Hey Everyone!
I've arrived in Amman, and so far it's awesome. The people on my program seem great, I'm one of three people that knows zero Arabic, and I'm excited to learn it more. While I was on the plane, I journaled a bit, and I'm going to share my delirious rambling with you now.
Be in touch!
Becca
On the Plane to Jordan
It just turned from September 1 to 2, and I’m in the air
flying to Amman, Jordan. Aside from the lack of air conditioning aboard, the
flight is uneventful.
·
Seeing the different ways in which people are
dressed, especially the women. The variations of headscarves and modest outfits
are fascinating. There are women that are showing only their eyes with tight
jeans, high heels, and a super trendy scarf covering hair; there are women
wearing full burkas, laughing and giggling with their friends; there are women
that are clearly Arab dressed with no form of headscarf or anything. No one
seems to care what anybody does.
·
In addition to being able to listen to CDs in
English or Arabic, on Royal Jordanian, you can listen to recitations of the
Holy Quran. I haven’t listened to it, but I have watched an episode of Friends,
a full Emile Sandé concert, and highlights from the 2008 Wimbledon Match
between Federer and Nadal. So much for utilizing my time.
·
Announcements are made in Arabic, and I have no
idea what is going on. There are a few words that stick out: Amman, Ordan
(Jordan in Arabic), and—oh wait, that’s all I recognize for now. That will
change, though, as I’m learning some basic words. Here are some ones that I
have learned and remembered. I could be wrong on any or all of them:
o
Shukran – thank you
o
Ensha’allah – god willing/hopefully
o
Marhaban – hello
o
Habibi – it means a million things, but it’s a
term of endearment that can be likened to a combination of sweetie, my love, my
bro/dude, my friend, etc. I like the way it rolls off the tongue and plan on
using it often—with a smile of course.
o
Masmech – what is your name?
o
Ismee Becca – my name is Becca
o
Ana – I/me
o
Anta – you (male)
o
Anti – you (female)
o
Nachnu – us/we
o
Morning – sabah
o
Night - mabah
·
Written Arabic is overwhelming, but as of now,
I’ve learned four letters. Unfortunately, though, each letter looks different
depending on its position in the word (at the beginning, middle, or end). I’m
looking through a newspaper that my friend Cami picked up and picking out those
four letters. My life is really exciting right now…
We are supposed to land in about 7 hours, and as of now, I
am feeling a mix of nerves, excitement, anxiety, and exhaustion. I’m going to
try to go to sleep, but next time I write, I will be in Amman!!!
Fast forward a few
hours
- I wasn’t going to write again until arrival, but I got bored. According to the big screen in front of us, we have 2 hours left and are currently at 39,000 feet, flying at nearly 600 mph over Italy. I left my house in Oakland almost exactly 24 hours ago, and at this point, I just want to get there. Here are a few more random things going through my head.
- · The Jordanian flight map shows Sharm al Sheik and the Kaaba as two landmarks. This fact reminds me that Jordan is, in fact, a Muslim country, and for the next four months, I will be experiencing life on the Muslim Calendar. I’m really excited to live a different religion in a different place. Islam is a beautiful yet misunderstood religion, and I’m stoked to learn more about it.
- · The food had no hummus or other cliché Middle Eastern staples, but it was legitimately delicious. Good job Royal Jordanian! Both the chicken and potatoes were moist and flavorful, they served cheesecake, and they topped it off with warm tea. I’m excited for the food as much as anything else.
- · I kid you not, but as soon as I finished writing that sentence, a flight attendant came by and passed out a breakfast that reminded me that I am, in fact, still on a plane. I now give a slightly less emphatic plug for Royal Jordanian food. Mom, thanks for packing me snacks.
- · I wish I had brought a toothbrush and some deodorant on the plane. I feel gross and want a shower.
- · I’ve learned a few more Arabic letters, and gotten even more overwhelmed by the sheer number of sounds in the Arabic language. There are two t sounds, two d sounds, two A sounds (a regular one and a super throaty one), three h sounds (a soft h, an h that sounds like fogging up your glasses, and a ch sound). The first page of the learning to read textbook has an exercise that tries to get us to hear the subtle differences between these letters, and I’m not getting it quite yet. Having said that, as I listen to people around me speaking in Arabic, I can’t help but notice that it’s a really beautiful language.
- · As I stood in line waiting for the bathroom, I noticed that there were literally bins on the wall for infants. For those of you who know how creepy I am about babies, you know how happy this made me. Also, I have yet to hear a baby cry.
- · Going back to the point about head scarves, the woman across the isle from us just asked for a mirror so that she could redo her head scarf. While before she had a bit of hair showing, she adjusted it so that now all of her hair (including the little pieces in the front) are covered by a black cloth. Watching her tie the scarf looks like watching men tie a tie—something very precise yet completely normal. I am curious what the modesty rules are about showing hair, because at one point, she did take the whole thing off so she could redo it.
- · As we approach Amman (we are now over the Mediterranean with less than an hour left), the map shows Amman, Gaza, Tel Aviv, and Sharm al Shiekh, but no Jerusalem/Al quds. I don’t know why I’m surprised, but I am.
- · The announcement just happened and I recognized` two words! Salaam Aleikum, which mean hello/welcome.
- And I’m here!
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