8/30/2022 1 Comment Hopes & FearsToday we had 15 minutes to write out a list of our hopes and fears for this semester. I figured I would share them here to be able to reflect on them in December!
Hopes
Fears
Enjoy looking back on this future Mary!!
1 Comment
8/29/2022 1 Comment Day 1 of 107We have finally arrived and had our first day in Jordan!! The city is so beautiful and everyone has been very kind to us. An update on night 0.5, I arrived in Jordan after a long flight of constant babies crying at 4pm, and was met at the airport by Farah (one of the program assistants) who was incredibly sweet, we set me up with a sim card, and headed off to our hotel for the next few days before we head off to homestays. The hotel is beautiful, two of the guys on the program had already arrived and we grabbed dinner at the hotel together. Joseph and Jona are both really cool guys and we had a nice dinner getting to know each other. I got the chicken curry and it was HEAVENLY!!! Brittany got in around 9pm and I was fast asleep, we are sharing a huge suite in the hotel. Brittany and I have been talking for months and I'm so excited to get to do a homestay with her/have a friend coming into the program! Onto the first full day of Jordan....so much adventuring and I am completely exhausted!! Baian, our program leader, and Razan, one of the program assistants, picked us up and headed to the SIT headquarters in the city to show us around the space. It's a wonderful area in downtown Amman with private study areas, a kitchenette, and a big classroom overlooking the city. I am very excited to start classes there. From there we picked up another one of the students on the program who is Jordanian, so he is staying with his family during this part of the program. Next we headed to the Amman Citadel where we had a beautiful guided tour of the history of the grounds and views of the city (photos below). It's incredible how much history has been preserved. Also, of course, on my first day in Jordan I find a stray kitty within minutes!! (It seemed well fed by the citadel) Only downside was it was 104 degrees!!! They said this week is the hottest week in Jordan this year, what an introduction to the country!! After, we headed to one of the ancient Roman colosseums. It was beautiful, and very large! I climbed about halfway up before my fear of heights kicked in. Razan said they sometimes do performances there, it would be really cool if we get to see something there. We then grabbed lunch at this gorgeous café that was high-up and overlooks the city, it was air conditioned thank goodness! The food and drinks were great, and we all agreed that we'll be going back there to study/work on our assignments as the semester goes on. It's on the edge of the "rainbow street" where there area all these cute cafés and restaurants. Afterwards we headed on a journey to check out all of the homestay options! Brittany and I have been planning on sharing a homestay, and we think we found the perfect place. It is on a very safe street/area in Amman right near the U.S. embassy and only 9 minutes from SIT. The home has a husband and wife who were both very sweet and their children are all grown into their 30's. It's set up so that the couple lives downstairs, and Brittany and I would each have our own large room with a desk and queen size bed, our own bathroom, and then a shared kitchenette, couches/lounging area and a balcony. It seems just right so we can integrate more into the culture, while also having independent space. They also have a large outdoor patio, where they have 3 outdoor cats. Soooo....anyone who knows me knows this seals the deal. It's also great because it's walking distance from a major hub of restaurants and cafes so we wouldn't have to go far on the weekends. On from here we looked at other homestays for the boys, and came home around 4pm where we were all exhausted and took naps until about 6pm. Razan ordered us grilled chicken. They came in what I can only describe as a tv dinner set but Jordanian, with grilled and seasoned chicken, two types of hummus, tatziki sauce, and fries with pita bread on the side. It was sooo delicious and a perfect way to end the day. We ate the food huddled in Brittany and I's suite just chatting and relaxing afterwards. We all agreed that that would be it for the night because the jet-lag is hitting, but tomorrow we may do some more fun adventurous things at night. All in all, it has been a crazy, exciting, and encouraging first day in Jordan!! |