The Ancient Agricultural Town of Al Salt السالط

This past week has passed very quickly. I have been spending a lot of my time with my host family after school. I have two brothers; one is 15 and one is 13. When they're not helping me memorize new vocabulary words or checking the spelling on my homework, I go with them to the Sook سوق (market) to buy food or help them prepare for dinner. Almost every other night my host mom and brothers spend around 3 to 4 hours preparing for our dinner. After dinner we will have some sort of fruit for dessert and then tea to seal of our stomachs. 

I love spending time here because it is pretty common to come home to the house full of neighbors and relatives. I am able to practice my Arabic constantly, and it reminds me of the way my parents house is and has always been. I can truly say I feel right at home in Jordan! 

As usual, I have included commentaries at the bottom of each picture. Thanks again to everyone who played a part in me being here, you are all amazing! 

A retired Jordanian who comes to the center of Al Salt ( a city about 30 minutes from Amman) daily to played board games with his friends. 

The Hashemite Kings of Jordan

A memorial above the grave of Jethro, the father in-law of Moses. After Moses left Egypt around the age of 40, he came here and worked for the father of two daughters. He ended up marrying one of the daugters. 

The Mosque that the memorial was in

Another mosque in Al Salt

This is a memorial for Joshua ( the man who took over leadership of Isreal after Moses died)

They weren't sure where he was buried, so they made a memorial 8 meters long

The Shekh شخ at the Mosque

On top of a high hill in Al Salt

The director of the program, Dr. Yassir Hamed and one of the volunteer language partners ( Basheer)

Handstand outside of Basheer's house on his family's farm. We stopped here on our way to Al Salt. 

Some friends in the program. 

Ian on the left and Brad on the right. 

On the roof Museum in Al Salt

Handstand! 

My friend Martha is pretty skilled with the ball

One of the teachers in the Program, Reema ريما which means Gazelle

My friend Nora, in a Sook in Al Salt

Inside the oldest church in Al Salt

The well where Muslims clean their feet and faces before prayer at a Mosque in Al Salt

Handstand!

Sunset مغرب on top of the tallest hill in Al Salt. 

Tomorrow, I am going to stay with a Bedouin family in the desert for three nights. The next blog should be pretty interesting because I will be going deep into the culture and roots of the Arab people! 

Is This Really Immersion?

     After spending two weeks in Jordan my Arabic has improved dramatically. I have made many Jordanian friends, enjoyed amazing food, and learned local customs. Although I am in a country where the main language is Arabic, and 94% of the country is Muslim, I still find myself speaking English the majority of the day. Many times when I go to a restaurant or ride a taxi, the driver will speak the little English he/she knows. I understand they are eager to practice their English, but I want to make the best of the little time I have here. 

     Last night my group of 12 students went to a sports club for dinner and to watch the soccer game with some of our teachers and language partners. I told my friends that for the next 3 hours I would not speak English, and if I did, I wanted them to give me a "friendly slap on the arm". I ended up getting very creative to explain things to people. After my time was up, I kept speaking Arabic even though I didn't have a commitment because it was easy and fun for me. I feel like I learned more in those 3 hours that I did in 3 days of class. I made a commitment from this day forward to speak at least 2 hours of only Arabic in the evening, which is usually the more social time of the day. I'll update you all on what happens. Once again, I want to thank everyone who helped me get here, and I have included brief commentary's below the pictures. 

Thanks and enjoy! 

A couple of my fellow students and I at a Cafe called Rakwan Arabia. 

We were given a list of places to find in an area called Al Webdeh. We took a taxi to the area, and talked to many people in Arabic in order to find our destinations. 

My friends Ahmed and I riding horses on a beautiful lookout on the side of a highway. 

It only cost us 1 JD ( $1.4) for ten minutes of riding. 

My friend Hamza who was with us. 

Ahmad and Hamza

Here is a Turkish Coffee set up. It is common to see these all over Amman. They mix the coffee directly into the water. This has a lot more caffeine than American coffee, in only about 3 ounces. Most places I have gone to have refused to put cream into it like it was impossible. In America, it wouldn't matter because as they say " the customer is always right", but in Amman the customs are more important than money, which in this case was; no milk or cream with Turkish Coffee. 

This is my Professor, Reeham! My classmates and I spend 5 hours a day, 5 days a week, learning from her. She has a masters in Arabic Linguistics and is also a mother of 2 daughters and 1 son. She is amazing, and I am so blessed to learn from her. 

One of the Kings Mosque's                                                                 A beautiful Church in Downtown Amman

A Greek statue head. I named him, curly-osis. 

Airplanes that flew back and forth over Amman as part of a show for something king was doing. 

One of my Cross Fit coaches! 

My Cross Fit, box, Desert Star

A t-shirt shop called Jo-Bedu that was a part of the Al-Webdeh scavenger hunt

First Week of Traveling ! أول اُسبوا السافر

Hey Everyone,
I know many of you are busy, so feel free skip past the intro and view the many pictures with brief commentaries.  

Day 1

Departed for New York at 11:09 PM

Day 2

Flew into Boston and transferred to a plane to New York. I met a woman on the Airplane who started a “soup in a can business” and was checking out a factory in Toronto to take her business international.

Took a subway to see the World Trade Center and Financial District. Toured the World Financial Museum.

Took a subway to Times Square, then back to the airport.

Total time in New York: 10 hours

Day 3

Arrived in Paris and had a 4-hour layover.

Flew on Gulf Air to Bahrain, and arrived at 6:30 pm.

I met a German guy who told me it was only 10 BD to rent a car which is around $25. I rented one, and drove around the whole island in 2 hours, then rented a hotel for the night.

Day 4

I met a guy named Abdullah in a coffee shop in Bahrain who was the coordinator for leases in the mall that the coffee shop was in.

He took me around some cool town in Bahrain and to an Old Castle, while teaching me about business in the Middle East.

I drove back to the Airport, and flew to Jordan.

Total time in Bahrain: 23 hours.

I arrived at the airport and my friend, Raed, picked me up from the Airport, and drove me to his house in Amman for tea. I met his sister who is going to the Colorado in two weeks. I gave her my sisters email’s so she can hang out with them while she is there. Raed drove me to my friend Jordan’s apartment who is studying Arabic near the University of Jordan.

Day 5

Raed and his friend Ayman picked me up, and took me on a tour. We went to an old Roman ruin on top of a mountain, then to an old Roman amphitheater, then to a friends house who had 45 cats and a group of Pigeons that he trained. He was able to get a few of  them to land on me. After that, we went to a market on Rainbow street.

Day 6

Went to Kind Hussains Automobile Museum and met some new friends at different coffee shops. We also had lunch at an old abandoned amusement park.

Day 7

Woke up, went to a café for some coffee, and met some girls, whom I played my favorite card game "Dutch Blitz" with. Took a taxi to Cross Fit Dessert Star. After the work out some guys I met took me back to the apartment. I went back to the café and met a guy who does cancer diagnoses at the Kings Royal Hospital. He took me to a café in downtown to meet with my Cross Fit friends. I hung out with them for a couple hours and got a ride back to the apartment.

Day 8

Took a taxi to SIT campus and checked in. They took me to a hotel where all the students will be staying before we move in with our host families. We had dinner together later that night with the whole group and the director, Yassir Hamid.

                                                 
                                             The Museum of World Finance in New York

A sandwich and cappuccino in Paris 

My first tea at Raed's house

Water Melon Truck

The Citadel Museum on top of a mountain in Amman,

The architecture ranged from Greek to Roman and finally to Christian and Islamic styles

Pet birds

This meal cost us 1JD; only 1.45 USD

King Abdallah Automobile Museum 

Playing cards with some girls I met in a Cafe 

My friends Abdullah, Almotasam, and Wesam 

The hotel we check into on Monday

I thought it was interesting that the light switches are always on the outside of the bathroom. I glad my sisters aren't here haha

A foot sink for Muslims to wash their feet in before prayer

Playing cards with my sisters at DIA before I left

Unlike American museums, you can climb all over the ruins

Roman Amphitheater

The hardest part about being here is not getting enough sleep because I'm too excited for the next day!

Once again, I want to thank everyone who played a part in helping me get here.

شكراً خزيلً و مسلما