The end is near......

Me and Ustaaza Zainab, the best professor at Qasid. 

Yesterday was the last day of classes at Qasid. I'm not sure how I feel about that. As exciting as it is to be done with classes for the semester, I really am going to miss my professor and other friends. Also, this means that this next week is our finals week! I have 4 tests, Sunday-Wednesday. Thankfully I don't have any tests on Thursday, so I can get any last minute shopping done or cleaning/packing. and then Friday morning we are leaving for the Holy Land (this is the neutral term for Israel/Palestine). So, the next week will be filled with lots of "lasts" and "good-byes".

We had speaking partners during the semester, and Tasneem
was one of mine.

Oh, so, yesterday I had probably my hardest, and most important test. My OPI. The OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview), is where I have a 30 minute interview with a trained proctor who will ask me questions trying to get me to demonstrate various skills, and rank my speaking ability based on my responses. This rating determines whether or not we qualify for the Arabic double major. This rating is also the one that Dil will give to prospective employers when we ask him for a letter of recommendation.

This is Heba, another one of my speaking partners

With that background info, let me tell you about mine. Mine was supposed to be yesterday at 1:30 pm, so after I was done with classes. I'd have time to get lunch, review some stuff, and relax. Well, in the morning, at 8:45 am, I was supposed to have a writing appointment with one of the professors. While I'm in the middle of my appointment, my cell phone goes off. Normally, if I"m talking to someone or in the middle of an appointment, I won't answer my phone, I'll hit the reject button. This time, I looked at the screen and saw that it was Dil calling me. I figured it was something important, so I answered it. It was a good thing I did, since Dil had been looking for me and was getting flustered that he couldn't find me. He informed me that they wanted to change the time of my OPI from 1:30 pm to 9:00 am, and asked if that was alright (but, he only asked if I was okay with the change to be courteous, it didn't matter if I said 'no', it would be at 9:00 am anyway). I told Dil that it was okay, and that I would meet him at the front desk at 9 am. I looked at the clock, and it turned out that it was 8:54 am, so I had 6 minutes to calm myself instead of 1.5 hours. I was not very happy with Dil, but it wasn't his fault really. He just happened to be the bearer of unhappy news. I survived it emotionally intact, so it's all good.

Muhammad, with Phil, Pat, and I. I had my 30 min presentations
with him.

In class, we talked about the end of the world for the first hour. We came up with two causes for the end of the world. Nuclear War and Zombies. Yes, we actually pulled the 'zombies' card. Then, the second hour, we had a party. It was a good note to end the semester on.

During the semester, we had the opportunity to go spend time with some Syrians (I guess they technically are refugees, but I have trouble thinking of them like that). They'd speak Arabic with us for an hour, then we'd speak English with them for an hour. Since we are starting finals week, Dil cancelled meetings with them. There are other projects that the Syrians we met with were involved in. The Church has worked with them a lot too. So, since we probably weren't going to see them again, we had a 'party' yesterday. It was great. I really am going to miss them.

Everyone who helped/worked with the Syrians

Abdulaziz, one of my Syrian friends

My friend, Lucy, and I are helping with a children's choir from the Greek Orthodox Church. Lucy is accompanying them on the piano, and I am her assistant (in other words, a glorified page turner). Their Christmas concert is next week (its date was changed so Lucy would be here), and we had practice last night. Lucy, our friend Michael, and I left the party with the Syrians to go to the practice. First we took a taxi back to our apartments and picked up our friend, Marc, then we went to Deanna's house (she's the director, and the practice was at her home). Well, the taxi driver didn't know the neighborhood we were talking about. Every other time we tell the driver the name of the neighborhood, they know exactly where to go, and we direct them once we get there. But, this time, Lucy and I had to try to direct the driver to the place. Well, Lucy and I are very good at remembering places, so we knew we were on the right track, but we couldn't remember where exactly we turned (since we haven't needed to remember).

Me and Mohammed (who actually is Abdulaziz's cousin)

So, long story short, we were hopelessly lost. The practice ended at 7:30, so by the time it was 7:00, and we weren't any closer to finding the neighborhood, we decided to give up. The driver took us back to our apartments, without complaint. If anything, he found us Americans, who were trying to give him directions, amusing. We later figured out that we were in the taxi, for over an hour (it definitely didn't feel like it was that long). The total fare at the end was 5.47 JD (the second most expensive taxi ride I've taken). We gave him 6 JD, since he had put up with us for so long. It was quite the adventure. We are a lot more familiar with that area now. And we can tease Lucy mercilessly about her difficulty with directions....

Since it is the end of the semester, the next few posts will probably be a little sad, and about saying good-bye, etc... just to forewarn you. 

A harsh dose of reality

Alright, I said I would post the Hygiene Puppet Show as soon as I got it, so here it is:

Hygiene Puppet Show- Group B

Today, I had the opportunity to go to the King Abdullah Park refugee camp, in Ramtha, and then to visit Camp Zaatari. This time it was only a small group that went. We took one group of puppeteers, and a few other people to help with the stage and "crowd control". It was a very last minute trip, but one that I am glad to have been a part of.  

Group A (whom I commonly refer to as "my boys) Marc (Nurse), Matt (Marium) Phil (Mother), Joachim (Jelal) and Logan (Faysal) 

We performed the puppet show in King Abdullah Park. It is called the "Five-star camp", and I believe it. It was so difference, in appearance at least, than Cyber City was. There were nice buildings and more solid structures (than tents) for families. It was a lot more organized as well. Part of that is because it is where most refugees cross the border, and they generally have to register with UNICEF or UNCHR...or some other alphabet soup organization. 

The walls of a "Five-Star" refugee camp

The people there were better dressed, as in they had clothes that fitted them better and weren't as dirty. But, you had to look and see if a kid had pierced ears to tell if it was a boy or girl, since boys were wearing pink (or other girly colors). We walked into camp, and the children just began to flock around us. They were so cute and innocent looking. Some of the kids just watched us and wouldn't come near us when we said 'hi' to them, but a lot of them came up to us and began playing with us. 

We have an almost "Pied Piper" effect, the kids just start following us everywhere

The show was great. It was a hit with the kids, like usual. From behind the stage, it seemed as if they weren't listening, but we saw some pictures and it 

showed that a lot of the kids were really paying attention to what we were saying. It was a great feeling. Of course, the kids got wound up, and a bit rowdy.

This toddler shoe was on the ground outside the car

One of the kids, a boy probably about 4, was the only one we had a problem with. He kept running around and trying to get into things. When someone was holding him, he was okay, but once you let go, he was gone. He kept trying to take things from our pockets too. He actually took my water bottle from my backpack, but some other kids told me and I got it back. I found out later that when he was coming to the border, something happened (I'm not sure what exactly) that was very traumatic (most likely he saw someone in his family be killed), and that his acting out is a cry for attention. As we were leaving, he was climbing the fence, which I'll admit, was a pretty impressive feat. 

This is the kid who climbed the fence as we left

A lot of the kids had very timid, reluctant smiles. But, once you stopped and said 'Hi, how're you? What's your name?" they'd answer you and then you'd see a real smile. 

After we left King Abdullah Park, we drove about an hour east to Camp Zaatari. Oh, for the record, Ramtha (where the first camp was) is about 2-4 miles away from the Syrian border. Zaatari is just as close.  

See that hill in the background? That's Syria. 

Camp Zataari is the main refugee camp. It currently has about 40,000 people in it, with more coming daily. It started out very primitive, little more than tents pitched in the desert. But, now, it is beginning to resemble a town. There has been a lot of foreign aid. The US has contributed the most. Jordan contributes a lot (besides their land, and what little resources they have). The other Arab countries help out a lot too. Saudi Arabia has a huge section of camp that they are providing the housing, water, etc. for. Bahrain has built a new school. Morocco built a hospital, a high end hospital. It is fully equipped, and has pretty much anything and everything. There are neo-natal incubators for pre-mature babies, there are all kinds of specialists there. There is an actual triage set up. The doctors are rotated every few months so they don't burn out. The King of Morocco visited, and went around and passed out blankets to people. He also has made it so that when a child is born, the family gets a newborn kit (with some onesies, diapers, blankets, etc), and the kits are as good as if not better than the ones that people receive in the US. 

Camp as it looks now

You can't see it very well, but that's essentially a tank outside the camp

LDS Charities has helped out a lot as well. They were among the first to come in and lay down gravel, so it was more like roads and dust didn't get everywhere. They have been funneling a lot of money into the camp itself and in other humanitarian projects. 

France has helped with the field hospital, and I couldn't resist taking this picture for my mother

We didn't do the puppet show there, we just walked around and talked to people. Some people were more open with us, others didn't want anything to do with us. We talked to one lady in a kitchen, and she saw that someone had a camera, she immediately backed behind the door, and said no pictures. She still had family in Syria and didn't want to risk them being targeted. I saw a lady in a wheelchair, I don't know what exactly was wrong but one of her legs was bent at an odd angle, it didn't look like it was really bleeding or injured or anything, but it just didn't look right. As she passed by, I made eye contact with her, smiled and said hello. She in turn smiled a genuine smile, said something and nodded at me. It is amazing the difference a smile can make. 

Sister Anderson and I. She's the one who got me involved in the puppet show and this has been her project as much as its become mine

The area where we walked reminded us all of a market. There were some people selling produce, others clothes, there were some falfel stands, it was like a small town. But, it still was very sad looking. And very different from what a lot of these people were used to. We were told that a couple months ago, it looked totally different. There were a lot of white tents, which were new. Then there were some tents that were an orange-ish red color, that were 4 months old. I'm very glad that I never saw the camp when it was first starting, otherwise I probably would've cried....a lot. 

After we left Zaatari, we got lunch at a shwarma place

I am so grateful for what I have. That I live in a country that isn't embroiled in turmoil. That I even have a country really. That I have a house, that I know where my whole family is, that I don't have to worry about them being targets. I'm grateful that I live in a land where I'm allowed to speak my mind and not fear any violent repercussions. I am grateful that I haven't seen the truly ugly side of life that these people have seen. It amazes me that we are capable of such violence, but at the same time capable of equal if not greater compassion and love. 

A BYU Jordan Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a very "American" holiday. But, everyone seems to know about it or at least has heard about it. Unfortunately we didn't get a long Thanksgiving break like everyone back in the States, but this year's Thanksgiving was extra special.

This little guy has nothing to do with anything. I saw him on my way home from school, he was so small he would've fit into my hand, and he was so fluffy I was going to die (name that movie) anyway, I thought I'd include him because he's so  adorable ;) 

First off, we had two Thanksgiving's. Really, how many people get that? And going to multiple Thanksgiving dinners doesn't count. Our first Thanksgiving was on November 15th. This also happened to be the Islamic New Year, so we did get school off that day. Well, alright we still had class, but it was only one class. For the afternoon, Dil's wife and the other wives organized a Thanksgiving dinner for all of us and the 4 missionary couples (two of them just arrived here within the last month). It was a blast. One of the guys here, Scott, isn't actually taking classes. He's doing research for one of the other professors at BYU, and does a lot of filming for documentation. So, during the dinner, he went around and asked everyone what they were thankful for and put it into a film, whose link I included so you can watch it.

BYU Jordan is Grateful For....

**There are a lot of inside jokes that are mentioned (like my comment), so don't worry if you don't completely understand everything

In case you didn't notice the date of our Thanksgiving, this was the weekend when the mass protests were going on in Jordan and Hamas and Israel were bombing each other. So, for the weekend we at first were just on "city lock down", meaning we couldn't travel anywhere outside the city or the places where the protests were happening. Then, after we found out that some people had been killed during one of the protests (in a different city, I think. But there were people injured in Amman) we were put on total lock down. This meant that we couldn't leave our apartment unless we were with a guy and were allowed to go to each other's apartments and to the nearby stores, only. This also meant that church on Friday was cancelled. So, we had a long weekend (and we were supposed to go up to a place called Umm Qays) and we had to spend it in our apartments. It felt like one of the longest weekends in my life. But, I do understand the seriousness of what was going on, and why we took such extreme security measures. However, that doesn't mean I had to like it.  

Our second Thanksgiving was yesterday, the 22nd. This one wasn't big and fancy, there wasn't a turkey or any huge meal, but it was an amazing Thanksgiving. Last week's Thanksgiving was "the fun Thanksgiving", but yesterday's was the "serious/real Thanksgiving". 

I've mentioned the anti-smoking puppet show (just a few times) and I've posted the video for it in one of my other posts. Well, we were asked to do another puppet show, one that was just as, if not more, important. This puppet show wasn't on smoking, it was on hygiene  more specifically it was about germs, and the importance of washing your hands. We were asked to perform this puppet show for the children in the Zataari camp for Syrian refugees. Because people are living in such close quarters and in very primitive conditions, disease abounds in the camp. The camp directors and the Ministry of Health people thought that the puppet show would really have an effect on the kids, and they were the ones who really needed it. So, the missionary couple working for LDS Charities came to us and asked us to do this show as well. Of course we agreed to do it, why wouldn't we? Actually, no one hesitated in saying 'yes'.

 I was in charge of this show again (since the last one had gone so well). This time, we needed two groups, since the plan was to have two shows going on at the same time (since there are so many children, the camp overall has at least 40,000 people). The show also was a lot more involved and complicated in terms of speaking parts. So, I had to pick 10 people (5 for each group) from a list of 14 people who said they wanted a speaking part. It was really hard, and I felt like a horrible person for not being able to give everyone a speaking part. Anyway, we met, and rehearsed a lot.

 The Sunday before the show (the 18th), Dil announced in class that we weren't going to be able to go to camp Zataari. I was devastated, we all were. It turns out that there had been riots in the camp, and it wouldn't have been so bad, except that the riots were also happening at the school and kids were bringing knives to school and one boy had been stabbed several times. They don't have enough security personnel for the camp itself, and a group as large as ours would be (there are 30 students and most of the wives wanted to come, in addition to Dil, LB, and the missionary couples), they couldn't guarantee our safety, and even though we have more guys than girls, they wouldn't be enough. So, Dil said we weren't going, but that they were trying to get permission for us to go to one of the smaller camps. We kept practicing, and on Tuesday (the 20th) Dil sent me an email saying that we would be going to Cyber City, a refugee camp of about 1000 people (400 of which are kids). 

These kids were all in grubby second hand clothes, that didn't necessarily fit them. There were patches and holes in them and in some cases were pretty dirty. At least one family lives in a small room in some office buildings that had been converted into shelter for the refugees. The bathrooms don't have toilet paper, and you can't flush it down the toilet because it will clog the pipes, since the pipes and sewage system isn't very strong/good. This camp is a lot smaller than Zataari, so you never hear about it and they don't get assistance like Zataari does. They don't really have any kind of supplies for hygiene, so we brought little hygiene kits that we passed out. 

It truly was an amazing experience. One that I will never forget. Since the camp is older and smaller than Zataari, it is much better organized and looks better. They had a huge tent set up (like the mess hall tent in MASH), which is where we performed. The show was a huge success, the kids absolutely loved it. (Scott recorded the puppet show, and once he's done editing it and puts it online, I'll post the link) They loved the puppets themselves and after the show, the puppeteers went out among the kids with their puppets, playing with them. I was helping with some other stuff when I looked over and saw a big group of kids around my friend, Logan, who was one of the germs in the show. The puppet was "eating"  the kids, and really just playing with them. It was such a great feeling when I saw those kids smiling and playing. And I almost cried when I heard them laughing. 

Me and the girls in Group B
L to R: Pat, Sarah, Alex, Me, Emily, and Lucy
*I forgot to get a picture of me and Group A, but I'll find pictures of everyone at some point 

It seems a little silly, me getting emotional and near tears just from hearing kids laughing, but there's a few things you need to understand. These kids all have virtually nothing. Their homes are most likely no longer standing. They don't even have their country anymore, they didn't do anything, they just were caught in the crosshairs, and their well being wasn't thought of. They're just collateral damage. All of these kids know at least one person who has died, have at least one family member who was killed. A good amount, if not all, of them have witnessed the deaths of at least one loved one. They have seen people be killed and they, in turn, know how to kill. Some of the stories I've heard, are so horrific that the average person can't even imagine it. These children have seen more death and destruction in the past two years of their young lives than most people see in a lifetime. These kids have been permanently scarred in some way. So many things have gone wrong in their lives. They have lived through so much devastation and sadness, we cannot comprehend it. Knowing all this, having those horror stories in the back of my mind, I went to the camp and before the show, all the kids were relatively quiet, they weren't really being wild or rambunctious, but after, I was able to see them acting like regular kids, and hear them laughing. I didn't realize how much hearing that would affect me.

There was one little girl, who was probably about 3 years old, who was very shy and stood a few feet away from the back of the group, but you could tell she wanted to get closer. I saw her and prompted one of the other puppeteers to go see her specifically. When the puppeteer got her attention and the girl saw that the puppet was there to see her, she smiled so big and her face just lit up, and seeing that, I couldn't help but smile too. 

As we got onto the bus to leave, the kids kept waving and saying good-bye, since they really didn't want us to go. As the bus started pulling out, one little boy, who was probably 8 or 9, stood next to the bus and was waving at all of us. Once the bus started moving, he did too. He started out walking, then jogging, then all out sprinting alongside the bus, waving at us the whole time with a smile on his face while we waved back. He eventually had to stop, but I can still see him in my mind. 

We only spent the morning at the camp. I know we all wished we could've stayed longer. But, it really set the tone for the rest of the day, at least for me it did. It made me realize just how fortunate I am, and how many things I don't appreciate, but should. It wasn't really a big, fancy Thanksgiving this year, but that's ok, since I don't think there's any other way I would've wanted to spend it. 

Riots and Rockets

So, as I'm sure everyone has heard, things are heating up here in Jordan, and next door in Israel-Palestine. I just want to say that I'm alright, we all are. We are currently under "house arrest", meaning we can't go anywhere outside our neighborhood (meaning we can be in our apartments and the other people's apartments, and the places in between), and we can't go anywhere alone. We get alerts from the Embassy about protests and whatnot, and its gotten to the point where we don't really need them except to know the details of whatever has been planned, we know what they'll advise us to do without reading the email....it is kind of funny, but also kind of sad.

We haven't seen any riots/protests where we are, but, most of them are happening downtown, which is the opposite direction of where we are. But, Amman is a big city, and the protests have become more random, and are liable to start anywhere there can be a large amount of people. Things have been different this time around, since normally, Jordanian protests are always peaceful, and don't go on for long periods of time. That isn't the case this time. There have been deaths and injuries this time, it was inevitable that they would escalate to this. The protests are throughout the whole country, in almost all of the capitals of  the provinces. One night, things got to the point where they were burning pictures of the King, and calling for his removal. That NEVER happens. These protests have been going on since last week. 

So, what exactly is everyone getting worked up about? The government has been subsidizing basic services (such as gas) for a long time, and that's why things have been cheap over here. However, the country is going bankrupt, there isn't any money, so they can't continue to subsidize gas. The people don't seem to realize that they had been subsidizing gas at all, and just think it's a major tax increase. Well, the price of gas (which they need for their homes) has skyrocketed, over night. My roommates and I had to buy a new thing of gas for our stove. The first time we bought one, a month or two ago, it was about 6-7JD, well, we just bought a second one (of course we didn't realize the gas prices were going up, and the weather was bad so no one was out selling gas) either the day the prices rose or the day after, and it was 11 or 12 JD. In most places, the price increase was by 54-ish%. Yeah, it kind of hurt. And we're just college kids. We aren't the already poor families, who are struggling. What doesn't help matters is that winter started last week. No, seriously, it started, as in people could say the exact day summer weather would be gone. It actually rained for about two days straight, and the temperatures have dropped significantly, and without the benefit of insulated buildings, we feel the cold outside and inside. So, this price hike happens the week winter starts, so everyone seriously needs the gas. 

The government tried to raise the prices back in September, but the people began protesting and threw a fit so the government backed off. Unfortunately, they now are so desperate that they really can't afford to give in to the people's demands. If anything, they should've done a more gradual price increase over the course of several months. Now, I'm not siding with the protestors. They really need to grow up and quit acting like toddlers throwing a tantrum. They don't take the time to find out why the government is doing what it is, they just know that they don't like it, so they go make a ton of noise and trouble until the government gives in. They don't think, they just act like children, and get upset if people don't pay attention to them. They don't act like rational people, they're very impulsive. What doesn't help is that there was already political unrest. Everyone knows there is corruption in the government, and they want to get rid of the corrupt people, but they don't have to power to get them out, so they want the election law changed, and the King can't completely do that, otherwise the corrupt people (who are the most powerful ones, but a minority) will replace the King with someone they want. So, the Muslim Brotherhood, who has been gradually gaining control of other Middle Eastern countries, are trying to worm their way into the government, so they can get rid of the King, and take over. Which would be a really bad thing for the rest of the world. So, it's a difficult situation any way you look at it.

On top of this, Israel and Hamas are at it again. They don't get along on a good day, but they haven't had any major confrontations in awhile. Hamas controls Gaza, and they fired missiles at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, none of them have hit the target cities, but they have gotten close. This is the first time that anyone has had missiles with a long enough range to have a chance of hitting Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. The missiles fired at Jerusalem were way off, and instead hit around Bethlehem. Several of the missiles fired at Tel Aviv have gone into the Mediterranean Sea. Anyway, in response, Israel has been hitting Gaza with missiles as well. Thus far there have been fatalities of 27 Palestinians and 3 Israelis (at least the last time I looked that's what the count was). Hamas has fired over 500 rockets at Israel and Israel has fired over 200. Israel has also mobilized more than 30,000 reserve troops (at least that's what a couple articles said). 

One of the problems? In Israel's Constitution, there is a clause that says whenever Israel is attacked, they will attack the aggressors with equal or greater force (generally greater). There also is a clause that makes it so the Constitution cannot be changed. So, they really aren't going to back down. I'm not completely sure what triggered this attack, but I do know that it comes at a very inconvenient time. We're supposed to go to Israel in 3 weeks. Well, the BYU administration hasn't nixed the trip, so unless something major happens (er, more major), we will still get to go, but we will be limited in where we can go and what we can do.  

Dil put a couple things on our Facebook page to reassure us, and to let us know what BYU security has said:

BYU Security has written me to ask me to remind you to FREQUENTLY email your parents and other loved ones assuring them you are OK despite what they are reading in the press. The rockets that fell near Bethlehem yesterday are just a hop, skip and a jump away from Amman, so they are rightfully worried that #1 we are in range and #2 those firing the missiles seem to be super incompetent when it comes to targeting.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865566952/BYU-Jerusalem-Center-students-safe-as-bombs-fall.html?pg=2

So, I'm doing alright, I'm alive, starting to become bored out of my mind, but that's better than being majorly (or even minorly) injured, right?

Yes Virginia, it does rain in Jordan.....

It doesn't happen often and usually doesn't last very long, but it does rain here in Jordan. This weather marks the beginning of winter. : / 

This is about halfway to my apartment

One of the professors said that it usually only rains for a couple hours.....well, it has been raining since 8:30-ish this morning. It now is 5:15 and I think it is starting to clear up. 

Well, in this weather, it is near impossible to get a taxi or a bus. And, if you do get a taxi, a lot of times the driver will want you to pay extra because he knows that its raining and you are desperate to get a ride. I learned all this the hard way today.

My friend, Pat, and I were supposed to go to Jabal Hussein to go shopping with one of her Arab friends. We were supposed to meet her friend, Hiba, at 4:00, so we planned to catch a taxi near Pat's apartment at 3:45. Well, we got out there and it was still raining, not too bad mind you. After waiting 15 minutes, we decided to walk up to the main street and try to catch a taxi there. After about 10 minutes, during which it had started to rain harder, we decided to walk (it takes about 5-8 minutes) up to the University to try and catch a bus.

I lost count of how many times I got splashed by cars

By the time we get there, we both are soaking wet, but we still wanted to go shopping, so we were going to try to find some transportation. After another 10-15 minutes, we still haven't found anything, it is now after four, and even if we were to get inside a mall, it would take forever for us to dry out. Pat's friend called us, and Pat explained to her that we had been trying to get transportation but there wasn't anything available and if we could reschedule. Hiba was understanding, and we're going to try again at a later date. 

When I first walked in, all wet, cold and pathetic....but smiling

Pat and I walked back to our neighborhood, even wetter than before (since a couple of cars drove by and splashed us). We went our separate ways, and I headed back to my apartment. Thank goodness I don't live on a hill that doesn't have continuous sidewalks or real gutters. Oh, wait........I do. 

Notice the difference between wet and dry

Thankfully, I had my fleece jacket on, so my other shirts only got partially wet, as you can sort of see

I started going up the hill, careful to avoid puddles, and I was doing a good job. Then, as I was jumping across a puddle, I hear a car coming and I think it's turning towards where I am, so I stop myself from following through the jump, and instead one foot lands in the aforementioned puddle. So, now I'm soaked through, I can't see clearly through my glasses, and now one of my shoes was waterlogged and all squishy when I walked. 

I decided that if I have to be soaking wet, I might as well have fun with it

I get home, and look at myself in the mirror (actually, it was my reflection in the elevator walls) and I can't help but laugh. I looked all pathetic, and like I had drowned. I get into my apartment, strip off my soaked clothes, put on dry, relatively warm ones, and stuffed newspaper in my shoes to help dry them out. While I was getting the newspaper, I, thankfully was looking at what I was tearing up, and saw a picture I had to save.   

For those who are too uncultured to know, this is one of the players on my football team. Yes, I have my own football team. The Chelsea Football Club, from Chelsea England

At this point, I'm still cold, and I think it'd be nice to have soup or turn on the oven and just sit in front of it, then I remember, we're out of gas.......

Ajloun and Tell Mar Elias

Well, including today I only have four more Saturdays in Jordan. When I realized that, I was shocked, I felt like I had so much more time. Anyway, the weekends (meaning Saturday) is really the best time to do any trips. This weekend, we went up to Ajloun and Mar Elias.

Ajloun Castle

Ajloun is a crusader castle. It is smaller than Karak and Shobek, but I'd have to say it is more well preserved. The castle is located at the top of a hill (for strategic purposes), in the region Gilead. It is North-West of Amman, and a lot wetter and greener. No, seriously, you wouldn't believe you were in the Middle East, it looks more like Western Washington. It was gorgeous. Also, the weather was perfect for it. It was windy, and rainy. There was a foggy mist that surrounded part of the hills/mountains, it really was picturesque. 

One of the few times I've had to stoop to get through a door

This is the last defense of the castle. It is a space between the arches of the gate that they would pour boiling oil down. 

Lucy, me and Pat

When we were driving towards the castle, we could see the mist/fog on the mountains/hills, and I made the comment that it looked like a scene from Lord of the Rings, and that they were the "Misty Mountains". The rest of the time we were at the castle, we kept making LOTR comparisons. A lot of us even admitted that we felt like there should be orcs attacking. 

After that, we went to a place called Tell Mar Elias. This is traditionally, the birthplace of Elijah. There really isn't much to see there, it just has a great view. Actually, at the top of the Tell, there used to be a Byzantine Church, and the mosaic floors are still there, and have been excavated. There also were some catacombs that we went inside of.  We also saw a "Wishing tree". when you visit, you tie something on the tree, and make a wish. It was neat, and most of us found something to tie on.

The Wishing Tree

Because the region is all foresty, there is a Nature Preserve, unfortunately it was closed today. But, we pulled to the side of a road and were able to go exploring in the forest a little bit. It brought back memories of my grandparent's farm back in Washington.

Some more of the amazing signs here

The sun decided to come out....sort of

The ride back was pretty uneventful. The only significant thing is that it stopped raining and the sun came out. I've heard from a lot of people, that yesterday was the last day of summer weather, and now it's going to get a lot colder and rainier.....

"Educational Experience" part IV: Finding Nemo, Under the Sea

The Red Sea, at sunset

We spent our last day in the port city Aqaba, on the Red Sea. Jordan has about 34 Km of the Red Sea coastline. 

On the coast of the Red Sea

We got to Aqaba in the late afternoon, so we were on our own for dinner. We also were able to wander around the city. The hotel was maybe a 5-10 minute walk from the beach. 

This was one of the signs in the hotel, they want us to "Engoy our stay" 

Another hilarious sign, "smoke the hupply bubbly" 

The main shopping district was right around our hotel too. Aqaba is well known for its jewelry, but I didn't get any (something that I figuratively kick myself for). I did wander around the shops with some friends. Then I got some really good ice cream with a couple friends. 

Christina came to the conclusion that a picture of her eating ice cream in honor of her friend would make a great   souvenir

One of the guys saw this and said "Look at that Stud", someone gasped and he said "I meant the horse". 

The Red Sea in general is famous for its snorkeling. So, I and about 17 other people went out snorkeling the next morning. It was a lot of fun. The water was super clear and super blue. We were in glass boats, which meant that there was a glass panel in the bottom so we could see everything. 

View from the bottom of the boat. Oh, we did find Nemo a couple times. 

This building reminded me of the Space Needle, just shorter and fatter. It actually is a lighthouse. 

Such a pretty boat!

Knowing, that  odds were that I would get sick, I took dramamine before we left, and I really enjoyed it. I was able to actually look at the water and walk around without feeling sick. The boat had a canopy and the driver let us stand on the boat rails, if we held onto the frame of the canopy. 

Hangin' off the edge

So, I did get in the water, and I tried to snorkel. But, it really didn't work very well, I couldn't get the hang of it. So, I spent like 10 minutes in the water, then got back in the boat. Dil came with us and was babysitting baby Nadya while her parents were in the water, so I helped with her. 

Even though I didn't spend a long time in the water, the time I did spend in the water was great. Aqaba in general was super fun, and I wish we got to spend more time there. 

  Being out on the water made me wish Pappy was there 

That afternoon we came back to Amman, it was a five hour drive, and felt so long. The whole trip was a great experience. Now, we're at the beginning of week 11 (of 14). So we're on the downhill slide. We have our final at the end of this month, then we have our OPI, and we leave to spend two weeks in Israel on December 7th (about a month away), then we fly back to the States on December 21st. It is so crazy, my time here is almost up. Part of me is anxious to see my family and friends again, but at the same time, I don't completely want to leave.