Far too tired to be witty right now, so instead of a narrative, tonight it will be a long list of things I've learned/experienced/any other random thought that comes to my mind:
-There are so many ways to show love/respect here (haven't figured out which means which and I haven't been able to discriminate them yet, unfortunately)but one of my new favorites is offering food. A particular preferred method being an orange, already peeled and pieces handed to you though often it is meat, bread, or whatever is being eaten for dinner that night. Maybe today the orange just stood out as this wonderful, juicy juxtaposition to the Dead Sea's salt stealing much loved H2O from my body.
-I watched the moon rise today with a far away related family member as he told me, "watch, it will happen in one minute-things move very quickly here". It was wonderful indeed but I would beg to differ with him on that one. Things move very fast in Jordan, yes, but there are these great moments that I've found just languidly linger in your mind, even if the event itself is over like getting coffee, conversations with people, sitting with the family.
-Played soccer the other day with my older brother and his friends and some girls from SIT, I learned that I should not play soccer in places where it is called football. I will only ever make a fool of myself. Nevertheless, it was a great time.
-Today, while swimming for the first time in the Dead Sea (and by swimming, I do mean floating, it's so cool), my little brother told me that the Quran says that the reason for the Dead Sea being in existence is that there was once a city of gay people who lived there and Allah did not approve so he killed them all with the salty rain. I think he's trying to drive a point home....
-Thoughts on the above bullet: It's funny because you really can die in the Dead Sea, or at least go blind apparently. No one, and I mean no one puts their head underwater and there are signs everywhere telling you to protect you eyes and your mouth and nose from the water. Also, I wonder as to the validity of my little brother's story. Anyone out there reading know if this is legit? He also told me no one can prove there isn't a city under the sea because you just can't get down there, the water won't let you in. Indeed I tried to force my head underwater (not a good idea for the record) and I couldn't do it. Good for protecting my eyes, not so good for looking for cities.
-I'm finally changing pants. I feel like this could be a blog overshare but I really don't care who knows. Since getting here, I have worn the same pair of jeans everyday. I wore them to the beach today and there is just too much sand to continue. I see this as a very positive step in my life.
-My sister today, while walking on the beach, told me how much she wants to go to Palestine (which you can see on the horizon on the other side of the sea). She said she isn't allowed to go because she doesn't have a special card even though she is Palestinian-Jordanian and wants to visit. She also said she doesn't like the Israelis and wishes hey would get out so she could go. In my stupidity when it comes to the Israel/Palestine issue, I just sort of sympathized with her and asked her more about visiting someday. I truly need to learn more about this. The other SIT participants are amazing when it comes to Middle East issues and I envy their comprehension. Anthropology fail.
-On the way home from the sea, I woke up in the car halfway through the drive back to find my sister and brother had fallen asleep on both of my shoulders and I couldn't move. This family is legit.
-My mom offered me something tonight and it was too dark to see what and the moment went to quickly to ask what it was. Chocolate. Awesome and scary.
Things I have relinquished to:
-While in Jordan, against all of my slightly germaphobic ways, I will drink after people I barely know, eat after people I may not know at all, and pray to whoever is listening that I don't get mono or other nasty things.
-I will be a sub par student. I find that in order to enjoy things here and find time to breath, it's impossible for me to be the student I am in the states and I have to come to terms with this. I can't study all the time (or at all some days) and I will have to be okay with this and just be better again when I'm home.
-My days are not my own to plan. I can have the best intentions walking out the door, come home and find out something else is going to happen or be informed at midnight that tomorrow morning we'll be out of town. (This is sort of related to the above point).
-The only time I will truly be alone and find time to remind myself to take a deep breath and walk back out the door (you know that feeling?) is when I am going to the bathroom.
-I will wear more clothing swimming in the ocean than I wear to bed in the U.S. And I will still feel overexposed because every woman around me is staring and my legs, seeing daylight the first time since getting here.
-I will try very hard and fail every time to not be awkward when I'm surrounding by 4-12 people speaking Arabic and having a grand old time while I sit silently, smiling, and watching. Attempting, and failing again to not look like a complete dunce.
-I will gladly take the seed that a little girl offers me from her mouth (still gleaning with her spit) and put it in mine like she motions me too because she is the only human being attempting to interact with me in moments that resemble the above bullet.
-I will eat meat when it is unavoidable and apologize profusely to whoever is listening.
-I will struggle everyday with trying to understand people and getting my elephant of an "I'm-studying-abroad-and-I'm-from-America" bias out of my way.
-I will never know as much Arabic as I anticipated learning when I came here.
-I will try to help so I don't look mean and pompous but then most likely get in the way.
-I will wash my hair with lemon juice instead of vinegar so I don't have to explain to my family what that smell is.
-I will be okay with second-hand smoke (or at least not outwardly complain about it/steal people's cigarettes from them and throw them away).
-I will not scream at people who throw trash on the ground within sight of a trash can or who throw trash out of their car windows (the concept of litter seems to be different here and though it kills the environmentalist in me and I'm dying inside, I would be hoarse if I allowed myself to get angry at everyone who did it/be relegated to picking up trash for the rest of my life in Amman).
-I will not wear a seatbelt in cars or cabs because it's insulting to the driver (just like adding soy sauce to your sushi is is to your sushi chef, because it was made perfectly the way it should be eaten) and I will try not to die if we crash.
Okay, well that's all I can think of for tonight. What a long, wonderful, and eventful day. Below are some photos, enjoy.
-There are so many ways to show love/respect here (haven't figured out which means which and I haven't been able to discriminate them yet, unfortunately)but one of my new favorites is offering food. A particular preferred method being an orange, already peeled and pieces handed to you though often it is meat, bread, or whatever is being eaten for dinner that night. Maybe today the orange just stood out as this wonderful, juicy juxtaposition to the Dead Sea's salt stealing much loved H2O from my body.
-I watched the moon rise today with a far away related family member as he told me, "watch, it will happen in one minute-things move very quickly here". It was wonderful indeed but I would beg to differ with him on that one. Things move very fast in Jordan, yes, but there are these great moments that I've found just languidly linger in your mind, even if the event itself is over like getting coffee, conversations with people, sitting with the family.
-Played soccer the other day with my older brother and his friends and some girls from SIT, I learned that I should not play soccer in places where it is called football. I will only ever make a fool of myself. Nevertheless, it was a great time.
-Today, while swimming for the first time in the Dead Sea (and by swimming, I do mean floating, it's so cool), my little brother told me that the Quran says that the reason for the Dead Sea being in existence is that there was once a city of gay people who lived there and Allah did not approve so he killed them all with the salty rain. I think he's trying to drive a point home....
-Thoughts on the above bullet: It's funny because you really can die in the Dead Sea, or at least go blind apparently. No one, and I mean no one puts their head underwater and there are signs everywhere telling you to protect you eyes and your mouth and nose from the water. Also, I wonder as to the validity of my little brother's story. Anyone out there reading know if this is legit? He also told me no one can prove there isn't a city under the sea because you just can't get down there, the water won't let you in. Indeed I tried to force my head underwater (not a good idea for the record) and I couldn't do it. Good for protecting my eyes, not so good for looking for cities.
-I'm finally changing pants. I feel like this could be a blog overshare but I really don't care who knows. Since getting here, I have worn the same pair of jeans everyday. I wore them to the beach today and there is just too much sand to continue. I see this as a very positive step in my life.
-My sister today, while walking on the beach, told me how much she wants to go to Palestine (which you can see on the horizon on the other side of the sea). She said she isn't allowed to go because she doesn't have a special card even though she is Palestinian-Jordanian and wants to visit. She also said she doesn't like the Israelis and wishes hey would get out so she could go. In my stupidity when it comes to the Israel/Palestine issue, I just sort of sympathized with her and asked her more about visiting someday. I truly need to learn more about this. The other SIT participants are amazing when it comes to Middle East issues and I envy their comprehension. Anthropology fail.
-On the way home from the sea, I woke up in the car halfway through the drive back to find my sister and brother had fallen asleep on both of my shoulders and I couldn't move. This family is legit.
-My mom offered me something tonight and it was too dark to see what and the moment went to quickly to ask what it was. Chocolate. Awesome and scary.
Things I have relinquished to:
-While in Jordan, against all of my slightly germaphobic ways, I will drink after people I barely know, eat after people I may not know at all, and pray to whoever is listening that I don't get mono or other nasty things.
-I will be a sub par student. I find that in order to enjoy things here and find time to breath, it's impossible for me to be the student I am in the states and I have to come to terms with this. I can't study all the time (or at all some days) and I will have to be okay with this and just be better again when I'm home.
-My days are not my own to plan. I can have the best intentions walking out the door, come home and find out something else is going to happen or be informed at midnight that tomorrow morning we'll be out of town. (This is sort of related to the above point).
-The only time I will truly be alone and find time to remind myself to take a deep breath and walk back out the door (you know that feeling?) is when I am going to the bathroom.
-I will wear more clothing swimming in the ocean than I wear to bed in the U.S. And I will still feel overexposed because every woman around me is staring and my legs, seeing daylight the first time since getting here.
-I will try very hard and fail every time to not be awkward when I'm surrounding by 4-12 people speaking Arabic and having a grand old time while I sit silently, smiling, and watching. Attempting, and failing again to not look like a complete dunce.
-I will gladly take the seed that a little girl offers me from her mouth (still gleaning with her spit) and put it in mine like she motions me too because she is the only human being attempting to interact with me in moments that resemble the above bullet.
-I will eat meat when it is unavoidable and apologize profusely to whoever is listening.
-I will struggle everyday with trying to understand people and getting my elephant of an "I'm-studying-abroad-and-I'm-from-America" bias out of my way.
-I will never know as much Arabic as I anticipated learning when I came here.
-I will try to help so I don't look mean and pompous but then most likely get in the way.
-I will wash my hair with lemon juice instead of vinegar so I don't have to explain to my family what that smell is.
-I will be okay with second-hand smoke (or at least not outwardly complain about it/steal people's cigarettes from them and throw them away).
-I will not scream at people who throw trash on the ground within sight of a trash can or who throw trash out of their car windows (the concept of litter seems to be different here and though it kills the environmentalist in me and I'm dying inside, I would be hoarse if I allowed myself to get angry at everyone who did it/be relegated to picking up trash for the rest of my life in Amman).
-I will not wear a seatbelt in cars or cabs because it's insulting to the driver (just like adding soy sauce to your sushi is is to your sushi chef, because it was made perfectly the way it should be eaten) and I will try not to die if we crash.
Okay, well that's all I can think of for tonight. What a long, wonderful, and eventful day. Below are some photos, enjoy.
brother in some good ol' dead sea mud
Oh hey Palestine and beautiful sunset! How goes it?
Sister and mom, doing a sunset sea night right
High saline water does weird things to your hair, excuse the awkward 'not normally this stringy' look.
What did I tell you about the oranges. Perfect antithesis, I say, perfect. And I'm fighting scurvy!
Until next time my friends, may you have delicious food and restful sleep.
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