Laura’s abroad in Amman, Jordan, until Dec. 19.

Today I bought my first thob – which is the long, black, embroidered robe that is the traditional dress of Jordan. I’ll need to wear one because I’m heading off for the desert in the northeastern part of Jordan to live with a Bedouin family there for four days. I practiced my bargaining skills in the market downtown and returned happily home with my purchase. My host sisters thought it was hilarious to dress me up in the thob and hijab and parade me around the house. They asked me to pose in various places and positions, which was quite embarrassing considering we had guests over. The hijab felt really tight around my face, and I didn’t like that it covered my ears. I only had it on for about 20 minutes though – we’ll see how I do for four days.

I actually have no idea what I’m getting myself into. The program director handed all 22 of us a slip of paper with the name of our family and the small village where we’ll be living. We’re supposed to figure out how to get there ourselves – which is apparently an exercise in “experiential learning.” I suppose a combination of buses will get me there, but I haven’t yet managed to find my exact village on a map, and you can bet that Google Maps is absolutely no help. At least I know my village is close to Mafraq (some of my friends are so far east they’re practically to the Iraqi border). This will definitely be an opportunity to practice my Arabic. I know that my family has a few sheep and goats, a garden and electricity. I have no idea about the plumbing situation though. I also learned that my family is “very conservative” in a Bedouin society that’s already considered extremely conservative, so I’m must admit I’m a bit nervous about what this will be like. My program director also warned me not to take a walk to the north while I’m there because my village is just a few kilometers from the Syrian border. And yes, all of this information is probably adding gray to my mother’s hair.

Laura models her new thob in her host family’s kitchen.

My host family here in Amman has spent the past week trying to scare me about going to the Badia. My host brother especially loved to describe the giant, flesh-eating spider camels and the hyenas. They warned me that the last American student they hosted got lice in the Badia. Another rumor is that a Bedouin family locked an American student in a room for two days because they were worried about her “safety” or something. I’m sure these are all exaggerations, but I must admit that I’m nervous. I’m also worried about getting sick. Upon the recommendation of my family here in Amman, I have six liters of water weighing down my duffel and a mini-pharmacy of drugs to combat indigestion. But, I figure I can survive anything for just four days. Also, it will be nice to get out of Amman and see a different way of life.

When we return, Ramadan will be over, which means we have a 3-day celebration of food and family. And then everyone’s schedule will become significantly less nocturnal – hopefully!

Wish me luck! I promise to come back with some really great pictures.

Read Laura’s previous post l Meet the rest of our abroad bloggers