First Week of Classes and Ramadan

This week was a busy one for me as both classes and Ramadan began. Sitting in a classroom for most of the time between 9 and 4 makes for long days, but my Arabic has improved a lot, and the seminars we have in the afternoon have been interesting so far. We will be listening to several speakers each week on different issues related to Jordan. This week we had professors from two universities in Jordan speak about the history of Jordan and its political system. Our first lecturer was an interesting one who shook things up a bit. His lecture led several times to a discussion of the Arab-Israeli conflict, which Jordan has been directly involved in and affected by. It was clear that he stood against Israel on this issue, and much of what he said went against what we are accustomed to hearing in the United States. Even though I consider myself to be pretty moderate on this issue, his lecture still got me thinking for a while about the whole conflict, as these types of lecture usually do. Our second lecturer spoke to us about the Jordanian political system. While much of what he said was interesting, what stood out to me was the influence of tribes in Jordanian politics. Jordan is a country of tribal origins, and tribal affiliation still plays an important role here. Political parties are weak here, so tribes tend to hold their own primaries and nominate their own candidates for office. This type of political involvement requires the government to work with tribes. There are several US think tanks in Washington now looking at tribal cooperation within the government because of their strong influence. This influence can be seen right now in Iraq, where cooperative agreements between US forces and local Iraqi tribes have played a significant role in the reduction of violence there.

This week was also the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. This year it began on September 1st and will last through October 1st. Living with a Muslim family has allowed me to experience this holiday first hand. During this month, the day starts with an early breakfast at 4 am. From then on, no eating, drinking, or smoking is allowed until after the Iftar breakfast (dinner) at sunset. This is usually a large, and I can attest from personal experience, delicious meal that takes place as soon as "Allahu Akbar" is announced during the call to prayer from the local mosque. Also, hanging up next to our kitchen table is a calendar that came in the newspaper listing the exact time of sunset everyday of Ramadan so we have an idea of when we can eat.

Everything changes during Ramadan. Employess are let out of work early so they can have time to prepare for Iftar, most restaurants and cafes are closed during the day, and Ramadan lights, (similar to Christmas lights, but with a star and crescent) appear throughout the city. On TV, special programs are aired for Ramadan only, and no eating, drinking, or smoking is allowed in public. Those who do risk getting in trouble with the police. I have experienced the Iftar breakfast every night, but I have not yet truly fasted with my family. While I may have a small breakfast but then eat nothing until sundown, I still have been drinking water throughout the day. It's been pretty hot here recently, from what I hear hotter than usual. The past few days have seen temperatures at or close to 100 degrees.

This morning my homestay father took me into downtown with him to do some shopping. I like downtown because it is very old, and it is a great place to witness old fashioned, authentic Jordanian culture at its finest. We stopped by an outdoor fruit market and he later took me to the Roman Amphitheater and showed me some other archeological sites dating back to the Roman Empire. After that, we drove up to the top of large hill in downtown which provided a great view of the downtown area. I ended up heading back downtown tonight with my homestay brother to meet up with some classmates. We spent the night at a local cafe smoking arghele and hanging out.

Also, here are some more pictures from my first few days. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera with me to downtown today, but I'll be back there again.

Ma Salaama