On to Amman, Jordan

On to Amman, Jordan
                  To say the least, the last two weeks have been too crazy to explain. Because of the revolution in Egypt, I was evacuated from Cairo on January 31^st on a chartered plane to Athens, Greece. It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions and I’ve made too many big-girl decisions to count. After the evacuation, I had the choice of continuing to study abroad in either Amman or Rabat or to return home to the US. My only logical option for learning Arabic and for graduating on time was Amman, and after two weeks here I am happy to say I believe I made the right decision. Maybe soon I will post an article reflecting on my lockdown in Cairo for the first 5 days of the revolution and what happened afterward. The truth is that I’m still not even sure what to make of it and my new environment yet.  I haven’t let this detract me from exploring Amman though!
                  This city is absolutely worlds different than both the US and Cairo. The city is divided into eight circles and is composed of several neighborhoods – mine is in the 7^th circle and is called Swifeyeh. I am still studying the same classes at the AMIDEAST here and am finding that picking up the Arabic is easier. Upon my decision to come here, I honestly though it would be the end of fun in my life for a while; Jordan is generally considered to be a more conservative country than Egypt and is historically part of “The Holy Land.” I learned right away that EVERYTHING can also be found here as in Egypt and the US. The expatriate community here is also large, and my roommates and I have already gone out to several Salsa clubs, bars, and even a Super Bowl party! All of Jordan is also historically rich and beautiful. This past Monday AMIDEAST took us on a trip up north to see a castle built and used for the Crusades in Ajloun and ancient Roman ruins in Jerash. Roman ruins are even right in the middle of Amman’s downtown!
                  I promise I will be updating more frequently now since I have been settling in to Amman. Now I’ll just give you all a brief overview about what I plan on writing about this semester and possibly this summer! Even though both Egypt and Jordan have a shared culture and language, there are still HUGE cultural and clothing differences which I will point out. I will definitely write about Amman’s nightlife and daytime activities. I also plan on volunteering with The Jordanian Women’s Union, so I will be discussing women’s issues and rights in Jordan. As I mentioned above, it is 70% possible that I might stay in Amman into the summer to take two intensive Arabic sessions with AMIDEAST. If so, I will be able to explore the different seasonal activities Jordan and its surrounding areas have to offer.
                  As it is the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, we have this Thursday off from classes and a three day weekend. In Cairo, we would have taken a trip to Alexandria. Instead, we are all planning on taking a bus down to the city of Aqaba on the Red Sea for some beach time and relaxation. Thank you for your patience, all! It’s been a hell of a semester already, but I’m determined to make Amman as fun as Cairo.