Dead Sea and Jarash... and bedbugs.

A couple more notes about the Badia that was interesting that I don't think I mentioned.  Everything was eaten communally and on platters off the floor.  I usually got an eating preference because I was a guest, but usually one of the kid's Abu Yasir and Umm Yasir would sit around the platter in the tent with me and break off bread to pick up whatever dish we were eating. We'd start each meal by saying "bismillah" and then when we were done we'd add "hamdillilah." My youngest host sister would always egg me on the eat more, but I usually just said I was full. The whole different eating scenario was pretty cool.

Another interesting thing was living with a muslim host family. There were varying degrees of religiosity in my family.  My host father and mother prayed five times a day as did my youngest sister.  The rest of the family I never saw praying in the tent.  Not all of the girls covered, only the two oldest and the youngest when she was praying.   They seemed alright hosting a foreigner, and unlike many people in Amman they never asked me about my religion.  I appreciate having a christian family in Amman for a minority perspective, but I would have felt like I had missed out if I didn't spend some time in a muslim home.

So after getting back from the Badia I went to turn on my macbook, which had been on the fritz since I spilt my dinner on it when I was sick, and it went to the apple screen and then promptly shut off.  One of the things I've really enjoyed being able to see what people from home and other students abroad have been up to and sharing my experience... not to mention reading the news all the time, so for me, this was a pretty big crisis.  Beyond the enjoyment I get from extracurricular activities, there was also the academic concern of not being able to use a word processor outside of school, and not being able to check my email for updates from my parents and internships.

When I had bought my 3G usb device at a mall near school I had noticed that they had an apple store there, so I brought it there and dropped it off.  They said it would be a minimum of 25JD for the service, so I left it there... and waited.

In the meantime I went on a couple of cool trips post-Badia.  The day after we got back we went to Madaba and the Dead Sea for a day of relaxation and badia debrief.  First we went to a greek orthodox church in Madaba with a 1500 year old mosaic on the floor that is a map of the promised land.

After the church we walked through some stores on our way back to the bus and then headed for Mt. Nebo.

The streets of Madaba

Mt. Nebo is a mountain in northwestern Jordan which looks out towards Israel and the Dead Sea. In the Bible it is where Moses dies, overlooking the land of milk and honey that he cannot reach. 

Oh hey. Another old mosaic. 

From Mt. Nebo, where we also did our debrief session, it was on to the Dead Sea and a day of recharging.  We had a great buffet and then hit the water. 

Fernando dipping his toes. 

Swimming in the dead sea is an incredible sensation.  The water is so salty that there is no vegetation and the water almost feels a little slimy.  It burns like hell if you get it in your eyes, which thankfully, I didn't.   One is so buoyant in the Dead Sea that you can lay flat on your back with your arms folding on your chest and float.  I also floated cross legged or with arms and legs pointed perfectly vertically.  Across the Sea you could see Israel, and if it weren't for the probable dehydration you could very easily swim it.  After chilling by the water and taking a bunch of pictures of the other students covered in Dead Sea mud we went and chilled by the pool till sunset. 

After an extra short week of class, a group of students went to Jarash in northern Jordan on the weekend.   Jarash is best known for its incredible ancient Roman and Greek ruins.  It is cite to the world's smallest hippodrome where chariot races were held and probably one of the largest unmolested ruins of an ancient Roman city. 

Hadrian's Gate.

Hippodrome

What's with the bagpipes in roman ruins?

We caught a show in the hippodrome too of Arab men in legionnaire and gladiator outfit doing reenactments, as well as a chariot race. 

It was great when a couple of them fell over trying to stand up. 

I really dig the orange cone. 

Anne climbs everywhere. 

Hammam momken? (maybe a bathroom)

Temple to Zeus I believe. 

Jarash was really cool, another group of students had gone to see a crusader castle in another city that I'll have to check out at some point.  When I got home in Amman I showed my host family my pics and videos from the day, and around 7:30 I got a call from SmartBuy where the apple store was located that my laptop was ready.  They wiped the hard drive and installed a new operating system (now I have snow leopard) and so far, humdilallah it has worked fine.  All for the great price of $35 JD. (I was worried I'd have to replace hardware or, worse, buy a new laptop).

They say trouble comes in threes, and I got food poisoning, my laptop died, and last but certainly not least, I discovered a bedbug infestation in my room.  (I also had a cab get a flat tire but I guess that was easily fixed by getting another one).  I had noticed some bites for a few days and began to worry, and after checking under sheets and discovering the little buggers (and going on a killing spree) I informed my host family of the situation.  They seemed very concerned and contacted a professional exterminator. Right now I'm staying at another students house where he has an extra bed (thankfully), and I'll be staying for two days until we head to Oman for a week long excursion.  It worked out nicely that I'll be in Oman when they fumigate my room on friday and leave it for two days.  

My dad drove me to Shmisani where I'm staying, and along the way he told me that his wife and the children have liked having me in their house very much, more than most of the students they've hosted.  They especially liked how dedicated I was to trying to learn arabic, and learn about Jordan and the arab world, which was great to hear, and I mentioned how much I liked living with them, and how I'd miss being home for the 2 days and a week. 

I got my third set of muslim prayer beads the other day.  I got my first set from my badia host brother, I had trouble thinking of something culturally appropriate that I could give him. I opted for an American dollar, which was a pretty cool gift I think, because he'd never seen them before.  I got my second set from my badia host dad who taught me how to use them, and my third set I got during an arabic class excursion to a restaurant.  We were sitting near the door and a man in a dishdash and keffiyah walked by and handed me some really pretty prayer beads.  At first I thought he was trying to sell me something, because oftentimes in cafes people will come in with postcards and random junk to sell, so I said "la shukran" but he insisted, and then I realized he was giving them to me.  I thanked him profusely and put them in my pocket.

I'm incredibly excited about going to Oman.  It's a country I would have NEVER chosen as a destination on my own, and it will be the first time in country for a number of the SIT staff as well which should be cool. So next post should be coming from a Sultinate instead of a Heshemite Kingdom.