"You're Ninjas!"

We walked into the hall laughing. We just passed a hand full of 7^th graders, some in costume some not, laughing and greeting us on the stairs. “Welcome!” one of the English teachers greeted us with a hug, “Here's your tickets.” She handed us green squares of paper, some of the invitations that were given to the students, each with a number hand written in the corner and interesting spellings of our names at the top. We continued to the bathroom to complete our costumes, we hadn't wanted to wear them in the taxi. In the bathroom be ran into more of the middle school girls, chatting loudly and touching up their costume makeup. We took off our coats and tied our scarves like bands around our heads.“You're ninjas!” the girls exclaimed. We laughed and felt proud of our simple costumes.

 

There isn't very much to do in Irbid, especially not for pre-teens and young teenagers, so once in a while AES throws parties for the older students. This one was a Halloween Party, yes in the middle of November. The party was a cross between a middle school dance, a costume party, a dinner, and a bingo night. It was fun seeing all the students dressed up and out of uniform. The school has strict rules about make up and hair styles, so this was the first time I'd seen any of the girls with their hair down and in any makeup- even if for most the girl it was costume makeup. The music played during the dancing portions of the party was a mix of American and Arabic dance music. Like at most American middle school dances, the girls all danced together while the boys stood along the wall acting too cool to dance. And the girls all sat together during the bingo games and during dinner. It's good know that some things are the same in both America and Jordan.

A Thank You Note

Sometimes international mail is not the most reliable. Almost a month and a half ago, I mailed out a beautiful stack of bright pink thank you cards to everyone who donated to fund my year in Jordan on the SALT program. So far, I have only heard of one of those cards reaching it's destination. I apologize for the delay, and if anyone else receives their thank you card, please let me know. I am hoping that they did not all get lost in mail.

Since, there is no guarantee that the cards will reach their recipients in a timely manner, I post this blog instead. Thank you! Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this process in anyway. Without all of you this year would not be possible. I cherish your thoughts and prayers when things are difficult or when I miss home, and I am in wonder of your support and care during the fun times and the once in a lifetime adventures. Thank you all for everything you have done to help me get here, and I am thinking about you all and praying that God blesses you always.