Christmas Dinner in Amman, Jordan

Bukra  = tomorrow in Arabic.  Bukra = we go to the Peace Corps headquarters for orientation to the JOrdan Peace Corps office.  They are putting us up in a "lovely" hotel for the night.  At 5 o'clock we are going to the American Embassy for a traditional Christmas dinner ~ turkey and all the trimmings.  YUMMY...not going to eat all day to be ready for the feast... of all things I REALLY want some cranberry sauce!  :>)  weird I know.

One more week of PST  ( pre -service training ) and on January 4, 2011 we will be sworn in and be trainees no longer but we will then be volunteers!  Peace Corps Volunteers.   En shall ' ah!

Wish me Happy Eating everyone!!! 

Love you and miss you 

One more week closer to:

December 17, 2010

Dear Everyone:

Two days ago was my birthday and today I got to go to the Dead Sea.  Since I’ve been in Jordan I’ve wanted to go there…so today, day 54 of being in country I got my wish.    It was a beautiful day in Jordan for a scenic ride down King’s Highway through the capital city of Amman and to points south to the Dead Sea.  The Dead Sea is a lake.   No waves…but lots of salt and minerals.  It was a great trip with other Peace Corps Volunteers and Jordanian Peace Corps training staff who planned the trip and made it happen for us.

I didn’t float in the salty Dead Sea, but I waded In with my flip flops on because the bottom is very rocky, and got wet up to my knees.  It was a beautiful day - the weather was perfect…  Lots of other volunteers and Jordanian Peace Corps staff did go floating.  You have to be careful to not open your eyes in this water, because of all the salt it will really sting.  It happened to a couple of people who went rushing out to the shore to rinse their eyes with bottled water – OUCH!!!

Ppictures going to be posted on Facebook, so if you are not on facebook, please find someone who is my friend on facebook that can show you the pix.  There are some great shots of scenery of the country of Jordan on the way to the Dead Sea and then again leaving…pictures taken from the bus which aren’t bad.  This country is desert and mountains and it is beautiful.   I am happy to say that now in my life I have been to one more amazing place, called the Dead Sea which is the lowest point on earth in elevation.  Well, there is not really elevation…it is how many feet below (?) sea level…that’s how they measure elevation right?  I didn’t see the official sign that says it’s the lowest point because the Dead Sea is long and we were not at the place where they actually have that sign…but trust me were at the lowest elevation on earth.  We were at a free beach…so we had to descend down a rather long rocky and sandy hill to actually get to the water.  I had a Jordanian young man who works for Peace Corps make sure I was taking a safe passage down the hill as it was rather steep.  He was doing reconnaissance for me going down and showing me the safest paths to take down.  We had a wonderful time at the “il bahar el mait”  (which translates to the sea that is dead).  I not to take the full “plunge” that day the reason being it was explained to me that there wouldn’t be anywhere to really rinse off too well, even though actually it turned out that where we were was near to a hot spring kind of waterfall where you could actually rinse off – you will have a lot of salt and mineral crystals on you all over your skin and hair…then you will have to get all of your wet clothes off on the bus you came on – parked on the side of the road with the curtains closed…changing out of soaking wet salty clothes to clean clothes.  I decided to save the floating experience in “il bahar el mait” until I can play tourist with the daughters and book a hotel room on the sea where you don’t have to treacherously climb down a steep embankment and then when you are done floating you can go back to your nice room and get a nice shower and change in privacy.  All in all a great day tho…the young people of our group having so much fun and adventure and letting there be no holds barred…that is what being young is about.    You can see in the pix if I get them posted how much fun all the people in my group was having. 

After we departed from that place we drove into the city of Amman for about 2 hours or so to get a good meal…and 11 of our group opted to go with our Jordanian guide to none other than good old American Pizza Hut!  Can you say

Y U M M Y??? yes it was so yummy to us…a veggie lovers and 2 meat lovers pizzas…garlic bread w/ cheez and salad…diet pepsi!!!  Our bus eventually found its way back to our villages where we were dropped off to our most gracious host families.  Not before we stopped yet one more stop in Amman to what the Jordanians called the “best bakery in Jordan” -  the bread here in Jordan is really amazing – it like no bread I have ever had in the  US.  The Arabic word for bread (this is transliterated…  hubis…long U …strong H Hubis…maybe more like:

Hue-biz.  Anyway their bread is at every meal…and at a lot of the meals the bread is your utensil and you don’t get a fork or spoon.

So as I finish up this e-mail it is the next day… December 18, and one week before Christmas.  On next Saturday December 25 we will be at Al alBayt University for what they call “center day” I do not know how busy they are going to make us be in classes and sessions since they do know it is our Christmas and they are going to let all of us American Peace Corps trainee/volunteers be together on this day.  We will be spending the night there that night so en shall ‘ alla ah  (in God’s will ) there will be a lot of skyping going on and phone calls back and forth from the USA to Jordan and vice versa so people can be in contact with their families…for many of the young people it will be the first Christmas away from their families. So thanks be to God (Allah) the technology exists to let people be able to spend some phone time or some computer time with their families over such long distances from far away places!

 Some have been sick…some have had to take several days off to recuperate and again en shall ‘allah

I Have not been sick at all.   As a direct result  of all of your prayers…I have been so blessed and covered in prayer.  So thanks  thanks thanks to all of you for all the prayers and please keep them coming.  As well I will be praying back for all of you. 

On December 27^th they have invited all Peace Corps Volunteers in country to the American Embassy in Amman for a traditional Christmas dinner of turkey and the trimmings…some home town comfort food for sure, and they are putting us up in a hotel that night.  It had better be turkey…I have my mouth ready for some turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.

 

The best best best of everything to all of you.  Merry Christmas!!!!!!!! Please please please enjoy the time with your families…enjoy what time off you have from work…mostly the teachers in my life have more time off than others.    Don’t know about all the non teachers since Christmas Day is on a Saturday…hope whatever time you have is blessed and safe and loving and warm and Happy!!!

 

ALL MY LOVE FROM JORDAN…MISSING ALL OF YOU!!!

Love,

Jo             Peace Corps Jo

Aunt Jo          Joanne

So It's Almost Christmas in Jordan

  AND ...Christmas is not so much on my radar right now...I am not missing all the pressure of American Christmas and all that I am not doing to get ready,,,

We are going to a conference tomorrow Monday (12/13) to meet my Jordanian counterpart from where I will be assigned and living. We are having what they call a counterpart conference in Amman, the capital and then we will be traveling to my city, which is called Mafraq. I will be working in a special education center there.

Christmas is going to - well on actual Christmas Day the 25th here at the university and then on December 27 all Peace Corps Volunteers are going to the American Embassy in Amman for a traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. On January 1 we move out of the homes of our host families. On January 4 we swear in and then we will be official Peace Corps Volunteers. We move to our permanent sites on January 5th.

I miss you all so much and want you all to appreciate having each other near as family and don't worry so much about all the trimmings and trappings and hustle bustle - just being able to sit near each other and visit w/ each other and hug each other means the whole world!!!

LOVE and PEACE TO YOU ALL!!!

November 14, 2010l

Dearest Family & Friends,

Time to send all of you an update…by the time I will be able to send you this letter in an e-mail it will be next Sunday, November 21, 2010.  In the brief e-mails I have been able to send up until now I have repeated that the internet use is limited to only a couple of days and this day…this week, Nov. 14 2010 it was only one day.  When I say it is available they only give us very brief amounts of free time in between the language classes/culture and Peace Corps sessions when we can slip back to our rooms and use the internet – but the time is short.  They told us it would be this way during training.

Finally it occurred to me to write and just save the document and then send it off to you when I am able to get online…sometimes I am a little slow at figuring things out.  We have been extremely busy with the beginning language classes - learning to speak Arabic is a challenge - as well as learning the Arabic alphabet and learning to read and write it. Hopefully I will learn to read & write it   “ in sha ‘ allah “… in sha ‘ allah  means in God’s will - The Moslem term that the Jordanian people here use  and use this expression pretty much in about every third sentence they speak.  When I think back on the last year and how I applied for Peace Corps when I knew I would have to retire.  I applied to see if I could get in and then I would know I had a job.  When I think about how inspirational it has been to follow in Anna’s footsteps and to have her as my daughter/ Peace Corps mentor…and now that is day 21 here living in Jordan…what a grand and great life adventure I am on in a part of the world I never dreamed or even gave a passing thought to being in… Wow!!!  YES I am in God’s will!!!

Many of you have asked me questions about life here in Jordan.  I want to tell you that a misconception that I had and many have about Jordan.  Jordan is a country here in the Middle East that has NO oil. Right?  Yes, it has NO OIL. I didn’t know that until I got here.  It is NOT an oil rich country- even though it is a middle eastern country it is not a middle east oil producing country.  Jordan survives on mostly outside aid.  It’s interesting…people work…some and there is some agriculture and some other economic development…but from what I have learned Jordan largely survives on aid…when I get the internet on a more regular basis I plan to study Jordan more, as well as trying to learn more in depth about the history of this land throughout the centuries.

As for me here is my story:   When we arrived we were in the capital city of Amman on October 25 for 3 days for what is called pre-service training.  There was a lot of paperwork involved and medical stuff, such as getting shots, immunizations to help keep us all healthy here in country.

We arrived at Queen Alia Airport in Amman, Jordan at 2:15 a.m. Jordanian time.  We left JFK airport in New York on Saturday night 10/23/2010 east coast time at around 10:30…we had a long layover in Frankfurt, Germany - got to see a little bit of Frankfurt, then back to the airport for a late night flight to here – Jordan.  4 hour flight from Frankfurt to Jordan.  After 3 nights in Amman, they moved us to a city that is north of Amman, maybe an hour or so, this city is in the north by northeast, it is called Mafraq.  There is a university called Al alBayt that they are using as a training center for formal language and culture sessions.  We were there for 2 nights and then they took us all to our host family homes in villages near & around the city of Mafraq.  My village is called K...  I am here in my host family’s home right now.  I have very nice accommodations here…a large room…near the bathroom.  I have a real bed, which many of my PC compatriots do not.  They sleep on cushions or mats that are typical of many Jordanian homes.  I am pretty much at the Hilton of Peace Corps host family homes.  Great digs…where NO ONE smokes…and this is totally unusual in Jordanian homes.  My PCMO (Peace Corps Medical Officer) really did me a big favor, and was sensitive to the request I made…so an asthma attack would not be triggered by the smoke.  We study w/ a language trainer each day of the week except Fridays.  Friday is the Moslem Sunday, it is the big day off…things are closed…families have a big meal together and they do a lot of visiting.  On Saturday they also spend time visiting and doing a lot of things similar to how we might spend a Saturday – chores and errands.  Then Sunday starts the week again, like our Monday…so many of us feel like it is Sunday when it is Friday…it is kind of like being in a time warp.  I have to keep looking at the calendar on my cell phone to figure out what day of the week it is. 

The family has a father & mother, I think they are around my age…maybe a little older, but the age is hard to tell.  They have 3 grown daughters at home, one smaller son who I think is 10 years old.  2 of the daughters are 23 & 22 so they are close to Anna’s age, the other one, I am not sure, I think she may be like 25.  They have another daughter who is married and doesn’t live here – and another son in his twenties who is in the military and stationed in the south, but he has been home twice since I have been in this home since October 29.  The typical day starts around 5 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. they are right outside my bedroom door where the sink is outside the bathroom.  When I hear the family up and moving I know it will be time for me to rise as well.  I hear when breakfast starts to get cooked in the kitchen that the far end of my room shares a common wall with.  I try to sneak into the bathroom between all the other family members.

The breakfast can be an interesting variety.  Since this letter is getting kind of long I think I will save describing typical Jordanian food for another installment at a later date. Anyway, there is no lack of food in my house, for which I am fortunate from what some of the other trainees tell me.  Both the father and mother really like to eat…more so than 2 of the daughters and the little boy who are not as hearty of eaters as the parents.  So, I do get plenty to eat. 

So, I am plugging along with language and culture lessons.  It is difficult,,,but I have learned most of the letters, still getting some of them mixed up..the letters change form when they connect w/ other letters depending on where they are in the word.  The family talks to me and I can get some words, but not whole sentences.  The mom is always telling me what things are, especially the food & I repeat them.   Verb conjugations and plurals as well as masculine and feminine forms of nouns, adjectives and pronouns are all quite challenging.  

It’s been warm here.  I don’t even know how cold it’s gotten at home because of limited internet access I don’t have time to look up weather & news back home.

By the time you get this it either will be Thanksgiving or almost Thanksgiving.  I want to wish you all a very blessed and loving Thanksgiving.  Bonny, Anna & I are in faraway places from each other.  We 3 chose these paths…but never-the-less please keep us in your prayers.  I know this is a long letter…more later on.  God Bless You & Keep you safe & feeling His love!      

 Jo   ~   Aunt Jo

Joanne  (whichever applies)

Day 21 in Jordan!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone  this is day 21 in Jordan...Arabic?!?  What can I say??? It is difficult...but it is coming along!!!!  I am learning the alphabet in Arabic, and therefore learning to read it...and maybe someday to speak in sentences to my host family and others!!!

This is a really amazing adventure here in Jordan as a Peace Corps Trainee.  I am in love with what I am doing and have even taught some special needs Jordanian children.  In Arabic the the word triangle is mu-thell-eth!!!!  The good old triangle-circle-square song for the little ones!!!  Fun!!!

BUT I couldn't sing Old McDonald in Arabic so eee-eye--eee-eye OH came out in English!!!

Fun times in Jordan!!!  Our internet time is limited right now!  Please keep the prayers going.  I know you all are praying for me as I am one of the few who has N*O* T*Lgotten sick!!!

Enshall'ah!!!

Love Love Love to all!!!!  

Peace Corps Jo in Jordan  :)  ☺♣ ☺☼  

 

Here I am now!

I am doing well in Jordan everyone!!! I am a bit tired but trying to push through the jet lag.  We were in Amman for 3 days.  Today we moved to Mafraq which is in the north.  We will be doing our language and cultural training here.  We are in a university dorm right now but on Friday we move in with our host families where we will be for 9 weeks during training.   It has been interesting so far, I hope I am able to pick up the language. 

Thanks to all of you for your support.  There is a 7 hour time difference right now...on Friday, we turn our clocks back one hour...you guys don't turn back until next weekend right?

Please please please keep up the prayers so that I can get my mind and brain wrapped around learning the Arabic.

If anyone wants my phone number send me an e-mail or comment here in this blog.  I can receive texts on my phone.  I don't know what it will cost you to call me...but it doesn't cost me anything to get calls from anyone, only costs for the calls I make.

Thanks and I love you guys...the ride has just begun!  ☺

packing♫re-packing↕oh*my*i'm upside down

well.,,,packing, re-packing, cleaning...getting on this computer when I shouldn't.

country music radio playing songs that remind you of your life and make you cry while you are packing, re-packing, and cleaning.  It's good ... 

tomorrow (Thurs.) - B-more

Friday - Philly

Saturday - NYC + JFK airport  

(did I mention we have 12 hour layover in Frankfurt, Germany???)  Yes = that would account for the missing Sunday)

Monday - 2:00 a.m. Middle East time = JORDAN!!!  (oh my ☺)

please pray for me ThANKS!!!

nice. real. poignant...life moving ↑ & → of Delmarva = moving up - away - way east of Delmarva !

My baby baby Bonny...the last night of my visit in her apartment in California...on October 4, 2010

Look at Bon's eyes ☺ We/me took a lot of shots of us together.  She kept telling me to stop deleting.

The other day on Saturday my extended family gave me a going away at my older brother's house.  It was a beautiful day and a wonderful party.  My family celebrated with me the next adventure of my life.  They had wonderful food of course...and they touched my heart and gave me gifts from their hearts.  I have already been enjoying my Amazon Kindle.  On Monday some of my co-workers from my dear Piney School treated me to lunch and wanted a final visit for farewell wishing.  Yesterday I threw my own farewell party at my favorite coffee shop and soooo many wonderful people came by to wish me well and give me a great hug!!!  It was so wonderful and touched my ♥.  Thanks THANKS everybody.  I will be remembering how kind it was of all you to come in the days ahead when things are new and different and I might be questioning my decision and feeling really far away !!!  Thanks for the love and keep sending me those air hugs across the miles.  ☺Please keep me in your prayers too...thanks...God's Grace ... oh my it is amazing !~!~!

saying Farewell not good bye...

I saw recently someone posted the simple statement that said there is nothing good in good bye.

Good byes are hard.  I just want to say farewell and please pray for me.  I have a warm and loving family who gave me a wonderful party on Saturday as a send off.  I will write more about the party soon.  Hard...but I am still so excited about getting ready to go.

house 2 go

Making progress on the house ~ packing it up...getting it ready for the renter...Mathilde gets to live here with the sweet lady who is moving in with her kitty ~ What a blessing!

What does anyone need for their house?  Their lives?  I got lots of "stuff" I need to part with - ask me if I got it it's yours!

 Praise my Jesus for progress :) 
God is good all the time !

OH MY OH MY I AM OVER the MOON!!! ☼

Joanne Evans O'Neill*** PEACE CORPS JORDAN Staging Event * FRIDAY OCTOBER 22

SATURDAY - OCTOBER 23, 2010 * New York JFK Airport 9:40 PM -Flight departs for Jordan
just received staging information from Peace Corps!!!

...OFF THE HOOK!!! OMGOSH-Golly!!! OVER the MOON ExCITED! (Thank you JeSUS!)   This is ominously real now!!!!   wow is all I can say...when I settle down I will write more about my views of REALLY REALLY LEAVING!!!

Sarah - My Wonderful Photographer & neighbor

provided me with a disk last night with all these wonderful pix she took of us as a family...when Anna was home in July/August from Bulgaria & Bonny was here from California:  Family = Love x 3 = US.

Monday

Took a little drive across the Chesapeake Bay to go have a visit with my Mom.  My sister-in-law Mary & I took her out to lunch.  Cheesecake Factory @ the Columbia Mall!  YuM!  I cleaned and sorted and did a lot of throwing away on Saturday & Sunday...so took time out today for a the day trip...I DID go the gym early and worked out before heading across the Bay... :) you know just trying to pay it forward to just a fraction of the calorie count I had for lunch!  Mom was good...sissy-in-law was good...

Tomorrow...Tuesday, work on Peace Corps aspirations (still feels like that sounds medical!  :>) and get them submitted!  Then back to the house I will be moving out of for 27 months!  I am chip - chip - chipping away at it!  Chipping away at 22 years!!!    Oh my!         ♥ 

Government Passport & Visa

Today I took all morning to read and RE->read the instructions to apply for my government passport = my passport that says Peace Corps Volunteer on the front + apply for my visa to Jordan.  I think I accomplished this task today.  Headed off to the local drugstore for another set of passport pix.  The first place could only take them with massive glare coming off my spectacles...so I headed off to the second drug store where they did a fine job.  Glad I researched a back -up plan ahead of time:)

I compiled all my paperwork and stowed it all in the PC provided UPS envelope to be overnighted to PC - Washington, D.C.  I am hoping (& praying) I got it all right the first time! AND wow oh wow!  The only thing that cost any $ were the pix...that wasn't too bad!

That's the latest update...not too exciting...just something else I can check off the list. :>)  I need to work on my "aspirational statement" next.  What? You say...yea, I know it sounds like aspirate as in snot or water into my lungs...no...it's my "aspirations" or goals I have- like I am dreaming of to accomplish as I serve in Peace Corps.  More on those as I write them.

Tomorrow:  (sATURDAy)  More de~cluttering of the house...and dusting out some major cobwebs I spotted today whilst working on passport & visa paperwork!  <3

Two

Just foolin' around twith posting here...trying out edit options etc.  It is East Coast time...late - 11:40 p.m....not 8:40.  Odd about the time post being wrong.  It has been an exciting day and I really need to try to get UN-wired and attempt to go to bed.  Thanks :)                 ♥

And so it Begins ->

Hello friends: Bear with me as I try to begin a blog for you all to follow on this very momentous day of a very new chapter in my life:  I posted this on my facebook wall today:  

UPS man brought me a package about 30 mins. ago: The cover letter says: CONGRATULATIONS!!! It is with great pleasure that we INVITE you to begin training in JORDAN for PEACE CORPS Service!!! Praise to my Heavenly Father & Lord & Saviour Jesus for your blessings in sending me where You want me to go!!! Thanks to all for your prayers & support!!! God's Grace !!! & Blessings & Timing!!! :)   Posted this about 4 o'clock...called Anna in Bulgaria and told her to move the phone away from her ear and screamed exclamatory & excitement screams about 4 or 5 times.  She was excited - we discussed so many things and we cried.  Life is so exciting for me right now and all in God's timing!  :)  Amazing !

I will try to begin a blog now to chronicle my new adventure...Life & Times of e-mailer known as Bananamom:   Mom of Anna Banana & Bonny.   

For the next 2 months I will begin preparing to leave the country & begin service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.  That is the full name of the country which will become my home for 27 months.  I will tell you more about the country & my quest to prepare to leave for service in the Peace Corps.  Please pray for me as I will need it ~ as I will pray for you ~ we ALL need it.  If you read this thanks...& love & Peace from my ♥