Ramadan is here :) It's an interesting holiday. All the work hours change so that everyone gets out earlier to make it home for Iftar in the evening, noone is eating, drinking any liquids, or even smoking in public from sunrise to sunset. It makes for some insane driving and lots of grumpy hungry and nicotine deprived people. Up to a few yrs ago you could actually get arrested for eating in public during Ramadan! The evenings are awesome though, "christmas" lights everywhere, lots of food, lots of really sweet sweets. I dont think I'm cut out for fasting though, I need coffee and water :P It's been ok so far, but 30 days is a long time :) I might have to start sneaking food/drinks in.
Qasid is intense, lots and lots of work, about 2.5 hrs of class and just as much time is needed for my homework. I have to wear a hijab for this crazy school...not sure what the deal is they're a bit strange...but oh well. My first day my head scarf fell off in class :P hahaha oh well they understood and helped me out, LOL you'd think with so many pins in place that it would stay put but it slipped off my head as a single unit. I think I've got the hang of it now, hasn't fallen off since. My classes are 7 am to 9:30 am then colloquial arabic at 7:30 to 9:30 pm with some university classes and volunteering interspersed in the middle. Needless to say I'm back to my same crazy schedule.
As for internet access...well still not connected. It's a LONG insane story with lots of papershuffling and angry phone calls, perhaps for another day. :)

Well, it's been a Crazy Crazy week here. I'm all moved in and after 3 hrs of paper shuffling and multiple multiple customer service reps I will have DSL at my new apartment in "7 to 10 days" so probably 2 weeks from now. So in the meantime I'm using internet cafes and the research center for my internet access.
It's still a bit of adjustment living here, more so than i anticipated. :)
1. Food: Grocery shopping has been fun, but I can't remember the last time I went to a butcher for my meat, I really dont know what part of a cow/lamb I need for what I cook. :D Oh and silly me didn't realize that being in a country whose religion is officially Islam, Ramadan is nationally observed so I guess I'll be fasting from sunrise to sunset for the month of Ramadan. I think however, that I will carry some water in my bag given the temperatures :P THey tell me i'll probably have to sneak my drink of water in the bathroom though. Should be interesting. I wonder what this place will be like with the nation not eating, drinking, or smoking all day. I think hungry and nicotine-deprived folks are a rather cranky bunch.
2. Transportation is currently my biggest obstacle; I'm trying to learn the bus system and it's getting frustrating, I keep getting lost!! On the flipside, my arabic is improving with the constant need to ask "Where am I?" and "how do i get to X"
3. CLothing: been fiddling with my head scarf so that I dont look like a complete fool this sunday. Turns out that our language center requires us to cover our hair since it's in a religious neighborhood and a religious school, I'm not so sure yet about enrolling, but we have an informational meeting on saturday when I'll decide.
4. And last but not least, Language. My Arabic is improving, but I really cannot get past 5 minute conversations, I quickly run out of vocabulary! I'm hoping that between my Qasid classes 4hrs/day, 5 days/week and my conversation lessons at the french cultural center 2 hrs/day, 4 days/week that I'll come out speaking somewhat decently. Right now my Arabic sounds like a slow 4 yr old's. :P
Well, I should get going, I need to run some errands and they take me forever b/c I keep getting lost :P

Well, I’m back in Jordan. Same familiar sites and smells. My plane arrived just at sunset, I love watching sunsets over the desert, so many shades of red sloping across the horizon. I was picked up by a Fulbright Rep, lol, after fighting my way through dozens of luggage couriers who tried taking my bags away to “help” me in hopes for a tip or two. The drive is about 30 km from the airport to the research center I’m parking at for the next 2 weeks as I go through orientation and go apartment hunting. So many old memories ☺ I saw the internet café where I used to go every morning, the Mcdonalds with the belly dancing Birdie character, the shopping district (Sweifieh) where I bought some clothes and shoes during my last trip, and now I’m here at ACOR. I still know my way around the kitchen :P whipped up a quick dinner and chatted with the current residents. There are 2 other fulbrighters already here, a few archaeologists, some near eastern languages/civilization folks, and other random folks. ACOR is always an interesting place to be, everyone is here for different reasons, all from different parts of the world here to dig up the secrets buried in the desert ☺
We’ll see what the morning brings. The wireless signal is pretty bad upstairs in my room, so hopefully I’ll be able to find a stronger signal downstairs in the morning. I’m sure I’ll be up at some odd hour seeing that I’m still jet lagged. 3 countries/cultures that span the globe in 3 weeks :P I’ve gone around the world (sorta). I think I’m still too dizzy to digest it all. Last week I was in Japan sitting on the beach in my old neighborhood, eating onigiri and drinking Georgia Coffee, few days later I was shopping at a good ol’ American mall with my family and eating at a good ol’American steakhouse, and now I’m sitting in the room listening to the evening Call to prayer :P