A DOSE OF REALITY...

Contrary to popular belief (inferred from all previous posts), we are not just on a summer long vacation riding camels, swimming in beautiful slot canyons, visiting ancient religious and archeological sites, and shooting the breeze with Arabs.  There actually is a  purpose in our being here and we’ve even developed daily and weekly routines here in Amman.  We thought we would add a quick post filling in the gaps – explaining what we do in between our weekend excursions.  

ANDREW: Every day Andrew wakes up at about 6:30 to work on homework. He studies for about an hour before he heads off to the University. The University is about a 15-minute walk from our house, which is nice and convenient. At the University he takes a variety of classes all of which are in Arabic and range from writing to international relations. After hours of classes (some days 1 hour other days 5 hours) he heads off to do his speaking. He is required to speak at least two hours of Arabic with native speakers outside of class each day. Andrew typically goes around campus and talks with friends he has made. Some days he switches things up by going to mosques to speak with sheiks or by going downtime to talk to shop owners and people in coffee shops and restaurants. The other major half of his homework is to spend 2-3 hours a day reading and translating Arabic newspapers, which he does sometime in between classes and speaking.  He finally returns home between 5:00 and 6:00. We eat dinner and then some nights he gets to play and other nights he has newspaper homework or other assignments from classes to work on. He has been an Arabic machine all summer! I’ve been amazed at the progress he has made.

CHANA: Every day is a little different for me. But they all start with all of the wives coming over to work out. The gyms here are very expensive and most don’t allow women, so we have made our own gym in our living room. We work out to a couple of different videos throughout the week. After that my days vary with what day of the week it is. Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday I go to a beginning Arabic class. Andrew’s program director started it for us so that we could learn to read signs, recognize numbers and tell the taxi drivers how to get us home. We still have a long way to go, but it makes the days go faster. On Monday and Wednesday I spend most of my time at home reading books and working on my online class (it’s true I have one more class until I officially graduate from BYU- actually I only have two more lessons and a final!) Throughout the week I do laundry, clean the house, and sometimes go on outings. As wives we try to keep ourselves as busy as possible. Some of our outings have included lunch and swimming at the American Embassy, shopping, making and taking baby hats to the hospital, and exploring our neighborhood.

On Friday Andrew and I go to church and spend the day together. On Saturday we typically have an outing planned with the group or we create one ourselves. Then next thing we know the week starts all over again. Although life is VERY different here we love it. It has been such an amazing experience and we are sad to see the days passing so quickly..... well, kind of.

Andrew after a long day of studying Arabic

Chana next to the flowers Andrew bought her for our 9 month anniversary 

"I'M SITTING ON A CITADEL, CONTEMPLATING LIFE"...

This past weekend we took a break from traveling outside of Amman and spent some time in the city.  Just the two of us kind of took it easy and spent the day together.  Of course we had to get out of the house so our adventure for the day was a trip to the Citadel in downtown Amman.  It is basically a big hill in the middle of the city and from the top you get a beautiful panoramic view of Amman.  The hill has been the focus of human settlement in the area since the Paleolithic Age, more than 18,000 years ago.  When the Romans settled in the area they threw much of the remains from the previous ages over the slopes, much of which was later found mixed in with the Roman remains.

At the top of the hill is a pretty good archeological museum that displays the remains of the various ages.  Just outside the museum are the remains of the Temple of Hercules, built by the Romans during the same time that the famous Roman Amphitheatre was built at the base of the hill.  On the other side of the museum is a big Ummayad Palace (Ummayad refers to an early Islamic time period) that was built over pre-existing Roman structures in the 8^th century.  Anyways, most of you reading this probably have no interest in that brief history lesson but it’s nonetheless a place with a rich history and provides an awesome view of the city. 

Picturesque view of Amman

(They love their Jordanian flags here!)

      At the top of the Citadel (the Roman Amphitheater is in the left corner)

The Temple of Hercules 

The Ummayad Palace

400 METERS BELOW SEA LEVEL...

Last weekend we made a trip to Christ’s baptismal site and the Dead Sea.  Like many other ancient sites in the Middle East the baptismal site is only a guess and likely not the exact spot where he was baptized.  There is, however, greater substantial evidence than other sites and was only recently discovered.  About ten years ago archeologists discovered Byzantine churches and other various Byzantine artifacts that revealed where they (the Byzantines) believed the baptismal site to be.  Of course the Byzantines didn’t come until a few hundred years after Christ was baptized but it’s still a significant discovery that gives greater credence to claiming it as “the place.”  The Jordan River is narrow and super dirty but it was nonetheless a special experience to stand on the ground where Christ himself walked and taught.

After the baptismal site we made our way 400 meters below sea level to the Dead Sea – the lowest point on earth.  The rumor is true – the water really is so buoyant that it’s literally impossible to sink!  As you walk in your feet are forced from under you and if you lie back the water supports you like a cradle.  It’s so salty though that the coolness of floating in the Dead Sea wears off pretty fast and you want to get out.  It feels like you are covered in oil and the salt stings every part of the body.  It was still way worth it though.  We spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in a beautiful chlorinated pool overlooking the Dead Sea.  We definitely had another successful weekend excursion. 

Standing in front of the alleged place of Christ's baptism

A section of the Jordan River

Dipping into the Jordan River

(you can actually be baptized there, but we decided our toes were enough)

One of the signs marking sea level

Floating in the Dead Sea

A view from the pool overlooking the Dead Sea

OUR NIECE... LUCY!

Eric and Rachel welcomed little Lucy Alder into the world on June 6, 2009 at about 6:00 p.m. (Mountain Standard Time that is) and we became an aunt and uncle!  We are so excited for Eric and Rachel and can’t wait to meet Lucy in August.  It made us homesick to be so far a way during all the excitement but we are so happy she’s here and everything went well.... as far as we know (we still haven’t gotten the whole story and fill a little neglected).  Here is a small sample of the pictures we’ve received so far, we think she’s adorable!  Congratulations Eric and Rachel. We love you!

Eric, Rachel, Lucy and Kristen (Rachel's sister) at the hospital

She definitely got Eric's long chicken legs 

(but we think they are perfect)

WHO SAYS THERE IS NO WATER IN THE MIDDLE EAST...

Last weekend we went with a group of about ten to a place called Wadi Mujib.  It was one of the most beautiful sites we’ve visited so far and definitely a must do if you ever tour Jordan!  It’s a narrow slot canyon that leads up to a huge waterfall.  You start at the base, which flows into the Dead Sea, and then hike up about a mile to the waterfall.  You are in water the whole time but sometimes it’s only ankle deep while in other areas the water is over your head.  There are a few mini waterfalls where you use ropes and ladders to climb up and then some fun rocks to do a little cliff jumping.  It’s definitely no cakewalk and Chana showed how hardcore she really is.... she needed very little help.  It was super refreshing to get out of the heat and into some water while enjoying the beautiful scenery!

The mouth of the canyon where our adventure began

Part of the river inside of the canyon

One of the mini waterfalls where you had to use a rope to get to the top

A view of the canyon

The waterfall at the end of the adventure

The group behind the waterfall

CAMPING AND DANCING WITH BEDUINS...

This past weekend (weekends in the Middle East are Friday and Saturday) a member of the church put together a two-day trip to some beautiful remote areas south of Amman where many Jordanian Beduins live .  The trip was about $75 per person so we had originally decided to not do it.  Well Thursday night we got a call from the guy and to make a long story short there were two open spots and he offered them to us.... FOR FREE!  So we said yes, packed our backpacks, and left with the group Friday morning after church.

Our first stop was the Shobak castle which was the first castle to be built by the Crusaders in Transjordan.  The castle had all sorts of cool things like chapels, tunnels, and secret passage ways that we messed around in.  It's most famous for a huge pitch-black tunnel that goes down in the ground forever.  It ends at a ditch with the clearest water we've ever seen (especially in the Middle East) running through it.  After the Shoback castle we traveled to Dana Village which is a small Bedouin  oasis overlooking the rift valley.  When it's dark you can look across the valley and see the lights of Palestine (Israel).  We watched the sunset, made some beduin friends who showed us their gardens, ate dinner (which was.... interesting) and then had a little dance party.  Our beduin buddies played the bongo drums and sang Arab music for hours.  They made us dance with them which was a real cultural experience.  Our rooms for the night were tents on the roof of the hotel because they didn't have enough rooms inside the hotel.

The next morning Andrew woke up early and went on a little adventure walk, then we had breakfast (which consisted of stale pita bread, jam, tomatoes and cucumbers) and then drove to the Dana nature reserve which is just below the little village.  It was a beautiful area and we did a couple hours of hiking.   Then we drove to a city called Karak where we had a big traditional mansaf lunch waiting for us (mansaf is the Jordanian national food that we experienced with Ahmed's family in the previous post).  Only this time we ate with utensils and there was no goat brain and tongue (darn).  After that we had a couple more hours on the bus back to Amman.  

Overall it was a pretty awesome deal for getting to go for free!  

The Crusader Castle

Beduins in their traditional clothing

(These ones were on the side of the road next to the castle.)

A beautiful home in Dana Village

Our tent on top of the roof of the hotel

(The hotel is from the middle ages so it was terrifying sleeping on the roof... you never knew when it was going to cave in.)

Sunset over looking the rift valley

Us watching the Beduin party

Dancing with the Beduins

The Beduin Band 

(The one in the hat is the man from our branch. He grew up as a Beduin.)

Part of the Dana Nature Reserve where we hiked

EXPERIENCING AUTHENTIC ARAB CULTURE

We’ve been in Amman for about two weeks now and recently had our first experience at a traditional Arab family’s home.... and it was quite the experience to say the least!

As part of Andrew’s homework and quest to learn Arabic he is required to speak at least two hours a day outside of class and make Arab friends.  On one of our first days here he met his first friend Ahmed.  Ahmed is a student at the university (so Andrew is able to practice Arabic with him almost day) but is from a small village just outside of a small town called Salt which is just outside of Amman.  Last Saturday we were invited to his home for “mansaf” which is a famous Jordanian dish.  Little did we know we were in for a cultural experience of a lifetime.

Our day started by meeting Ahmed and his brother who drives a big van at about 1:00 near the university in Amman.  In order for Chana to not be the lone girl we invited one of our married couple friends to come along and another one of Andrew’s friends from the program also came.  Although you always risk your life with an Arab at the wheel the drive was beautiful and we eventually made it to his home and instantly became the greatest celebrities the village has ever seen.  When we first arrived we met some of the family members and were taken to their front room where we sat around on small mats and pillows that line the walls.  The dad and some of his brothers sat with us smoking and drinking their tea.  We warned Ahmed ahead of time that we don’t drink tea and coffee so they had water and juice to ready to serve us.  From the moment we arrived to the moment we left we were constantly being offered something.  Because it was a very traditional Islamic family we didn’t see the women much and as soon as dinner was ready Chana and Gloria (the other American wife) headed off to eat with the women....

Eating with the women: As soon as we left the men we were ushered into a small room with more mats and pillows. Before we could sit down we asked Ahmed’s sisters if we could go see the kitchen and final meal preparations. That’s when the surprise came for us... two huge plates of mansuf with a boiled goat head on each plate sitting on the floor. Ahmed’s mother was finishing pouring the yogurt sauce in the bowls. We then went back to the little room and ate with three of the sisters and their daughters. Two girls showed us how to peel the meat from the bones (the men got both goat heads so we didn’t have to deal with those) and pour the sauce. We were women so we actually got to eat with spoons. Also because the room was only filled with women the girls didn’t wear their hijabs. The girls were so kind and did everything to make us feel comfortable.  

Eating with the men:  Before I (Andrew) knew it we were brought two huge platters of mansuf.  Mansuf is basically rice flavored with sour yogurt sauce and some kind of meat (sounds gross but it’s quite tasty).  What was different this time, however, is in the middle of both platters was a goat head.  This was one of the most generous families I’ve ever met and we are pretty sure they killed two of their goats just for us.  In their culture it’s a big deal to get that much meat, and considered a great honor to eat the head.  The traditional way to eat mansaf is to sit on the floor and eat with your hands.  You only use your right hand and you basically make rice balls mixed with meat and nuts and pop it into your mouth.  After eating for a while the dad came in with a knife and started cutting up the head.  He started by cutting off the tongue and dividing it up between the three of us.  Then he cut a hole in the head and pulled out the brains.  It wasn’t the easiest thing to eat but they didn’t stop serving so we ate until we couldn’t put anything else down.

After dinner they brought the wives back and we sat and talked and were served more drinks (Arabs sit a lot).  Then we went outside to see the family’s goats (they had sixteen) and they took us to the roof of their house were you get a good view of the village.  Then we went to the brothers house on the second floor and sat some more....and we were served cookies, fruit, drinks, etc.  We sat in a room and listened to the Quran being recited on the TV for about an hour. 

Then we went outside and they showed us their land where they grow grapes, olive trees, tobacco, etc. We kept walking and they took us to some caves in the foothills.  One of the caves had a bunch of holes in the wall that they claim to be former Roman tombs.  No kidding we saw human bones.  After some time we headed back to the house and everyone told us goodbye.  The women were so cute and all wanted pictures with Chana and Gloria.  But that wasn’t the end.  We told the family goodbye and got in the van with Ahmed and his brother Sayel to head up a mountain to a view that overlooks Palestine (Israel.... but Arabs don’t like to call it Israel).  We spent the next 3 hours watching the sunset, sitting around a campfire, drinking more juice and Pepsi, talking, cooking wheat in the fire, watching them smoke tobacco from their massive pipe, and we even had a little dance party.  Finally at about 11:30 we told them we should probably get going.  They wanted us to just sleep at their house and offered us to take us to school in the morning.  That wasn’t going to work out so well so we talked them into taking us back to Amman that night.

It was a long day but truly a priceless cultural experience.  We were touched by their generosity and sincerity and hopefully learned something from their example of the importance of the family and what’s most important in life.           

This is just a few members of the family on the roof of their house.  Ahmed is sitting to the right of Andrew

Chana with some of the girls

They taught Chana how to open the petals of the flowers and make earrings

Andrew with Sayel (Ahmed's brother) in one of the caves

Sayel, Colby, Andrew, Chana, Carl, Ahmed

Lounging on the mountain before sunset 

(don't worry.... we didn't smoke that huge pipe behind us)

Ahmed teaching Chana how to release the seeds out of the wheat