound of traffic with the windows open, were unbearable. Around 3:00am I walked over to my hotel room, which I had fortunately not checked out of because of my fear that something like this would happen. I cranked up the air conditioner (a luxury about the hotel I will miss) and slept for a few hours until I had to go to my last day of class.

My one month language training course is over. I'm glad to be able to have the relaxation time. For anyone ever considering coming to Jordan for a language training: I went to the Ali Baba International Center / Language Institute. It's a small, private company operated by Dr. Ali al-Hajj. He is very helpful, accommodating and enthusiastic about the success of his program. The cost was reasonable considering it included lodging and three meals for the duration of the program. The tuition however, is slightly more than what you would pay for University of Jordan summer Arabic class(es). However, the guidelines for the language training for Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars allows only one month, which was not available at the University. I mostly had a one on one session, which was not the original plan; but since each of the other students studying during the same time as me were at different levels, and so there was none of us could be in the same class. The lessons totaled 80 hours and were mostly Modern Standard Arabic (what is used for formal communication such as in the news, government and occasionally between people who don't understand each other's dialects.) I requested to a little bit of the colloquial for purposes of getting around on the street. While my Arabic professor was extremely nice and encouraging, she spoke very poor English. On occasion she would mis-translate words, which makes for confusion later on. There are plenty of teachers Dr. Ali knows, so one could always switch if needed. Here are some pictures:

('Ablah is on the right)









(Me studying)








My apartment is coming together nicely now. I bought several more things today. Since I got a fan I've been able to sleep at my apartment. I still have cockroaches, but I think there are less now. If they're not gone soon I'll get my own spray/powder and take matters into my own hands. The washing machine is "semi-automatic" meaning I have to dump buckets of water into it during the wash cycle, then drain it, then fill it up with more water to rinse and then drain it again. The dryer is a really small spin cycle only, so I hang the clothes up for another few hours to fully dry. While it's much more time consuming than I'm used to, it saves me from having to pay for dry cleaning everyday. Here are some pictures I took of the place...excuse the mess:





Ramadan starts on Tuesday. Life will be very slow during the daytime, as Muslims are required to fast from food and beverages from sunrise until sunset. One one of the receptionists at the hotel I was staying at invited me and some of the other hotel workers over for Ftoor (the big dinner after sundown). After a couple weeks I'll be volunteering with the Rotaract club to feed and hang out with the kids at orphanages.

Apartment!

Alright so now I’ve fully moved everything over from my hotel room into my apartment. This will be my first night at my new place. One of the other American students I met, who will be studying at the UJLC, helped me move my last bits of shopping bags and what not over; which brings up a cultural tidbit I thought I’d share. Though considerably more Western than many of the other Arab states, there is still a considerably conservative attitude towards male/female interaction. Lauren and I had to wait for one of the landlords to get my key back from the maintenance, and when he and a neighbor realized a girl was about to enter my apartment with me, there was a little bit of a concerned attitude that she might be sleeping here. After I made it clear that she was just helping me, he was ok with it and said if anyone asked to tell them him and the landlords knew. One common thing to do here, for foreigners or not, is to tell those concerned that the person is your spouse or relative. One time coming back from church, a friend and I were about to get into a taxi. The driver noticed a police woman there in need of a taxi and so gave her precedence. The police woman was fine with us sharing the cab, since she was going the same way, but the driver was adamantly against it.

While I'm still obviously a foreigner, I’ve received a few compliments on my Arabic from Taxi drivers. I still frequently speak in broken sentences, but on occasion my pronunciations and ability to get my point across is sufficient to fill the sometimes-awkward silence waiting to arrive at your destination. One night I went to a party with Liana and some of her friends and the taxi driver actually thought I was Arab! It’s most likely because it was dark and he only caught a quick glimpse of my facial hair, and I had only mentioned the destination. My confidence and language ability has definitely improved in this first month. I highly recommend taking the opportunity to take a 1 month language training for all Rotary Ambassadorial scholars. Not only to develop your language ability, but to learn the landscape and to give yourself time to really set up things before getting bombarded with school.

I have moved into my apartment...tonight will be the first night sleeping here. I wasn't able to get a fan so I'll (continue to) be hot. I took a few pictures and will be taking more once fully settled, and posting them when I can. It was a little upsetting at first when I noticed the cockroaches here...they'll be spraying tomorrow, hopefully. Fortunately these critters are pretty small. I remember gargantuan cockroaches at my last office. Alright, time to stop thinking about them 10 minutes before I go to sleep.

I went to a Rotaract club meeting (for my non-Rotarian readers: they're a group of 18-30 year olds sponsored by a Rotary club that get together for social activities and community service work). I'll be volunteering during Ramadan with them (the holiest Month for Muslims, when they fast from sunrise to sunset) to help coordinate Fatoors with some of the local orphanages. We’ll be setting them up and joining them for Fatoor and will be spending time talking and playing with the kids. I’m excited!

What's the Arabic word for Bureaucracy?

No matter how many of thousands of miles away I leave the U.S. I find that bureaucracy is inescapable. With registering for the UJLC and applying for residency here in Jordan, I’ve probably lost several gallons of sweat due to walking back and forth to different administration buildings in the heat. I actually have quite a few things yet to do to submit my application for residency, so it is far from over. Plus, come next semester I’ll have to do the school registration once again.

Lately I’ve been a bit homesick. I’ve been thinking a lot about my family and friends. After re-reading the nice letter my Mom gave me, and looking at the wonderful pictures she included, I really felt it the worst. The pictures of me and my family when we went golfing, and of my family, Bridget and I at my Knights of Columbus 4th degree ceremony, really made me wish I could go back to old times. When I was 16 and went to Germany as an exchange student for a year, I remember missing my family at first too. This time however, with a lot of my friends, many of them are going to move on with their lives. Already, since I got here, my friends Robert and Allison got married. One of my best friends, Nick, proposed to his girlfriend and will most likely get married while I’m gone. I’ve considered flying back there for the wedding, but I would have to use my own money and round trip tickets are just too much, especially since when I get back I will most likely not have a job for a little while and with how bad the dollar is doing. Bridget and my sister, Jessica, are graduating. My sister will probably stay in town, but Bridget may end up finding a journalism job in another State. I’m also curious where my future will take me, after this year. One of my biggest wishes is that I would come back with some type of job in International Relations, working between the U.S. and Middle East. My Dad would often say “you’re not coming back; you will get a job before coming back, and most likely work on the East Coast or overseas.” If he is right about the job, I do want to return home to see everyone.

As always, my Arabic class is still a major challenge. The speed has picked up, but unfortunately I think it’s going a little too fast. I don’t have enough time to really memorize all the new words. Yesterday we went over several body parts and today twice as many objects/parts of a house. She had me draw “me” and label myself with the new words as well as drawing and labeling all the parts of a house. This is a very good tip for others who are more “visual learners.”

I went to a Rotaract meeting last Monday. There was a guest speaker who presented on “Energy Work.” Without wanting to really misrepresent his beliefs, he explained his beliefs on energy and healing. It was interactive and there were some interesting debates/questions; especially since there was a doctor and pharmacist. I met the secretary and past president of another Rotaract club (Amman-River I believe). Everyone was very nice, and I’m definitely looking forward to participating with them.

I’m hoping to move into my new place on Sunday. I need to talk to Fawwaz to see when he is available to go with me to settle and sign the rental contract. He tried to have me read it by myself, but after spending an hour I barely managed to get a few sentences into it. A nephew of my Dad’s coworker, Khalid, who is living here was a huge help in figuring out the terms. I’m excited to move out of the hotel for many reasons…my own food, no loud crowds of sports teams, a washer machine (instead of washing my clothes in the bath tub as I have been doing), better internet, not having to hear the same mix of music-consisting of songs from Titanic, this very weird European-passionate-club-type song, a very oriental sounding song and a song from Kill Bill 2 and many other "classics"- all day and every day in the hotel, the comfort of my “own place” and I’m sure many others.

Update x 2

Hello again, to all and any readers! This blog is actually both a blog I wasn't able to post on the 14th due to the poor internet connection, and then one for today (the 16th)

AUGUST 14th:
While the many Arabic marriage celebrations have often been an annoyance as far as trying to sleep (which I have recently remedied: falling to sleep while listening to my iPod), the procession into the hotel is full of energy and very exciting. Last night I was in the lobby as a Palestinian marriage procession (you can usually tell by the color of the Kafir (traditional head scarf) often worn by the attendees or musicians, so I’ve learned. The black one is the Palestinian and one specific pattern of red is the Jordanian. As the procession came in they had musicians with drums and a trumpet and someone singing on a megaphone. The many attendees as well as everyone else in the lobby joined in singing and dancing. Earlier that day I met a large group of Jordanians who are here on some type of project. They were very friendly and at one point I had about 8 different people crowded around me, helping to translate the dialogue in my school book. During the procession a couple of them came over to me and I joined in clapping with them. Afterward many of us were gathering in the lobby to chat about all sorts of things. One of them is going to take an English proficiency test soon, and I will probably help tutor him, and he me in Arabic. Unfortunately the internet connection won't let me upload the video. I'll try another time.

Today I went with Khalid, the nephew of one of my Dad’s coworkers, to look for an apartment. The first couple weren’t too great; either they weren’t too clean or too expensive. We found one right at the North Gate to the University for really cheap and with all the attributes I was hoping for. Fawwaz, my Rotary counselor, had raised a couple questions about it and we might go double check on Saturday to make sure everything is fully covered and to get it in writing. They were going to call Khalid in a week as well, since I still have a little time left at this hotel. There were plenty of options for me to move out, but this so far appears to be the best option. We’ll see!

August 16th

I went with Fawwaz back to the same apartment complex today and pretty much have an apartment lined up for myself. The resident moved out yesterday. It's a little smaller (but still an ok size) and should be a nice home for the year. It's a studio for 230 JD, with water and electricity included, a small but decent kitchen, an ok bathroom with a washer and "dryer" (which is a spin cycle only). They can also run a cable to my room for an internet connection at 1 JD/day...if it's not too slow then I'll go for it, if not Fawwaz says I can subscribe to a local plan for cheap as well. It's right next to the North Gate of the University and there are plenty of restaurants and shops around, including a mini super market in the lobby on the bottom floor. It'll take a little extra cleaning up on my part, and I'll need to go shopping with Fawwaz soon for some items. I'm definitely looking forward to my own place!

The group of Jordanians that I've met in my hotel are in a training seminar and are part of an NGO called Shabakat Al Ordon (___ of Jordan). I met their counselor/trainer and might look into what they do more too. Everyone I've met are so nice and love chatting with me. One guy, Ahmad, is helping me with my Arabic and I help him with his English, since he's taking the TOEFL test in a month. Another guy invited me to his city Madaba sometime where we'll eat the traditional Jordanian dish Mensif. I actually had it today with Fawwaz for lunch, and it was pretty good. It's lamb over rice in a yogurt sauce. We also shared Knaffa, an Arabic cheese dessert-Knaffa. It is a warm dessert of cheese inside crushed wheat with sugar and some crushed pistachios on top. There is another kind with some sort of small noodles on top which I'll have to try soon. Very delicious.

In a little while I'll be going to a Rotary meeting at the Amman-Philadelphia club. (Philadelphia being the name given to Amman during the Egyptian rule). Last year's scholar, Liana, is going to introduce me to a Rotarian she met who is somehow involved in working with refugees, and thought I'd be interested in talking to him. I definitely look forward to getting involved here.

Pictures etc

Things are going well now. Class is still difficult but I've grown accustomed to it. Now instead of seeing it as a major obstacle, I see it as a fun and exciting challenge. While I don't understand 70% of the words coming out of my teacher's mouth, I'm finding it easier to still understand what I'm being instructed to do. As nerdy as this will sound, I remember watching an episode of Star Trek Voyager a long time ago (I was probably still only a Freshman in High School) and being fascinated when one of the crew, Chikotay (sp), was communicating with a planets natives with just simple gestures and words. Learning to communicate in a foreign language takes a lot of hard work and patience, and can cause major headaches, but it always brings about a feeling of accomplishment.

On the weekend some of us went to a bar/restaurant called La Calle in the "Ballad" or the older "downtown." It was an "Italian Restaurant" / Western bar. The food was good as was the beer. It was happy hour so it was cheap; usually alcohol is expensive here. Yazin, the person I met through the UJLC picked us up, so we were able to save the taxi money! Afterwards Yazin, his friend Omar and I chatted for a good 45 minutes in the lobby of the hotel. After my pre-Univeristy language training, I hope to go to a couple of the sites with them.

On Saturday I went to my first Arabic Mass with Rachel, a student from England and Omar, a Rotarian my host counselor, Fawwaz, introduced me to. Omar was very nice and helpful at explaining things; and afterward he introduced us to the priest. It was very similar, being a Roman Catholic Mass. I only understood maybe 10 words at the most. They also have Mass in English and French, but I think for my studies and cultural experiences I'd like to try and continue attending the Arabic ones.

Fawwaz got me in touch with a member of the Rotaract (here commonly referred to as Rotary Act) and I will attend their meeting next Monday, to hopefully start getting involved. Also, this Saturday I will be attending a different Rotary club's meeting with last year's Ambassadorial Scholar, Liana. She wants to introduce me to a Rotarian she met who is beginning a program working to assist Palestinian refugees. While this isn't my host Rotary club, it sounds like something I'd really like to get involved with. Fawwaz also is eager to have me attend, and join, the Toast Masters club he attends. I have a feeling soon I'll becoming much busier!

Some of Amman's "country side."

The University Mosque

A statue on the main intersection by my hotel; some Quranic verses...I haven't read them up close yet.

The Ali Baba class, most of which are leaving within a week or two at the most.


I'm going to try to upload some pictures on here, so we'll see how they come out.

Major relief and Beijing Olympics 2008!

Wednesday I signed up for a bank account at the Bank of Jordan, relieving much stress. I had remembered the other day that my bank card was a temporary card and will expire within one and a half weeks, since I had just moved over to a larger bank in the U.S. before departing. It is definitely a good idea for anyone traveling abroad to have an account at a major financial institution. My parents will wire me my scholarship funds to my local bank account and all should be fine and good!

The next major steps for me will be to register at the University and then at the police station. Both of these processes I have heard are quite bureaucratic, and I have only heard negative comments about the University coordinator. I will cross those bridges when I get there…in a week or two.

Classes have still been difficult as it’s really hard to communicate with and understand the teacher…and on occasion I’ve gotten mistranslations. It sounds like our schedule will be constant now: 12pm-4pm all week, from Sunday through Thursday, with two hours of the colloquial (‘amiah) and two hours of Modern Standard Arabic (FusHa). I really can’t wait for the University classes to begin, since I’ll be around other students and will meet several other Jordanians.

Today was my first taste of the Middle East Friday. I learned from one of the students at my language training (a really super nice, outgoing and animated Italian named David) explained to me how “Al-Jumah” means something along the lines of “congregation.” Friday is the day Muslims go to the mosque for their prayers and service (which if I have the opportunity I would be interested in seeing). So basically 90% or more of all the shops are closed until after the service…which here was until sometime around 1:30pm. There was a shwarma place open though, which is where I got my lunch. Shwarma’s are basically an Arabic sandwich, usually Chicken or Lamb and some produce. The places will have a huge chunk of meat spinning on a rotisserie and saw pieces off on order. They are very tasty, although I heard not too long before I came to Jordan there were cases of salmonella and King Abdullah II closed down all places until they were inspected and re-granted a license to sell shwarma. Fortunately, of the two I’ve been to so far, I’ve had no problems!

A couple of the others at the Ali Baba Language Center and I went to the “Champion Sports Bar” in the Marriot to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. I thought they were incredible! The only other times I’ve paid much attention to the Olympics were the closing ceremonies to the Olympics in Australia when I was in Germany. It really is amazing to see so many people from so many countries get together. There was cheering for several countries as they processed in: there was a group of Chinese students at the restaurant we were at; one of the girls with us was Iraqi from Holland; one guy with us was from Switzerland; Tom has Romanian heritage; I was in Germany; and obviously we all cheered for Jordan and of course the USA!!!

Classes Begin \ Language Barrier

Before I left, many people called me crazy for going to the Middle East. Currently, I would agree with that statement, however not for the same reasons as intended. I'm not crazy for coming here because everyone hates America and I risk impending danger no matter where I go- this in fact, is far from the truth. I have not yet once met a single person who dislikes America and have not been threatened. Instead, I agree that I am crazy for coming to the Middle East because what little Arabic I had in school (3 semesters, which were somewhat spaced apart as well as 2 years prior to my actually arriving here) is almost useless in trying to communicate here! Usually the Arabic you study in school is "Modern Standard Arabic" or "fusHa." This is primarily used in news broadcasts and among professionals. although it is commonly understood among the educated. The colloquial dialects or "amiya" are considerably different. Add my elementary exposure to such a complex language, the differences in fusHa and amiya and the machine-gun-speed at which people speak and you have a recipe for many difficult times. English is commonly studied and known here among the educated/wealthy, however the taxi drivers are usually will know very little to no English. I do admit that I did originally expect more people to be more proficient in English; this is not bad however, and will definitely help me in the long run. My Arabic classes yesterday and today were both pretty difficult. My instructor, 'abla, is limited in her English. When I come across unfamiliar words it is difficult to figure them out. During our lessons a music store opens up shop and blasts Arabic music, which adds to the stress.

After my first class yesterday I met with who I believe will be my permanent host counselor, Fawaz. I went food shopping with him, and picked up a map of Amman for myself. He bought me a really tasty (Syrian) dessert, which I forgot the name of. It was a cake with a ton of whipped creme, almonds, honey I believe and a couple other spices. Then he dropped me off
in Smeisani (another part of Amman), where I met one of the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars from last year, Liana Paris. She was very helpful with providing tips and insights about my year abroad and will definitely be helpful along the way, as well as a nice person to know! Going back to my limited language: trying to tell the taxi driver where my Hotel is was a huge challenge, and trying to understand him was impossible. One common thing Liana suggested is to call friends proficient in Arabic direct them over the phone.

Today I also met up with a student at the University of Jordan, Yazan, who I originally got in contact with through the UJ Facebook group, and his friend Omar. Before coming here, and after I arrived, he was very eager to get in touch with me and offered me assistance with whatever I need. He enjoys helping students work on Arabic. They were both very good at English, and as we drove around they would teach me some of the 'amiya and slang.

Tomorrow I have class earlier and in the evening will be going to a Rotary social Fawaz invited me to, with my friend Tom. Unfortunately it sounds like another loud Arabic wedding on the 7th floor...

Today

Today was a relaxing day with a melancholy start. One of the students who did the one month intensive Arabic program I am doing (Adam Aljouni from Michigan) left for home. While I've only been here for a couple days, he has been an awesome help and fun friend to be around. His jokes and easy-to-get-along-with personality make each day fun. Last night for his goodbye-dinner-celebration we went to a VERY nice restaurant (best food I've had so far) called "Reem al-Badawi." The ambiance was just as nice. We had many traditional dishes (hummus, baba ghanoush, tabouleh, lebeni, Aleppo olives and then a variety of meats!) So far I've met a couple other great students here and it will be sad to see them go as well. This evening I am still in a slight melancholy mood, possibly in part due to some homesickness and also the realization that my language training will begin tomorrow. Luckily the internet has been a little bit better and I've been able to keep in touch with some friends and family.

Today I successfully managed to take a taxi by myself to and from one of the local malls to meet someone! The second cab driver was very nice, and we had a small conversation in Arabic and English (more the latter) about where I'm from, what I'm doing and his commentary on Jordan and Americans (which among many Jordanians I've met is very positive). He gave me his card and offered me what sounds to be discounted rates to any of the sites around Jordan. It may or may not be a good deal, since there are other means of traveling. Some of us were going to take a taxi (which another cool American I met, Tom, got a card from under the same circumstance) to Bethany up north this morning, but when Tom called the guy he quoted a price a lot higher than expected and reasonable.

In the afternoon I met my Arabic instructor at the Ali-Baba Language Center with the director, Ali Al-Hajj, and received the books I will be using. I will be in class at least 4 days for 4 hours, with a possible "half day" on a 5th day, depending on the staff availability. The book they proposed to be my level sounds one level to high, a problem some of the other students had, but we will see.

Judging by the loud booming bass of dance music, it sounds like another wedding or celebration is going on upstairs. Fortunately my air conditioner was fixed today, which will hopefully help me sleep easier. Last night I kept tossing and turning and waking up sweaty because the air conditioner, even set on the lowest setting, didn't do a thing to cool the room.