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. ;)