Marhaban! It is the end of another day! Jordan's Independence Day actually. So mabrouk to Jordan! This morning, we woke up and went straight to the gym. After having a banana, of course. For those of who are not aware, bananas are super foods and you should really eat one right now. However, this is irrelevant. (No it's not. Proceed to your fridge.) The gym was wonderful. We went as a group and all worked out together, which was nice. After running and lifting weights, I jumped into the pool with everyone else. It was absolutely refreshing and a perfect relief for my tired self. Also, there are several families of birds that live in the ceiling of the pool area and for some unexplainable reason it made me really happy. Once we were all finished producing lactic acid and building up our muscles, (I'm having a moment of missing my sciences...K, it's over. Moving on.) we headed back to our apartments and finished our homework. Then we excitedly got dressed and left to go to the souq (market)! That is, after cuddling with a very kind cat who everyone had a nice conversation with because apparently we're all also fluent in meow.
I don't really know what I was expecting of the souq, but it was pure fun. It basically consists of several interconnected streets all surrounding a center with a beautiful clock tower. Each side street is lined with shops, selling pretty much everything you can imagine...at a lower price. It was also a magnificent sight to behold if you're into food (which we all are). Endless lines of every fruit, vegetable, bread and spice. Items were arranged on carts and on cars. And people were everywhere. It was just very cool to be able to feel a bit more like a part of the crowd. We're beginning to learn how to aggressively cross streets and we're getting exponentially better at ordering things and working through situations on our own. I can't even explain how fun it is to make it through a conversation...maybe you're understood, maybe not...but it's the bonding experience of trying that gets you the free chocolate from kind cashiers. ;D Nothing better. And I must honestly say that I love feeling as though I am earning my spot for respect. Being Americans walking through the streets of Jordan, we get a lot of stares. It's apparently not the most common thing and I really can't know with absolute certainty what it is that is crossing their minds. However, I am positive that they are in no way required to have an immediate respect for us. Without a doubt, some people may dislike us for whatever reasons and I like that. I don't want anything to be easy. I want the people we are able to talk with to genuinely understand that we are here because we want to be and because we love their home. I'm rambling a bit again, but in the market today, we met a lot of people who were extremely generous and receptive of us. We had small conversations with them and were embraced with smiles and a lot of free fruits. And it felt amazing. An elderly woman gave us free grape-leaves (have I mentioned how much I LOVE the elderly?!) and we also got countless "Welcome to Jordan" shout outs. It was fun for us, to say the least. And so, after a good two hours at the souq and spending some money on the first of many souvenirs, we headed back to the dorms for dinner. Also, there's just something about driving that makes me feel at peace. Even in Jordan, when we're often moving at insane speeds through complicated labyrinths of vehicles...when the wind is in my face and Arabic music is in my ears, I'm just happy. Once we reached our apartments, we all cooked and managed to come up with another fantastic meal of curry, sautéed vegetables and falafel.
T'was another beautiful day in Irbid. Tomorrow, we begin our first full week of classes which will be extremely exciting, inshallah! At the moment, I am falling into the land of unconsciousness as I type and so! I must sleep. Good night and sweet dreams :) <3
I don't really know what I was expecting of the souq, but it was pure fun. It basically consists of several interconnected streets all surrounding a center with a beautiful clock tower. Each side street is lined with shops, selling pretty much everything you can imagine...at a lower price. It was also a magnificent sight to behold if you're into food (which we all are). Endless lines of every fruit, vegetable, bread and spice. Items were arranged on carts and on cars. And people were everywhere. It was just very cool to be able to feel a bit more like a part of the crowd. We're beginning to learn how to aggressively cross streets and we're getting exponentially better at ordering things and working through situations on our own. I can't even explain how fun it is to make it through a conversation...maybe you're understood, maybe not...but it's the bonding experience of trying that gets you the free chocolate from kind cashiers. ;D Nothing better. And I must honestly say that I love feeling as though I am earning my spot for respect. Being Americans walking through the streets of Jordan, we get a lot of stares. It's apparently not the most common thing and I really can't know with absolute certainty what it is that is crossing their minds. However, I am positive that they are in no way required to have an immediate respect for us. Without a doubt, some people may dislike us for whatever reasons and I like that. I don't want anything to be easy. I want the people we are able to talk with to genuinely understand that we are here because we want to be and because we love their home. I'm rambling a bit again, but in the market today, we met a lot of people who were extremely generous and receptive of us. We had small conversations with them and were embraced with smiles and a lot of free fruits. And it felt amazing. An elderly woman gave us free grape-leaves (have I mentioned how much I LOVE the elderly?!) and we also got countless "Welcome to Jordan" shout outs. It was fun for us, to say the least. And so, after a good two hours at the souq and spending some money on the first of many souvenirs, we headed back to the dorms for dinner. Also, there's just something about driving that makes me feel at peace. Even in Jordan, when we're often moving at insane speeds through complicated labyrinths of vehicles...when the wind is in my face and Arabic music is in my ears, I'm just happy. Once we reached our apartments, we all cooked and managed to come up with another fantastic meal of curry, sautéed vegetables and falafel.
T'was another beautiful day in Irbid. Tomorrow, we begin our first full week of classes which will be extremely exciting, inshallah! At the moment, I am falling into the land of unconsciousness as I type and so! I must sleep. Good night and sweet dreams :) <3
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