So, we had our first authentic iftar the other day. Here's how it went:
One of our bus drivers, who we have been spending lots of time with because of running here for a blood test, there for a security check, somewhere else for ID photos, invited us to his brother's house to eat that night. When we arrived, we were greeted by the family: 8 kids, 2 parents, 1 grandparent, 1 cousin, and 1 uncle. Everyone was incredibly nice, and the baby was adorable! It was a beautiful evening, so we sat on cushions on their patio. The main dish was one huge plate of chicken and rice, with some kind of sticky dough underneath and a yogurt sauce to drizzle over top, which was pretty tasty. They were nice and gave us separate plates, but we wouldn't have minded digging in with the rest of them. They also set out some bowls of cucumber and tomato salad, which was absolutely delicious (Darren ate a whole bowl by himself), and some slightly spiced noodle soup. There were also stuffed grape leaves and stuffed squash. A little while after the meal they brought out tea and fresh grapes, and we sat and talked for quite awhile. Then the girls asked Amber to go inside and help prepare dessert, which turned out to be a less than stellar idea because they asked so many questions she almost burned what she was supposed to be watching. In the meantime, we all had coffee - yes, they do tea followed by coffee - and then the goodies were ready: little balls of fried dough which we had never seen before, but tasted similar to funnel cake. After talking a little more, we left for home.
On the way home, he invited us to his sister's house for post-iftar tea in a couple days. That time, we took Amanda and Stella with us. After meeting more of the family, we picked fresh apples, figs, and grapes at their house and drank tea and 2 types of coffee: Turkish/Arabic coffee = not so bad and Bedouin coffee = not so good; we were thankful for small cups. Once again, the family was incredible, and they insisted that we let others know that Arabs are nice people and treat us Americans like family, which they certainly did! They would have kept us all night, but we finally got home about 1am.
Tonight was another school-sponsored iftar, with teachers and students. It was about like last time, but with some exceptions: we got to invite Amanda and Stella along, we know some of the staff better now so we didn't sit alone, and we didn't have any coffee.
On Wednesday, the last day of Ramadan, we should be having one last iftar, but we don't have many details yet. We will see...
Monday, September 6, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Jordan: Day 10
We have been in Jordan for 10 days now, and we are getting more used to our surroundings.
Here are a few pictures of our apartment.
We went to the YMWA School for the first time on Sunday. We received a short tour of the facilities and cell phone for local use. However, school is not in session and we don't have anyone to call here anyway. Seriously, though, the staff members we have met all seem very nice. Luckily for us, some of them speak English; one of them has even promised to teach us some Arabic, which we could greatly use. On Monday, they took us to a clinic to have our blood drawn as part of the work visa approval process. Our bus driver had us cut to the front of every line, and we turned a 2 hour visit into 30 minutes. It really wasn't that bad, but Amber has one gnarly bruise on her arm from where they drew blood.
Tuesday night, we attended our first iftar with the students and faculty of the school at Ramadan park. The experience was an ordeal from the beginning. Our bus driver (not the one that took us to the clinic) overslept and was consequently running late picking everyone up. The ride to the school was extremely nauseating as he tried to make up for lost time, which, thanks to a tight alley he tried to squeeze down, only made us later. After meeting up at the school with the rest of the group, we set off to the park only to realize our driver didn't know how to get there. Then, 2 hours after leaving our apartment, we finally arrived at the park. The meal was very good, and they even sent us home with plenty of left-overs. We were offered our first Arabic coffee, which we accepted. After drinking, however, we were scolded twice: first because we cheered with it, and second because we drank it during our meal. So keep that in mind if you ever come to Jordan: only cheer with alcohol and wait til after the meal to drink your coffee. The bus ride home was just as interesting! We got lost again and there were a few more close calls. That said, it was better than the ride there. For all of our complaining, the experience was very positive, and we are both looking forward to the start of school.
We just hung out around the apartment the rest of the week. We did meet some of the neighbors, but that can be the subject of another post...
Here are a few pictures of our apartment.
 |
| Our kitchen |
 |
| Our living room |
 |
| The view from our building |
We went to the YMWA School for the first time on Sunday. We received a short tour of the facilities and cell phone for local use. However, school is not in session and we don't have anyone to call here anyway. Seriously, though, the staff members we have met all seem very nice. Luckily for us, some of them speak English; one of them has even promised to teach us some Arabic, which we could greatly use. On Monday, they took us to a clinic to have our blood drawn as part of the work visa approval process. Our bus driver had us cut to the front of every line, and we turned a 2 hour visit into 30 minutes. It really wasn't that bad, but Amber has one gnarly bruise on her arm from where they drew blood.
 |
| Ouch! |
Tuesday night, we attended our first iftar with the students and faculty of the school at Ramadan park. The experience was an ordeal from the beginning. Our bus driver (not the one that took us to the clinic) overslept and was consequently running late picking everyone up. The ride to the school was extremely nauseating as he tried to make up for lost time, which, thanks to a tight alley he tried to squeeze down, only made us later. After meeting up at the school with the rest of the group, we set off to the park only to realize our driver didn't know how to get there. Then, 2 hours after leaving our apartment, we finally arrived at the park. The meal was very good, and they even sent us home with plenty of left-overs. We were offered our first Arabic coffee, which we accepted. After drinking, however, we were scolded twice: first because we cheered with it, and second because we drank it during our meal. So keep that in mind if you ever come to Jordan: only cheer with alcohol and wait til after the meal to drink your coffee. The bus ride home was just as interesting! We got lost again and there were a few more close calls. That said, it was better than the ride there. For all of our complaining, the experience was very positive, and we are both looking forward to the start of school.
We just hung out around the apartment the rest of the week. We did meet some of the neighbors, but that can be the subject of another post...
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Sleepless in Amman
We arrived safely in Jordan on Thursday, and thanks to a hot and sleepless night, here is our latest update:
Our flight from Chicago to Amman was a rather uneventful 12 hours; however, we were amazed at how many children were on board. Apparently this is common for flights to/from the Middle East, as we were told we were lucky - there are usually more!
At the airport, we were caught off guard by the exchange rate: we were under the impression it was favorable to us, but apparently the US dollar is worth less than the Jordanian dinar currently. After absorbing our initial shock, we proceeded through the visa and immigration counters with no problem. Baggage claim, on the other hand, took us a while. Thankfully, all four of our bags came through without a problem. Unfortunately, this was not the case for one of our party: Stella's bags caught the wrong flight and took a day longer than the rest of ours to arrive. They are now in Jordan, but how they will be delivered is still uncertain.
Our driver was waiting for us near the exit, and although he was a little upset he was going to be late for iftar, he still seemed in good humor. We arrived at our apartment safe but a bit nauseous from our first encounter with Jordan driving. It's not that there are no rules (our driver was quite adamant that there are, and that there are police who enforce them), it's just that drivers take things like lanes and speed limits as suggestions more than requirements. One thing that can be said in their favor, however, is that they at least know the correct side of the road for driving!
The temperature has been our second shock: at around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the locals are surprised and over-heated as well. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon, because there is no air conditioning and we can't wear shorts or tank tops outside.
With our move to Jordan we have upgraded our living space from a one room flat to a three bedroom apartment with a good size kitchen, dining room, and living room. However, our refrigerator and washing machine are almost comical to look at. The refrigerator is 1/2 the size of what we are used to, and the washer is 1/4 of the size. We were supplied with some basic food items: milk, eggs, bread, cheese, fruit, etc. The food has surprised us by its lack of preservatives and high fructose corn syrup. Who knew that food could taste so real and fresh! We have enjoyed every bite/drink so far.
We found out several days ago that we will be working at the Bunyat school for the handicapped. Upon our arrival to our apartment we were contacted by them and will be picked up and given a tour of the school on Sunday. More to follow then.
Our flight from Chicago to Amman was a rather uneventful 12 hours; however, we were amazed at how many children were on board. Apparently this is common for flights to/from the Middle East, as we were told we were lucky - there are usually more!
At the airport, we were caught off guard by the exchange rate: we were under the impression it was favorable to us, but apparently the US dollar is worth less than the Jordanian dinar currently. After absorbing our initial shock, we proceeded through the visa and immigration counters with no problem. Baggage claim, on the other hand, took us a while. Thankfully, all four of our bags came through without a problem. Unfortunately, this was not the case for one of our party: Stella's bags caught the wrong flight and took a day longer than the rest of ours to arrive. They are now in Jordan, but how they will be delivered is still uncertain.
Our driver was waiting for us near the exit, and although he was a little upset he was going to be late for iftar, he still seemed in good humor. We arrived at our apartment safe but a bit nauseous from our first encounter with Jordan driving. It's not that there are no rules (our driver was quite adamant that there are, and that there are police who enforce them), it's just that drivers take things like lanes and speed limits as suggestions more than requirements. One thing that can be said in their favor, however, is that they at least know the correct side of the road for driving!
The temperature has been our second shock: at around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the locals are surprised and over-heated as well. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon, because there is no air conditioning and we can't wear shorts or tank tops outside.
With our move to Jordan we have upgraded our living space from a one room flat to a three bedroom apartment with a good size kitchen, dining room, and living room. However, our refrigerator and washing machine are almost comical to look at. The refrigerator is 1/2 the size of what we are used to, and the washer is 1/4 of the size. We were supplied with some basic food items: milk, eggs, bread, cheese, fruit, etc. The food has surprised us by its lack of preservatives and high fructose corn syrup. Who knew that food could taste so real and fresh! We have enjoyed every bite/drink so far.
We found out several days ago that we will be working at the Bunyat school for the handicapped. Upon our arrival to our apartment we were contacted by them and will be picked up and given a tour of the school on Sunday. More to follow then.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)