On the Road and in the Air Again

Graduation from college introduces many into the "real world" of the workforce and/or marriage. For me graduation meant it was finally time to pack up my life again and farewell Emporium. This time the airline made provision for two suite cases so 90 pounds of essentials were packed, space-bagged and weighed several times in preparation for spending a year of my life away from home. Not only would this be a much longer stay than my time in Scotland but I would be stripped of nearly every familial thing. This time I was headed to the Hashemite of Jordan.

Graduation occurred on the 11th of May. On the 19th of May, my family packed my suitcases into the car and we headed for Pittsburgh Airport. The day before I enjoyed a celebration with many of my friends and family who all came to wish me well and offer words of encouragement and caution. This Sunday, my parents, little brother, aunt and myself made our way to Pittsburgh after saying final goodbyes to Buncle, my big brother and his girlfriend. We dropped my aunt at her home in Ford City and then set our course for Primanti Brothers in Coraopolis. This side trip served to allow Jamie, Mama Dillon, Candice and Meagan the opportunity to see me off. After which, Meagan led my parents to the airport. Once we got my boarding pass and checked my bags, I said goodbye to Mom, Dad, Seth and Meagan, and went through the secondary security check point that had been set up to deal with the overflow of people in the airport. I flew out of Pittsburgh at 4:10 pm and landed in Chicago at 4:30 pm. The actual flight took an hour and a half but the time change absorbed the hour I would have gained.

In O'Hare airport, I struggled to find the 5th Terminal. I kept following the signs to the tram but after that they signs stopped. Finally I boarded a tram to see where it would take me. It turns out 5th Terminal is in a separate part of the airport only accessible by tram so this was a good move on my part. After finding the airways I was flying with (Royal Jordanian) I waited in line until they began giving out the tickets to the passengers without luggage (my luggage was already checked and I did not need to transfer it myself). Thus began my four hour waiting game in O'Hare during which I failed to locate any coffee. Sitting and observing the people I would be traveling with I noticed a woman sitting opposite me wearing the hijab saying her late afternoon prayers in her seat, saying the words under her breath and bowing in her seat at the right time in her prayer rhythm.

We boarded a bit late. Originally I was placed in an aisle seat but one of the stewardesses asked if I would mind sitting by a window so a family could sit together in the center seats. I did not mind and moved. I sat beside a personable guy named Karim. He tried to quell my fear of flying by explaining the miracle of human flight which would have astounded people who lived a hundred years ago. It is not the flying part that I worry about, it's just the taking off and landing part that gives me a heart attack every time. This flight in particular would take twelve hours and result in a seven hour time change. During which time I watched Great Expectations and Lincoln, played angry birds and passed out occasionally. Also, I made the mistake of choosing fish for my in-flight meal (don't do that). At last, we reached Amman airport at 5:30 pm Jordanian time. A kind woman coming off the plane in front of me instructed me to exchange some of my money before going up to the visa desk. Failing to answer the one question I was asked (where I was to stay in Amman) did not affect my eligibility for a one month tourist visa. It was quickly stamped for 20 Dinar and the attendant welcomed me to Jordan.

Going down the escalator, every one who had just exited the plane crowded around the baggage carousel and waited for our luggage to come into sight. I waited in particular for a hour before my purple duffle came up the conveyor belt. Another hour passed before it became apparent that my second suitcase was not going to appear. I was forced to go to the baggage department and make a claim that my bag was left behind. This was also difficult to do because I did not have an address in Amman nor a phone number to give them. The woman at the desk took what information I had and gave me the phone number of the office in the airport to call. Maybe in a few days they would have my bag.

Exiting through yet another security check point (this made five) I walked out into the main lobby pushing my duffel and my carry on bag in a cart. Luckily the family sent to pick me up had been patient and waited for me those two hours. I followed them out to their car, the father pushing the cart, the little boy riding in the basket and the mother trying to make small talk with me. I say trying because I was severely jetlagged at this point and upset about my bag. Loading my things into their car, we set off through Amman, which was lit up by this time since the sun had gone down. I tried to take in all that I was seeing from the camel sellers to the Starbucks coffee shops. I was unsure how long we had been driving for when we arrived at the apartment I was crashing at for the night. The family unloaded my bags, saw me inside, greeted my hostess, wished me a good night and departed for their home. Jennifer, my hostess, showed me around the apartment, helped me wrestle my bags through the hall into the room I was staying in, made me some peanut butter toast and kindly explained to me some of the rules about living in Jordan.

1) You cannot flush the toilet paper. The used paper goes in a waste basket.
2) You cannot drink the water out of the tap.
3) Water is a precious commodity so try to keep showers, etc., short.

Then I called my mother to let her know I was alive, showered and slept. I heard the call to prayer when I was talking to my mom and again at 4 am though it didn't quite wake me up, I just remember hearing it then falling back asleep.

The next morning, Jenifer put me on the 8 am bus. This bus ride was going to last four hours so I brought a book along. This bus ride was going to last four hours so I brought a book along. I noticed along the way that unleaded regular gasoline was priced at 9.30 JD (remember that 1 dinar = $1.43 US). While waiting for the bus, Jenifer to me that we would drive two hours and then the bus would stop. I was not to get off or worry about it, this was just a smoke break for whoever needed it. Then the bus would drive on for a bit before reaching a security check point. Here we would most likely have to get off the bus, have our passports checked and our luggage x-rayed. However, when the time came, an officer boarded the bus, looked at identification, took four people's ID's to check them and waved us on. I could not believe my good luck at the time. Upon arrival though my luck seemed to change. The bus left me off at an unusual spot and the girls coming to get me did not know where I was. Jenifer had given me some cell numbers in case of emergencies but I had no phone to call with. while I was standing worried and baking in the sun outside of a hotel, a kind man who worked inside came out and gave me a chair to sit in. I asked him if I could borrow his cell and he lent it to me and disappeared. I called Sarah first but as she did not answer, I called Jocelyn (the second number on my list). She picked up and called Sarah with my approximate location. At last, Sarah, Becky and Laura found me after calling from across the street "Are you Anna?!"

After having lunch with others who work in the center, Sarah took Becky, Laura and I back to the apartment we were sharing. Sarah tried to explain what my schedule would look like for the next week and various things that I'm sure were important but I was so jetlagged at that time all I could do was smile and nod. She and Becky left to get some provisions and I napped for about three hours. When I awoke, Becky made chicken tacos for the three of us and we left to head to the Life Center. I followed their lead quietly as they hailed a cab and gave our destination to the driver. A taxi ride is about .75 JD I think; sometimes you give them 1 JD and don't get change back but other times they give you change.

At the Life Center that night we were hosting and teaching English classes. Becky and Laura had already been teaching for a week. Luckily Tim, the teacher of my class, came that night to teach because I was in no fit condition to do so. The class consisted of about fifteen intermediate students: twelve men and three women. I was paired with the young lady beside me and we discussed our favorite English words and how much we both liked Harry Potter movies. That night I was unable to get to sleep until about 2 am since I had napped for so long in conjunction with the time change.

The next day we headed to the center in the morning by taxi again. This time we went to the neighboring Green Creations building. Here twenty women work to make jewelry, scarves, hand bags and other things from recycled materials. I was unable to communicate with many of them however because we did not speak the same language. Rana sought to fix this problem later that morning. She took Becky, Laura and I upstairs to give us our Arabic lesson for the day. Once again my house mates were a week ahead of me but I gave it my best shot. We were learning question words and the names of the days of the week. "Esh bookran?" or "What is tomorrow?" has become my favorite question since I still cannot keep my days straight. Also, I learned that my name is going to cause some confusion. If asked "Esh ismik?" ("What is your name?)" I would respond "Ismee Anna" (Literally: "I am me"). I thoroughly enjoyed Arabic lesson but jetlag had destroyed much of my mental capacity for that day causing me to struggle to remember what I had learned. After lesson, we enjoyed charcoaled chicken with pita and humus for lunch.

Before heading home, I was invited to the home of Gene and Jessie, two of the workers at the center. Sarah came along as well and the four of us went through all of my orientation material. We went over do's, don'ts, tasks, and precautions while we drank Turkish coffee. On the way home I noticed a big tented pavilion being set up with flashing lights. Sarah explained that it was the men's half of a wedding that was happen that week. The men would celebrate outside and the women would be inside somewhere else having their own party. Soon after returning home from this visit, I headed out again with my house mates and Kara, my soon-to-be house mate. Kara has been here since January but is living in another house at the moment. This Wednesday the four of us are moving into a different house together. This particular Wednesday night (the 22nd) the four of us were heading to Luke & Jocelyn's for dinner. Instead of sharing a taxi, Becky decided we were going to have an "Amazing Race: Jordan." She and Laura would catch a separate taxi and race Kara and I to our destination. We agreed and watched them walk off further down the road to find a taxi. Soon a taxi pulled up and the two of us got in. Kara called Luke and handed the phone to the driver. Luke gave him directions to the house and we arrived in about three minutes. Becky and Laura had not arrived which meant we won. This was all well and good but after fifteen minutes we began to get worried. Soon Laura called Luke and explained that they had mixed up the directions, gotten out of the taxi in a spot they did not recognize and had been walking ever since. Luke told them to get a taxi and he would give the driver directions like he had for Kara and I. They did finally make it to dinner that night but Kara and I won the first round of Amazing Race: Jordan. That night when we got home we saw the flashing lights from the wedding and the fireworks they set off later that night.

Thursday morning we went back to Green Creations as that was the destination of our weekday mornings. This time, Kara set me to work cutting aluminum pop cans so that they could be punched in various shapes and made into earrings. I did this from 9 until about 10:30 then after tea break, Gene went over English curriculum with me in preparation for the class I would be teaching that night. Sarah stopped in to let me know that my bag was at the airport and we were going to go get it that afternoon. It felt good to have all of my things but I still haven't really unpacked since we are moving in a few days. That night Tim came back to sit in on the class but I was to teach. Our lesson was on habits and daily routines. We got through the material but they told me I talk too fast.

The weekend here in Friday-Saturday instead of Saturday-Sunday. I was able to catch up on some sleep and reading but jetlag still persists. Friday night the four of us had a girls night and watched Thirteen Going on Thirty while enjoying stir fry that Becky and Kara had made. Saturday we had a going-away party for two families that work in the center who are returning to the states. We had lamb with rice and chick peas for lunch while some people made speeches about how much they were going to miss the two families. The party was over much sooner than we had expected so the four of us girls decided to go exploring in the city. We found Gloria Gene's coffee, which is an Australian chain that has made its way to the Middle East. Brands like Caribou and Starbucks are only found in the capital. The poor cashier did his best to spell our names on our receipts but we ended up Lora, Kora, Ina and Bake. Afterwards we walked around and found a restaurant for dinner. Laura and Kara decided they were not hungry so Becky and I split a mixed grill plate of chicken and beef with fries and pita.

Wish I could say that I'm over the jetlag but I'm still having headaches every afternoon and am constantly tired. I am hoping that I can put this aside to teach English tonight since Tim won't be here tonight to offer a buffer.

H'amdu lilah