| Aug. 24, 2008 | 11:05 pm |
Laura in Jordan: I’m en route!
By
Ahlan wa sahlan! In case you’re wondering, I have absolutely no idea what I’m getting myself into and I’m feeling completely overwhelmed. This program seemed like a good idea when I turned in my application in January. You’re reading this as I’m en route to Jordan, and I’m no doubt nervously flipping through the pages of my beloved Newsweek and trying to keep from hyperventilating. My two years of Arabic classes leave much to be desired in my fluency, and my upbringing in balmy California has hardly prepared me for the desert heat. Not to mention that living with a Jordanian family will be quite a change from life in a sorority house.
Nevertheless, I can’t wait to arrive.
Simply put, Jordan is a fascinating country. Bordered by Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria and Israel, it’s the crux of the Middle East. Granted, it was never the seat of great empires, but every civilization passing through left its mark. Traces of Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Hittites, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Turks and Crusaders exist in Jordan today. Also, Jordan has never enjoyed the oil riches of the Gulf or the cultural prestige of urban centers like Cairo, Damascus and Beirut. Nevertheless, Jordan has risen to regional prominence as an integral part of conflict resolution between the Palestinians and Israelis. Jordan is home to a huge Palestinian population, some of whom still live in refugee camps, and in recent years has taken in Iraqis fleeing the war. And of course, the stories of Jordan’s kings and queens rival those of the British royal family when it comes to scandals, deaths and surprising throne successions.
Preparing myself to move to this country for four months, however, has been quite a challenge. I’ve pumped myself full of every vaccine known to man and packed a mini pharmacy in my suitcase so I can survive the first few weeks without wanting to rip out my intestines. Apparently it takes awhile to adjust to the bacteria in the water. I’ve also replaced my wardrobe with loose tunics and long skirts and debated whether I can dare to show my collarbone or not. Buying gifts for my host family was another struggle. For the potential kids in the family, I bought Disney playing cards because everyone knows Mickey Mouse (right?). But then I started wondering if they use playing cards in the Middle East or if they have different card sets. Well, I guess I’ll teach them Go Fish or Hearts. If that fails to please, at least they can eat the candy I’m bringing.
When I’m not with my host family, I’ll be taking intensive Arabic language classes, both colloquial and formal, in the morning. In the afternoon I have seminars about a range of topics, from women’s issues to environmental problems. My study abroad program has arranged a few trips for us, including a one-week trip to Egypt and a homestay with the Bedouin tribes in rural Jordan. For the last month of my program I’ll be free from classes as I pursue my own research project. After my program ends, I’ll travel to Israel and Turkey before heading back to the States in time for Christmas.
I can’t wait to share with you what I learn there about the people, culture, language and history. For now though, I will just sit back and try to enjoy the 20-hour journey. Bismillah!
Read Laura’s next post | Meet the rest of our abroad bloggers.
Anna said,
August 25, 2008 @ 3:48 am
Well, this just shows how ignorant you - as most of your fellow Americans - are. The fact that you feel the need to ‘pump’ yourself ‘full of every vaccine known to man’(!!) so you ‘can survive the first few weeks without wanting to rip out my intestines’… where did you do your research?? At some kind of neo-conservative ignorants’ library? It just never ceases to amaze me how ignorant a nation can be!
I can assure you that the bacteria and viruses in Amman are the same to those in your spoiled US of A,(maybe less aggressive!). Peole dress about the same or beter, et the same or better, watch on TV all that America has to offer, know about Mickey and Minnie and Donald and read about your heros like Geoge W Bush, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and the rest of the team!!
It is a priviledge for you to visit Jordan, and perhaps it should not be granted to your kind. Why bother coming if it freaks you out? if coming here causes you hyperventilation … is is phobia of Arabs or Muslims, or both?? Poor host family! they are to say bismillah!
I was searching for something on the web, that’s how i found your article,and i will be very cautious next time I do a search.
Oh, and my name is Anna, I leave in Jordan, I’m neither Arab, nor Muslim, yet i love it!
David said,
August 25, 2008 @ 5:04 pm
Nice attitude Anna. Have you considered applying for a job with Jordan’s tourism bureau?
Bacteria varies from place to place and can wreak on one’s digestive system until you get used to it. That’s not a reflection of Jordan’s food/water, just a statement of fact. As for vaccines, it’s likely Laura was advised by her physician to do so as she could not have obtained them otherwise.
The next time you want to call someone ignorant, try looking in the mirror. You’ll find an ignorant person there.
Amed haiseb said,
August 26, 2008 @ 11:41 am
Salam Laura
Welcome in Jordan, Palastine is bording “ORDOUN” too.
Sure you will teach some people some lessons, but I am sure you will learn some lessons too.
That’s life, and there is places known for deseases,Not Ordoun as I know, But your Doctors are right anyway.
I hope you enjoy your staying and we are waiting to see what’s going on.
I found this blog by Google’s Alerts.
See you on Al-jazeera soon.
Ryan said,
August 27, 2008 @ 10:20 am
Anna-
I’m astounded that you are able to deem the entire “U.S of A” ignorant from a five paragraph blog post.
It is completely and utterly ROUTINE to get vaccinations before traveling. Furthermore, as David mentioned (as well as Laura explained in the post), there are different bacteria there which take time to adjust to. She was not insulting your country in any way! Also, I love how you jump to conclusions about why she would be hyperventilating, “is is [sic] phobia of of Arabs or Muslims, or both??” Well, that is the view of someone who desperately wants a reason to hate America. A different way of looking at it, slightly more realistically, is that Laura is nervous of leaving behind her family and friends and moving to a country half way across the globe (not to mention it is a country with stark differences in culture that she will have to adjust to).
If you want to continue to hate Americans and America, it is your prerogative. However, I suggest you point your anger at a more deserving source than a college student studying abroad and trying educate her peers about a country and culture that many of us are not as familiar with.
Good luck Laura!
John Ashbaugh said,
September 2, 2008 @ 12:13 am
Thanks to Ryan, Amed Haiseb, and David for speaking out in defense of Laura’s blog. I know Laura as well as anyone - I’m her Dad - and I can reassure all of her readers that she is one of the most open-minded, intellectually curious, and compassionate persons you will ever meet. Anna, you have some serious misconceptions about Americans in general and about Laura in particular. Such adverse views are understandable, I suppose, in view of the fact that many people in the Middle East associate all Americans with our current President and his disastrous policies. In our entire family), I can state without fear of contradiction that we ALL have an outlook toward the world and US foreign policy that is entirely different from the Bush Administration. Laura’s goal — and the goal of most Americans — is to seek a better understanding of Middle Eastern culture and an improved relationship with all of the people who live there, including Muslims, Christians, Jews, and the myriad of other religions and ethnicities that make up that complex part of the world. I encourage you to continue reading her blog entries as I do, and get to know her and the world she is experiencing through her writing.