Live from Amman-Update 9/14-9/26

The past twelve days have been very eventful and full of new experiences. Last Tuesday night I had the opportunity to participate in post-Iftar prayer at one of the nicer mosques in the city. This has been one of the most incredible experiences I've had in Amman so far. With some help and guidance from Ahmed, the Muslim student who accompanied us, we took part in the the rituals that any other practicing Muslim would before prayer. This included washing certain areas of our body, such as our arms, legs, face, and hair before heading up to the main room. This is done so you can be pure, and clean when praying. Afterward we sat in the main chambers of the mosque while Ahmed explained the prayer rituals and the purpose behind everything we were about to do. He read us some passages from the Quran and explained some of the basic religious ideology of Islam. Then we joined a room full of other men (the women usually pray downstairs, or behind them if they are in the room) and took part in the prayer, going through the motions several times before the service ended. After the service we were joined by several men who came to pray that night. They were very excited and enthusiastic about us being there to experience their religion and their country. All of us sat together for about an hour after the service and talked religion and politics and the true meaning of Islam. We were also joined by the Imam who expressed much pleasure in seeing us at his mosque. After some conversation he asked us to come back and join him for some tea and conversation.

I spent two and half hours at the mosque on Tuesday and left fascinated. I could not stop thinking about my experience for a few days, and I will definitely be going back to join the Imam for some tea-most likely after Ramadan ends. What struck me was the openness and hospitality of the other men in the mosque that night. Islam is a remarkable religion, one that is largely misunderstood in the US. Unfortunately, the true nature of Islam is overshadowed by daily news updates on groups who promote a radical, and often wrong interpretation of this religion. The men we sat with Tuesday stressed the fact that Islam means "peace." Several times they mentioned that while the their fellow Muslims are their brothers in Islam, we are their brothers in humanity. They explained to us how all they want is peace, and they see no reason for all the conflict in the world and especially the Middle East, and would like to see it resolved just as anyone else would. Before leaving the mosque, the Imam mentioned to us that with current position of Arabs and Muslims in the world, all they can do is talk, to let the rest of the world know what they really stand for and who they really are.

Last Wednesday afternoon my group made a trip to the US Embassy. We spent some time there meeting with Foreign Service Officers to learn more about life in the Foreign Service. It was interesting to hear about their different careers both inside and outside of the State Department. Many of the officers had served at posts in many countries. As diplomats abroad, they act as the face of American wherever they are posted and report back to policy makers in Washington about the what is happening on the ground in their particular country. As someone who has been interested in pursuing a career in the Foreign Service after college, our visit to the embassy was very helpful to me.

On Friday I went out with a couple friends. We planned to go visit some Roman ruins that my friend's professor claimed to have excavated several year earlier in an obscure part of the city. With no clear idea of where we were going we flagged a taxi and told him where we wanted to go. About 20 minutes later we found ourselves at a water treatment plant. After telling our cab driver-who spoke almost no English-that we were in the wrong place he decided to take us to some ruins that he knew of. After an hour of driving through parts of Amman we had never seen before, we ended up on the outskirts of the city at the Cave of the Seven Sleepers. It appeared to be a holy site, and it turns out that this cave is mentioned in the Quran, in a passage about seven men and dog (the exact number isn't known) who slept for over 900 years and then miraculously woke up by an act of God. This story attempts to show the the unlimited powers of God. Some pictures are below.







Last weekend I met with my "language partner" for the first time. A language partner is someone we are set up with to practice Arabic and help them practice their English. My language partner is a college student named Bashar who is very active in many organizations. He is also Lebanese and in addition to speaking in the Jordanian Amia, he will be teaching me some of the Lebanese dialect as well. I am very excited to be working with Bashar and getting to know many of his friends. I recently attended an Iftar as his house with 20 members of one of the many organizations he belongs to. After Iftar at his home we had arghele at a cafe at one of the many malls in Amman. There I got the opportunity to speak with some of the members, and I was invited to attend a cultural event being hosted by their organization in October. I told them about my program and the expressed interest in having us there. Next week, I will mention this event to my class, and try to assemble a small group to attend. In addition to Iftar at Bashar's, I also had dinner with a Christian family of another student and attended Iftar at another home earlier in the week. I joined this family and a few friends after their Iftar for another mosque visit. Again, the people we encountered in this mosque, just like the one we went to the week before, were very open and welcoming. They took the time to explain Islam to us, and allowed us to spend some time after prayer with the Imam, similar to what we did the previous week. Even though I had already been exposed to everything we were being shown and discussing, it was still fascinating experience. We were invited by this Imam to come back to the mosque, and we most likely will.

Another experience I had here for the first time last weekend was a water shortage. Jordan is one of the top five countries in the world experiencing water shortages. Last weekend we had to use the water very sparingly to be sure we did not use up what little supply we had left. Unlike back in the U.S., water here is delivered by water trucks on a regular basis. Last weekend, to be safe my host father ordered some additional water and we watched as the water truck filled large tanks below to be distributed to the different containers on the roof for each apartment. He also took me up to the roof and showed me our apartment's water tanks and explained to me how water is handled here. I will post a separate entry later about water in Jordan, specifically in my apartment building and neighborhood. I am very lucky to be living in a section of Amman where water is not a huge problem. What happened last weekend is very rare for this neighborhood. I know other students who are only allowed to shower a few days a week. Some homes even run out of water completely before their next delivery. It has been speculated by some that the next major war in the Middle East will be over water, as it is the region's scarcest resource.

I'm for some new experiences this weekend as I travel about an hour and a half north of Amman into the desert to live with a Bedouin family for the next four days. Today I went into downtown Amman to buy the traditional robe and headdress to wear for the weekend while I live the life of a Bedouin. I will be taking full advantage of any opportunities that come my way this weekend and experience all that I can. On Tuesday I will be back in Amman to celebrate Eid-the end of Ramadan, which I understand involves a lot of eating and family time. Then I'm off to Cairo at the end of next week. I'll update again after my Bedouin adventure.

Ma Salaama