What a different experience I am having this year! And by different, I mean better. Seriously, my time here is flying by and it's crazy to think that in a few short weeks I'll be returning home. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited and ready, but it's not the same kind of desperate longing for everything American that I experienced last year around this time.
Last weekend we took our first trip to Mount Nebo, Jesus' baptism sight near the Jordan River, and the Dead Sea. Although we visited the same sites last year, I was happy to get out of town for the day. Irbid hasn't changed much since last summer, meaning it's still as boring as ever, so any adventure on the weekends is much appreciated. And an adventure we had... on our way home, the bus ran out of gas. Now, I know you're probably thinking, "How could the bus run out of gas? Don't they have a gas gauge or something? Wouldn't they have thought about that?" My response can only be, it's Jordan folks. These things happen. At first the driver thought the engine had overheated, but after a short investigation it became apparent that the bus simply needed fuel. We spent about an hour waiting for the driver to return after hitch hiking to the nearest gas station, and during that time a few of us wondered to the other side of the road and climbed on the roof of an old building to watch the sunset. You get used to these kind of problems over here and learn to take them with a grain of salt and make the best out of any situation, as we did. Our peaceful experience ended after about 20 minutes when an old man, apparently the owner of our newly discovered perch, and his two rabid dogs came and told us to get down and leave... he turned out to be a nice man, but didn't want to have anything to do with a bunch of Americans trespassing on his land, much less climbing onto his roof. A short time after that encounter, our driver returned with a few gallons of fuel and we were on our way once again.
This past week we celebrated the fourth of July by hosting a party at my apartment. Our entire group came over, along with a few of our friends from France who are teaching here at Yarmouk for the summer. We cooked cajun shrimp, burgers, and peach cobbler for everyone and even shot of some fireworks to celebrate the occasion.
Words can't express how grateful I am to have a kitchen this year! My friend Antonia and I have been cooking a lot. Produce is very inexpensive, so with a few essential ingredients from the grocery store we've been able to make spaghetti, mexican casserole, chicken teriyaki, and fried rice. I'm also getting really good at making grilled sandwiches on the stove.
One complaint I have about the apartment is it's lack of air conditioning, and the fact that there isn't even a fan in my bedroom! A few weeks ago, the weather was pretty fair, especially at night; now, however, it's brutally hot ALL the time. So, we keep the windows open and turn the fan in our living room on high, but I still sweat all night long and have the hardest time falling asleep. I can't wait to get back to my 68 degree house in Oxford, and promise to never take that luxury for granted again. We also have a lot of bugs to deal with at night. I spend hours trying to kill mosquitoes every night and it's really starting to get annoying. Oh well, nothing I can't handle.
This week we have our second round of tests and I'm hoping to do a little better than last time. I think it's possible, especially considering the fact that we'll be departing for our little vacation on Wednesday! Wadi Rum, Petra, and Aqaba are all on the agenda, just like last year. It was the highlight of my time in Jordan last summer. I'm going to make sure and experience more of Petra this time, soak up my time in the breathtaking desert of Wadi Rum, and live it up on the beach in Aqaba!
Until later,
-Iskander
No comments:
Post a Comment