Hey All,
So I realized that it has been almost a week since I last blogged, sorry about that. It has been a busy week with a few ups and downs; I wanted to wait to write anything until I was a little more settled.
Last Sunday I met an acquaintance of my Aunt and Uncle; Rasha came to Canada four years ago with IVEP, an international work abroad program connected with MCC (Mennonite Central Committee). It was a lovely visit; we went to an Arabic Catholic Church here (very interesting as I have never been to a Mass and don't really understand Arabic) and then went shopping with some of her friends on a street with a whole bunch of super discounted shops. Very sweet deals, 2-6 JD for clothes compared to 15 JD and upwards in a mall! I bought a very nice shirt for 4 JD that I then wore for my first day of school on Monday.
School was interesting, but after a couple of rough days I think I'm finally figuring out what to do here and how I fit into the school. It ends up that I am not working in the primary school as previously thought and told, but in the secondary school (aka highschool). I'm currently working in grades 7-10 in the English department of the boy's school. I am also helping out with the English club; editing the English side for the magazine, yearbook and monthly newsletters; and helping the guidance counselor organize his office, help find non-profit organizations for the boys to volunteer at for the CAST system (don't ask me what the acronym means because I forget), and other programming stuff. The staff are very kind and helpful, not just professionally, but also offering help for anything outside of work. The students here take a bit of getting use to, but I think we are warming up to each other. Yesterday while helping out in the grade 10 class, the boys had a great time trying to teach me how to say their names and laughing at my Canadian accented Arabic. On a side note: they absolutely adore Canadians over here... almost every person I talk to has some relative living in Canada, or they themselves have vacationed in Canada.
The only thing that I'm not super pleased about school is due to this being a Christian school with some Muslim students, my weekends fall on Friday and Sunday. This means it is difficult to plan weekends away, or travel around. Jordan is such a beautiful country, and you need plenty of time to travel around and explore it properly. I was lucky this Friday to get out and go hiking in the Dana Nature Preserve... wow this place is AMAZING. Those of you who know me well, know that I do not like heights or really care for hiking. Not only did I hike for about 2hrs on the mountainous terrain (where heights were definitely an issue), but I actually enjoyed it. Originally we were suppose to go to Petra for "free" World Tourism Day, unfortunately it was falsely advertised and the free admission only applied to Jordanians, Jordan residents and those of Arab citizenship.Therefore they didn't have to pay the 1 JD it normally costs, while the rest of us foreigners had to pay 50 JD (about $75). We didn't quite understand the logic behind, hence why we went to the Dana Wildlife Preserve instead.
Currently I am on the hunt for an apartment with one of the teachers at school. We've found a pretty nice place and are hoping to hear back soon whether or not we can take it. Both of us are getting tired of living out of a suitcase. Mind you I will be sad to leave this apartment, I've really enjoyed the time I've spent here and getting to know Margie better and the view is SPECTACULAR!
Though things are going really well here and I could see myself coming back here longer term after I finish school; there are still a lot of things I find frustrating (not knowing enough Arabic, the constant realization that this is a very patriarchal society and feeling the stares and judgement of men on the street, being taken advantage of because I am a foreigner, etc) and I miss home. I am sad about missing out on my friend's important life events, or being able to sit down and have a long chats with friends and family. I miss biting into a big crisp juicy apple, being able to adjust water temperature, grass, being understood, watching the leaves turn colors in fall, HUGS and being able to wear whatever I darn well please. I miss YOU ALL!
At the same time, I am really enjoying my experiences here, learning more about the culture, all the awesome hand gestures and sayings in Arabic, the PEOPLE.... I feel a little more relaxed here and willing to try different things. I love how concerned neighbors are here, often they know more about you and your routines then you think they do; how people will bend over backwards here to help out someone they do or don't know; how connected they are with their families; random street cats that love being petted and the funny sounds they make (seriously Jordanian cats sound different then Canadian cats); how people stop randomly on the side of the road (or highway) to have picnics or bbq something; how if you fall on the street or there is a car accident about 300 people will descend on you, help you out and ask if you are okay; how important it is to stop anytime you see someone you know (even if it is a multitude of times a day) to say hello and ask them how they are before you continue on your way; and the melodious and calming sounds of the call to prayer, which reminds me 5 times every day how fortunate and blessed I am!
I hope all of you are doing well!
Insh'Allah (God willing) I will write soon !
Love from Jordan,
Kate
ps- some pictures from the hike
So I realized that it has been almost a week since I last blogged, sorry about that. It has been a busy week with a few ups and downs; I wanted to wait to write anything until I was a little more settled.
Last Sunday I met an acquaintance of my Aunt and Uncle; Rasha came to Canada four years ago with IVEP, an international work abroad program connected with MCC (Mennonite Central Committee). It was a lovely visit; we went to an Arabic Catholic Church here (very interesting as I have never been to a Mass and don't really understand Arabic) and then went shopping with some of her friends on a street with a whole bunch of super discounted shops. Very sweet deals, 2-6 JD for clothes compared to 15 JD and upwards in a mall! I bought a very nice shirt for 4 JD that I then wore for my first day of school on Monday.
School was interesting, but after a couple of rough days I think I'm finally figuring out what to do here and how I fit into the school. It ends up that I am not working in the primary school as previously thought and told, but in the secondary school (aka highschool). I'm currently working in grades 7-10 in the English department of the boy's school. I am also helping out with the English club; editing the English side for the magazine, yearbook and monthly newsletters; and helping the guidance counselor organize his office, help find non-profit organizations for the boys to volunteer at for the CAST system (don't ask me what the acronym means because I forget), and other programming stuff. The staff are very kind and helpful, not just professionally, but also offering help for anything outside of work. The students here take a bit of getting use to, but I think we are warming up to each other. Yesterday while helping out in the grade 10 class, the boys had a great time trying to teach me how to say their names and laughing at my Canadian accented Arabic. On a side note: they absolutely adore Canadians over here... almost every person I talk to has some relative living in Canada, or they themselves have vacationed in Canada.
The only thing that I'm not super pleased about school is due to this being a Christian school with some Muslim students, my weekends fall on Friday and Sunday. This means it is difficult to plan weekends away, or travel around. Jordan is such a beautiful country, and you need plenty of time to travel around and explore it properly. I was lucky this Friday to get out and go hiking in the Dana Nature Preserve... wow this place is AMAZING. Those of you who know me well, know that I do not like heights or really care for hiking. Not only did I hike for about 2hrs on the mountainous terrain (where heights were definitely an issue), but I actually enjoyed it. Originally we were suppose to go to Petra for "free" World Tourism Day, unfortunately it was falsely advertised and the free admission only applied to Jordanians, Jordan residents and those of Arab citizenship.Therefore they didn't have to pay the 1 JD it normally costs, while the rest of us foreigners had to pay 50 JD (about $75). We didn't quite understand the logic behind, hence why we went to the Dana Wildlife Preserve instead.
Currently I am on the hunt for an apartment with one of the teachers at school. We've found a pretty nice place and are hoping to hear back soon whether or not we can take it. Both of us are getting tired of living out of a suitcase. Mind you I will be sad to leave this apartment, I've really enjoyed the time I've spent here and getting to know Margie better and the view is SPECTACULAR!
Though things are going really well here and I could see myself coming back here longer term after I finish school; there are still a lot of things I find frustrating (not knowing enough Arabic, the constant realization that this is a very patriarchal society and feeling the stares and judgement of men on the street, being taken advantage of because I am a foreigner, etc) and I miss home. I am sad about missing out on my friend's important life events, or being able to sit down and have a long chats with friends and family. I miss biting into a big crisp juicy apple, being able to adjust water temperature, grass, being understood, watching the leaves turn colors in fall, HUGS and being able to wear whatever I darn well please. I miss YOU ALL!
At the same time, I am really enjoying my experiences here, learning more about the culture, all the awesome hand gestures and sayings in Arabic, the PEOPLE.... I feel a little more relaxed here and willing to try different things. I love how concerned neighbors are here, often they know more about you and your routines then you think they do; how people will bend over backwards here to help out someone they do or don't know; how connected they are with their families; random street cats that love being petted and the funny sounds they make (seriously Jordanian cats sound different then Canadian cats); how people stop randomly on the side of the road (or highway) to have picnics or bbq something; how if you fall on the street or there is a car accident about 300 people will descend on you, help you out and ask if you are okay; how important it is to stop anytime you see someone you know (even if it is a multitude of times a day) to say hello and ask them how they are before you continue on your way; and the melodious and calming sounds of the call to prayer, which reminds me 5 times every day how fortunate and blessed I am!
I hope all of you are doing well!
Insh'Allah (God willing) I will write soon !
Love from Jordan,
Kate
ps- some pictures from the hike
Picture from the drive to Dana Nature Preserve
Ditto to the above
Office, shops and bathrooms at Dana Nature Preserve (taken from a Bedouin-like resting tent)
Caves which we hiked to and farther on
View of the valley during the hike
Interesting rock formation (and one of the fellow hikers)
View of the valley during the hike.
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