Has it really been a month?

 It's hard to believe that I've been in Jordan for over a month now. Sometimes it feels like I've been here for so much longer. It feels like it's been years since I was in Akron at Orientation. But, at the same time I feel like I just got here. It feels like just yesterday I was standing in downtown Amman for the first time, marveling at the little blue lights that decorate the street. It's been quite a month. I started to learn the layout of Amman. I took Arabic Language lessons. I visited Ancient Roman, and Byzantine, and Islamic ruins. I saw Irbid and Husn for the first time. I went to Bethany Beyond the Jordan, Mount Nebo, and Madaba. I attended a Lebanese indie band concert in the Roman Ampitheater. I made friends with many interesting ex-pats and a wonderfully welcoming Palestinian family. The craziest part is that at after all of that I moved into the YWCA in Husn (which is a 15 minute car ride away from the Arab Episcopal School), started living on my own, and finally started volunteering at the Arab Episcopal School.

On Saturday morning, I moved all of my possessions into the living room and ran to my last Arabic class. After that I said my goodbyes to my classmates, made promises to let them know when I visit Amman, and hopped into the Country Reps' car. We dropped Caleb off at the airport shuttle to take him to his new home, and set off to Husn. The Country Reps helped me move my bags into my room, walked around the town with me while I found grocery, said their goodbyes, and left me on my own. My Saturday night, I was officially living on my own at the YWCA.

I enjoy the independence of living on my own. I like making my own schedule and routines. I enjoy the opportunity to explore the town at my own pace. But, it's a challenge as well. I'm still learning what amenities the YWCA has, and its schedules. I know where I can store my food. I've built up my bravery to light the gas stove with the lighter, even though I think I've going to burn myself every time. I figured out how to use the showers, though I've been taking cold showers since I still don't know when the hot water is actually on. I figured out where I can buy fruits, vegetables, hummus, and bread. Meat it still an issue because most of what I've found in the stores here is processed (i.e. chicken nuggets, that sort of thing.) I've discovered that cooking for one is not nearly as much fun as cooking for several, and thus have become extremely lazy about actually making food for myself. Since Saturday, I've made 3 or 4 salads and eaten too much pita and hummus. Can you blame me for eating so much hummus and pita though? It's so good, and super cheap! I get the hummus fresh from a shop down the street and a kilo of pita still warm from the bakery a few doors down for less than $2 combined. I've made pasta a few times as well, but until I get a better plan for buying meat I don't think I will do much actual cooking.

Monday was my first day at the Arab Episcopal School (AES). I felt pretty lost most of my first day. School has been in session for several weeks now and the schedule is pretty routine for everyone else by now. I just tried to follow along. I'm working with the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and 7^th grade English classes. I love being around kids and teaching. All of the classes are fun. The 1^st graders all clamor for my attention and want to tell me what things are called in English. The 2^nd graders have started trading the Arabic names of things for the English names with me and desperately want me to call on them when I help with conversation. The 3^rd graders impress me every time I'm with them, with their vocabulary and their quick grasp of English grammar. The 7^th grade is silly, and has much better reading comprehension than I had after 3 years of high school French.

With all of the classes, I particularly work with the low vision students, helping them write and making sure they are paying attention and comprehending. In the lower grades I've also been assisting with conversational English and checking work in and out of class. I'm supposed to run a conversational English class once a week, I'm not sure what exactly that entails but I'm excited. Tomorrow I'm going to start assisting with the English correspondence in the office.

There is no doubt in my mind that the next 10 months at AES is going to be a challenge, but I'm excited to face it. I love every minute I'm with my students, even when they are driving me up the wall. I can't wait to look back in July and see just how far both my students and I have come.

(I apologize for the lack of pictures, my internet here is too slow to load them. I will post some the next time I'm in Amman or when I have access to faster internet.)

I apologize for how long it's taken me to post, I've had some computer problems. My computer suddenly started running really slowly, I've run a scan to check for viruses but nothing's come up. It's running faster now that it was earlier this week. I'm hoping that this is a sign that it'll fix itself and I won't have to take it somewhere to get fixed. Currently, I'm borrowing Caleb's computer so that I can Skype with my parents soon (Happy 71st Birthday, Dad!).

It's been about two weeks since I last posted right? Last week was pretty quiet. A lot of studying at the house. This past week though was just filled with adventures.

I've attended two different Churches here in Amman. One service is in English for Westerners. It's a more liturgical service and they use a mix of hymns and worship music. It's nice to be able to understand what's happen in the service, though between that service and my Arabic lessons the vast majority of people I talk to on a regular basis are expats. I was able to attend an Arabic service that one of my friends goes to. It was a very fun upbeat service, with worship music and live English translations of the sermon and prayers. I recognized some of the songs and tried to at least hum along to the words. My Arabic skills are now quite good enough for me to sing along yet, though.

On Monday, the Country Reps took Caleb and I up to Irbid. It's about an hour and a half drive north of Amman, up and down hills the whole way. It was a fun ride, especially since it was my first trip out of the city, my first time seeing what other parts of Jordan are like. Irbid is a bit greener and definitely flatter than Amman. Which is nice because I'm getting tired of walking up and down hills all the time. I got to visit the Arab Episcopal School and meet some of the teachers and the German Volunteers. I'm going to be working with 1st and 2nd graders, which I'm looking forward to. While there we stopped by the YWCA. I was given a tour and received the key to my room!

I will write more later, I have to get ready to go to a concert now!