All good things come to an end, this is true even for English classes and summer internships.
After six weeks of classes, our English lessons had to come to an end both because the semester was over and because Ramadan was scheduled to start shortly thereafter. This semester my English class was a bit of an anomaly. I somehow ended up with a class of nine men and one girl. It was hard for me to figure out how to adjust from daily life where "you absolutely do not talk to Arab men you don't know" to coming to a male-dominated class where I am the authority figure. I think overtime I won the respect of the class especially when I invited them to teach me about their culture and I mentioned that I was taking Arabic lessons. Having Carly in class with me was also helpful both to me and to my one girl who had become very reserved in class. I do not think teaching is my calling but I am greatful for the chance to learn from my class as much as they learn from me.
On graduation night, the center was packed with all of our students, some of their families and all the Americans. I say "all the Americans" because we had a team from Oregon visiting for the week. So this team in addition to the nine teachers, and a few friends who came by for the party, there were about twenty of us. Each of the teachers awarded their students their certificates of achievement and were met with thunderous applause. After which, the teachers were called back up unexpectantly to receive thanks and a box of sweets as tokens of appreciation from the center. Once all the formalities were done, students were invited to hang out and play word games led by the visitors from Oregon in the classrooms. When all the games and the impromptu jam session finished, English classes officially shut down until September.
For the summer interns, time in Jordan had come to a close as well. Of the eight of us, only Kara and I would be staying here past the summer. As a way for everyone to debrief and prepare for this, our advisors Sarah, Jessie and Lisa took us all to Wadi Rum. "Wadi" like we talked about before means a valley or area where a river caused a change in the landscape. There was probably once a river here that shaped some of the stone and cut through the valley but it has long since dried up. "Rum" means high or elevated, which is easy to understand when you see the rock structures that make Wadi Rum such a popular place to visit.
Though it is literally the middle of the desert, Bedouin people still live in and around Rum. When we arrived, we were met by two Bedouin men, Abdullah and Attalla, who would be our drivers and guides through the sands. After a quick stop at the gas station in Rum village, we set of on our adventure. First stop was an unusual rock. You might wonder what made this rock different from all the ones around it; nothing, except that someone long ago decided that it was the right rock to write on. Thamudic inscriptions ran down the side of this rock and only this rock. Thamudic language predates modern Arabic and shows up in various places between the Arabian and Sinai peninsulas. This Semitic language was used only between the 4th Century BC and the 3rd Century AD. Next it was back in the jeep to Khazali Canyon. The eight of us along with Lisa's girls climbed onto the ledge in the canyon to see how far we could go. At the center of this canyon was a water spring but none of us were willing to climb up the scant footholds to see the water. We climbed up and down the time worn rock for a bit then we were off. Racing each other, our jeeps bounced over the sand dunes and up the paths that pervious adventurers had left us. A few more natural wonders astounded us along the way like the natural Jebel Umm Fruth rock bridge and the simple beauty of the red sand beneath our feet. We stopped for a time of debriefing on top of a sandy hill where we spreading out a blanket to sit on. We shared the snacks we had brought while we discussed what we had learned about the culture, each other and ourselves. We sat and talked, watching the sunset until it was time to press on to our camp site.
There are several camp sites that can be rented in Wadi Rum with varying accommodations. I had figured on staying in a tent but we were all pleasantly surprised to find that our site had running water and toilets. Our host, with help from our drivers, made dinner for us in the ground. I have heard of people burying meat in charcoal to cook it in the states but burying in the sand was something new for me. Also, I had not seen a multi-tiered platter like the one our host puled out of the hole in the ground. He had prepared chicken with vegetables in the charcoal for us. Some of us opted to sleep out under the stars but Laura, Kara and I decided to share a tent instead. We were up with the sun the next morning for a breakfast of fruit and some more debriefing. Soon it was time for us to head back to the village. At the village, some of the girls took advantage of the opportunity to ride a camel. We heartily thanked our guides and headed back to town. Though it is not a World Wonder, Wadi Rum is considered a World Heritage Site and it is easy to see why.
As Kermit the Frog said "Life is made up of meetings and partings" and life in Jordan is no different. After coming back, we had only a few days and then Laura and Becky headed home to the states to finish their last year at college. Likewise, the next day Carly, Katie, Jessica and Mindy boarded a plane bound for the US. At the same time, Kara was headed to Rome. The way Visas work here, you can only stay in Jordan for six months and then you have to leave the country. At her six month mark, Kara had planned to go to Rome and meet up with her mother. This left me in the house alone for a week but it was alright. The team took care of me and I was able to navigate town on my own successfully. I am glad though that Kara is back now.
Ramadan officially started July 10th. Life here is very different now. Fewer people are out during the day because it is so hot, and fasting from food and drink for sixteen hours makes the heat all the more unbearable. Kara and I went out with our friend Yara at 8:00 the other night and the streets were completely empty. This is because at sundown iftar begins. Iftar is the breaking of the fast when families gather together to eat and read the Quran. Generally this falls between 7:30 and 8:00 at night. The call to prayer will sound from the mosque and people on the street will shoot off fireworks in celebration of breaking the fast. Shops will be closed from 7:00 until about 8:30 so that the workers can eat as well. Taxi drivers will even pull over to the side of the road to eat and drink whatever they brought with them for this time. Fast begins again in the morning at 4:30. A few nights now I have woken up at 3 am to the sound of someone beating a drum while walking down the street. They do this to wake up those who are fasting so that they can eat before sunup. I understand why this is an important job but 3 am is really early. I planned on having so much free time during Ramadan but somehow the days keep getting away from me. This is my excuse for why this post is so late. Don't worry though in two weeks life should get exciting again and I will do my best to keep you all updated. Ramadan Kareem!
https://picasaweb.google.com/108532852514122909750/WadiRum?authkey=Gv1sRgCPnB6azzkPGWPA#
