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July 24th 2010
Sitting in the Living Room on the blue couch in the apartment:
Ok it seems that these might be once a week ventures if not much is going on around here. This past week I had class and we had a mid-term at the end of the week. It was 10 pages long and consisted of 4 Chapters, including new phrases, vocabulary, and grammar. It was pretty tough even though I had Cameron's old test as a study guide and to see how the format might be. This was always helpful in History Class in college and I was glad that he had taken this test before. I don't know how well I did, but I learned and reviewed alot so it was a win for knowledge. Like I said, nothing really eventful happened this week. I've gotten to talk to Laura several times on Skype when the internet is working and got to talk to Katie and see Claire and Paige as well :) Oh! this week I saw an Arizona license plate parked outside of one of the many hospitals here. I took a picture of it. I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but Amman is known for its healthcare (even if the place that you have to get blood drawn is not good). there are a few specialized centers for cancer, diabetes, etc and this is a popular place in the summer because families go on medical vacations. This may seem foreign to us, but some of the countries in the Middle East just don't have the specialized care that you can find in Amman. Another thing about Amman in the summertime is that some people from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf move here for the summer because it is much cooler in temperature. While speaking with Katie, I realized that most of you don't know where I'm living, what kind of neighborhood I'm in, what "getting to class" looks like or even the building that Qasid is in. This is definitely my fault for lack of posting pictures and video and this week I will try and take some legit videos and pictures to walk you through my morning routine. I'll try to remember to take my laptop tomorrow as well so that I can post some of these successfully on facebook and the online journal. This internet here at the house (although free) is too slow for this. A couple of things I have enjoyed from this past week are going to see the movie "Inception" in the theater here. It was AMAZING and I highly recommend anyone that is a fan of Christopher Nolan to go see it. We took a cab to "City Mall" which is the largest one in Amman and it has everything! There are about 3 malls close to our apartment but this one puts them to shame. We went to the grocery store (bascially wal-mart) in the mall for some candy before we bought our tickets. The nice thing about Arab Movie Theaters is that A.) it was cheaper, and B.) you get to pick your seat out on a screen when you purchase your ticket and an usher takes you to your seat. The sound and theater quality was par with any American Cinema and the concessions were cheaper (we got caramel popcorn). We kind of got in a spat with teh first cab driver we saw after leaving the mall because he wanted 4 JD for the ride home which was double what the trip was worth. We said we only wanted the meter price and he said "OK". So we get in the cab and he starts driving to the main road, but hasn't turned the meter on yet. Cameron and I exchange quizzical looks and ask him about the meter. He says 4 JD. At this point we say that we clearly said that we only wanted the meter and promptly got out of the car! It was kind of ridiculous. Anywho, Cameron and I walked back about 100 meters to the mall entrance and catch another cab. This driver was extremely nice and we chatted about America, religion, poetry, and creation on the way home. It just goes to show you that there are all types of people everywhere you go and why you can't stereotype certain kinds of people... like cab drivers, haha. The day of the mid-term, after I came back from class I cleaned up the apartment and we went to the nice Yemeni Restaurant which is about a 15 minute walk or more from our apartment. We refer to this as the "Nice Yemeni" restaurant because you sit on the floor with cushions all around your own private room or "booth" and they lay down a plastic bag for your tablecloth and you order your food. For 3.5 JD you get a huge mound of spiced rice, half a chicken, soup, salad, yogurt, a coke, and salsa that you can pour on the rice. I found that if you mix in some of the yogurt it is really good too! Now don't turn your nose up if you haven't tried it, the type of yogurt they use is more creamy and it is just plain with no flavor. Needless to say we were stuffed and it was the start to a good weekend. We went by the mall on the way home and played the guitar they have and Cameron bought Law Abiding Citizen for 1 JD so we watched it that night. This week of class will hopefully be good. I've studied up on some of the things we'll be covering so I'll be prepared. Ramadan starts approximately on August 11th, I say approximately because it is decided through the lunar calendar and not the solar one. I'm planning on fasting during this month, because out of all the times in my life this seems the best time and place to do it. Now I would like to clarify that I am not doing this because God thinks that it is required of me; that is a Quranic notion and not bibilical in any sense. However, the Bible does encourage fasting and explains the many joys that can come from it. I've been researching online and it seems that Christian fasting during Ramadan is not uncommon in the States. It promotes the wholeness of community and maybe offers a way to plant a seed. I will be using the fasting rules of Ramadan as a rough guide and we'll see how it goes. Well, it's time to hang up the clothes I just washed and study some more vocab. I can't wait until Laura comes, and also Alabama Football!!!
- comments
Laura haha, I'm glad I rank right up there with alabama football! can I atleast get my own sentence, please? j/k. Love you!