Well Osama Bin Laden is dead. But something about Obama's speech is just a little disturbing. He pulled out some very odd "prosperity" connotations saying things like, "we [Americans] can do anything we set our minds to"....like going on a killing spree for ten years until we find this guy?
Here's the transcription of the speech as well as a video so you can watch if you missed it for some reason: Obama Speech.
I mean I'm not trying to be anti-American here or anything and maybe I just didn't understand why we cared about one guy so much anyway, but it just felt a little weird to hear Obama parading his death and using it to reaffirm all of these Norman Rockwellian cute little American values. My feelings about it might also be tempered by being here... The BBC put out a quotation from a senior Afghan counter terrorism official who said, "This would have been more significant in 2004, 5, or 6, now it's too late. There is a Bin Laden on every street today". I like this. I think it reflects a little bit why I'm not the enthused flag waving American right now. I mean, before I even heard about this news this morning by opening up my computer I was reading the newspaper in the kitchen while I made some tea and read about Syria issues and settlement arguments about Israel and Palestine and generally a whole bunch of more relevant news. And then I hear online that Bin Laden's dead and Americans are on the streets partying and I'm just a little put off by the way Obama spun everything to sound so "OMG America's the |3E$T!!!"
Megan and I are actually discussing this currently and she just said something that I think reflects why I'm just so bleh about it all: "I mean, I'm glad he's not a main military priority anymore so we can maybe focus on something else..." Agree. And now I'll actually talk about my more insignificant random doings in Jordan because that's what I was going tow rite about to begin with and then people died. Geez, How inconvenient (SARCASM).
So SIT had it's last "group" trip and we went to a Wadi with the Jordanian Jiu Jitsu team from the gym we all go to. We biked the same road that we ran the half marathon on and then hiked and clambered our way into a beautiful waterfall area. This is where I was called an "animal rights person" by a Jiu Jitsu member who saw me free a crab from a man who was going to take it home and put it in his aquarium. He ended up putting two other in a water bottle and I didn't have a chance to free them but I just got so sad about it for some reason. I mean, that crab LIVES there! And if I were a crab I would much rather chill in my awesome waterfall outdoors home than in some stupid small aquarium of the guy who won't really know what food I eat and then will probably stop caring about me in a while because I lose the sensationalism of being new to the house. I mean I own pets and all, but they were all captive bred (I'm talking about the snake here. awww, I miss him) so they didn't have an awesome waterfall home.
Well of course, there's a flaw there because technically, if there weren't a market for captive bred snakes and circumstances had arisen that Isak (my specific snake) was born out of captivity anyway then he would have a really sweet rainforest home. So did I take him away from his awesome home too? Sort of... I guess. Ugh, can't win. Needless to say I was quite annoyed that he was taking these crabs home and wanted to make some sort of far removed analogy about Palestine and Israel to him so he could maybe understand that THE CRAB LIVED THERE. But Megan told em this would not be an analogy received well and told em to shut my mouth basically. But really, I think it would have driven the point home. Anyway, so while you're all celebrating the death of some guy, I am mourning the loss of two crabs' independence and freedom to just chill in their awesome Wadi house. Alas, I did end up saving one. Meager success.
Anyway, other than the animal rights infringement and sad contemplation of the lives of animals removed from their natural homes, the Wadi trip was great fun. Especially because I just got so sick of heckling coming from the cars of men on our bike ride up that in my 13.1 mile redo with the sun shining down quite fervently, I just started making some not so nice hand gestures at the more annoying, kiss blowing, whistling cars. This was not very appropriate and did nothing to forward the image of Americans to Arab people. I make no apologies though. It was satisfying and even though they actually use a different hand gesture here to mean something similar they definitely understood what I was going for. I just want to be able to wear shorts in this country without feeling like I'm walking around naked dammit.
I was discussing this with some fellow SITer women upon return from Wadi and something just hit me about the whole thing. First of all, you just don't realize you've been following the rules sometimes until you break them and suffer the consequences. By wearing shorts (and I could count the times I've done this on one hand here), I break the rules and suffer for it. But the thing is, it shouldn't be a thing I don't think. Women should be able to just wear whatever they want and not feel pressured to not wear something because stupid guys can't grow the hell up and realize EVERY HUMAN BEING HAS LEGS. And in summer, women get hot too when wearing pants. It's like we're sort of the same or something, I know, I know it's crazy but it's true I swear. Then I was thinking to myself, well this is just the straw that broke the camel's back, you know? If I wasn't annoyed yet, now I'm just done, done even trying. But then I think, well, I can't really, be done. Because patience is something that is a naturally renewing resource, right? I hope so. In any case, I feel it necessary to write another letter to the men of Jordan because that always calms me a little so here we go:
Dearest Men of Jordan,
You're great, you really are. I'm trying very hard not to judge a book by it's cover, walk a mile in your shoes, and all that other junk. But you could try a little harder too. You could stop making generalizations about American women (or Americans in general). Relationships are give and take you know and I'm trying really hard here to not make generalizations and try and understand you and empathize with you and be nice and generally see your humanity and awesomeness that I just know you've got in ya. Human beings are pretty great right? But really, hop onto the nice train with em maybe? Walk a mile (or 13.1) in my shoes (bike, run, whatever). Realize that not all American women are the same just like I realize not all Arab men are the same. Realize that I'm not a slut (and to your surprise, and my host sisters, I'm a non-religious 21-year-old virgin. I know it's crazy that I'm not doing it for God and that unlike what you think, and I quote, "all american girls your age have sex", I'm not!). Realize that my legs deserve to see the light of day without having to be subjected to stares and hollers. Realize that I should be allowed to jog on the street without you staring at my ass. Realize that it is not your god-given right to stare at any woman who walks past you. It's just not. And I've decided in a couple years if for some reason I end up back in Jordan, I'm gonna give you guys a nice Lady Godiva moment. Because really, it's enough. Grow up, be adults, make a few less generalizations about Americans, and learn that my name is Sarah and that if you stare at me, even though I know it's culturally inappropriate I will stare right back at you like a cat with a really mean look until you break eye contact first BECAUSE I CAN. And because so far, it's the only appropriate way I've discovered to subvert YOUR stares.
With Sincerity and some Good Anthropological love,
Sarah
that felt so good. even knowing that no one will read it who should. Don't care. Maybe someday they will.
Moving on then, yesterday was Zeta Chi Senior wills and because of my awesome, amazing, astounding friends, I was able to be skyped in on a phone (thank you technology!) and could watch my big sister, Katie will away her ZX stash. And here's my official blog shout out to home much I love you guys and everyone. Y'all are amazing and such wonderful women and I can't wait to be home and hanging out with every single one of you.
Alas, I must get off to doing some work! ISP due in five days!! Love to you all back home and everywhere else. Thanks for reading. It's nice to talk it out sometimes. Here are some photos if you like!
Here's the transcription of the speech as well as a video so you can watch if you missed it for some reason: Obama Speech.
I mean I'm not trying to be anti-American here or anything and maybe I just didn't understand why we cared about one guy so much anyway, but it just felt a little weird to hear Obama parading his death and using it to reaffirm all of these Norman Rockwellian cute little American values. My feelings about it might also be tempered by being here... The BBC put out a quotation from a senior Afghan counter terrorism official who said, "This would have been more significant in 2004, 5, or 6, now it's too late. There is a Bin Laden on every street today". I like this. I think it reflects a little bit why I'm not the enthused flag waving American right now. I mean, before I even heard about this news this morning by opening up my computer I was reading the newspaper in the kitchen while I made some tea and read about Syria issues and settlement arguments about Israel and Palestine and generally a whole bunch of more relevant news. And then I hear online that Bin Laden's dead and Americans are on the streets partying and I'm just a little put off by the way Obama spun everything to sound so "OMG America's the |3E$T!!!"
Megan and I are actually discussing this currently and she just said something that I think reflects why I'm just so bleh about it all: "I mean, I'm glad he's not a main military priority anymore so we can maybe focus on something else..." Agree. And now I'll actually talk about my more insignificant random doings in Jordan because that's what I was going tow rite about to begin with and then people died. Geez, How inconvenient (SARCASM).
So SIT had it's last "group" trip and we went to a Wadi with the Jordanian Jiu Jitsu team from the gym we all go to. We biked the same road that we ran the half marathon on and then hiked and clambered our way into a beautiful waterfall area. This is where I was called an "animal rights person" by a Jiu Jitsu member who saw me free a crab from a man who was going to take it home and put it in his aquarium. He ended up putting two other in a water bottle and I didn't have a chance to free them but I just got so sad about it for some reason. I mean, that crab LIVES there! And if I were a crab I would much rather chill in my awesome waterfall outdoors home than in some stupid small aquarium of the guy who won't really know what food I eat and then will probably stop caring about me in a while because I lose the sensationalism of being new to the house. I mean I own pets and all, but they were all captive bred (I'm talking about the snake here. awww, I miss him) so they didn't have an awesome waterfall home.
Well of course, there's a flaw there because technically, if there weren't a market for captive bred snakes and circumstances had arisen that Isak (my specific snake) was born out of captivity anyway then he would have a really sweet rainforest home. So did I take him away from his awesome home too? Sort of... I guess. Ugh, can't win. Needless to say I was quite annoyed that he was taking these crabs home and wanted to make some sort of far removed analogy about Palestine and Israel to him so he could maybe understand that THE CRAB LIVED THERE. But Megan told em this would not be an analogy received well and told em to shut my mouth basically. But really, I think it would have driven the point home. Anyway, so while you're all celebrating the death of some guy, I am mourning the loss of two crabs' independence and freedom to just chill in their awesome Wadi house. Alas, I did end up saving one. Meager success.
Anyway, other than the animal rights infringement and sad contemplation of the lives of animals removed from their natural homes, the Wadi trip was great fun. Especially because I just got so sick of heckling coming from the cars of men on our bike ride up that in my 13.1 mile redo with the sun shining down quite fervently, I just started making some not so nice hand gestures at the more annoying, kiss blowing, whistling cars. This was not very appropriate and did nothing to forward the image of Americans to Arab people. I make no apologies though. It was satisfying and even though they actually use a different hand gesture here to mean something similar they definitely understood what I was going for. I just want to be able to wear shorts in this country without feeling like I'm walking around naked dammit.
I was discussing this with some fellow SITer women upon return from Wadi and something just hit me about the whole thing. First of all, you just don't realize you've been following the rules sometimes until you break them and suffer the consequences. By wearing shorts (and I could count the times I've done this on one hand here), I break the rules and suffer for it. But the thing is, it shouldn't be a thing I don't think. Women should be able to just wear whatever they want and not feel pressured to not wear something because stupid guys can't grow the hell up and realize EVERY HUMAN BEING HAS LEGS. And in summer, women get hot too when wearing pants. It's like we're sort of the same or something, I know, I know it's crazy but it's true I swear. Then I was thinking to myself, well this is just the straw that broke the camel's back, you know? If I wasn't annoyed yet, now I'm just done, done even trying. But then I think, well, I can't really, be done. Because patience is something that is a naturally renewing resource, right? I hope so. In any case, I feel it necessary to write another letter to the men of Jordan because that always calms me a little so here we go:
Dearest Men of Jordan,
You're great, you really are. I'm trying very hard not to judge a book by it's cover, walk a mile in your shoes, and all that other junk. But you could try a little harder too. You could stop making generalizations about American women (or Americans in general). Relationships are give and take you know and I'm trying really hard here to not make generalizations and try and understand you and empathize with you and be nice and generally see your humanity and awesomeness that I just know you've got in ya. Human beings are pretty great right? But really, hop onto the nice train with em maybe? Walk a mile (or 13.1) in my shoes (bike, run, whatever). Realize that not all American women are the same just like I realize not all Arab men are the same. Realize that I'm not a slut (and to your surprise, and my host sisters, I'm a non-religious 21-year-old virgin. I know it's crazy that I'm not doing it for God and that unlike what you think, and I quote, "all american girls your age have sex", I'm not!). Realize that my legs deserve to see the light of day without having to be subjected to stares and hollers. Realize that I should be allowed to jog on the street without you staring at my ass. Realize that it is not your god-given right to stare at any woman who walks past you. It's just not. And I've decided in a couple years if for some reason I end up back in Jordan, I'm gonna give you guys a nice Lady Godiva moment. Because really, it's enough. Grow up, be adults, make a few less generalizations about Americans, and learn that my name is Sarah and that if you stare at me, even though I know it's culturally inappropriate I will stare right back at you like a cat with a really mean look until you break eye contact first BECAUSE I CAN. And because so far, it's the only appropriate way I've discovered to subvert YOUR stares.
With Sincerity and some Good Anthropological love,
Sarah
that felt so good. even knowing that no one will read it who should. Don't care. Maybe someday they will.
Moving on then, yesterday was Zeta Chi Senior wills and because of my awesome, amazing, astounding friends, I was able to be skyped in on a phone (thank you technology!) and could watch my big sister, Katie will away her ZX stash. And here's my official blog shout out to home much I love you guys and everyone. Y'all are amazing and such wonderful women and I can't wait to be home and hanging out with every single one of you.
Alas, I must get off to doing some work! ISP due in five days!! Love to you all back home and everywhere else. Thanks for reading. It's nice to talk it out sometimes. Here are some photos if you like!
ridin' in my short shorts. Whatcha gonna do about it?
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