Travelling the Wadi Rum Desert: Katy and our Bedouin Guide
High School Flashback: Basketball Clinic for Baqaa Girls
Arts and Crafts Mailed From Mom: Ban and Jeelan Kidnap Me
Carnivale at Baqaa: King Mohammed
Peace in Zaatari: New Girls’ Sports Program
And.. that’s all! Sorry for disappearing. Can’t promise I won’t do it again, but I am going to try to resume my good blogging skills this Eid vacation!
Jackie has graced Jordan with her presence for a month…
She ate at Jafra, Al Quds, Habibeh, and Hashems, visited Petra and Wadi Rum, floated in the Dead Sea, taught a Language Club at the OWA summer camp, experienced long Ramadan days, broke fast with the OWA students, spent a long weekend in Palestine, and ate 5 servings of Maqlubeh at Wael’s house.
Needless to say, she did it all.
Yet.. I STILL WISH SHE STAYED!!!
Two Fulbright best friends – head to head jump rope.
Disclaimer: Biff had a broken foot but still wanted to play.
Note: I won.
Megan came to visit me in Jordan.
Two best friends, reunited, on an adventure.
It was actually the best week, ever.
“May your adventures bring you closer together,
even as they take you far away from home.”
Now I’m left missing Megan and looking towards a new countdown…
Jackie arrives July 31st!
Amman better get ready for a set of Whittaker sisters to hit the town!
http://www.panarabiaenquirer.com/
Go check it out, immediately. Its an satire news site (like the Onion) but based on the Middle East. Its actually hilarious.. here are a few headlines to give you a taste:
– Obama Promises Syria Intervention Should Assad Use Death Star
– Israel to Gift Obama Villa in West Bank Settlement
– Fresh Middle East Crisis as Guyana Declares Jerusalem its Capital
– Man Wraps Up Successful Mission to Regain the Trust of People to Which He Gives 3 Billion a Year
Right? Classic. Again I’m reminded how clever satire is – how aptly and effectively it points out the ridiculous things about our society. Needless to say, their is plenty of room for that in US/Middle East politics!
I’ve been so bad about blogging lately.. its actually unreal. Have I mentioned yet that I started a student blog for the Orphan Welfare Association in Baqaa? Anyway, check it out (I’ve been decent about blogging on that platform)… http://thebaqaatimes.wordpress.com/
The Baqa’a Times is our OWA student blog. It has students’ writings (English and Arabic) and photos. The idea is to empower the students – giving them a platform to present their work, their Association, and their community. I also occasionally contribute stories about our activities. For example, the most recent post on “Rap and Graffiti” … our latest Friday program :)
If you get a chance, peruse the site. The OWA (and Baqa’a in general) remains to be my favorite place in Jordan.. and a big piece of my heart.
I feel like a proud mom when I think about it (I hate that I even just wrote that, gosh I’m old)… but really I can’t help but think: look, look, see powerfully Selselbeel wrote about her family? Look, look see what insights Hashem captured with his photos? Look, look can you believe little Ban memorized poetry about Palestine? Look, look how big are they smiling?
I have loads of blog posts in my head that I want to write… but between a busy schedule and the internet being a diva, blogging has just not been in the cards for me lately. BUT there was such a great moment today that I really want to share.
I was at my Literacy class (for Jesuit Refugee Services) where I teach with Maya, Kaitlin, and Teresa. Our students are amazing – all refugees, men and women, from Sudan, Somalia, and Syria.
In fact, we only have 4.5 students from Syria.
First is an lady named Adeela, habibet albi, who is simply a character that lights up the class. Then there is a family — a mother, father, teenage son, and a 2 year old daughter (she’s the .5!)
“Our Syrian family,” as we lovingly refer to them, treat us like their other daughters. In fact for my birthday, they got me pajamas! The amazing thing is not only that these pjs are the most family-style gift possible (check the pattern below) but also that the pjs fit me PERFECTLY… the family guessed my size to a t… mish ma3ul.
Anyway, during a break in class Maya and I were talking to the father of our Syrian family. I made a joke about not understanding all the Jordanian flags decorating our room ( a new addition, presumably put up recently because of some holiday we were unaware of ) because he is Syrian and we are American; we’re all new here.
Laughing, he held out his hand to us — 7ala einda intifaqia bain suria g amrika // now we have a pact between Syria and America.
Of course, we loved it, shaking his hand: inshallah 3la tool // and hopefully forever. Kaitlin walked in minutes later, without hearing any of the prior conversation, and was greeted with the same handshake — enti ma3na? // do you agree? — to which she replied affirmatively without a thought.
After, Kaitlin asked us… “So, what did I agree to? Dinner?”
To which Maya replied,
“No no, just a general agreement between America and Syria.”
As we dissolved into giggles, our group exchanged high fives. Fulbright Mission accomplished?
I talk and write a lot about “my kids,” by which I mean the young students I teach every weekend at the Orphan Welfare Association (OWA) of Baqa’a refugee camp. Its really been the cornerstone of my Fulbright experience so far.
I am there every Friday, leading a program for four to nine year olds, and every Saturday, managing and teaching four English classes; even over the kids’ school vacation, I chaperoned their overnight Winter Camp.
The OWA is where that I launched my cultural exchange projects, connecting my young students with a 6th grade class in the Bronx, NY (taught by one of my best friends, Alyssa) and my high school students with a 9th grade class in Acton, MA (taught at my former high school!).
Its also where I have made my best friends. Nisreen and I spend every Friday together now, “Baqa’a day” is synonomous for “our day.” Both my Fulbright friends (Biff, Lisa, Maria, Thawab, and Maya) and my Petra University students have all joined me as regular volunteers. And to make it all the better, I gained new friends from the local community, as the Baqa’a residents welcomed me into their lives with open arms.
And to make it all the better, my roommate NADINE made the OWA a short video. So now, finally, I get to show a piece of this experience to you.
IN THE EVENT you were toying with the notion of getting me a birthday gift.. take a minute to donate to this organization to help us continue serving and supporting “our kids” :)
Our Fundraising Page:
http://fundly.com/orphan-welfare-association
Yes, that’s right. 80’s night.
Truly you can find everything and ANYTHING in Amman. Every Wednesday is 80’s Night at “Cube” – a bar here in Amman. So… of course, we went.
Never have I ever seen a more comical scene: a mix of jordanians, middle aged expats, and 6 Fulbright girls ( #us ) dancing away to “go, grease lightening, go grease lightening” – “everybody cut loose, footloose” – “i get knocked down, but i get up again…” Then of course, random Spanish songs (i have never heard the song “ole ole” been played anywhere but a soccer game.. until tonight) AND Arabic songs (everyone went crazy).
The cover was 10 JD, expensive! Yet it covered a drink and was more than worth it for the 4 hours of dancing. We left before the bar closed (presently 3am)… open later than Boston! Plus we got to scope out a whole new scene … looking around we kept wondering, who ARE these people? regular 80’s night attenders? what are you doing in Amman?? I can only imagine there were a lot of interesting stories in the crowd.
Too bad we were busy dancing.
“Oh, Life, I am yours.
Whatever it is you want of me,
I am ready to give.”
Muscat, Oman
Julie in Jordan! 