Home Stretch-the Last Week of the Semester

As of today, I have officially satisfied all the requirements for my study abroad program, thus ending my fifth semester of college. This also means my time here in Jordan will soon come to an end. For all of us, this past week has been incredibly busy as we rushed to complete our independent study projects and then prepared presentations on our research. When all was said and done, my report on Jordanian Foreign Policy with Regard to the War on Terror totaled 50 pages, with 40 being my actual report and an 10 additional pages consisting of references, an appendix, title page, and the other various requirements needed to make my research paper truly "academic." This afternoon, I made a 20 minute presentation on my topic to the class and got some positive feedback from my classmates and advisers, who found my topic to be very interesting.

Aside from working on my project all week, I had lunch with Mohammed and his family on Friday. Naturally, the food was delicious and I enjoyed the time I spent with Mohammed and his family. On Thursday, my host mother left for Kuwait for two weeks. Unfortunately this means I will not enjoy her cooking before I leave. This has been difficult, but my host father is a pretty good cook himself. I've been satisfied so far. On Saturday, I joined my host brother and his friend on a trip to their university between Amman and the city of Salt. I got a tour of the school and learned a little bit more about the Jordanian college experience.

Yesterday afternoon, I went to a Palestnian refugee camp just outside of downtown, the second largest camp in Jordan. What shocked me most about this camp, was the fact that it was no longer much of a camp in the traditional sense. It was very developed with many permanent structures. It was also very crowded, and reminded me somewhat of a smaller version of Khan al-Khalili market in Cairo, with many vendors and cheap products. I wandered around the camp for about an hour with a friend before leaving.

The rest of this week includes more presentations to tomorrow, a re-entry orientation on Thursday, and Friday and Saturday as free days-to say goodbye to people we've met here and enjoy the last few days in Amman. I, however, will be staying an extra week with my (biological) parents when they fly out here on Sunday. In addition to introducing them to the many people I have met here, I will take them around Amman and show them what has been my life for the past three months. Hopefully, we will also travel to the Dead Sea and some sites in northern Jordan. Unfortunately one week is not enough time to show them everything I have done.

I will return to the United States on December 14th, where I will enjoy getting back into my routine and having back some of the little things that I have missed since being here, such as Cheerios and the American breakfast. One thing I've learned here is that Americans know how to do breakfast-we've got some quality morning foods.

For now, I will relax and enjoy my final days in Amman with my host family and friends.

Allah Mak