7:30 AM

Dear Travellers,

While this time is normal for me to wake for a school day, I find myself wide awake on the weekend for the very same reason. Well, not EXACTLY the same, but I’ll let you decide how similar everything is. I’m awake because of a dream (literally) in which I had completed my study abroad program. So, I’d like to give a bit of detail about this semi-horiffying occurrence before it is lost in the hustle and bustle of the day.

“The first part of my dream I can remember is that I wake up and am “back in America.” However, I’m walking around a clearly Amman-styled apartment, using an ancient computer, and talking on my Jordanian cell phone with my American friends about how excited I am to see them.

Then my dream just to a classroom, where one of my favorite professors is teaching. However, it’s not at Austin College, half of the students are from my program, and the teaching space looks just like something from Cairo. Even the class discussions are about the middle east. When asked to explain my study abroad experience…I was somehow unable

The final sequence put me in a shared backyard garden (similar to those in Japan) even though I was in the “United States.” I ran around the area and picked two apples from my neighbor’s tree, each of which looked extremely ripe, but had a worm inside each. As I was hurrying back home with my delights, my mother stopped me and asked to see them. Seeing that the were bug-ridden, she threw them down and walked into the house with me…as if I was a kid again.”

This dream has kept me up, not only because of its unusual character, but because I enjoyed it. I missed being back in the United States. So when I awoke, I actually was concerned about being here for 5 more weeks. And this marks the first time that I have ever, in all of my travels, truly been homesick abroad. Not even for the culture, the language, or even the food (although some MGs sounds AWFULLY good about now), but simply the joys of being there with my friends and family have shaken me in a way that they never have before.

So I wonder…how is it that this could happen? Why am I feeling this way? Well, the truth is, I really have no idea why this came about all of a sudden. But I think that I’m going to start treating it…and writing posts to those I care about seems like a good place to begin my treatment.

Enjoy fellow travellers, and call Mom  and Dad next time you get a chance. I know they’ll appreciate it.

Joe

Travellers,

Currently, I’m staying at the ostensibly touristic Pharaoh Egypt Hotel in Cairo. Yes, THAT Cairo. You know, the one that appears on the news every evening with images of its own citizens razing the city? Well, I’m happy to report that, at least for now, things have quieted down significantly. I have yet to pass a protest, bonfire, police standoff, or anything else that might be indicative of the impression that the American media gives you of Egypt. In other words: I’m safe, guys.

In fact, Cairo can be quite upscale, especially in the area just a few minutes’ walk from our hotel. There are cafes were one could EASILY spend E£150 ($27~) on dinner as well as some of the best high end shopping in the Middle East. I guess the easiest way to compare this city to U.S. standards would be Chicago, probably? That is, with the Gulf being the East Coast (NYC, Boston, etc.), Beirut being San Francisco, Tel Aviv being Toronto, and Amman being Denver (I’ll explain these equivalencies some other time). So far, I have yet to see very much of the city, but I can’t wait to go exploring over the next few days! My week-long excursion here, as part of my study abroad program in Jordan includes a day in Giza (pyramids, anyone?), and one in Alexandria as well! I’ll keep you guys posted, but just before I go, I’ll leave you with some wise words from a travelling companion of mine.

Be brave when crossing the streets here, but not too bold. If they hit you and you die, they’ll end up be worse off than you…but then you won’t get the see the pyramids.

Keep on with your adventures!

Joe

PS: CHALLENGE! Post one of your American adventures! The U.S. is a beautiful country, full of loads of opportunities and boundless potential to get you stuck in sticky, but memorable circumstances.  Share with all of the readers about a time when you stepped outside of your comfort zone and brought amazing memories back with you! We’ll all appreciate a good story, and I’ll make sure to reply to each and every one!

So yesterday, things were going quite well at school. I was studying hard for my formal Arabic midterm, filling out applications for scholarship funds, applying to go to an economics conference in Boston, getting excited about doing research on Jordanian welfare policies. You know, normal kid stuff. However, my GERD (basically Acid Reflux Disease), has been acting up lately, so I wanted to get it checked up on.

Normally, in the U.S., when I want to make an appointment to go see a doctor, I call them up, wait a week, get there about 30 minutes early, and hope for the best. And it works about the same way here….unless you know someone. Fortunately, my program’s homestay coordinator happens to know one of the best UK-educated gastroenterologist in the Middle East. And we just happened to get an appointment with 20 minutes notice. Connections are key to living well in Jordan, as I have come to discover.

So after a check-up with the doctor, who seems to be really intelligent, friendly, and knows what he’s doing, he recommends that I get an endoscopy. A semi-annoying test, and endoscopy involves doctors placing a tiny tube into my throat and beyond to look at the tissue in order to look for any potential issues and to find the best treatment. Now, normally, this would take weeks of scheduling and hundreds and hundreds of dollars. But thanks to my connections, I received the opportunity to get one the following morning…at one of the best hospitals in the country!

Even more than the best care possible, what has made me feel better about the whole situation is immense support from other students and staff on my program. Not only did I receive extensive support via facebook, but the Academic Director and the Homestay Coordinator personally sat with me at the hospital while the procedure when underway. The building itself, as well as the equipment inside seemed as good or better than many clinics that I’ve been to in the States. Additionally, I was told that the only hospital that was clearly better than this one happened to be the Royal Medical Center, something reserved for people directly connected to the monarchy. Trust me, with how the orderlies, nurses, and doctors treated me as I underwent preparation for the endoscopy, I could get used to ‘second-best.’The procedure this morning didn’t seem terribly uncomfortable (I underwent it sedated…I’m not too big a fan of large tubes in me), and I awoke just an hour after the 15 minute exam feeling just a bit woozy from the medication.

Upon arrival to my house, I was welcomed with open arms…which I groggily accepted as I went to take a nice, long nap. Afterwards, my host mother had a massive bowl of soup waiting for me along with shawerma and loads of breads and vegetables. Really, Arabs and Jews don’t differ all that much, at least in how they show their love.

Now, as I recover and look forward to my doctor’s appointment on Sunday, I know that I am in good hands and will continue to receive the best that Jordan has to offer. I just only hope I don’t get too spoiled here before my eventual return to American healthcare!

Take it easy, Travelers.

Joe

After a particularly rough day at school, I got into my taxi with my Serbian friend, Bojan and we commenced our usual chat about the day’s lessons, both in and out of the classroom. Quick sidenote: Bojan’s name, pronounced “BOI-yan,” is somehow rather difficult for Arabic speakers to pronounce. As a result, his family—which includes mine, as we happen to be cousins—calls him Adam. Anyway, so  this day was different for a number of reasons. 1) Our taxi driver spoke pretty good English and 2) was willing to put up with us long enough to impart a few words of Arabic. Nothing wrong with a free lesson, right? So we go to talking about the new construction projects going on in Amman (English), where we were from (Arabic), and his family that lives in Kansas City (attempted in Arabic….but finished in English). Right as we were pulling up to our stop, though, he began talking about the upcoming World Cup Qualifying match between the People’s Republic of China and Jordan…to be played that very same day at a stadium less than a 10 minute walk from our homes. Instantly, Bojan and I agreed that this was too good of an opportunity to pass up!

Immediately, we asked the cabbie to pull over, paid our cab fare (Only $2!), and went inside “Sports City” to have a look around. Built a number of years ago, this massive expanse of land in the North of Amman houses every national athletic association, Olympic-level club, and many, many stadiums and gyms. Bojan and I had tried exploring the area a few days prior…but lost our way and spent almost half an hour trying to figure out how to get back home. Although, on the bright side, we did spot the Jordanian National  Chess  Association…so I may have to stop in for a game or two before I head out.

This time, however, we knew exactly where we were going, but not because of any particular insight into Amman’s layout. The throngs of excited Jordanians decked out in jerseys, flags, and banners heading for the massive edifice that is the Amman International Stadium made the game’s location very apparent.  Though the game would not start for a couple of hours, we decided to buy our tickets on the spot to ensure that we would have a seat there. The price? Only 4 JD ($6)….and that was from the scalpers! (Turns out though, that 10 minutes before the game started, Prince Ali declared that all Jordanians were welcome to the match without a ticket…so much for planning ahead in Jordan!)

After getting our tickets, as well as an extra one for our friend, Melissa, we headed to our respective homes to grab a bite to eat before setting out for the game. On the way there, I happened to see my host brother Ahmad, who leapt with excitement at seeing my ticket for the match! The rest of my host family seemed to share our enthusiasm, as when we entered the door to our flat and informed my maamaa about my upcoming attendance at the match, dinner seemed to magically come together just in time for me to make it to the stadium with almost an hour to spare.

There, I met Bojan and a very dumbstruck Melissa (she must have been one of 20 females in a stadium of about 10,000), walked up to the entrance and saw the massive line to get inside. Apparently, the Jordanian authorities only let in around 200 visitors at a time, and we had just missed one of the final cutoffs. When it finally seemed that there would be no getting in for quite some time, I noticed that a rather old woman pushed through the line, which now resembled more of an amoeba, and was let in with little trouble from the guards. Almost instinctively, I nudged Melissa to the front of our group and demanded that the men in the crowd make way for her. As Jordan houses a rather chivalrous society, especially with regards towards the kind treatment of women, the shebaab, or “guys”, quickly stepped aside to let her and her party, A.K.A. Bojan and I, through.  When we reached the front of the pack, I held my breath to see what the army official standing before us would do. However,  a simple, kind, 3afwan (“please?”), was all it took for the gentlemen to let us enter…and just in time too! As I walked into the enormous venue, I saw nothing by rows upon rows of packed stands…without an available seat in sight. Fortunately though, in the more peripheral rows, we saw the last three empty seats in an entirely packed section. “How lucky could we be?!” we asked ourselves.

After climbing through what seemed like an impenetrable wall of fans, we finally made it to our spot, and it couldn’t have been better. In what seemed like the Jordanian version of a Superfan, a rotund man of about 50 entirely decked out in black, red, and green (the national colors), led the crowd in some of the most memorable, exciting, and  offensive  pre-game chants I had ever heard. Soon after we got settled, though, the FIFA announcer came on to welcome the teams in both Arabic and English. Mind you, the Chinese did not exactly receive a warm reception, and some light jeering proved to be the appropriate reaction to their entrance. On the other hand, the Jordanian flags that we all purchased before entering the stadium proved rather useful at friend-making, and we soon found ourselves surrounded by supportive, and rather curious, fellow fans. As the game went underway, we began to take part in some of the cheering, and pretty soon, some Mr. Superfan came up to our trio and asked a booming, “WHERE FROM?” After our answer, he instructed the crowd to clap and chant “U.S.A” for a bit, something that I didn’t think I’d ever see outside of the United States, and invited us to join in a number of ‘Go, Jordan!’s.

Though the first half was rather dull, with neither side scoring a goal, the game heated up after halftime with two goals, by Jordan…almost in succession! What a sight it was to see thousands and thousands of people cheering for their country’s victory over an opponent that many expected to win. Sadly, a goal by China just a minute later dampened the crowd’s spirits temporarily; they were soon cheering Jordan on with more vigor than before! Despite a very aggressive endgame by the Chinese, the Jordanian team was able to hold them off and finish the game 2-1. At the end of the match, there was literally a race out of the stadium to the streets, filled with people jumping up and down, waving their flags all around, and, of course, blocking traffic, in celebration of the momentous victory! Indeed, for the first time in a long while, Jordan was going to be competing in the World Cup!

I can barely express how thankful I am to have been able to share in such a fantastic occasion with the Jordanian fans. For the first time, in a long while, I felt as though I were at home. While few things can compare to the adrenaline rush of watching my student-athlete friends at Austin College make a great block, or score a winning point, this came pretty close. And what more could I ask for than that precious feeling of home half a world, and half a year, away from Texas.

View of Old Amman from my favorite cafe. Enjoy! :)

Dear Friends, Family, and Followers (as well as any other Circles that I’ve added on Google + by now),

Good News: I’m with a wonderful family who lives in a lovely apartment just a few minutes away from downtown

Better News: There is no Bad News. :)

A brief summary of recent happenings: After checking out of the hotel, our group went to the SIT office for a brief bit of orientation and language testing. (Apparently, my pronunciation isn’t as horrific as I expected.) Then, we gathered together in the largest class room and waited for our host families to pick us up. Needless to say about half of the group had to go outside for a cigarette at one point—I instead relieved my stress by doodling. In fact, I was so into detailing my Jordanian flag that I didn’t notice when who would be my maamaa walked in. After being jolted from my seat by my friend, Melissa’s “JOE! IT’S YOU!” I grabbed my things, and stumbled to the front, where my host mom was less than impressed. Not exactly the first impression was looking for…but what can you do?

Turns out, though, that she’s actually one of the kindest, most generous people I’ve ever met. Currently she works for UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) visiting different refugee families from Iraq, Syria, the West Bank, etc. in order to award aid.  Her father, my baabaa is not only another employee at the UN, but also works at the premier sweet shop in town, Habiba (pictures to come soon). My siblings are numerous and quite hospitable. I’ll get into them more later.

The last few days have been filled with mall-filled adventures as well as plenty of time in the coffee shops and cafes that seem to be everywhere. Soon, I’ll upload some photos, but until then, we’ll keep in touch!

Ciao!

J

Fellow Explorers,

As my second day in Jordan dawns, I can’t imagine a more comfortable introduction to the city. And, as is tradition, one that has be entirely devoid of milk-products. So let me continue where I left off…

After typing my last post, I went up to some friends’ rooms in the hotel for a nice chat about Jordanian politics and speculations on our time here. But the best part of all? I received a phone, handed down to me by a previous participant in a similar program. And no, not just any phone, but a Motorola M2440! Heard of it? You sure? It has awesome features like an alarm clock, manual text and contact deletion and automatic “surprise” shutoff! Not to mention it can receive daily Qu’ranic verses as well as Jordanian celebrity gossip. Who needs an iPhone when one can have an amazing device like this?!

But seriously folks, the phone system here is quite a useful tool for getting around, and not terribly expensive. However, I found myself out of the previous owner’s credit by about the third hour of ownership, so I had to go “top-up.” For those of you from the U.S., top-up simply means adding more money to a pay-as-you-go account. But that, in itself, was quite an experience.

In order to get to the nearest convenience store (while going to a “happening” part of the city), a group of new arrivals took a cab from the hotel….or rather, the enormous freeway that runs just adjacent to it. Costing about 1 JD ($1.40), the cab drove us 15 minutes to Rainbow Street, the nightlife district of Amman. While the buildings were less colorful than the named, it was a burgeoning center of  evening excitement. Imagine a well paved road surrounded on both sides by brightly-lit nargila (hookah; shisha) cafes, coffee shops both quaint and posh, Times-square quality LCD advertisements, and throngs of people enjoying an evening out together. Really a lovely area; I think I’ll have to come back.

So, after about 200m of walking, I finally came across the stand to recharge my phone. I held up 10 fingers, and, in VERY broken Arabic, attempted to say “Excuse me, 10 Dinars, my phone, please”. To which he responded in perfect English, “I’ll just get you a 9JD recharge card. that will be 11.50 including tax.” Lesson learned? Don’t always assume that my Arabic is better than their English…because especially now, it probably won’t be. After fiddling through the poorly translated instructions on the back, I finally had credit on my phone, and proceed to enjoy my evening out. Our little troupe ended up at Books@Cafe, a swank, ex-pat heavy restaurant/bar just off the main road, where we shared some snacks and heated debate over the upcoming vote on Palestinian statehood in the UN (I’ll write on this more later).

Well, have a wonderful day, fellow adventurers. Do keep me updated, as I love to hear your stories!

Joe

Around these parts, many Israelis say that one of the reasons that they like coastal Mediterranean Tel Aviv is that it has “its face to Europe and its ‘rear end’ to the Middle East.” In a sense, they certainly have a point.  Other than the obviously religious draw of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv has played host to numerous occupiers who prized its reasonably mild climate, beautiful beaches, and relatively easy and stable access to water. Each one has left its mark on the city’s vibrant, multicultural atmosphere, and in the 21^st century a cosmopolitan renaissance has turned Tel Aviv into the cultural capital of Israel. Here, there are restaurants and shops from all over the world (although I wouldn’t recommend the Mexican if you’re looking for something authentic) and just about every ethnic group in Israel represented.

However…despite the internationalization of Tel Aviv, a uniquely Israeli pace of life seems to dominate the lives of its residents. For example, yesterday, an unattended bag was left in front of the Einstein dorms at Tel Aviv University. The result? A 40-person comprehensive bomb squadron came in and blocked off an area of 2 blocks for about an hour while determining the lethality of the backpack’s contents. Fortunately, the bag contained nothing dangerous, and there hasn’t been a similar attack on Tel Aviv since the mid-2000’s, but the Israeli mindset always keep life on alert for even the slightest hint at a potential bombing. But despite the intermittent threat of terrorism the residents of this vibrant coastal city carry on without fear: haggling at the Shuk (market), driving erratically, and celebrating at all sorts of festivals*. These people are among the most resilient I have ever encountered on my travels, and therefore, I disagree with the statement that Tel Aviv’s “European” identity alone makes it great. This city draws its strength from its people, 400,000 brave individuals, determined to live in fruitful, energetic, and peaceful existence.

Yours,

Joe

*Just a fun sidenote: June 30^th is White Night, an annual festival where much of the city dresses in its namesake color for a massive night out. The following afternoon involves a massive waterfight in the Rabin Square…possibly the best last weekend of my 20^th birthday that I could ask for!

I may not be a Londoner, but I do feel like I have learned enough about the city to offer a few tips on visiting it.

No. 1: It is impolite to laugh at the names of Underground stops while aboard the subway. Indeed, with whimsical names like Piccadilly Circus and St. John’s Wood, one would imagine that London were not a bustling centre of international financial trade, but a sort of UK Disneyland instead. Though it is enjoyable to poke fun at these names with fellow travelers, Londoners may be offended, offer nasty looks, and possibly further place you in the “American tourist” stereotype….not an ideal box to be placed in.

No. 2: Abbey Road is still a vital traffic artery of Westminster, therefore taking Beatles-fan pictures is bothersome to locals…and at times, dangerous. Though many of us die-hard John, Paul, George, and Gringo fans can’t get enough of their music and its celebration, an Abbey Road photo may be something to do without. Yes, it is quite wonderful to get the ‘shot’ from where the album’s namesake, but taking advantage of this crosswalk can be hazardous, and incur road rage. Fortunately though, if you do suffer in the production of such a photograph, the National Health Service will be more than happy to assist you in case of injury.

No. 3: In the unbelievably expensive metropolis of London, the real discount is knowhow. With a weak United States Dollar and rising costs travelling to England’s capital may seem virtually impossible to do without breaking the bank…but it’s not impossible to do! The key? Ask a local how they would pay for something! A great example is the Underground. A single fare ticket is around £5, but locals know that one can get a Day-use Travelcard for unlimited rides on Central London buses, and the tube for around £8! If someone wanted to use the Underground as much as I did, they could be spending absurd amounts, when they could save so much, and still enjoy London!

No. 4: Yes, it does annoy British Tube security personnel that people hunt for platform 9 ¾. But you should do it anyway!

More on Israel later….I’ve been so busy, and want to blog about it, but my time and internet are VERY limited!

Joe