Finally an update :>)

February 22, 2011

Dear Everyone,

Time to update my blog.  I have to say I’m not much of a blogger I have discovered that about myself.  I’ve read some excellent  blogs where people are amazing writers and it is really impressive.  Me… I type…then my fat fingers hit something weird on my keyboard…and I often lose half or more of what I just wrote.  I guess I doesn’t help that the laptop is on my lap and I am in bed in a semi reclined…almost “crunch” position …you know like at the gym (where I used to go when I lived in Amreeka!)  Yea…a rambling blog…maybe I should change the title from TheregoesJo to TheregoesJoramblingonandon.  I read someone’s blog yesterday - fellow Peace Corps Volunteer…who has an hysterical sense of humor and a wonderful insightful editorial slant on life here in Jordan.  I could talk about the generalities of life here in Jordan…or specifics about my life here in Jordan.  I am pretty sure that is what everyone wants to read.

I could tell you that right now I am cooking some rice pudding on a makeshift double boiler on top of my gas burner stove because I do not have an oven.  I am not complaining, sometime I am going to get a counter top oven (in Arabic it’s pronounced “foreign”).  I just haven’t gotten that far yet.  I can’t buy one and carry the box down the street to my apartment.    I could take a taxi - might get lucky and get one of the drivers here who speaks some English but that is a crap shoot.  There are just some situations I haven’t decided to take the plunge into yet.  En shall ‘ah I will get a counter top oven so I can then then go on a quest to get proper ingredients for say, some of my famous chocolate chip cookies.   I’m pretty sure I’ve heard it told that the choco chips are hard to find here…I will have to make some more inquiries of volunteers who have been here a while.
My apartment is good.  My bedroom is cozy.  This time of year most volunteers (here in Jordan and other places I suppose) live in the room they can keep heated.  We have these propane heaters called “sobas”  they are a metal framework kind of thing that a propane tank fits in and hooks up to in the back, and then you turn the tank on and there are 3 ‘screens’ so to speak in the front, so you can light one, two, or three of the screens…high, medium or low.  I have never cranked it to high, and I use medium when I run in to the cozy bedroom directly after a shower to get warm by drying off and getting dressed in front of the “soba”.  Maybe it will warm up soon.  Actually, my apartment is starting to warm up.  I have not had to light the soba as much this week.  The outside is starting to warm up some.  Apparently this time of year here in north Jordan the weather changes and can’t always make up its mind as to what it wants to do.  Remember we live in these block buildings and they don’t have central heat.  The heat is from sobas…everyone uses them.  There are also electric ones.  It’s just that often really often it is warmer outside the building.
Anyway…I havn’t password protected this blog.  I have to be careful what I write. Which means that right now I really can’t go in to a lot of detail about my assignment as a special education volunteer.  For my friends who are teachers, and for anyone who may be involved in any way with special education…maybe you have a child who gets special education services in America or know someone else who does.  Believe me when I say PLEASE APPRECIATE ALL THE PROGRESS THAT AMERICA HAS MADE SINCE THE SIXTIES in special education.  PLEASE PLEASE never take it for granted even if your job is hard, you are overwhelmed…and you think some of the ways and best practices are ridiculous.  Wow…the grass here is not green…it is brown… it is dying…t really there ain’t much grass, it’s desert.  Literally there is desert and lack of proper practices as well…oh my I can’t begin to say…it is discouraging, and dumbfounding sometimes.  I guess that is why they want American Peace Corps Volunteers with experience here. 
My attitude and emotions have definitely gone on a kind of roller coaster ride of ups and downs.  I keep praying about it because I know the Lord wants me to be here for a reason.  The other day I played a game with some students in my sped. Center and they don’t play many games…so 2 of the little girls told me “Shukran”  when we were finished playing.  So sweet.  I need to keep reminding myself I am here for the kids. 
Since I have written this blog update in 2 sessions I am now the proud owner of my first Jordanian cold…which may have just been coming on the other day when I started this entry.  I fought it for 4 days…got up this morning and there was a lot of stuff not a nice color…(I wonder where I might have picked up these nasty germs?)  I decided to call in sick…call the Peace Corps Medical Officer  - describe my symptoms to her and she sent me off to a local pharmacy where you can get an antibiotic sans a prescription.  I am on the road to recovery  I spent the day sleeping, and watching a (weird) movie.  I am feeling better and ready to go back in to my center tomorrow.   I miss you guys….I miss America…I miss Denny’s Grand Slam breakfasts…there is a lot I miss.  That may be the subject of a soon to be more updated blog.
I love you all…send me some love my way…Just a little e-mail catching me up with things on that side.
Keep those prayers coming…as I pray back for all of you.
Love love love love all the love I can send.

A Little Arabic for fun!

 It's been a few weeks since I've updated...

A little Arabic for fun !

These words are “trans-literated”

I am writing them in English the way they sound in Arabic.

Mean = who ?             Kafe =  how ?      Wayne = where ?  Shway = little

Lay-ish = why ?          Aimta =  when ?    Miah = water     Kabeer = big

Shoe = what ?        Ga day ish = how much ?   Bebsi = Pepsi

Mush coola = problem    moosh moosh coola = No problem

Aya saah  =  what time ?    Anna ma beddee =  I don’t want

Anna ma aheb = I don’t like      Iowa = Yes    La = No

mumken???  Is it possible ?      mumken = it is possible     ham mam = bathroom

Shoe crahn = Thank you     afwan = you’re welcome

Asif = sorry      afwan = excuse me   shoe fee = what's up?

Shoe malik ? = what’s wrong ?    Shoe sar ?  = what happened ?

Anna = I or me    Inta = You (when speaking to a male)

Intee = You (when speaking to a female)

Whoo-Ah = he           Hee- Ah  = she     laptopee = my laptop

Yome = day     cooly yome = every day   alley yome  = today

Embarrah = yesterday   bukra = tomorrow      can I buy ya = sofa

gebbil = before         Bad = after          bad bukra = day after tomorrow

Hone = here    honack = there     Yellah Jo! = Let's go Jo!   cooly cooly Jo! = eat eat Jo!

Hi everyone...recently we teachers in Peace Corps Jordan have been on break,,,because in Jordan this is how they roll - the break time is not  (not like home )  I think I go back to my special education center on February 8, 2011.   With some help a tutor has been located here in my city so I can begin to speak in better arabic sentences and understand a whole lot more of what is said to me.  That starts bad bukra for me.  Last Friday I got to participate in this:

Employees and volunteers from Entity Green, Peace Corps Jordan, and other groups got together for a weekend of planting trees and learning about permaculture in the village of Samma al Sirhan, near Mafraq.   Planting a forest in the desert near the Syrian border.  I got to participate on the first day and it was a great day!

Living here is certainly different.  I have a cozy little second floor apartment.  I don't have much but I do have enough.   I am adjusting and am very glad to have internet.  Right now my mom is sick so please keep her in your prayers.  The world seems to be getting to be a crazier place each day.  I don't know why.  I am operating on trust and all of your prayers... with all the love there is from my heart.

NOT I repeat NOT prepping

for the winter storm like they are on Delmarva.  No
S N O W  headed my way presently here in Jordan!!!

AND I am very GRATEFUL for that :)  

Just got online here in my apartment and will be putting some pix up soon of where I live and bringing the news to you all.

STAY warm east coasters...I saw that the south was iced/snowed on...oh my ... so sorry.

More later...

Love from JO in JOrdan  

Volunteer I Am !

I am now sworn-in as a J 14 Peace Corps Volunteer! Today, January 4, 2011 in Mafraq, Jordan! We are the first group, worldwide, to swear in during PC’s 50th Year Anniversary. :)

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. Psalm 28:7

Swearing In for Peace Corps Jordan!!!

Peace Corps Jordan... I am about to swear in on January 4, 2011 as an official Peace Corps Volunteer.  Training is over and I will be living and working in Mafraq, (north) Jordan.  I can hardly believe it!!!  See me smiling?  Someone who is really good at this blog thing please send me a message on how to adjust the picture size so when I have lots of good photos of the swearing in tomorrow I can put more reasonable size pix up and you can enjoy them in not so much giant size...I am still learning.  

I will post more I promise.  Keep praying for me as I move into my new apartment and my new job!!! 

More to come and much love from me as always!!!

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