Free time is such a luxury for me right now!
Last week I was incredibly busy because we had our first tests on Thursday (which is like Friday in the states) and let's just say that I'll be lucky if I pass the classes in this program. I may have gotten straight A's in Arabic at Carolina, but here I'm averaging in the 70's or below...no joke. Our program administrator told me that 80 and above is considered an A here so maybe that means if I get a 60 I can fly with a C hahahha. Seriously though, I have GOT to crack down this week and stop having girl talk until God knows when in the morning.
So after waking up at 4 AM to finish studying for my exam, having 4 classes, and then taking a 3 hour long exam (which I didn't even finish by the way), I went with a bunch of people from my program to Damascus. I'm really glad that I went because it is an amazing city but it was really difficult fitting in travel in a schedule of intense schoolwork. Fortunately Irbid is only about 20 miles from the border and maybe 2 hours total from Damascus. The ride there was interesting to say the least- I was lucky enough to get the middle seat in the back which happened to be furnished with a nice, cozy seat warmer, as the heat ducts in the car seemed to be leaking. Hot air emanating from dark leather seats is not the most pleasant feeling in 100+ degree weather.
Anyway, we made it through the obstacle course that is the border and had an amazing dinner in downtown Damascus. It was quite a thrill to branch out from my daily diet of falafel, hummus, pita bread, and Nutella. The main problem with this weekend was that our first day there was al-Jumua so the big souq was closed and hardly anything was going on. On Saturday we did manage to pack in a lot of exploring and got to enter the beautiful Umayyad mosque. The souq was totally packed that afternoon but I made a number of purchases including olive oil soap, a scarf, turquoise jewelry, various postcards, and best of all, a gorgeous emerald green jalbiyya. I realize that it's completely impractical but I just couldn't pass it up, so I'm hoping I can wear it to a wedding or some other cultural event while I'm in Jordan. Plus I'm sure this won't be the last time I visit the Middle East .
See above for pictures of this weekend's adventures :)
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