shisha, falafel, and culture shock

My apologies for abruptly cutting off my last post- finally I found a non-sketchy Internet cafe where I can update my blog!

So for the most part I would say I'm adjusting quite well to the drastically different surroundings of Irbid, although naturally the most difficult aspect of the trip is and will certainly continue to be the experience of being a Western woman in a Muslim country. Not to mention that Irbid is a fairly conservative city. I learned yesterday that attempting to go out- even just to buy a couple of notebooks- with just one other girl is a BIG mistake. Yesterday was al-Jumua (Friday aka Muslim holy day) so technically it wasn't even as bad as most days (maybe the shabaab feel guilty about harassing American girls when they should be praying) but we ended up running into this crowd of about 30 young men, ALL of whom were staring at us and most of whom were making comments in Arabic which we couldn't understand. So far I haven't heard anything terribly inappropriate from them, just the occasional "Welcome to Jordan" from some younger school boys or "We love you girls!!" from teenagers. One of the most amusing stories I've heard about Jordanian men's attempts to be forward in English was told by one of the girls on our program who went last year as well- apparently some guy had attempted to look up the word "sex" in the dictionary and started screaming "Gender!!! Gender!!!" at the Americans. Anyway, most of the kids from our program are very well-educated about the Middle East and how to conduct one's self here and/or are well-traveled thus know that confidence is key in walking down an unfamiliar street as a foreigner.

I'd say that by far the most difficult part of the experience for me has been the total change in my ability to fraternize with other men my age. The guys and girls in our program are segregated and guarded so that no one can try to sneak into someone else's dorms, so I think we've all resorted to this middle school mentality where we get excited about calling someone of the opposite sex to escort us down the street to the supermarket. I should also mention that many of the guys on our program are extremely attractive and obviously intelligent, so having to act all prudish can be quite frustrating.

Otherwise I've been enjoying exploring the city of Irbid and, at least for the time being, loving the weather. I've heard that it's going to get unbearably hot in a couple weeks, but right now it's very pleasant in the morning, hot for a few hours in the afternoon, then cool and breezy at night. It's so wonderful to look out my apartment window in the morning and see palm, olive, and pine trees juxtaposed in a geographic setting unlike any I've ever seen. I think when I look back on this trip one of my most vivid memories will be of sitting on the top story of a building smoking shisha and looking out a window onto a lit up mosque and a lively city at night (actually just the shisha should be enough to remember!!!) . I think next time we go out to a cafe I'll have to restrain my self to just shai (Arabic tea) since my lungs really need a break.

Tomorrow morning we are all taking a 3 hour placement test to determine if we'll be placed in lower intermediate, upper intermediate, or advanced levels. Based on my Arabic course experience, I am supposed to be in the advanced level but I must say I am beginning to think that I am at the lowest level of any of other advanced students given that most of them have either taken up to 4th year Arabic at their home institutions in the States or have traveled extensively in the Middle East and know a lot of dialect. I would say, however, that compared to many of students here, my accent is on the upper end, which at least makes me feel a little better. It always helps to have a decent grasp of that oh so lovely 'ayn.

In general, the Americans and Jordanians alike who I've encountered have all been extremely amiable and open. I'm excited about starting classes and having a regular schedule soon.

Until I have more to talk about....

Suzanne