In Country

! مرحبا

We all made it safely to Jordan and have enjoyed a relaxing past two days. On the way to Irbid from Amman we stopped at a restaurant and enjoyed our first arabic meal: pita, hummus, falafel, fool, fresh pickled vegetables, and hot tea. Much better hummus and pita than from home. We are staying in a really nice hotel with air conditioning, hot water, wireless, and cable so I should be just fine the next 8 weeks.

There are a couple things I must mention about the culture that I've picked up on in the short time I've been here. First, just about every male smokes cigarettes. And second, no one gets in a hurry. I mean no one, at all, ever. It's great. Just about every stop we made today on our tour consisted of a tea/cigarette break and good conversation. We met our professors after the city/campus tour and I absolutely love them. My arabic is terrible but I was able to hold a conversation without feeling intimidated, which is encouraging. After a much-needed afternoon nap, a few of my classmates and I walked to شارع الجامعة (University Street) and enjoyed a delicious meal of chicken shawarma, which is like shaved rotisserie chicken. The best news from today would be that the arab week begins on Sunday and ends on Thursday so we don't start class for another few days! Tomorrow we'll be visiting some historical ruins and castles outside of Irbid. I'll try and post some pictures when we get back.

،سلام

اسكندر