Saturday, April 30, 2011

3 Weeks to Go


April, 2011 is over today. 

In some ways, I really can’t believe it. In others, I am itching to get back to the States. As for my schedule, this weekend I cancelled plans to go camping after taking a peek in my wallet. The next week is our last two Arabic classes, then that weekend will be spent studying for the Final, buying presents, and prepping for my internship case-study. That week I will continue to write, go to Wadi Rum and camp under the stars, finally to Petra (inshallah), then more finals, end of classes…and then I leave to Israel! Four days later I move over to Sweden and then finally I go to the states June 2nd. Absurd.

In any case, the last few weekends I have spent hanging with my host family, around Amman, talking with actual Jordanian residents, and doing some self reflection in Aqaba. Here are some cute photos of my host familia…(during a commercial of “Ashqa Mumnu’a” (Forbidden Love—an arab favorite Turkish soap opera).

Lara, Baba and Mousa

Lara and Mousa

Aqaba was beautiful. Originally I booked this trip by myself, with the intention of figuring some things out in my life—among them was being assured I could travel by myself. However, when I got to the hostel, I realized there were 8 other CIEE students in the same hostel! Though, this didn’t bother me, I just continued on with my figuring.

Essentially I spent most of my days thinking, swimming, sunning, reading, snorkeling, and talking with some of the folk I met at the hostel.  Here are some photos of beautiful Aqaba.

Aqaba Beach at Sunset
And if you think that women here are liberated of clothing when they are at the beach in 90 degree weather…you are severely wrong (in some cases). When I went to swim, not only was I harassed by many of the shabaab (youth, men), but a big Muslim family parked their camp about a foot next to me. It was laughable, really. So typical Jordan: hijab, full coated women and big bellied men, with a huge umbrella, naked children, brewing tea and coffee on the beach. It smelled good, I’ll give you that.

Aqaba Public Beach; notice the clothing contrast...

As a last thought: here is how I know I have assimilated to Jordan.

One day, as I was walking down to Rainbow Street to meet for argelieh on a roof (yes, so fun)…these events happened all in 2-3 minutes of walking, one after the other.

First, a car stopped on the road, rolled down the window and the man (maybe 5 years older than me) demanded for my phone number. After I refused, told him I was married, told him I had three children, and told him I lived in Amman, he persisted. Eventually I told him to “piss-off” in Arabic, and with the help of a loud car horn behind him (since he was holding up traffic), he went on his way.

The Sheep Herd

Two or three steps later, I realized I was headed straight for a heard of sheep travelling upstream the hill I was walking down! As I attempted to move around the sheep and their Bedouin hearders (mind you this is about 50-60 sheep!) while simultaneously avoiding oncoming traffic and sheep droppings, another car full of young men passed by me shouting out their window: “Sex! Sex! Sex! Sex! Sex!” At this point I’m sure I stepped in sheep poop, stopped dead in my tracks, and as I neared the end of the heard of sheep, the Bedouin header says, “Ahalan Wasahalan Ala’ al-Urdoun” (Welcome to Jordan).


Yes. Welcome to Jordan three months and 1 week later indeed, dear Bedouin header.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Addendum

Apparently there was a violent protest, as I was writing that last entry. Fortunately not in Amman. Just goes to show you the unpredictability. But not to worry friends and family--this protest WAS known and predicted to happen (not the violence), and I have to stay far far away from them or else I will be kicked out of the CIEE program.

Anyway, here is the link:

http://aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2011/04/2011415153839185473.html

Welcome to Reality


                One of the biggest mistakes I have made here in Jordan is living under the impression that this experience is all about me. Which, when you’re assimilating and trying your hardest to stuff as many foreign words into your head as you can, is easy to do.

                Though this experience was my choice, it isn’t mine alone, and it’s certainly not all about me. My family has been kind enough to not freak out to the degree that I am hearing other CIEE students’ families are doing—but let me make something clear: Jordan is a third world country. There are a lot of things here that occur that I’ve ignored and not told my family or friends because (fortunately or unfortunately) I’ve been consumed with keeping myself inside the lines of harmony. So when I say this experience is not all about me, what I am implying is that it is about the people I am affecting here, and how family and friends home perceive my experience. 

                So let’s go back to the beginning. Here are some fun statistics about Jordan you may or may not know, but are important.
1.       Jordan is almost 70% or so Palestinian (this means they have some kind of “western” origin)
a)      However, the ministry is comprised of mostly “tribal” Jordanians…AKA “east Jordanians” who only comprise 30% of the population. AKA: representation is real unequal.
2.       Jordan has a huge youth bulge: almost 60% of the population is between 15-64 years-old. The median age is 24.3 years-old. This reality hit me recently when I met with some diplomatic attachĂ©s who were 24, 26, and 29. All of which,  dawned suits and ties, and worked in the foreign ministry of Jordan.
3.       92% of all people are Sunni Muslim. After that comes 6% Christian (mostly Greek, Syrian, Armenian Orthodox).
4.       Also: Jordan has constantly had a high unemployment rate, hovering between 11-14% usually.
5.       Jordan is pretty much owned by the World Bank. They are in debt to it since 2007 I think. This means a lot of their laws, changes, and economic reforms much be reviewed by the World Bank. –they are 6.7 billion dollars in debt since 2009.
6.       Jordan has very few natural resources. No oil. Though it does has phosphates, agriculture, and human capital (mostly in the form of Medical Tourism)
7.       Jordan is one of the most water-poor countries in the world, and can’t afford to desalinate their water, like Saudi Arabia.

So, consider these fun stats, and now I’ll tell you three things I’ve witnessed.

Something I never really addressed is the giant revolution craze going on through the Middle East. In case you’re wondering, yes: everyone is talking about it. In fact my Baba gives me an update every day telling me who died where, and where the protests are the hottest. Right now, is Syria. In fact, if you are over 40 years old and Jordanian, you are forbidden to cross the border right now.

Jordan, luckily one of the most stable countries in the area, has only felt faint left-over vibrations from the rest of the revolution-addicted countries. There have been protests every week, and only one was “violent.” I use this term because from what most Jordanians say, it was a misunderstanding between two groups that are actually relatively for a similar reformation, but rocks were thrown and one old guy died…so the media ran with it and called it “violent.”

In any case, most people want reform, they want representation in the ministry and the legislation, they are frustrated with the constant pouring in of immigrants…and they are taking hold of the strings of motivation from the neighboring countries and running with it.

The protests are unpredictable elsewhere, but many of the protests in Jordan are widely known. For example, there were two yesterday which was made known by CIEE staff and the traffic. So. There is that.

Many people are attributing the protests to facebook and other media, but honestly…I think the time bomb just went off when the dear Tunisian man set himself on fire. What a way to start a revolution. Here are two quotes I really enjoy concerning the revolutions in the Arab world:

“If the one dominating factor of events today is their unpredictability, then it would be foolish to predict where they will end up…we don’t even begin to know. But the one thing I’m sure of is that history is on the move, and we’re just at the beginning.” – The Independent

And….

                “It is fascinating but quite provincial to focus attention — as much of the Western media is doing — on whether Facebook drove these revolts or what will happen if Muslim Brothers play a role in the governments to be formed. The Arabs are like a bride emerging on her wedding day and many people are commenting on whether her shoes match her gloves, when the real issue is how beautiful and happy she is.” – Rami Khouri


Anyway, this entry was sparked also by this new graffiti I saw on the wall near my house:



This refers to the fact that education here IS NOT free, and those that are almost free, are not of good quality, or do not have any good resources. Not to mention, Jordanians tend to complain that they are paying for Iraqi education, since there are so many refugees here. But even University of Jordan has major issues. In the past there were protests about the poor quality of the bathrooms in the university (in case you’re wondering, maybe 60-70% of the bathrooms are still squat-toilets, and toilet paper is a rare find).

It is also sparked by the fact that my 7-year-old host sister constantly mocks Gadaffi by saying “Bayt Bayt Dar Dar Zenga Zenga!” Take what you will from that.

Another photo:
 
This is a photo of my host sister wearing a blanket, but it illustrates the whole hijab issue. Yesterday I met some of my host cousins and one of them (around my age) helped Lara put on a hijab—and Lara was beaming. Hijabs (just the head-covering) here are really a style statement, as well as a step toward maturity that many girls want to take. It’s probably 90% of the time completely their choice, and its kind of weird to see Arab girls without one now.

There is no photo to illustrate this, but Jordan is still struggling with some major racism issues. For example, today I was cat-called/yelled at (you can never tell) by the word: “whitey, whitey!”…but more importantly, others—like Jews and Iraqis are more often the victims of prejudice. You can imagine why.

So, that concludes my poly-sci discussion. It’s a rough overview, and does not encompass nearly enough of what’s going on here (when you add all the factors together), but it’s a start. 

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Travels and Beyond


                Considering I have been quite incompetent in updating this blog in the last month, I do not blame you if you have stopped looking for updates. But for that one lone set of eyes still dedicated to my letters: here is your update on, well, myself.

                The last time I wrote it was March 14th, my lovely 21st birthday. However, I am pretty sure I only wrote about the sheer possibilities of my birthday happenings. WELL, ladies and gents, let me try to give you a giant, yet organized and skim-able gist of my past month.

                March, in general, has been quite nutty. Not only was it my birthday, but it also contained the birthdays of many CIEE students, which is quite evident from the looks of my bank account. Birthdays in Jordan all follow a similar ten-part recipe:

1 part singing
2 parts company
5 parts alcohol
2 parts food (mostly in cake format, though sometimes KanafĂ©—see below--, and sometimes French fries)

Lest I say, much fun has been had. Besides birthdays, I have also gone on many amazing jaw-dropping trips.

#1 Ajloun. This is a nature preserve. There is also a castle. Here are some photos.


#2 Wadi Rum. This is the desert that you think of when people talk about Jordan. The Bedouins, the desert, the wadis/valleys, the sugary chai, and of course: THE CAMELS. This trip was an overnight trip which, at one point, I was not sure I would ever be warm again. This is when I really came to the realization that I came to Jordan unprepared for cold. Because the desert was very cold at night. Thankfully, some Bedouin lent me his camel-jacket and aint NOTHING getting through that thing. Anyway. Riding camels through the desert was definitely something I advise every human to do, as well as getting up and watching the sunrise. It was astounding—and it was so much fun to climb over everything…I want to learn to climb professionally.



#3 TURKEY.
                Istanbul.
At the last minute sometime in March I decided to go to Turkey for CIEE’s made-up “Spring Break.” I went to Istanbul and stayed with my Dad’s friend (who, with his personal assistant, Hediye) was unbelievably generous. We stayed in his house for four days while Hediye organized a personal driver for us named Oral, who was a riot, for free, and twenty-four. Istanbul, albeit rainy our first four days, was absolutely wonderful. We visited all the touristy sites: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, The Grand Bazaar (The Scarf Epicenter),  The Bosphorous Sea, Taksim Square, Istiqlal Street, Sultanhamet, The Dolmabahce palace, some absolutely wonderful breakfast nooks, and some great live Turkish music bars. We also got home-cooked meals, free breakfasts, and hot showers! The generosity of the Turkish folk was just way more than I could have expected and I hope to eventually repay them for everything. 

                Antalya.
After some debate, the four girls I was travelling with decided to forgo a 9-hour bus ride and buy some plane tickets to Antalya to stay in treehouses and get some sun. Yes. That’s right. TREEHOUSES.


…Six hours, a car ride, plane, and three buses later we arrived at the Bayram Treehouse Pension where we ate awesome food, sat by the fire, drank fat Efes beers, and skinny-dipped in the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, the beach was a whole quarter mile walk away and you had to walk through the 1st and 2nd century ruins in order to reach the beach. Haha, it was just beautiful. I would work there in a second if I had time/did not have to return to Jordan. When I told the Turkish workers that, they pointed at the “Help Wanted” sign and demanded I stay. In any case, this place was just incredible. Good company, GREAT breakfast nooks, quiet and lovely. Though our trip wasn’t over yet.

                Istanbul Part Two.
Six hours and, three buses, and one cab ride later, we arrived back in Istanbul to stay with my Dad’s friend’s sister-in-law’s apartment. Yes. That’s right. In Taksim Square. I loved them, and their apartment. Their generosity was again, humbling. We brought them cookies, and they brought us all over Istanbul—and danced until 4 in the morning, flipped a coin of fate which decided we should go back to sleep (though everyone else in Turkey on a Thursday was still up and about) to prepare for our journey the next day. We went back to the Grand Bazaar, haggled, ate more food, and enjoyed our last day in Turkey (and it was sunny!). Finally at 8:30 we called a taxi and headed to the plane back to Amman…



                The lessons learned this week include:
1.       I love nature. I think living in the city has made me realize how much I miss hiking, running in the hot sun and in the soggy rain, and napping in the grass.
2.       I can speak Arabic. For some reason, Turks don’t speak anything else but Turkish. Between the 4 girls, we could speak 6 languages: Hebrew, Russian, English, Arabic, Spanish, and French. But they only spoke Turkish. Thankfully our 10-word vocabulary of Turkish got us around. But when I returned to Amman, I realized how much I actually know. It’s worth a pat on the back. J
3.       Turkish men are much more direct than Jordanian men. Too many times I was directly hit on by Turkish men. They are much more direct, a little more dangerous, and kinda smelly.
4.       Pick the people you travel with wisely. I found out a lot about the ladies I travelled with. Good and bad. Travel brings out the best and worst in people. As Meredith (one of the girls I travelled with) said, “you can find out a lot about people from how they deal with two things: rainy days, and tangled Christmas tree lights.”Enough said.
5.       I want to live in Turkey. I plan on coming back and getting an apartment here. It is the perfect mix of middle-eastern culture and European style. I adore it. So much art, so much life!
6.       “Your niceness brings out the niceness in others.” Ercan (the boyfriend of the sister-in-law of my father’s friend) told me this when I told him he was too generous. Once I wrote in a journal entry of mine that there was not a shortage of genuinely nice people in the world. This saying, along with my own past thought, has certainly been solidified throughout this experience.  I could not have planned any of these events—they have all just fallen into place because of the generosity of others. It was beautiful.


This concludes the epically long update on my life. Now I am back in Amman, back to my schedule. It is crazy to think, but I only have four more weeks of the program here. I decided after travelling with the girls I would book an independent trip to Aqaba for one to just chill by myself, read, swim, scuba, and snorkel in the heat. Hopefully it will be sunny. Five weeks, and I will be in Israel/West Bank, then to Sweden, then home to Seattle. Time is speeding up. But I’m ready.