A Day in Ajloun

This past Saturday, I went with my friend to Ajloun to visit my virtual language partner, Haya, and her family.  During winter break, I Skyped with Haya (and sometimes her father) at least two times a week in order to talk about Irbid and Jordan and what I should expect.  She and her father were extremely helpful and they made feel as if I was already welcomed, even before I arrived to Jordan.  The program changed our language partners when we came to Irbid, so sadly, Haya is no longer my language partner. However, I have a new language partner and she is just as great :) Also, Haya is my friend's language partner, so I am still able to talk and hang out with Haya.

We left from Irbid at around 9:00 in the morning to go to Ajloun.  Amanda and I met up with Haya's friend, Hella, and she helped us get on the right bus that would take us to the city.  The bus ride was only about 30 or 40 minutes long, but the sights that we saw on the way were absolutely amazing.  As we ascended the mountains outside the city of Irbid, we began to see the snow-capped Al-Sheikh mountains of Syria. I am continually surprised by how close I really am to the Syrian border.  I wish I had a picture to show everyone of these mountains. When I go back to Ajloun, I will be sure to take a picture.  For the rest of the bus ride, we were greeted with rolling green and limestone hills and valleys, the trademark of the North-West Jordanian countryside.

When we arrived in Ajloun, we met up with Haya and had a breakfast filled with falafel, pita, hummus, and fuul, an Arabic dish similar to hummus but with mashed beans instead of chickpeas.  After this delicious breakfast, we walked through the market in downtown Ajloun where this happened:

:)

We then boarded another bus that took us about 30 minutes outside of Ajloun to where Haya lives.  Again, the scenery was amazing during the bus ride.  We finally arrived to Haya's house, which is situated on top of one of the many rolling hills/mountains of the Jordanian countryside.  The views from her home are incredible because you can see for miles and miles. Haya's town was quiet and peaceful, a much needed break from the noise of the busy city life in Irbid.

We talked with Haya's mother and father for a while and then had a brunch of hummus, fuul, eggs, olives, vegetables, and a bologna type meat. You may be thinking, "Wow! Breakfast and then brunch? That's so much food!" But that is not even the extent of it yet... if this day could be summed up into a few words it would be eating and drinking tea.

Brunch with Haya's family

After brunch, we all went with Haya's father who took us all around their town/village to see the sights of the Jordanian countryside and to meet some (most) of their family members. He first brought us to a stream that runs through the town. When people think of the Jordan, usually what comes to their mind is a picture of either a desert somewhere just really dry.  While some parts of Jordan are desert, the North-West region of Jordan is far from a desert with lush greenery and running streams and rolling mountains and valleys.  This is all exactly what I saw this day in Ajloun:

One of the streams running through Haya's village

Amanda, me, Haya, and Hella

Haya's brother picked flowers for Amanda and I :)

Looking out towards Haya's village

Jordanian countryside

Jordanian countryside

As I mentioned before, Haya's father also brought us around to their family members' houses where we not only talked, but also at least drank tea or also ate a little something. We met cousins, aunts, brothers, sisters and sat around and talked with them.  The views of the countryside from their homes were just as beautiful, so many pictures were taken at each stop as well.

After a full day of traveling around with Haya and her father, we came back to her home and had a traditional Jordanian dinner with mansaf, the national dish of Jordan.  This was the first time I had the honor to sit with a Jordanian family and eat this rich dish consisting of flatbread, rice, lamb, chicken, pine nuts, almonds, and topped with a fermented dried yogurt-like sauce called jameed.  After a day of drinking tea and eating, this was a very heavy dish to eat, but it was absolutely delicious. Mansaf was not the end, though, because Haya's sister also baked a cake specially for Amanda and I.  We sat outside on the patio to eat the cake and drink my 10th cup of tea for the day and talked until it was time to catch the last bus back to Irbid.  I found myself not wanting to leave this beautiful village with its rolling mountains and valleys and of course the hospitality of Haya's family.

Before I end this post, I just want to expand a little on Arab hospitality.  I am still always pleasantly surprised by the generosity and friendliness the Jordanian people have displayed when meeting them.  Hospitality is fundamental in Arab culture and Arab people are judged by other Arabs on how well they treat their guests.  Arabs don't think anything of asking a person they have just met to come over to their home and eat dinner with them. In their mind, there is always enough food for guests. For example, my archaeology class and I were waiting in the lobby for our professor and a guy poked his head in, found out we were Americans and invited us to his house that night to have dinner with him and his family.  If this happened in the US, the guy would be thought of as weird or even creepy, but in Jordan it is the norm.  It can be a little overwhelming at first, but you start to realize that Jordanians and Arabs are just very friendly people who want to get to know you. Also, when you do have dinner at their home, they will continually offer more food to you and try to force you to eat more. They feel as if they have failed as a host if you do not eat more than what is comfortable.

Arab hospitality is second to none, and that is exactly what I experienced when I was with Haya and her family.  Being far away from home, it is nice to experience this kind of generosity and hospitality.

Day Trip to Umm Qais, Ajloun, and Jerash

Marhaba, world!

(Yes, that means 'hello' in Arabic :))

I'm so sorry I've been horrible at keeping everyone posted on my experiences here in Jordan! The work load here is much more than what I imagined. Along with my Arabic classes, I also have English classes with a lot of readings. However, I cannot complain because since my last post, my time here in Irbid has been great! Well... except for being sick for about a week because of the food here... but that's a story for a rainy day!

What I have been dying to post about for the past few days is this past weekend. The program here has two big planned trip for us during the semester, and the first one was a day trip to Umm Qais, Ajloun castle, and Jerash.  It was an extremely long day, from leaving at 8 in the morning to walking around and seeing ancient Roman ruins and a castle all day until around 8 at night. It was also a chance to walk around and talk with our language partners.  My language partner was not able to be there, however, but my virtual language partner's friend was there, and she was more than willing to step in and be my language partner for the day.

The day began by having to meet outside our apartment buildings at 7:50 in the morning in order to board the bus and leave by 8.  We were all groggy and not ready to wake up, but we managed to show some enthusiasm for the adventures that were about to unfold.

Our first stop was Umm Qais. This archaeological site is nestled in the north-east corner of Jordan, and in fact, on a clear non-foggy day, you are able to see both the Syrian and Israeli borders from the site  We arrived there at around 9, so there was still fog and clouds making the site appear mysterious and ominous.  We only had about two hours to explore the ancient Roman ruins, so we had to hurry and see all that we could.

On a clear day, you can see both the Syrian and Israeli borders.

We came upon the Roman amphitheater first.  This structure was impressively large and very well preserved.  Later, in my archaeology class, I learned it was constructed out of volcanic rock, which is why it was a dark gray color.  When I climbed to the top of it, I was able to see for miles and miles into the Jordanian countryside.  It was absolutely amazing.

After the amphitheater, the rest of the site consisted mostly of columns and structures that were only half, or maybe even less, still intact.  Since we did have a tour guide leading us around and telling us about the history, we had to make our own fun:

No rules saying we couldn't sit and climb on the ruins!

After Umm Qais, we had a long bus ride to Ajloun. During the bus ride there, our language partners began to sing and chant Arabic songs and encouraged us to join in.  They then asked us to sign and chant popular American songs.  The entire bus ride consisted of singing and chanting and laughter, making the hour and a half bus ride seem like no time at all.  Later, after we got back from our trip, I learned that the bus driver had gotten lost and that's why the bus ride so long... I never would have known!

When we got to Ajloun, the bus dropped us off about only half way up the mountain on which the castle is built.  The hike up was treacherous, but what we came upon was more than worth it.  Once you get up to the top of the mountain you are welcomed by a huge Islamic castle that was built and used by Saladin's army during the Crusades.  I have always been very intrigued and interested in the Crusades, so I thought this was just wonderful. Again, we were not lead around by tour guides, so we were able to just explore the castle.

Ajloun Castle

We climbed all the way to the top of the castle and we were quickly astounded by the views that awaited us.  By climbing to the top, we had a 360 view of the Jordanian countryside and the city of Ajloun.

Views from atop Ajoun Castle.

Our last stop was Jerash.  Before we got into the archeological site, we were met with a quaint, little tourist market. Even our language partners were eager to buy little souvenirs and they helped us talk the price down of our purchases.  After, that we were led outside to the Roman city of Jerash.

So, I've been to Rome and seen the Colosseum and the Roman forum, but the Roman ruin site in Jerash, in my opinion, was even better.  The Roman ruins in Jerash are preserved much better than those in Rome, therefore, they are aesthetically more pleasing. Also, because much of the ruins are still intact, you are able to get an idea of how this city may have looked back in Roman time. In Rome, I did not get that feeling.

The entrance to the Roman ruins site is enough to get you excited, and then you pass by the hippodrome, where horse and chariot races were once held.  You are then led down a long Roman road into an enormous oval Forum.  From there you can go either up to the Temple of Zeus and the first amphitheater, you can keep going straight which leads to the Temple of Artemis and another amphitheater.

Entrance to the ancient Roman ruins of Jerash.

The oval Forum

We went up to the first amphitheater, and I was more impressed with it than even the Colosseum.  Although it was not as large as the Colosseum, it had much more detail and almost all, if not all, of it was still intact. In fact, there are still concerts held at the theater with musicals guests coming from all over the world.  We spent a while at the theater taking pictures and just taking in the history and imagining what it must have been like back in Roman times.  When we were about to leave, a two-man bagpipe group came and played a couple of songs, which encouraged some people to come and do a traditional Arab dance. Of course, me, loving all types of dance joined in and learned this traditional dance.  It was probably one of my top three favorite moment in Jordan so far.

One of two amphitheaters at Jerash

After leaving the amphitheater, we were only able to see a little more of this endless Roman city.  We walked down the road leading to the Temple of Artemis, but we only got half way and had to go back. There is so much of this ancient city that I was not able to see, so I am most definitely going back one weekend to see the rest. Many in the program feel the same way. For only 50 qirsh (less than a dollar) to get into the site, there is no reason not to go back.

This trip was one of a kind and has made me even more enthusiastic for the rest of the semester.  I have always been interested in ancient Roman history, so this day was mesmerizing for me.  I never thought I would see better Roman ruins outside of Roman, but Jordan has certainly surprised me.

Transition

Hello, everyone! I know it's been a while since my last post, but I'm back! I've been trying to get accustomed to Irbid, and to be quite honest, it's been a hard transition. I mentioned some culture shocks in my last post, but the past week and half I have been dealing with transitioning to speaking entirely in Arabic. I've only taken formal Arabic classes at Syracuse University, so when I came here, I knew no spoken Arabic and it is hard for the people here in the restaurants and stores to understand me.  Here at Yarmouk University in Irbid, I have Arabic class for three hours a day, Sunday-Thursday.  Last week, the classes were all in the spoken Arabic, so I feel as though I have learned an entirely new language. Now, when I go into a store or restaurant here, I can at least get across what I want. The language barrier has been hard, but my Arabic is getting better and better everyday, and will continue to improve as the semester goes on.

Although the transition has been hard, I am beginning to see the good and the beauty in this city, which is key to over-coming the differences between here and back home in the United States. First of all, Arabic food is great and is cheap, cheap, cheap. Every day during my break between Arabic classes, I get a falafel sandwich with either a bottled water or soda, and it costs under a Jordanian dollar, and when converted to the American dollar, it's still under a dollar! If I bought something like that in the US, it would costs probably around $4, or more. But just wait... that's not the extent of it. When we go to a restaurant, we are able to get literally a feast, food just covering our table, for around 5 US dollars per person. It's crazy awesome! And the food is delicious :)

Arabic feast for 5 US dollars per person.

This past week, I began my other classes here which will be taught in English.  My first class is called Jordan and the Modern Middle East. It's a political class that goes into the politics of this Islamic country and also its relations with surrounding countries. My other class is the class that I am most excited for this semester. It's called the Archaeological History of Jordan.  First off, the professor is awesome. On the first day of class, the four of us who are in the class sat in her office, drank tea, and just talked. We, of course, went over what we would be doing for the semester, and that just made me even more excited. We will be going some place new, whether its the museum that's right on campus or to a near-by town, for every class.  On the weekends, we will travel to cities farther away, like Amman and Kerak and cities that boast ancient Islamic castles.  Needless to say, this class has made me feel better knowing that I will have the opportunity to travel around this country that has thousands of years of history.

Today for my archaeology class, our professor took us downtown to eat the 'best falafel in Irbid' and do some shopping at the markets.  The falafel sandwiches that our professor bought for us were definitely delicious, however, I feel as though all falafel tastes the same... but that's just me, haha.  Our professor's friend then took us around downtown to the markets and helped us barter with the men in the shops.

Here's some pictures I took today of downtown and the markets:

Sign outside the place with the 'best falafel in Irbid'

Downtown Irbid

Market in downtown Irbid

Streets of downtown Irbid

My classes have definitely made me feel better about being here, however, I have to say that it is the people here that make me see the good in Irbid.  From my professors who are patient and eager to teach us to the people that we just meet on the streets, every where you go in this city you meet a kind and happy person who wants to make you feel like you're home.  The guy at the falafel sandwich stand where I buy my lunch everyday recognizes me and knows my order.  The guy at the fruit and vegetable stand knows me and my friends when we come in and teaches us the Arabic words to all the fruits and vegetables.  The waiter at the chicken tikka restaurant who wanted to practice English with me passed by me on the street, recognized me and said hi and asked how I was.  I truly believe that I have not met a single rude or ignorant person here, and during a tough transition, that means the world.

Although Irbid, Jordan does not have much history and is not aesthetically pleasing, the people of this city is what makes Irbid beautiful.  I could have very easily gone abroad to a city that has beautiful scenery, history, and a vibrant nightlife, but I would not be getting the same experiences as I am here.  I am getting a true cultural experience. I am seeing the real Middle East.

Shock

I have been in Irbid, Jordan for two full days now, and it has definitely been a roller coaster of emotions.  While I have mostly been enjoying getting to meet the rest of the students that are also participating in my program, there have been a several moments where I have experienced some major culture shock.

The first moment was the night I arrived in Jordan and heard my first call to prayer.  In Islamic societies such as Jordan, mosques will sound a call to prayer to signal the time for Muslims to pray. This done five times throughout the day, and the first one is at five or six in the morning. I got into Irbid at two in the morning and didnt go to bed until about five or six, so I was lucky enough to hear the first one of the day.  While it may seem annoying to hear this five times a day, it is actually soothing in a way.  When I heard this, it really made me realize that I have arrived in the Middle East.

My next moment of culture shock was just walking around the city around the Yarmouk University campus.  The program warned us about the streets being filled with trash and litter, and they were not exaggerating.  There are piles of trash just laying in random spots on the sidewalks.  Also, the amount of staring and catcalling from the men here is much worse than what I experienced in Italy.  In Italy, it was common for the men to stare and call out "Ciao bella! Come over here let me talk to you!" But the men here, do not hide their staring and ogling in the least bit. I once looked over at a bus filled with men and they were fighting to look out the window at us group of American students.  If you look at them too long, they call out to you or whisper something like 'beautiful' to you as you pass by.  They will also beep at you as they pass by in their cars. It is just a lot to take in at times. You just have to learn to keep looking forward and have a, well, 'bitchy' look on your face... as bad as that sounds.

The last, and perhaps, most 'shocking' cultural difference I have encountered so far is that the toilet plumbing system cannot tolerate toilet paper. So yeah... no toilet paper.  We are able to buy toilet paper... we just cant flush it. Instead, bidets are used here. I have encountered bidets in Italy and Europe before, but I have never been required to use them...

While I have encountered several cultural differences, the people here are very friendly and eager to help.  I went with a couple of other students to the ATM on the first day, and we met a lady who was waiting in the line in front of us.  Most of the conversation was in Arabic, so it was nice to start getting used to Arabic. When we got to the ATM, she helped us when we had trouble extracting money.  She went into the bank to talk to the lady and fixed the problem.  After all of this, she even gave us her phone number in case we should need anything else.  Even going into the cafes and restaurants, the waiters have been very friendly.  Besides the waiters at this one restaurant who were taking pictures of us as we were walking out of the restaurant...

My day today, though, had a very relaxing ending. We all went as a group (even our Resident Assistant) to a hookah bar.  Tomorrow we start orientation, and after we sign the language pledge on Sunday, I will no longer be able to speak English until the program ends in May.  We can Skype and talk with our family and friend in English, however, so we're not totally deprived of speaking English. So do not fear! You will be able to hear about more of my Jordanian adventures! ;)


To end, here are some pictures I took today of the area around the university:

Taken from a cafe near the university.

Taken from a cafe near the university.

This is at the Arabela Mall. It was a about a 15 minute walk from the university.

There will be more pictures to come. I promise!

The Departure

Today's the day! Four months of clothes and belongings are packed into two suitcases, and I'm ready to head off to the airport! Even though I've gone abroad before, I cant help but still feel nervous and a bit scared. It's always difficult leaving your family, friends, and, of course, your animals.  However, I love challenging myself, so I really am more excited than nervous or scared.

I think what scares me the most is the fact that Irbid, the city in Jordan where I will be, is only 30 miles from the Syrian border.  While Jordan is, for the most part, a very stable country, there has been a great influx of Syrian refugees migrating to the refugee camps in northern Jordan, and this could eventually become a problem.

Other than that, I am so very excited for this adventure to start! In two days (I will actually arrive in Jordan on Thursday) I will be in a new and foreign country in which I know very little about. I will have to get used to a whole new culture and learn a new way of life. Call me crazy, but that is what I live for.

Pre-Departure

This Tuesday, I will embark on yet another study abroad experience, this time in Irbid, Jordan.  I spent my first semester of my freshman year of college in Florence, Italy and I can honestly say that it was the best experience of my life, thus far. However, this time around I want to take even more out of living and studying in a foreign country.

While my primary goal this coming semester is to learn and become fluent in the Arabic language, I also want to live and breathe the culture. I want to become totally immersed in this vibrant and lively culture and learn how to 'live like a Jordanian'. In addition to this, I want to bring my encounters and experiences to the people around me and break the stereotypes and misconceptions that we (the American public and other Western countries) often have about the peoples and cultures of the Middle East.

I want to give the readers of my blog a view of Jordan and the Middle East that is totally void of media influence. Rather, my blog will consist entirely of what my eyes see and what my ears hear.  My posts will show the true Jordan and Middle East without all the media fluff. If I can teach the people who read this blog at least one thing about this country and region, I will consider my study abroad experience a success.

Now that you know what I would like to have come out of all of this, let me tell you how excited I am! I have literally been waiting to go abroad to the Middle East since I got back from Italy.  I've known since high school that I want to learn Arabic, so this is definitely getting me closer and closer to my dream.

In the past month, I have been Skyping with my mentor for the program, Haya.  She has been fantastic in preparing me and making me feel welcome in this new and foreign country.  I have also met her father and mother and they are excited to meet me in person and have already invited me to their home to have dinner when I arrive in Jordan.  Feeling as though I am welcome and that I already have a friend, makes me even more excited and releases a great amount of stress and anxiety of living in a foreign country.

While I am not very informative of Jordan yet, let me share some info and facts that I already know:

1.
Jordan is a Muslim country, but is NOT entirely Muslim.  The majority of the country is Muslim, however, there is also a presence of Christians and other religions.

2.
While it is a Muslim country, I will NOT have to wear a headscarf (hijab).  I have been asked numerous times if I will have to cover my head, and the answer is no.  Many Jordanian women do wear the hijab out of modesty, but it is not required of me or any woman to wear it.

3.
The Queen is beautiful!

Queen Rania of Jordan

Queen Rania of Jordan

4.
Irbid, Jordan (where I will be) has four seasons and it even snows there! Here are some picture that my mentor, Haya, sent me of the recent snow storm:

5.

There is so much to see! Like the Dead Sea, Roman ruins, and, of course, the Petra.

That is just a taste of Jordan before I go. Please, please, please stay tuned throughout the semester to get even more of a taste of this country and the Middle East! I'm ready for all the adventures that are about to come my way. ;)