Ahlan!
I am now formally sitting down to write words! We are nearing the end of our first full day in Jordan and it has been nothing short of INCREDIBLE.
Starting with the flight...The three hour flight from JFK to Chicago went completely smoothly. There was sleeping and reading involved, which means Vanessa was happy (For any who care, I'm reading The Pact by Jodi Picoult and it's quite good). After landing in Chicago, we headed to the international terminals of O' Hare. Passports were flashed, tickets were exchanged (...several times) and then we patiently awaited the boarding of our Royal Jordanian flight directly to Amman!! We sat surrounded by Arabic speaking FRIENDS and then heartily discussed how we were going to be able to say just about nothing to anyone we encountered in the Middle East (We have since then proved this incorrect). There was also an extremely kind Jordanian woman sitting behind me with her grandmother who assured us that we would be welcomed into her country and that we would love Jordanian university. After waiting (and snacking) for only about an hour, we began to board our flight and were greeted by the, for lack of a better word, coolest plane in the world, fully embellished with blankets, pillows, newspapers (all in Arabic of course), and a touch screen entertainment "center"! I have successfully crossed The Life of Pi and Oz off of movies I must see.
Once we actually touched down in Jordan after over 20 hours of traveling, we were graced with the sight of the absolutely beautiful airport in Jordan, freshly renovated and absolutely fit for Royal Jordanians. ;) No one lost any luggage and with smiles on our faces, we were finally able to step outside into this new world. The bus to Irbid consisted of hanging our heads out of fully opened windows and embracing the uniquely breathtaking imagery before us. The skyline sparkled with lights of all colors and the vast desert stretched out before us, absolutely beautiful in entirely different ways from anywhere else I have ever personally been. We spotted camels casually on the side of the highway, buildings and houses with amazing detail and a charming kind of quality that Jordan calls purely its own. Families also littered different areas off of the highway, some of them smoking hookah and others playing music and singing to one another. Quite honestly, it's hard not to feel the click of a connection in your heart when rolling through this culture. Eventually, we stopped somewhere to grab a bite to eat and were all treated to Middle Eastern Shawarma! (After ordering and paying for the first time in Arabic and with Jordanian dinars which I must say makes you feel like an absolute boss) It was amazing and we ate outside, with the stars twinkling above us as we attempted to translate various street signs like the nerds that we all are. After filling our stomachs, we dragged our jet lagged selves back to the bus and eventually made it to JUST, the Jordan University of Science and Technology. Our apartments are a bit enormous and now all nicely settled in. Added note...our shower consists of about a 2 ft. x 2 ft. square indent in the floor with no shower curtain in sight...basically our bathroom becomes a pool when we all desire cleanliness. But other than that, it is totally manageable! And then we all slept like logs. Even through the 5am prayer call.
I am now formally sitting down to write words! We are nearing the end of our first full day in Jordan and it has been nothing short of INCREDIBLE.
Starting with the flight...The three hour flight from JFK to Chicago went completely smoothly. There was sleeping and reading involved, which means Vanessa was happy (For any who care, I'm reading The Pact by Jodi Picoult and it's quite good). After landing in Chicago, we headed to the international terminals of O' Hare. Passports were flashed, tickets were exchanged (...several times) and then we patiently awaited the boarding of our Royal Jordanian flight directly to Amman!! We sat surrounded by Arabic speaking FRIENDS and then heartily discussed how we were going to be able to say just about nothing to anyone we encountered in the Middle East (We have since then proved this incorrect). There was also an extremely kind Jordanian woman sitting behind me with her grandmother who assured us that we would be welcomed into her country and that we would love Jordanian university. After waiting (and snacking) for only about an hour, we began to board our flight and were greeted by the, for lack of a better word, coolest plane in the world, fully embellished with blankets, pillows, newspapers (all in Arabic of course), and a touch screen entertainment "center"! I have successfully crossed The Life of Pi and Oz off of movies I must see.
Once we actually touched down in Jordan after over 20 hours of traveling, we were graced with the sight of the absolutely beautiful airport in Jordan, freshly renovated and absolutely fit for Royal Jordanians. ;) No one lost any luggage and with smiles on our faces, we were finally able to step outside into this new world. The bus to Irbid consisted of hanging our heads out of fully opened windows and embracing the uniquely breathtaking imagery before us. The skyline sparkled with lights of all colors and the vast desert stretched out before us, absolutely beautiful in entirely different ways from anywhere else I have ever personally been. We spotted camels casually on the side of the highway, buildings and houses with amazing detail and a charming kind of quality that Jordan calls purely its own. Families also littered different areas off of the highway, some of them smoking hookah and others playing music and singing to one another. Quite honestly, it's hard not to feel the click of a connection in your heart when rolling through this culture. Eventually, we stopped somewhere to grab a bite to eat and were all treated to Middle Eastern Shawarma! (After ordering and paying for the first time in Arabic and with Jordanian dinars which I must say makes you feel like an absolute boss) It was amazing and we ate outside, with the stars twinkling above us as we attempted to translate various street signs like the nerds that we all are. After filling our stomachs, we dragged our jet lagged selves back to the bus and eventually made it to JUST, the Jordan University of Science and Technology. Our apartments are a bit enormous and now all nicely settled in. Added note...our shower consists of about a 2 ft. x 2 ft. square indent in the floor with no shower curtain in sight...basically our bathroom becomes a pool when we all desire cleanliness. But other than that, it is totally manageable! And then we all slept like logs. Even through the 5am prayer call.
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