Early Mornings

It's 6 a.m. in Jordan and I can't sleep. I guess I'm still jet lagged... everyday around 5 in the afternoon I succumb to the urge to nap, and sometimes I don't wake up until morning; that happened yesterday. Maybe if I can resist for one day and wait until a normal hour to sleep I'll get back on schedule, but for now I'll just have to deal with the weird hours. It gives me some quiet time alone in the morning, which is much appreciated.

Today will be our third day of classes. Our program this summer is a bit different than last year, and I like it so much better. The best change? No grammar! We are focusing more on dialect, speaking, and listening. These are the areas where I'm best, and I also think they are so much more beneficial than reading or writing. At the end of the day, fluency comes down to one's ability to communicate with real people. I already can tell that this summer is not only going to be easier, but also more beneficial. All of us who attended the program last summer (Matt, Cullen, Antonia, Bobby Joe, and I) plus two of the new students (Chase and Byron) placed into level-four, the highest level the language center offers. Our professors are great, too.

I'm having some difficulty uploading my pictures from Cairo, but I promise I didn't forget and will get those on here as soon as possible.

Salaam,

-Alex