Real Life

     I spent today in a huge Starbuck's on the wealthier side of town, trying to get some work done. I had a nice view of the city, and although the internet was awful, I was pretty productive. Two of my friends showed up and studied with me for a bit. Then we walked next door to a really nice restaraunt called Blue Fig, met up with another friend, and had a delcious fun dinner. I don't think I have ever enjoyed a ceasar salad that much. We said goodbye and caught our cabs, only to be met by sirens and armed vehicles. I check my phone to see a text telling us to avoid the circle near the Ministry of Interior due to protests. Apparently, the last time there was a protest in this area, someone was killed. Fortunately, my taxi driver was already planning to avoid the area. As we passed the exit to the circle, I could see about three armored humvees, with machine guns on top, filled with swat officers.
     I made it home to my apartment fine with only half a dinar more than usual in cab fare. Nothing else out of the ordinary. I'm watching August Rush on tv, about to skype my mom. It's just very weird to think about what's going on outside while I sit in front of the tv on my laptop. Everything you see on your tv and more is really happening. They don't show what's happening in Syria in America, to the extent that I see on the news everyday. The blood and the tears are all too real. The frustrations are growing and are obvious. We live in a pivotal time, make sure you know what's going on.

Aqaba, Snow, and Ruins

     Where to begin? Where to begin? I know it has been a while since I last posted, so I apologize if this post is a little all over the place, but I promise to be more constant in my postings from now on :) I have done so much since I last updated! I have been to Aqaba two weekends in a row (!), visited Jerash and Umm Qais, survived a cold, planned my Spring Break, experienced the most snow Amman has had in 9 years, and managed to avoid tribal fighting/political protests on campus! All this, along with the busy daily life in Amman.
     First off, Aqaba is paradise. Imagine living in a huge city thats kinda dirty and filled with people, and being able to hop on a super inexpensive bus for a few hours and arrive in a beach/port city with warm breezes, clear blue seas, and an unbelievable view of the Sinai penninsula. The first weekend I went with five other friends and we stayed at a really nice hotel and just relaxed and chilled on the beach. It was fantastic and just what I needed to relax. The second weekend, I went with one friend who was already scuba certified and a couple others that were finishing up their certification from the previous weekend. Unfortunately, I had gone out the previous night to celebrate "Leap Rage" (February 29th) in the accumulating snow and caught a bit of a cold. So, thanks to my hard headedness, my sinuses were blocked and when I tried to go scuba diving, I was unable to equalize my ears and had to stop to avoid a burst eardrum. No worries, I made the best of a humdrum situation and went snorkeling the next day with my friends who had arrived in Aqaba via running the Dead2Red marathon. Right off the beach, the snorkeling was absolutely stunning! I can't wait to go back!
     The second weekend that I went to Aqaba could not have been better timing. That Wednesday it started to snow that afternoon and they went ahead and cancelled school for Thursday. Instead of taking the 4pm bus as planned we went ahead and hopped on the 1pm bus because we didn't have class, which ended up being the last bus that left due to the weather. While we were in Aqaba, Amman experienced about 3 inches of snow, which doesn't sound like a lot, but in Jordan, that's a blizzard! That Wednesday, the weather was absolutely insane. First the rain turned to sleet/hail, then a nice orange sandstorm blew through campus (which I safely watched from my classroom), finally followed by snow. The snow was welcomed by screaming and running around. Shababs (young men, also used in place of hooligans) love getting into snow ball fights.
     Which brings me to the next big point, bringing a gun to a snowball fight. The next Sunday I stayed home and slept thanks to my annoying cold. Fortunately, I missed a snowball fight that unexpectedly included a guy getting shot in the foot for throwing a snowball at the wrong dude. It's important to note that the two guys were from opposing tribes. Apparently in Jordan and Amman, native Jordanians are still organized into familial tribes. A few days later there was a fight between two tribes again; I am unsure whether they were the same tribes from the snowball fight. As in all good stories, the fighting reportedly began over a girl. A few other fights have broken out, but no CIEE students, or any other non-tribal related people, have been involved. Also, there had been a few protests around the city that we were warned to avoid, but today there was one at the center of campus. CIEE is making sure to keep us off campus when there are disturbances possible and make sure we are informed and stay safe. There is no real danger, but it's good to be smart.
     Last weekend, along with spending another fun night on Ranbow St., I went downtown on Friday to eat some delicious falafel at the famous Hashem restaurant and then we hiked up to the Citadel to enjoy the beautiful weather. On Saturday, there was a day trip to Jerash, a city built alongside the ancient Greco-Roman city of Gerasa, and to Umm Qais, a ruined Hellenistic-Roman city on top of a hill/mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee, Israel, and the Golan Heights. It was very cool to see all the ruins, and especially amazing to look out over the Sea of Galilee to the Golan Heights.
     Spring Break is in a bit over two weeks! In shah Allah (God willing), I will be going to Istanbul for the week with several of my good friends from CIEE. We plan to explore the city, see the ruins of Troy, check out the city of Izmir (when one of my friend's mom lives), and maybe check out a Greek isle nearby. There should be tons to do and I can't wait!
     Overall, I am doing magnificently. Although it can be easy to become distracted by little things, it is even easier to sit back and realize where I am and what I'm doing. So now that I've gotten the past two weeks onto record, hopefully my blogging will be more consistent and organized. Thanks to everyone who's following my adventures, I miss you all!
xoxo -O