Six weeks and counting now until my triumphal return home. Looking forward to catching up with friends and family. That being said, the month of June was quite exciting, and I'm definitely looking forward to some good times over my last month and a half here in Jordan.
Following my Level 2 final exam, my sister Caroline flew to Amman for a week long stay here in Jordan. Over that week, we travelled through the south of Jordan, hitting Wadi Rum and Petra, as well as the Dead Sea, Mt. Nebo, and Madaba. Along the way, we certainly got our fair share of excercise, hiking through the Siq in Petra on the way to the Treasury (made famous by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), and then up to the Monastery which entailed a 45 minute hike up a monstrous rock formation. The following day, we ventured over to Wadi Rum (made famous as this was the desert where Lawrence of Arabia was filmed, and more recently, where scenes from Transformers II were filmed). Here we went on a three hour Jeep tour through the desert, led by a Bedouin (a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group) guide who filled us in on the history of the rock formations were toured. That evening Caroline and I stayed overnight at a Bedouin campsite in the middle of the desert. Along with five or six other tourists, we were treated to tea, a traditional Bedouin meal, and an Oud performance (the Oud is essentially an Arab version of a guitar). The following morning we were treated to breakfast, then driven back to the visitor's center where we departed Wadi Rum for the Dead Sea.
The Dead Sea was a welcome respite from the Wadi Rum and Petra experiences. Here we stayed at the kushy Movenpick Resort, complete with a full day of relaxing on the beach and drinking overpriced, yet surprisingly stiff, cocktails. The following day we headed back to Amman where we were treated to lunch and an afternoon of poolside relaxation by my Mom's dear friend, Muna. That following morning Caroline was off to Queen Alia airport for her flight back. Sad to see her go, we had an awesome time travelling, lots of great sibling bonding (and being on each other's last nerves, ha :)) We got some great pictures, and videos from her visit. Caroline will be e-mailing out the link to the site where you can see these. I'll be posting the link to my facebook profile soon, so be on the look out. Still so many great stories to tell from her visit. Can't wait to re-count then when I get back home!
Since Caroline's visit, I've started my last term here at Qasid. I've now advanced onto the Level 3 program for the summer term. In the last few weeks, there's been a massive influx of American college students into Amman (so many in fact, that Qasid's student enrollment has more than tripled in size for this term!) I now have 4 hours of class per day, as opposed to 3 a day during the winter and spring terms, as the summer term is three weeks shorter than the others. On the whole, I'm stoked that my Arabic has come such a long way. I can remember back to early January when I was still learning the alphabet and basic phrases. Fast forward six months to last week when I wrote an essay on my views of the Iraq War, and I can say without any doubt that I've benefitted immensely from the program. That being said however, it does seem that the more Arabic you learn, the more you realize you don't know...it's always an uphill battle :)
Three weeks back I moved apartments yet again. I've now relocated to my buddy Cody's apartment, located near downtown in a little neighborhood called Jebel Webideh. The area has a quaint, little small town feel to it and happens to be where a number of my friends live.
In the next couple weeks, myself and several friends are headed down to Wadi Rum and Aqaba for a two day concert called Distant Heat, headlined by some famous international DJs. More on this later.
Still much more to discuss. I'll be in touch.
~G
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
"Theodore Hertzel, Dude...Founder of the State of Israel"
Happy Memorial Day Weekend to all!
So for the first time in my adult life, I found myself spending Memorial Day Weekend not in Dewey Beach, Delaware, but the zionist entity formally known as Israel.
The adventure began this past Thursday morning when me and my buddies got a cab down to the King Hussein bridge at the Jordan-Israel border. After nearly 8 hours, we found ourselves at our place of stay, the Jerusalem Hostel, located in West Jerusalem, Zion Square. Due to some minor, albeit all to common, issues with Jordanian immigration, we finally made it across the border after several hours of trekking between border crossings, and dealing with Visa issues.
Jerusalem
Thursday evening we ate dinner at a little bistro near the hostel, and capped the evening off with at an Irish bar just up the street from Zion Square. As it turned out, the day we arrived happened to be the "Day of Jerusalem". This confirmed our suspicions that it was some day of celebration seeing as the the streets of West Jerusalem were swarming with teenagers draped in Israeli flags.
The following morning, Cody, Geoff, and I ventured out to the Old City for a few hours. Fortunately we got a chance to the check out the Wailing Wall, walk through the Souqs, and got some pictures of the Dome of the Rock. Our time for sightseeing was cut a bit short as we weren't anticipating our trip from Amman to take so long. I hope to get back to Jerusalem some time this coming July or August before I head back home. I would however like to share a few interesting observations from the Holy City:
1) Tons of kids packin' heat in West Jerusalem. Let me explain a bit further...
So as you may know, the Israeli government has a two year military conscription law for all Israeli Jews when they hit age 18. This becomes pretty evident when you walk around a bit and find tons of college aged kids in military fatigues, however it gets a bit more interesting...
The Israeli government passed a law where those conscripts who are issued weapons, must carry those weapons on their person at ALL times, to include when they are off duty. So what exactly do you get...throngs of Israeli teens wearing skater shoes and yankees baseball hats with M-16s slung over their shoulders! Welcome to the Zionist Twilight Zone...
2) Orthodox Jews are friendly, but pretty intense.
3) The Old City is absolutely beautiful. Since the three major monotheistic religions recognize the city as the holiest, or one of the holiest cities in the world, there's more interesting religious and cultural history than you can possibly digest in just a few hours of sightseeing. Let's hope I can get back in July and August!
Tel Aviv
Around 3pm on Friday, the four of us arrived in Tel Aviv after an hour long van ride from Jerusalem. From the bus station we trekked over to the Hotel De La Mer, located a block from the Mediterranean beachfront. After getting settled and packing up our cocktail mixers, we headed out to the beach for the rest of the afternoon. WARNING: Beware of walking through an intensely-competitive paddle ball game! Just about every Israeli and their respective mothers was playing out on the beach.. If you're at all serious about going professional in beach paddle ball (as I once was), then Tel Aviv is the place for you.
After a leisurely afternoon on the beach, my buddies and I headed out to dinner at a nice little steak house down the street from our hotel. Later that evening we went out to the Port of Tel Aviv where we hit a couple bars/clubs. In my efforts to keep the blog at or around PG-13, I won't go in the exact details of the Tel Aviv nightout. Suffice to say that when my friends and I convened the following morning to discuss the evening, it sounded like an Alberto Gonzalez congressional testimony...."I'm sorry, I have no recollection of that..."
Saturday afternoon we walked down the beach front drag known as Hayarkon Street, and got lunch at one of the the famous sports bars in Tel Aviv, known as Mike's Place. Made famous as it was the sight of a devastating suicide bombing back in 2000. The restaurant sits right on the boardwalk overlooking the water, great place to get lunch if you want a good burger and are looking for a laid back place to hang out for a bit.
Saturday evening Cody and I explored a bit more of the city before getting dinner at a nice Indian restaurant. Didn't get a chance to hit downtown, but we did tour around the Dizengoff Center, which is home to numerous good restaurants, and an immaculate shopping mall (NOVA people think Tyson's II). All in all, Tel Aviv struck me as a very livable city. The city has a very laidback, Mediterranean feel to it, but it's also the administrative/business capital of the country.
Israeli people were generally pretty friendly and helpful.. Oddly enough, because Israelis are somewhat of a hodgepodge of nationalities, my friends and I were mistaken for being Israeli on several occasions. I was asked at least three times, "Why aren't you speaking Hebrew"
One of my friends once told me that he'd never experienced such culture shock moving over such a short distance as he did travelling from Amman to Tel Aviv. I would say I definitely had the same experience.
All told, the trip was a blast. I'm now re-energized to get back to classes at Qasid and my internship. I have a pretty busy couple weeks coming up, but looking forward to my sister's visit in the next few weeks.
That's all for now.
Take care.
So for the first time in my adult life, I found myself spending Memorial Day Weekend not in Dewey Beach, Delaware, but the zionist entity formally known as Israel.
The adventure began this past Thursday morning when me and my buddies got a cab down to the King Hussein bridge at the Jordan-Israel border. After nearly 8 hours, we found ourselves at our place of stay, the Jerusalem Hostel, located in West Jerusalem, Zion Square. Due to some minor, albeit all to common, issues with Jordanian immigration, we finally made it across the border after several hours of trekking between border crossings, and dealing with Visa issues.
Jerusalem
Thursday evening we ate dinner at a little bistro near the hostel, and capped the evening off with at an Irish bar just up the street from Zion Square. As it turned out, the day we arrived happened to be the "Day of Jerusalem". This confirmed our suspicions that it was some day of celebration seeing as the the streets of West Jerusalem were swarming with teenagers draped in Israeli flags.
The following morning, Cody, Geoff, and I ventured out to the Old City for a few hours. Fortunately we got a chance to the check out the Wailing Wall, walk through the Souqs, and got some pictures of the Dome of the Rock. Our time for sightseeing was cut a bit short as we weren't anticipating our trip from Amman to take so long. I hope to get back to Jerusalem some time this coming July or August before I head back home. I would however like to share a few interesting observations from the Holy City:
1) Tons of kids packin' heat in West Jerusalem. Let me explain a bit further...
So as you may know, the Israeli government has a two year military conscription law for all Israeli Jews when they hit age 18. This becomes pretty evident when you walk around a bit and find tons of college aged kids in military fatigues, however it gets a bit more interesting...
The Israeli government passed a law where those conscripts who are issued weapons, must carry those weapons on their person at ALL times, to include when they are off duty. So what exactly do you get...throngs of Israeli teens wearing skater shoes and yankees baseball hats with M-16s slung over their shoulders! Welcome to the Zionist Twilight Zone...
2) Orthodox Jews are friendly, but pretty intense.
3) The Old City is absolutely beautiful. Since the three major monotheistic religions recognize the city as the holiest, or one of the holiest cities in the world, there's more interesting religious and cultural history than you can possibly digest in just a few hours of sightseeing. Let's hope I can get back in July and August!
Tel Aviv
Around 3pm on Friday, the four of us arrived in Tel Aviv after an hour long van ride from Jerusalem. From the bus station we trekked over to the Hotel De La Mer, located a block from the Mediterranean beachfront. After getting settled and packing up our cocktail mixers, we headed out to the beach for the rest of the afternoon. WARNING: Beware of walking through an intensely-competitive paddle ball game! Just about every Israeli and their respective mothers was playing out on the beach.. If you're at all serious about going professional in beach paddle ball (as I once was), then Tel Aviv is the place for you.
After a leisurely afternoon on the beach, my buddies and I headed out to dinner at a nice little steak house down the street from our hotel. Later that evening we went out to the Port of Tel Aviv where we hit a couple bars/clubs. In my efforts to keep the blog at or around PG-13, I won't go in the exact details of the Tel Aviv nightout. Suffice to say that when my friends and I convened the following morning to discuss the evening, it sounded like an Alberto Gonzalez congressional testimony...."I'm sorry, I have no recollection of that..."
Saturday afternoon we walked down the beach front drag known as Hayarkon Street, and got lunch at one of the the famous sports bars in Tel Aviv, known as Mike's Place. Made famous as it was the sight of a devastating suicide bombing back in 2000. The restaurant sits right on the boardwalk overlooking the water, great place to get lunch if you want a good burger and are looking for a laid back place to hang out for a bit.
Saturday evening Cody and I explored a bit more of the city before getting dinner at a nice Indian restaurant. Didn't get a chance to hit downtown, but we did tour around the Dizengoff Center, which is home to numerous good restaurants, and an immaculate shopping mall (NOVA people think Tyson's II). All in all, Tel Aviv struck me as a very livable city. The city has a very laidback, Mediterranean feel to it, but it's also the administrative/business capital of the country.
Israeli people were generally pretty friendly and helpful.. Oddly enough, because Israelis are somewhat of a hodgepodge of nationalities, my friends and I were mistaken for being Israeli on several occasions. I was asked at least three times, "Why aren't you speaking Hebrew"
One of my friends once told me that he'd never experienced such culture shock moving over such a short distance as he did travelling from Amman to Tel Aviv. I would say I definitely had the same experience.
All told, the trip was a blast. I'm now re-energized to get back to classes at Qasid and my internship. I have a pretty busy couple weeks coming up, but looking forward to my sister's visit in the next few weeks.
That's all for now.
Take care.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Beirut, Level Two MSA, The Suburb of the Rightly Guided etc.
Well it's been quite some time since my last post. As a result of considerable harassment from friends and family, I've decided it's time to get my act together and resume the postings.
So things have changed quite a bit since the end of February. In mid-March I passed the Qasid MSA Level 1 program (with flying colors I must add!). Following a 3 day break, I began the Spring term at Qasid in the Level 2 MSA class. My Arabic has improved considerably but nearing the mid-term (scheduled for April 30th), we're now covering some pretty dense grammatical concepts.
----------
Following the end of the Winter term, I made a three day trip to Beirut. My buddy Chris and I stayed at a decent little hotel about a five minute cab ride to downtown. While we didn't do as much sightseeing as I'd hoped, we did get a chance to tour the campus of AUB (the American University in Beirut, which is the most reputed university in the ME, and is home to the finest Plastic Surgeons in the region) as well as Downtown. At night we met up with some of Chris' Lebanese friends (Chris had studied abroad at AUB back in Spring '06), ate some great Lebanese food, and experienced the best of Beirut's nightlife (which was in abundance as compared to Amman, this is due to the sizable Christian population of Beirut, as was as the French/European influence).
Interesting tidbits about Beirut:
1) Despite the current peace, it's readily apparent that Lebanon's stability is tenuous at best. Given the recent history of Civil War, which spanned 1975-1990, and the Hezbollah - Israel war of Summer 2006, the people seem very weary of the potential outbreak of violence. Mind you this is a country where there are something like 18-19 different ethnic and religious groups represented, and Hezbollah is the de facto government in the south. All in all however, the people seem exhausted by the violence, and desperately want peace. I entered at least two bars where signs posted in English warned that those engaging in controversial political/social discussions may be asked to leave the establishment. This is only at the discretion of the bar/restaurant management, not stipulated by law. The point is the Lebanese people are aware that relative peace and stability have been the exception, not the rule, through their modern history. As a result, out of fear of the resumption of violence, discussion of regional politics is considered very faux paus.
2) The Lebanese use their currency, the Lira (Pound) and U.S. Dollars interchangeably. I often received change from restaurants/bars in half Lira, half dollars. Very strange.
3) As mentioned above, AUB hosts some of the region's best Plastic Surgeons. Walking around the city this became readily apparent. I counted at least 25 women that were still bandaged from recent rhinoplastic procedures. Despite the abundance of silicone, Lebanese women still have considerable natural beauty.
----------
A week following my return from Beirut, I moved to a new apartment on the other side of Amman, close to the University of Jordan. Myself and two Qasid classmates have moved a middle class neighborhood, known as Dahayet Ar-Rasheed (which roughly translates to "The Suburb of the Rightly Guided"). This area is certainly no Abdoun, but I'm definitely getting quite a bit more for my money here. The new place has huge living and family rooms, a big kitchen, three bedrooms, and two bath. Pictures will follow.
As of April 22nd, I will reach the half way mark for my time here in Jordan. Here's a brief outline of things planned over the next four months.
- Trying to keep my sanity as I will start MSA Level 3 in the Summer Term, complete with fours of class, and another three hours of homework each day, five days a week.
- Trip to Israel end of May. Going to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Ei'Lat (prime destination for resorty, beach vacations. Snap)
- My Sisters visiting Jordan for a week in mid-June!
- Big concert called "Desert Heat" in late July, to be held in Wadi Rum and Aqaba.
This is all for now. Stay tuned for another post soon, promise.
Happy Easter to all.
Geoff
So things have changed quite a bit since the end of February. In mid-March I passed the Qasid MSA Level 1 program (with flying colors I must add!). Following a 3 day break, I began the Spring term at Qasid in the Level 2 MSA class. My Arabic has improved considerably but nearing the mid-term (scheduled for April 30th), we're now covering some pretty dense grammatical concepts.
----------
Following the end of the Winter term, I made a three day trip to Beirut. My buddy Chris and I stayed at a decent little hotel about a five minute cab ride to downtown. While we didn't do as much sightseeing as I'd hoped, we did get a chance to tour the campus of AUB (the American University in Beirut, which is the most reputed university in the ME, and is home to the finest Plastic Surgeons in the region) as well as Downtown. At night we met up with some of Chris' Lebanese friends (Chris had studied abroad at AUB back in Spring '06), ate some great Lebanese food, and experienced the best of Beirut's nightlife (which was in abundance as compared to Amman, this is due to the sizable Christian population of Beirut, as was as the French/European influence).
Interesting tidbits about Beirut:
1) Despite the current peace, it's readily apparent that Lebanon's stability is tenuous at best. Given the recent history of Civil War, which spanned 1975-1990, and the Hezbollah - Israel war of Summer 2006, the people seem very weary of the potential outbreak of violence. Mind you this is a country where there are something like 18-19 different ethnic and religious groups represented, and Hezbollah is the de facto government in the south. All in all however, the people seem exhausted by the violence, and desperately want peace. I entered at least two bars where signs posted in English warned that those engaging in controversial political/social discussions may be asked to leave the establishment. This is only at the discretion of the bar/restaurant management, not stipulated by law. The point is the Lebanese people are aware that relative peace and stability have been the exception, not the rule, through their modern history. As a result, out of fear of the resumption of violence, discussion of regional politics is considered very faux paus.
2) The Lebanese use their currency, the Lira (Pound) and U.S. Dollars interchangeably. I often received change from restaurants/bars in half Lira, half dollars. Very strange.
3) As mentioned above, AUB hosts some of the region's best Plastic Surgeons. Walking around the city this became readily apparent. I counted at least 25 women that were still bandaged from recent rhinoplastic procedures. Despite the abundance of silicone, Lebanese women still have considerable natural beauty.
----------
A week following my return from Beirut, I moved to a new apartment on the other side of Amman, close to the University of Jordan. Myself and two Qasid classmates have moved a middle class neighborhood, known as Dahayet Ar-Rasheed (which roughly translates to "The Suburb of the Rightly Guided"). This area is certainly no Abdoun, but I'm definitely getting quite a bit more for my money here. The new place has huge living and family rooms, a big kitchen, three bedrooms, and two bath. Pictures will follow.
As of April 22nd, I will reach the half way mark for my time here in Jordan. Here's a brief outline of things planned over the next four months.
- Trying to keep my sanity as I will start MSA Level 3 in the Summer Term, complete with fours of class, and another three hours of homework each day, five days a week.
- Trip to Israel end of May. Going to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Ei'Lat (prime destination for resorty, beach vacations. Snap)
- My Sisters visiting Jordan for a week in mid-June!
- Big concert called "Desert Heat" in late July, to be held in Wadi Rum and Aqaba.
This is all for now. Stay tuned for another post soon, promise.
Happy Easter to all.
Geoff
Monday, February 23, 2009
"How you like the Jordan, Mr. Geoff?'
Hello All,
Well it's been a pretty busy last few weeks. Figured it would be time to update everyone on my most recent adventures.
My good friend, Matthias and his girlfriend Anna just visited Jordan a couple weeks back. We did a good amount of sightseeing around Amman, then to the north in Jerash and Salt. Earlier that week, Matthias rented a car and they headed south to Petra for a day and a half (where Matthias was unfortunately ravaged by these super mosquitoes). My classmate Veronica was nice enough to host both Matthias and Anna for the nights they stayed in Amman.
In addition to our sightseeing, they got to experience some of Amman's best restaurants. The night Matthias arrived, I took him to an authentic Jordanian restaurant where we ate cold mezze (typically pita, hummus, vegetables,), followed by mishawi mishakala (basically lamb, beef, and chicken served with pita). We capped off the meal off with some Arabic coffee and watermelon mint arguileh (hookah). The the night before they flew home, Matthias and Anna treated me to dinner at one the nicest Lebanese restaurants in Amman. Between the sightseeing, and the great food, I got the sense they enjoyed their trip to the Middle East.
Class has been going well as usual. This language is immensely frustrating at times, but I've come to grips with the fact that there's a different learning curve with Arabic. Unfortunately, you simply can't learn this language with the ease in which you can pick up a Romance language, plain and simple. My Level I final exam is scheduled for a week from tomorrow, which will be followed by a short 3-4 day break before the beginning of the next term. I had originally hoped to travel to either Beirut or Israel over the break but those plans never really came to fruition. Instead I'm thinking I might head down to Aqaba for a couple days. Apparently the weather has been quite nice there on the Red Sea. It'll be great to get a couple days on the beach before heading back to Amman and buckling down for the Spring term.
I'm thinking I will take a supplementary course next term to focus on Jordanian Colloquial Arabic. To this point I've picked up a little Jordanian dialect strictly through osmosis, listening to people speaking on the streets. Otherwise I've been speaking the more formal, Modern Standard Arabic (MSA, known in Arabic as Fusha), though this sometimes gets you some funny looks from Arabs who commonly speak Jordanian ammiyya (dialect) with each other.
I've also decided that I will move apartments at the end of the month. I'm looking to move with with a couple other Qasid students near Downtown Amman. The area which we're looking at has a number of good cafes, bookshops, and a couple Western-friendly bars that we go to periodically. Additionally, the area is a bit more affordable than where I'm currently living. We've started apartment searching just recently, and are hoping to get a nice three bedroom place in a newer building (newer building typically equals reliable utilities, as well as internet connection).
This weekend I'm looking to buckle down in preparation for the final exam. Then's its off to Aqaba and the Red Sea.
Wish me luck on the final. ~G
Well it's been a pretty busy last few weeks. Figured it would be time to update everyone on my most recent adventures.
My good friend, Matthias and his girlfriend Anna just visited Jordan a couple weeks back. We did a good amount of sightseeing around Amman, then to the north in Jerash and Salt. Earlier that week, Matthias rented a car and they headed south to Petra for a day and a half (where Matthias was unfortunately ravaged by these super mosquitoes). My classmate Veronica was nice enough to host both Matthias and Anna for the nights they stayed in Amman.
In addition to our sightseeing, they got to experience some of Amman's best restaurants. The night Matthias arrived, I took him to an authentic Jordanian restaurant where we ate cold mezze (typically pita, hummus, vegetables,), followed by mishawi mishakala (basically lamb, beef, and chicken served with pita). We capped off the meal off with some Arabic coffee and watermelon mint arguileh (hookah). The the night before they flew home, Matthias and Anna treated me to dinner at one the nicest Lebanese restaurants in Amman. Between the sightseeing, and the great food, I got the sense they enjoyed their trip to the Middle East.
Class has been going well as usual. This language is immensely frustrating at times, but I've come to grips with the fact that there's a different learning curve with Arabic. Unfortunately, you simply can't learn this language with the ease in which you can pick up a Romance language, plain and simple. My Level I final exam is scheduled for a week from tomorrow, which will be followed by a short 3-4 day break before the beginning of the next term. I had originally hoped to travel to either Beirut or Israel over the break but those plans never really came to fruition. Instead I'm thinking I might head down to Aqaba for a couple days. Apparently the weather has been quite nice there on the Red Sea. It'll be great to get a couple days on the beach before heading back to Amman and buckling down for the Spring term.
I'm thinking I will take a supplementary course next term to focus on Jordanian Colloquial Arabic. To this point I've picked up a little Jordanian dialect strictly through osmosis, listening to people speaking on the streets. Otherwise I've been speaking the more formal, Modern Standard Arabic (MSA, known in Arabic as Fusha), though this sometimes gets you some funny looks from Arabs who commonly speak Jordanian ammiyya (dialect) with each other.
I've also decided that I will move apartments at the end of the month. I'm looking to move with with a couple other Qasid students near Downtown Amman. The area which we're looking at has a number of good cafes, bookshops, and a couple Western-friendly bars that we go to periodically. Additionally, the area is a bit more affordable than where I'm currently living. We've started apartment searching just recently, and are hoping to get a nice three bedroom place in a newer building (newer building typically equals reliable utilities, as well as internet connection).
This weekend I'm looking to buckle down in preparation for the final exam. Then's its off to Aqaba and the Red Sea.
Wish me luck on the final. ~G
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Welcome to Qasid MSA Level One
So I realize I've been slacking big-time on the blog posts. As my teacher, Ustaadh (Professor) Amr would probably say, "With the will of Allah, Geoff will complete more blog posts soon!"
Before I get into updates, I thought it might be helpful to provide some background on my Arabic class, specifically my classmates and teachers. Since there're only four of us in the class, we've become especially close over the past couple months.
Classmates:
Cody: Aka "Kaaf-Waaw-Daal-Yaa", recently shortenened to "Kaaf-Waaw". The nickname is simply the transliterated spelling of his name, Cody. When we first arrived he liked to spell out his name for Arabs. As of a couple weeks back, I decided it was time to start giving him sh*t about it, ha! Cody is here on a Fulbright scholarship and will be researching the ways in which forensic investigations are conducted in the Arab Muslim world. He's become my best bud since I've been here, and we've had lots of good times. He hails from Bloomfield, Nebraska, and as such is a die hard Cornhuskers fan.
Veronica: Aka "Veron", is a grade school teacher from NorCal, and arrived in Amman this past November. She was originally teaching Kindergarten in Damascus, Syria, but was unfortunately evicted from the country by the Syrian government, along with the other teachers in her school. In any case, she seems to be enjoying Amman a great deal. While she is currently in the Level 1 MSA class, her Ammiyya (colloquial) language skills are pretty solid, owing to the amount of time she lived/worked in Syria. Though I do thoroughly enjoy making fun of her Syrian accent, I've actually picked up a good bit of Ammiyya from hanging out with her.
Peter: Aka Beter (Arabs can't pronounce the "peh" sound since no "P" letter equivalent exists in the Arabic alphabet, instead "P" sounds are replaced with "Bs"), is a self-titled Cultural Anthropologist, who hails from the South Coast of England. Beter has lived in Amman with his wife Sara since July 2007, and they're expecting a baby girl in the next few months. Beter enjoys humoring his classmates by practicing his well-honed English cockney accent, and complaining about the waa-jib (homework) that we're assigned by Ustaadh Amr. Beter and I have gotten into a number of spirited arguments related to international politics. He most affectionately labels me as a neo-con, while I liken him to a soul-less Marxist, haha. Beter and his wife are currently in the process of moving to a new house here in Amman. He's promised to invite us over once he gets settled into the new place.
Ustaadh Amr: Amr teaches the first half of our MSA level one class. He teaches the language in a distinctly Arab way...If you don't understand me the first time, I'll just say it louder the next time! Beter has referred to him as "Malik bil Waa-jib" (King of the Homework"). Amr is typically pretty serious but also matter-of-fact in a way that's endearing. He tends to be very demonstrative, and emphatic in the ways he teaches the class, sometimes to the point where I've nearly fallen out of my chair laughing.
Amr's Best: One of the basic tenets of noun-adjective agreement in Arabic grammar is that all non-human plural nouns are described using the singular feminine form of an adjective. As Amr once proclaimed to a previous class:
"You may have 50 tanks....But you treat it like it is 1 girl!!!"
Dr. Ali: Ali teaches the second half of our Level 1 MSA class. If the "Good Cop/Bad Cop" analogy applied to the way the class is taught, he would be the former. Ali has an easy laugh, and loves to humor his students with cheesy jokes. He's caught on to the fact that I sometimes get visibly annoyed when being corrected and loves to give me a hard time about it. He also gets the biggest kick out of learning American slang.
Ali's Best: A few weeks back, each person in the class was assigned to learn a set of new vocabulary words, then recite them in class. When it came to Cody's turn to recite his words, I implored him to "rattle 'em off!". This has since become Dr. Ali's favorite American slang, using it at every chance he can.
All for now. Looking to do the update post tomorrow. Stayed tuned.
Before I get into updates, I thought it might be helpful to provide some background on my Arabic class, specifically my classmates and teachers. Since there're only four of us in the class, we've become especially close over the past couple months.
Classmates:
Cody: Aka "Kaaf-Waaw-Daal-Yaa", recently shortenened to "Kaaf-Waaw". The nickname is simply the transliterated spelling of his name, Cody. When we first arrived he liked to spell out his name for Arabs. As of a couple weeks back, I decided it was time to start giving him sh*t about it, ha! Cody is here on a Fulbright scholarship and will be researching the ways in which forensic investigations are conducted in the Arab Muslim world. He's become my best bud since I've been here, and we've had lots of good times. He hails from Bloomfield, Nebraska, and as such is a die hard Cornhuskers fan.
Veronica: Aka "Veron", is a grade school teacher from NorCal, and arrived in Amman this past November. She was originally teaching Kindergarten in Damascus, Syria, but was unfortunately evicted from the country by the Syrian government, along with the other teachers in her school. In any case, she seems to be enjoying Amman a great deal. While she is currently in the Level 1 MSA class, her Ammiyya (colloquial) language skills are pretty solid, owing to the amount of time she lived/worked in Syria. Though I do thoroughly enjoy making fun of her Syrian accent, I've actually picked up a good bit of Ammiyya from hanging out with her.
Peter: Aka Beter (Arabs can't pronounce the "peh" sound since no "P" letter equivalent exists in the Arabic alphabet, instead "P" sounds are replaced with "Bs"), is a self-titled Cultural Anthropologist, who hails from the South Coast of England. Beter has lived in Amman with his wife Sara since July 2007, and they're expecting a baby girl in the next few months. Beter enjoys humoring his classmates by practicing his well-honed English cockney accent, and complaining about the waa-jib (homework) that we're assigned by Ustaadh Amr. Beter and I have gotten into a number of spirited arguments related to international politics. He most affectionately labels me as a neo-con, while I liken him to a soul-less Marxist, haha. Beter and his wife are currently in the process of moving to a new house here in Amman. He's promised to invite us over once he gets settled into the new place.
Ustaadh Amr: Amr teaches the first half of our MSA level one class. He teaches the language in a distinctly Arab way...If you don't understand me the first time, I'll just say it louder the next time! Beter has referred to him as "Malik bil Waa-jib" (King of the Homework"). Amr is typically pretty serious but also matter-of-fact in a way that's endearing. He tends to be very demonstrative, and emphatic in the ways he teaches the class, sometimes to the point where I've nearly fallen out of my chair laughing.
Amr's Best: One of the basic tenets of noun-adjective agreement in Arabic grammar is that all non-human plural nouns are described using the singular feminine form of an adjective. As Amr once proclaimed to a previous class:
"You may have 50 tanks....But you treat it like it is 1 girl!!!"
Dr. Ali: Ali teaches the second half of our Level 1 MSA class. If the "Good Cop/Bad Cop" analogy applied to the way the class is taught, he would be the former. Ali has an easy laugh, and loves to humor his students with cheesy jokes. He's caught on to the fact that I sometimes get visibly annoyed when being corrected and loves to give me a hard time about it. He also gets the biggest kick out of learning American slang.
Ali's Best: A few weeks back, each person in the class was assigned to learn a set of new vocabulary words, then recite them in class. When it came to Cody's turn to recite his words, I implored him to "rattle 'em off!". This has since become Dr. Ali's favorite American slang, using it at every chance he can.
All for now. Looking to do the update post tomorrow. Stayed tuned.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Dibbin Forest and other things
I finally started my internship this afternoon. The scholar that I'll be supporting, Dr. Fares Braizat, is conducting research related to how public opinion impacts policy decisions made by Arab governments. Over the next few weeks I'll be doing some statistical analysis which supports one aspect of his research.
Oddly enough, I met another Miami grad in the library at Markuz Ad-Diraasaat As-Strategia (CSS, The Center for Strategic Studies). He graduated back in August 07 and has been working with one of the scholars since September.
This past Monday I went to a nature preserve called Dibbin Forest (about 45 minutes outside Amman) with a couple classmates and some other Qasid students. There were some cool views, but nothing super interesting. We hiked for a couple hours, had a little picnic, and I got into a couple political arguments with this German woman...that's about it. After getting back to Amman, Cody and I took a little tour of the Univ. of Jordan campus, where the CSS is housed.
Looks like I won't be getting my internet through Orange. The whole thing has dragged out for soo long now that my roommate and I have to decided to get our money back and we're gonna go with another service provider. Cross your fingers for us.
Oddly enough, I met another Miami grad in the library at Markuz Ad-Diraasaat As-Strategia (CSS, The Center for Strategic Studies). He graduated back in August 07 and has been working with one of the scholars since September.
This past Monday I went to a nature preserve called Dibbin Forest (about 45 minutes outside Amman) with a couple classmates and some other Qasid students. There were some cool views, but nothing super interesting. We hiked for a couple hours, had a little picnic, and I got into a couple political arguments with this German woman...that's about it. After getting back to Amman, Cody and I took a little tour of the Univ. of Jordan campus, where the CSS is housed.
Looks like I won't be getting my internet through Orange. The whole thing has dragged out for soo long now that my roommate and I have to decided to get our money back and we're gonna go with another service provider. Cross your fingers for us.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Greek Orthodox Christian Epiphany / Dinner @ Fouad's house
So I was mistaken in thinking that I was going to a Greek Orthodox baptism at the Dead Sea this Friday. Turns out we were actually invited to the Greek Orthodox Epiphany celebration at the Jordan River. Unfortunately because of heightened security around the West Bank border, we didn't get to see the actual river. At any rate, the service was pretty interesting albeit long. Oddly enough, because of the significant drop in elevation from Amman to the Jordan River (near where it meets the Dead Sea), the weather was much nicer there than it was in the city. I managed to get a few pictures which I'll post soon.
Later that day, we were out getting good in Jebel Webideh near my friend Cody's place, and we struck up a conversation with a police officer who was posted up at the Falafel stand where we ate.The policeman, Fou'ad, later invited Cody and I to eat dinner with his family on Saturday night. At 6pm on Saturday, Fou'ad and his brother-in-law, Ahmed, picked up Cody and I and we headed out to their father's home in Zarqa (a small city about half an hour outside Amman). There we met Fou'ad's father, Yusuf and his 13 year old brother, Mahmoud. For dinner we had a traditional Jordanian dish called Maghlooba, which is basically just chicken and yellow rice. The meal was incredible, and they kept feeding us, insisting that we continue eating (very common in Arab Muslim culture), until we proclaimed,"Hamdulillah" (literally meaning "Praise be to God", in this case meaning "Praise be to God that my belly is full", also common in the culture). Fou'ad's family was quite friendly, and they've insisted that we come back another time, insha'allah.
Classes are going well. The mid-term exam is coming up on February 5th, but since I've been doing well on the quizzes I'm not really concerned. My street level convo skills are still not where I'd like them to be, but in any case I get complimented a lot on my pronunciation and fluency.
No big plans for this week. My buddy Matthias is coming to visit in a few weeks so I'm sure we'll be trying to coordinate and work out a gameplan for when he visits in mid-February.
Later that day, we were out getting good in Jebel Webideh near my friend Cody's place, and we struck up a conversation with a police officer who was posted up at the Falafel stand where we ate.The policeman, Fou'ad, later invited Cody and I to eat dinner with his family on Saturday night. At 6pm on Saturday, Fou'ad and his brother-in-law, Ahmed, picked up Cody and I and we headed out to their father's home in Zarqa (a small city about half an hour outside Amman). There we met Fou'ad's father, Yusuf and his 13 year old brother, Mahmoud. For dinner we had a traditional Jordanian dish called Maghlooba, which is basically just chicken and yellow rice. The meal was incredible, and they kept feeding us, insisting that we continue eating (very common in Arab Muslim culture), until we proclaimed,"Hamdulillah" (literally meaning "Praise be to God", in this case meaning "Praise be to God that my belly is full", also common in the culture). Fou'ad's family was quite friendly, and they've insisted that we come back another time, insha'allah.
Classes are going well. The mid-term exam is coming up on February 5th, but since I've been doing well on the quizzes I'm not really concerned. My street level convo skills are still not where I'd like them to be, but in any case I get complimented a lot on my pronunciation and fluency.
No big plans for this week. My buddy Matthias is coming to visit in a few weeks so I'm sure we'll be trying to coordinate and work out a gameplan for when he visits in mid-February.
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