Welcome to Jordan

So my time in Jordan has come and now it is about to go.  I fly out the early morning of the 23^rd of December.  After three planes later I should be in Phoenix that same day just later on that evening.  So even though I am across the world, with all the time changes I will be going with I won’t lose a single day.  I have learned a lot about the Middle East and in specifically the country of Jordan.  Plus my Arabic language has definitely improved since the beginning of the semester.  It has been a neat experience to come to a different culture and live in a different place than America for a longer period of time.  There are something’s that I will miss and others that will be easy to forget.  One thing that is going to be missed is the chaotic driving.  Sure it does seem like a dangerous mess but in reality it is pretty neat to not have complete order on the roadways.  In America there are lanes that cars need to stay in while here there is no need to paint lines because they would never be followed.  Even though it is the most dangerous thing in Jordan it is neat to see how chaos can actually be a relief instead of everyone driving the same.  Another thing I will miss that is particular to the Middle East is the call to prayer.  For those who do not know this occurs five times a day and when this happens, Muslims set some time aside to pray.  This call to prayer is done in Arabic (classical Arabic that is harder to understand because only used in old religious texts), but it does not seem like someone is talking but instead it is a melodic speech.  It is neat to hear each time it happens.  Plus connected to this is one of the radio stations that a lot of the taxis have playing is the Qur’an.  This radio station does read the Qur’an every day, but also during the call to prayer it does play this too.  Both of these are done in a rhythmic tone that is real neat to hear, and I will not be able to hear that in the United States.  Another thing that will be missed is the Arab hospitality.  Even though I have been here for some months now and I am leaving in a couple days I will still be welcomed to Jordan (hence the title of this post) in the next couple of days.  Plus with this hospitality come food and other items being bought even if I am a stranger to that person.  Overall the generous people will be missed because in America this hospitality is not the same.  Some items that I will not miss from Jordan and the Middle East is the constant noise of horns going off.  This does relate to the chaotic traffic which I did like earlier, but the constant use of the horn is quite annoying.  Another thing that won’t be missed is no independence.  This has to do with the host family knowing where I am constantly and not having to check in with someone all the time.  In America freedom and independence is assumed after a certain age but here in the Middle East does not happen completely.  Plus the ability to cook and eat when I want to eat instead of waiting for another person to cook the food.

These have been some things that I will miss and not miss from the Middle East and specifically Jordan.  There are more from both sections but I don’t want to make an exhaustive list.  Another thing that I will miss from this semester is the friends that I have befriended.  These friends do study in America too, but are located all over the United States.  I will keep in contact with some of these people because of the friendships we have built in this short amount of time, but there will be others that I will lose touch with eventually.  Overall my fellow students that I have met have been real neat to get to know them.  This semester did have its ups and downs but I could always count on some friends to be there if need be.

So my next post will be from the United States إن شاء الله  I will most likely put some more pictures from Jordan and most likely do a little bit of a summary.  Hopefully everyone enjoys there holidays and have a good next year.  Will write later after the holidays when I have time إن شاء الله. 

After the Arab Spring

Before coming to the Middle East I was asked multiple questions that were related to safety within the region.  A very common one was in regards to aren't you afraid of getting caught up in a protest or a revolution?  At this time people did have in their minds the current events that had been happening in Egypt and Tunisia.  It is very true that the Middle East and Arabs have been having more protests and revolutions this year.  It is commonly known as the Arab Spring and even now in December it is still unclear of what the future holds for these particular places.  Tunisia has successfully held there first free elections where they elected an individual who is a part of an Islamic party.  This new leader in Tunisia hopes to instill ideas of " Islamist and pro-democracy, modern, open and consensual" (article from the Guardian).  Than there is Egypt who has started the process of elections after some violent clashes happened in Tehrar Square.  These clashes were in regards to the military trying to put off the elections for a greater period of time, and obviously the people did not agree with this concept.  After the death of Gadhaffi, Libya is ending its bloody revolution and they will eventually seek new fair leaders.  Plus currently in Syria the "revolution" gets bloodier each and every day.  Eventually President Assad will be forcefully removed, but most likely not until after many more deaths.

Than there is Jordan that has been peaceful.  Jordan's neigboors always seem to be in some kind of revolution or call for change but Jordan is not.  While here I have heard about some protests and demonstrations that have happened.  This is mainly because the study abroad program sends mass texts to everyone letting us know what is going on and to avoid the area.  On the campus itself I did witness one protest but it was in regards to the university government elections.  Even though Jordan has remained peacefull it is very interesting to be living in this region during this time period.  Back home I study Criminal Justice and Criminology and so I don't get much exposure to these international topics.  While here though my classes did have me looking into these topics, and so in the future for many years to come the Middle East will be a hot topic. 

Two of my Arabic finals were today and the rest of this week I have two more parts to the Arabic finals.  Area studies classes will be wrapping up this week and I simply have one presentation in one of these classes.  It seems to be getting colder and colder each day so when I make it back home to Arizona it will be a relief.  Will write later when I have time.  إن شاء الله     

Independence

Independence.  Here in the Middle East and more specifically in Jordan, young people don’t have independence.  This is seen by the fact that children from ages eighteen to forty are still living at home.  Not only are they living at home, but also if they are male than they never cook or do that much household chores.  This concept is a cultural concept that has been followed throughout the years.  When I tell people that I don’t live at home with my parents and not even in the same town, they do think this is quite strange.  For someone here to gain independence and move away from home they need to get married.  Sometimes when that happens they still live in a bottom floor of the same house or same building structure.  This has to do with how important the family is to Middle Easterners.  Plus for a girl it is harder for her to gain independence because once the sun does go down that means that girls should be home and should not have any business outside the house.  So even though it is not against the law to be out at night the social customs do prohibit girls from being out to much longer after the sun goes down.      

            This past weekend I went to Aqaba and was able to scuba dive a couple more times.  It was just neat to get out of the cold of Amman and go down to Aqaba where it is significantly warmer.  Diving this time I did see lots of fishes, a giant eel (as fat as my leg and long too), pufferfish puffed up, scorpion fish, a big octopus trying to hide in its home, anemone fishes, and many more.  Overall it was a real good trip. 

            This week is the last week of teaching for Arabic classes and starting on Sunday we start Arabic finals.  Those finish up on Thursday after taking the post proficiency test (which figures out how much we learned this whole semester).  Than the week after that I have my two area studies finals.  So this weekend I will most likely stay in Amman or only take a half day a trip somewhere because I will be studying.  Mumkin the last weekend before area studies finals I will take one last trip.  Not exactly sure on that trip for sure or if I will even be going at all.  I will write latter when I have time.  إن شاء الله

      

Some Pictures

 Painting in Ajloun

 Sunset at Dead Sea

 Inside one of the Mosques

 People heading to pray at one of the mosques we visited

 One of the Shrines

 1 km away from Israel

 Mosque with minaret

 Mosque

 Minbar in one of the mosques.  This is where the Imam preaches from during Friday services.

 Red Sea

 small scorpion fish out in the open

 Can you find the parrotfish?

 Assortment of fishes

 Assortment of fishes

Class Trip

Marhabba.  Keif hik?  Classes are starting to wind down.  This last friday I went on a field trip for my Islam in the Modern Context class.  We started out in a town named Salt, about a thirty minute drive from university with no traffic.  There we visited two different mosques that also did have shrines for prophets. At the first mosque the shrine was of Joshua.  After Salt we proceeded to go into the Jordan valley.  The Jordan Valley is where a lot of the crops, citrus, and green areas of Jordan is located.  The scenery was very neat and it was a good change from the city.  Plus down in the valley the weather is warmer and so it was not cold.  We ended up visiting five different mosques and shrines for the whole day.  The five shrines were of individuals that are important to Islam, but at the same time some of these characters can be found in the bible (such as Joshua).  Each mosque had a different feel and different decorations than each of the previous mosques, but overall there were some similarities.  Plus because we were in the Jordan Valley we were driving parallel with the Israeli border.  In fact at one of the mosques we were only one kilometer from the Jordan River which is the natural border between Israel and Jordan.  We ended up about an hour and a half away from Amman in the Northern direction.  Again really close to the Syrian border. 

Would like to discuss a social issue that is really common throughout the Middle East.  This issue is the segregation of the sexes.  This segregation happens in just about every aspect of life.  An example is on campus guys are hanging out with guys, while girls are hanging out with girls.  It is not that common to see a mixed group of people talking together.  Plus in the cafeteria it is the same thing.  In the U.S. this is not typically the case, but here in the Middle East it is the norm.  This somewhat has to do with the religious aspect of the Middle East, but more importantly it is a cultural reason.  A funny example of this occuring is on the mini-busses that a lot of people take to school.  So guys sit with guys and girls with girls when possible.  Because these are smaller busses it does not always work out like that and so when someone gets off or on there is always a shuffle of the people who are not sitting by the same sexed individual.  One of my American friends here, she has nicknamed this the "Segregated Sex Shuffle."  So this segregation is extremely common in every day life, but for us Americans we don't always follow it.  I guess this just makes it easier to point out the foreigners, as if that wasn't easy to begin. 

So next week is the last week of actual material in our classes and than the week after that we start finals.  I am done with all papers and now just need to do one presenation.  This weekend there is a group of us going back down to Aqaba.  While there will get to do some more diving and to get out of the cold weather in Ammman.  Will write latter when I have time.  إن شاء الله          

طقس

The weather here in Jordan has changed significantly since we started this semester.  A good part about being from Arizona and coming to Jordan is the fact that the weather is pretty similar.  So when my host family was saying it was starting to get cold it was starting to get cold for me too.  Plus this last week it has rained a lot.  For Amman that is a surprise and even Jordanians are not used to rain.  For the next week the high temperature is going to around 14 degrees celsius (around 57 degrees fahrenheit ) while the low temperature is around 4 degrees celsius (around 39 degrees fahrenheit).  So these temperatures are a little bit cooler than what I am used to in Arizona.  Plus the houses here don't have central heating.  They do have space heaters that my family is usually huddled around at night while watching television.  Plus after I came back from vacation in each room there has been carpets/rugs that have been laid out on the floor.  Every room is all tile and so this makes it colder, but with the carpets/rugs it does help somewhat.  The cold weather is just starting and later on in December there is a small possibility of having my first snow day that cancels school.  Here in Jordan barely any snow cancels everything because the fact that people are afraid to go out in the snow.    

By the way Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.  Here the study abroad program is putting together a turkey dinner for us.  In fact I would rather be having pollo asado, refried beans, tortillas, and fresh salsa for Thanksgiving dinner, but turkey will have to do.  Then tomorrow I have a field trip with one of my classes and we are going to be visiting some mosques located in the Jordan valley.  I need to finish my last paper for one of my area studies class this weekend before it is due on Monday.  Well I should start doing research for my paper.  Will write later.  إن شاء الله  

Northern Jordan

So this past weekend I spent exploring some more of Jordan.  On Friday I took a bus up North to a town by the name of Irbid and then from Irbid hired a taxi to drive from Irbid to Um Qays and back.  My destination was Um Qays because this is a big mountain that happens to be on the border of Israel and Syria.  So the view from this mountain on a clear day one can even see as far as the Lebanon Mountains; however, when I was there it was cloudy so I simply saw Israel, Syria, the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights.  These views were pretty awesome and plus on top of this mountain it was a bigger Roman establishment so there were more Roman ruins throughout.  Plus these ruins were different than the other ruins I have seen in Jordan because the fact that these ones were darker colored.  Not exactly sure why but it could be because that far up North the terrain is more green and alive than some of the other places.  That is just one guess and am not sure how true. 

            On Saturday I woke up early and showed up to the University in order to go back to fix up the school in Aljoun.  Once we get up to the school we were split up into three different groups who each were given a classroom.  In this classroom we were given the task to paint the walls, but not just in plain white.  We were given multiple colors and told to draw stuff on the walls.  So in the classroom I worked on we put the Arabic alphabet going one way and then the English alphabet going the other way.  Plus we did the same thing with numbers (at least up to ten).  Plus some other items such as a sun, music notes, and a fish were put throughout.  It was pretty neat looking when we were done with the classroom.  After working for a couple hours we went and had lunch at a local family’s house.  Like always the food in Aljoun is really good and does have some more seasoning than the food in Amman.  For our cultural activity we ended up getting to go to the Dead Sea.  This was my second time there but it was the first time that I have been in the Dead Sea.  It is real interesting because the fact that you can’t sink at all.  There is so much salt that it does take a lot of force to get completely submerged and when that happens it is not fun because the salt gets in the eyes and mouth.  Plus at the Dead Sea you put mud all over yourself and let it dry and then proceed to get in the water in order to wash off the mud.  This mud basically is a natural lotion for the skin and does make the skin a lot softer.  It was definitely a neat experience to be able to swim in the Dead Sea at the lowest point on Earth. 

            Now it is Monday and so it is the second day of the school week.  I am done with Arabic classes for today, but this week is going to be a little busy.  I have two presentations today for my area studies classes and I need to get working on my second area studies paper.  Plus on Thursday it is Thanksgiving which is not really a holiday in Jordan, but the study abroad program is putting together a Thanksgiving dinner that we will be eating on Thursday at the restaurant on campus.  I will write later when I have time.  إن شاء الله

Vacation

Where to start...  Vacation here in Jordan was real fun and I had a blast the whole break.  First day me and a classmate hired a taxi to take us to the Dead Sea.  This lowest point on Earth is only about a fourty-five minute drive from Amman.  We were out there at about 3:30 and were told we needed to stay for the sunset by some people who have been out there before.  We did stay and it was really neat.  Plus from the Dead Sea you can see the country of Israel and off in the distance there was a thunderstorm happening.  So we proceeded to stay for awhile trying to get a picture of some lightning (I ended up taking about 250 pictures alone that night).  Becasue we did stay watching the weather roll in we were almost stranded at the Dead Sea with no way to get back to Amman.  Thankfully one of the shop owners along the beach was heading back in town and gave us a lift back to the city. 

Next day I woke up and met a friend at the South Bus station and we made our way to Rum Village.  Rum village is where the asphalt and the road ends before becoming beautiful desesrt.  To get to Rum Village we ended up taking a ride from someone, because the fact that the buses weren't leaving for another three hours.  This is because it was a Friday which is the day off for everyone because this is when Muslims attend mosques (church).  First night we stayed in the Rum Village itself and simply walked some ways in the desert.  That night we heard a lot of wild life such as the coyotes and camels making a lot of noise.  Next day is when we started our trek through the desert.  Basically this day we saw a couple fresh water springs, insriptions carved in the rocks, and the beautiful desert scenery.  That night and the next night we stayed at a camp in the middle of the desert and it was named Sunset Camps.  These night it was really quite and did not hear anything at night.  During the daytime we walked/ hiked for hours at a time enjoying the desert and peacefullness.  We did have a local guide who was only fourteen years old but he did know his way around and did not get us lost.  At night we had fresh tea waiting for us in the community tent and we visited with the other travelers.

After enjoying the time relaxing in the desert we procedded onto the coastal town of Aqaba.  In Aqaba we met up with some more people we know from Amman.  Our hotel was located about fifteen kilometres from the city, but a lot closer to the beaches.  Plus this is where the dive company we went through was located.  So basically here the days consisted of waking up for breakfast around 8:30.  Doing a shore dive at about 10:00.  Back at the hotel to relax and eat lunch.  Do another shore dive at about 3:00.  Go shower and head into town in order to eat more than just hotel food and visit the city.  It was a real nice set up.  Overall over a four day period I ended up diving six times.  Diving the Red Sea is amazing.  There is colorful coral, colorful fish, angel fish, lion fish, octupus, eels, pufferfish, sea urchins, clown fish, a sea turtle, lizard fish, small seahorses, a shipwreck, a tank, and more coral.  I did see everything that I have listed.  Plus my fellow travellers did enjoy the diving, and for them it was there first open water dives.  My dive buddy I helped out a couple different times to include switching masks while in about ten metres (everything was in metres and bar) because it kept flooding for him.  I figured I would be able to handle it better because I am a more experienced diver.  Once I got the mask on it worked fine for me and it was just fogging up the whole time.  Good thing it worked because that is the dive that we saw the sea turtle.  The shipwreck was neat to see, but compared to other shipwrecks I have dove it was just all right.  The tank was an interesting dive, and in fact the tank itself is in real shallow water and we saw it at the end of the dive on our way back to shore.  All the dives did include a dive master who knew where to look for the fish and the interesting creatures or plants.  Can't wait to get back to Aqaba to keep diving the Red Sea.  The city of Aqaba was simply another Jordanian city and nothing that special about the city.  Besides the fact that most people spoke English because it is a tourist destination.  One night I ate some real good fresh fish that was not that expensive.  The rest of the nights we ate food that is typical to find in Jordan.   

So my vacation in a quick summary was spent at the saltiest place on Earth, one of the dryest but most beautiful deserts, and than onto the very wet but gorgeous Red Sea.  It was a fun vacation and I did not want to come back to the city.  Now I need to get back into studying and continuing communicating in Arabic.  This week I will be working on my second paper for my other Area studies class and continuing the process of grasping the language.  Need to start doing homework and will write later when I have a chance. ان شاء الله
   

Pictures of Vacation

Between Iraq and a hard place

The title of this blog I have heard repeated multiple times by professors here at the University of Jordan.  This does describe where Jordan is physically located.  All around Jordan the countries seem to be always in some sort of conflict.  I put this title because this Saturday I was only about an hour and a half away drive from Iraq.  Out in the desert there CIEE took us on a field trip to go see some desert castles and go on a bike ride.  Besides reading the sign or looking at a map no one would know that we were that close to the country of Iraq.  Plus like I mentioned in a previous post, the most dangerous thing I will encounter is the traffic, and I do not see "Iraq and a hard place" affecting daily life.  In fact the other day there was potential for a tribal (Jordanians come from different tribes) fight and we were told to avoid the main gate at the University.  So as far as seeing the troubles of the other countries affecting Jordan it will most likely not happen. 

This field trip this last Saturday took us to two different "castles" that were used during the Umayyad period in Middle Eastern History.  Both were not that big but did have a lot of structure still standing.  At the first one we basically were allowed to explore whatever we wanted.  We basically walked through the small castle and took various pictures.  The second one was quite a bit neater because the fact that you could still make out the frescos that were all over the walls.  Plus at this one they were still building the castle.  Its a joke here that they started the castle back in the Umayyad period and still have not finished building it because construction takes forever.  In fact they were just restoring and trying to preserve the frescos.  After this castle we procedded to get on bicyles on go on a 25 kilometer bike ride through the desert.  Not much to see for the most part except for a lizard, mirages, and a stampede of camels.  Yep, only in the Middle East can one go on a bike ride and come across a herd of camels.  After the bike ride we got back on the bus and proceded to the village of Azraq.  There we ate lunch and than ended up at Azraq wetlands.  This area is the only wetlands in Jordan and used to be a lot bigger.  First part of this we walked through a presentation thing describing how the water issue in Jordan is a big issue.  Than we were able to see the wetlands and walk through them thanks to a bridge that was built.  It was neat to see, and plus we did see a water buffalo eating across the way.  After this went on the roof of the main building to see out across the whole area, and while up there I saw a herd of sheep walking down the road.  The herder looked like he was heading home and the sheep were following him the whole way.  After this we made the commute back home via bus.  It was a neat trip.  So this past week I have been taking midterms for each of my classes.  For Arabic that did include multiple tests such as written, listening, and speaking.  Finally done with that and now can enjoy the break. 

So today after my Arabic classes it is the start of the vacation.  We get the week off of school and get to do whatever we want to do.  Most people are traveling to different countries, but I figured there is still a lot to see in Jordan.  So I originally planned to go back to Dana Nature Reserve, Wadi Rum, and then on to Aqaba.  Well plans change especially here in Jordan since nothing seems to be set in stone until it is actually happening.  So it will be easier to get to Wadi Rum from Amman on a Friday instead of from Dana to Wadi Rum.  So basically I and my fellow traveler for the first part have decided to skip Dana and go to Wadi Rum and on to Aqaba.  Yes, I have already been to Wadi Rum, but last time I went there we were barely at the beginning of Wadi Rum.  There was still paved road and so this trip I want to get out in the middle of the desert with no paved roads.  Simply there will be sand, lots of stars, nature, some more sand, and possibly wild animals.  We are going to be able to spend the night out in the middle of the desert without a huge camp setup, but simply our tent and the guide’s tent.  Then on to Aqaba where we will meet up with some other people and in Aqaba we will be able to dive the Red Sea.  Diving the Red Sea is supposed to be some of the best diving in the world so it will be really neat.  Plus my dive partner (someone from my Arabic class) it will be his first open water dives after being certified a couple months ago.  Plus another friend is going to be getting certified from a dive master while in Aqaba.  So I told them that they are really lucky to be diving the Red Sea as some of their first dives. 

            So I will be gone all next week and I don’t plan on bringing my laptop.  It’s hard to get service in Wadi Rum, and plus there is a lot of sand in Wadi Rum.  I will come back with some good stories and quite possibly stories that include diving with sea turtles and hammerhead sharks.  Between now and then I will be relaxing and enjoying the desert of Jordan.  I will take plenty of pictures and will write when I get back.  إن شاء الله

Pictures of Eastern Jordan

 first castle

 egg found hiding in castle

 mosaics at second castle

 Right before the stampede

 Al Azraq is where the wetlands are located

 water buffalo

Study Abroad

The point of a study abroad program is to study abroad and so a description of that study will follow.  I take four classes that happen five days a week (Sunday through Thursday).  On Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday I have three hours of Arabic between two different classes.  Than on Monday and Wednesday I have Arabic (one class) for an hour and a half and then two area studies classes which are about an hour and fifteen minutes long.  First class I will describe is my Arabic class that consists of learning modern standard Arabic.  A little background for those who do not know what modern standard Arabic means.    Arabic has various types but the three main types are: modern standard, colloquial, and classical Arabic.  Classical Arabic is the Arabic that is in the Qur’an, old texts, and is really only used by imams (Islamic teachers) on a daily basis.  The second type of Arabic is colloquial Arabic.  This Arabic has its roots in modern standard Arabic (will describe in a minute) but is specialized to each region.  Example is a Jordanian speaking their Colloquial dialect won’t be understood by an Egyptian who only knows the Egyptian Colloquial dialect.  Another way to put this is that Mexican Spanish is different than Argentina Spanish even though they are both speaking Spanish.  Although with Arabic the differences are a lot bigger than the Spanish example.  This is when knowing modern standard Arabic is helpful.  This Arabic is the proper Arabic that newspapers, news anchors, business people, etc. use.  This type is used because modern standard Arabic is standard (hence the name) throughout the whole world.  So I currently am taking modern standard Arabic five days a week at the Intermediate II level.  With this Arabic I could travel anywhere that Arabic is spoken and be able to get away with speaking, but would be laughed at (not literally) because I am talking so proper.  This Arabic is the foundation for any learner of Arabic including native speakers.  This Arabic is where all the grammar comes from and is the Arabic that is supposed to be taught to kids when in elementary school.  So needless to say there are days when it can be quite frustrating especially in dealing with mrfuya, majruur, mnsuub, ten forms, etc. (all different Arabic grammar terms).  On Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday I also do attend my other Arabic class which is known as Jordanian Colloquial dialect.  Simply put it deals with everyday Arabic with very little grammar.  Let’s face it, when talking with friends or shopping at the souk you are not going to get corrected for not having the right grammar.  That is why the local dialect does not have much grammar.  This class is really neat because this stuff I can take right away and go practice with the local Jordanians.  Sure I could do that with modern standard Arabic, but again it’s not that common to speak like that on a daily basis.  Yes, of course there are quite a few similarities between modern standard and the Jordanian dialect so I am only learning one other language and not two.  In fact, the Jordanian dialect is supposedly the closest to modern standard Arabic and for that reason is one of the easiest dialects to grasp.  Not sure how true that is because there are days that even the Jordanian dialect is hard to learn.  A neat aspect about both of these classes while here abroad is the class size.  Both of these classes only have three other students.  So basically it’s three other guys, me, and the teacher.  With this we get a lot of practice in speaking and the various other items that learning a language requires, and so that is real neat for this program. 

Most of my studying is studying Arabic but I do have two other area studies classes.  First one is called “Islam in the Modern Context.”  This class does not go over the basics of Islam (five pillars, different sects, PBUH, etc.) but assumes that we already know these basics.  Instead this class covers topics such as: Islam and democracy, globalization of Islam, Islamic art, women’s rights, Sufism in Islam, environment and Islam, bio-medical advances and Islam, etc.  This class is taught by a Muslim so she does give some good insight; however, this class can be boring on some days. 

My second area studies class is titled “America and the Arabs.”  This class in the simplest form takes a look at how America is perceived by Arabs and vice versa.  This class does dig deeper and looks at foreign policy and does go along the lines of a political science class.  So one of my first political science classes and now I know why I am not a political science/ international relations major.  Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy the class but too much repetitive reading and one item can be described in so many ways with everyway being right.  Criminal Justice does not do this that much, and the very simple fact is, if it’s against the law than it is not right (very basic idea).  This class is neat too because the fact that on some class periods Jordanians attend class and we debate/ discuss certain topics.  In fact, this is the only class that is with other Jordanian students (sometimes), and all of my other classes are with Americans in the study abroad program.  Plus this professor is a pretty funny guy who some people believe he is a part of Mukhabarat (Jordanian secret police a.k.a. intelligence agency) because of the stories of who he rubs shoulders with and knows on a personal basis.  Overall he is a good professor that keeps the subject for that day interesting. 

A note on how Professors are treated in Jordan.  Typically a professor would sit at the front of the class, lecture, expect the students to pay attention, and to not be questioned in regards to authority of what they are teaching.  This does not happen for us in the study abroad program though.  These professors are hired by the study abroad program along with the university (since they do have classes of just straight Jordanians) and so the program does give them a little bit of background of how university classes work in America.  One thing that does stay constant and is just a Jordanian custom is interruption of class.  This happens in multiple ways of which include the professor answers their phones, a co-worker walks by and it is necessary to greet them and ask how they are doing, etc.  These are common occurrences and are a part of the Jordanian culture.  Another thing that has occurred on multiple occasions is the professor buying/bringing food for the class.  I have had coffee, tea, hard candy, chips, Kinaffha[ (Middle Eastern Desert),etc. from all of my professors.  This kind of hospitality and willingness to share food is real common for any Jordanian and not just with the professors. 

So this has been a description of what academic classes I am taking while abroad.  Honestly though I do not think I learn the most at the University.  I learn more by interacting with the locals and experiencing the culture in many different fashions.  The academic work is a good foundation, but when I leave for the semester I will remember more of my interactions with the locals.  A good example of this is the other day the conversation with the taxi driver on the subject of Israel and Palestine.  Here this subject everybody has a strong opinion about this particular subject, and that does make sense because of the proximity.  Not only that, but a lot of Jordanians consider themselves to be Palestinian.  Sure I have learned what the various academia have to say about this subject, but to hear from a local and get a little understanding on how the locals feel about this subject, I think is a lot better to take away from this experience.  Not just on that subject but on various things ranging from complicated to not complicated.  So studying does happen but I do prefer to meet locals and interact with the general public. 

In a future post I will describe how university social life is different than in the United States.  This has a lot to do with the religious and cultural customs associated with Jordan.  For now this has been a look at my classes and what I am learning.  Besides this studying five days a week I do get the chances to travel on the weekends and see more of Jordan.  This weekend I went to Jerash (about 45 minutes north of Amman).  In Jerash there are a bunch of Roman ruins.  Plus this upcoming weekend I get to go on a sponsored trip with CIEE (my study abroad program) to various desert castles (located east of Amman).  So I will describe these other learning experiences throughout various posts in the future.  Plus I am planning my vacation (will share details later).  We get a week off starting November 3^rd right after midterms for all of my classes.  I will be busy studying and planning the vacation. I will write latter when I have time.  إن شاء الله