Election Night, the Last Week of Classes, and the Beginning of the ISP Period

The first week of November marked our last week of normal classes, and more importantly, Election Day. With many of us being Political Science or liberal arts majors, it was very important for us to watch and view the results of this year's presidential election. Most of the group reserved hotel rooms for the night in different parts of Amman to watch the results as they came in. I joined a group of eight other students and rented a suite for the night, equipped TV's in every room and internet to ensure that we were always updated with the most recent results. Due to the seven hour time difference, many of the results did not start coming in until 1 or 2 am. The final results were announced around 6:00 am Amman time. Needless to say, none of us got much sleep that night.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the results. I was upset to hear that some of the local candidates I had supported lost the election. It was these losses that were the most upsetting for me. However, I'm remaining optimistic. It will be interesting to see how the next two years unfold.

Thursday the 6th also marked our last day of regular classes. That Monday, we took the Modern Standard Arabic (Fusha) final exam, and on Thursday we made Arabic presentations for our local dialect (Amia) class.

The conclusion of class now means the beginning of the Independent Study Project, or ISP Period for the remainder of the month. For the next three weeks, we will be operating on our own schedules to conduct research and interviews necessary to complete our projects. The topic I have chosen to research is Jordanian Foreign Policy with Regard to the War on Terror. I have spent the past three days reading through online journals and other academic articles on this subject. I am also fortunate to have a project adviser who was once active in Jordanian politics. We met for the first time today and he has already provided me with significant help, setting up two interviews for me this week and next week, and providing me with additional information on my topic. I look forward to working with him over the course of the ISP Period, and conducting my own research on Jordan and the War on Terror.

The week ahead for me includes and interview, and hopefully a short break from my research with a day trip to various sites in northern Jordan on Friday. Check back at the end of the week for more updates.

Ma Salaama