Connections

Art is something that I was literally surrounded by growing up. Scenes of what is now the bottom of the American Falls reservoir circle my living room, but the mural of Lehi and his family in the desert seems to be the main focus of the room. That painting is now a copy and is slightly smaller than the original, but I still remember so many details of that painting from looking at it every day, year after year. Detail number one: Sariah is handing a baby to Lehi. Family is also a bit part of Arab society today. I'm starting to see just how many things are done using the family as the central unit. In many cases, it's impossible to do things if you don't have a family. This is especially true in the case of women and children. Detail number two: The two younger sons, presumably Jacob and Joseph, are filling containers with water to carry with them. I definitely have a greater appreciation for water since coming to the Middle East. You'd have thought that I would realize how precious a commodity water is since I grew up on a ranch where we get 10 inches of water per year, but I'm starting to realize that I still don't quite get it. Here, even having a reservoir is pointless because the ground would completely soak up the water before you could use it. So in order to grow things, water is stored in tanks near the agricultural areas. Water is also rationed out and the water tanks in every apartment are only filled once a week. I'm also gaining an appreciation for clean water straight from the tap. Granted the store isn't too far away, but carrying those water jugs home can still be a bit of a workout. It's also pretty awesome to take a nice drink of water in the middle of the day. This usually comes from a water bottle you've carried around all day. The water is warm, but it's wet and that's the most important part. Detail number three: meat is draped over the camels backs. My mom has always said that it was so they could jerky the meat as they traveled. I always thought that sounded about right, but now I can say that the sun definitely gets hot enough to jerky that meat.

 

=)

Food Glorious Food!

All I have done the last two days is eat food...almost. It just keeps coming! Roommate dinner started the ball rolling with some sort of concoction from whatever we had in the closets and fridge. And even though that wasn't all that bad, in fact it was pretty good, dessert was much better. My roommate Emily had seen an ad for a Sweets Expo that night in the Royal Hyatt hotel. We really had no idea what exactly would be there, how much it would cost or even if we would be able to get in.  But get in we did. And not only did we get in, but we got a discount and a roomful of just about every dessert you can think of and some you probably can't. Venders had booths with items from waribat to ice cream to gum with small samples or bigger platters which you could buy.  The picture is my roommate  Emily and I at the Sweet ExpoToday started a bit slow as far as food goes because I was late to church, but a member of the branch was having a birthday party right after church. The meal didn't start till two when the women carried out three foot platters filled with matlube, barbecued chicken, and several other Arab and Filipino dishes that I couldn't quite identify. My plate was heaping after taking only a small portion of some of the items. But lunch didn't stop there... Three different desserts followed: cake, some type of awesome fruit salad, and halo-halo. After the party wrapped up, all of the people in my internship got together to barbecue kababs with waribat for dessert. Delicious! I love Arab hospitality! And can I say that it's a dang good thing I went running the other day...

=)

Roman Ruins

I don't know what my sister did today, but I looked at Roman ruins. Amman is a city with a great deal of history. People have lived here since the neolithic age, through the stone and bronze age till today. In fact, Amman was originally named after the Ammonites who lived here. For those of you who think that name is familiar check out 2 Samuel 11. Another cool fact about that particular scripture is that Uriah the Hittite is actually believed to have been fighting on the hill where these Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic ruins stand. This hill, called the citadel, holds an Islamic palace, ruins from the temple of Hercules (picture) and a museum that holds artifacts that range from marble statues of men to pottery fragments to coffins. Amman even holds a Roman amphitheater which I have yet to visit. However, this evening I sat outside an art exhibit that was built on top of other Roman ruins and listened to the beat of Arab music. I didn't catch all the words, but the area was alive with the music of the live band who sang a tribute to all Arab nations.

=)

Traffic...

It turns out I'm learning two languages while I'm in Jordan. Arabic, of course, as well as the art of horn honking. Crash course for beginners includes the honk that means “you are in the way” the honk that means “you better get out of the way” and the honk that means “do you want a ride?” Arabs have mastered this art, and I took the crash course while jaywalking – another thing they have mastered. Crossing four-lane traffic can be a bit disconcerting, but it beats waiting for the walk signal once you get a hang of it. Rules for proper jaywalking include:

Just do it!
Ain't no need to worry 'cause cars ain't gonna hit ya =)
You can do it.
Watch where the vehicles are coming from.
Analyze car flow.
Listen for honking.
Keep going.
Intensity
Never look back.
Go for it!

However, please keep in mind that the first rule is really the only one that matters.

Traffic in Jordan is a very interesting thing. From a bystanders perspective, the busy street is filled with screeching tires, honking horns, and many cars who don't seem to know which lane they are in. In reality, the lanes are rather interchangeable. In many places, lines aren't painted on the roads. In other places where they are, the lines are simply disregarded. The general rule seems to be: If the car fits, use it. A single lane road can suddenly fit two cars. Parking is another interesting thing. Cars line the curbs and at times, if there isn't room on the curb, the car sits in the middle of the road. I don't know how common this is, but I have seen running cars sitting in the middle of the road, with no one inside, and the car was running.........

=)

Day One - Check!

Day one in Amman, Jordan... Check! The day has just flown by. However it didn't start until 2 pm today. In my defense, I had only gotten 6 or so hours of sleep in 48 hours prior to that. I started the day eating shamaam, a fruit that is similar to cantaloupe, but is white and has a slightly different texture. Then I walked to a local shop to buy other food including hummus, pita bread, potatoes, and yogurt. After unpacking, my roommates and I walked for about 20 minutes to get to the guy's apartment and on the way back to our apartment, we hailed a taxi. I didn't actually call for the taxi, but I spoke to the cab driver – in Arabic. So I consider that to be the first taxi I've ever gotten for myself. Already learning new things!

=)

One Day At A Time

ONE DAY AT A TIME

There are two days in every week about which we should not worry.  Two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.  One of these days is yesterday, with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its ashes and pains.  Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.  All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday.  We cannot undo a single act we performed.  We cannot erase a single word said.  Yesterday is gone!

The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow, with its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise and poor performance. Tomorrow is beyond our immediate control.  Tomorrow’s sun will rise, whether in splendor or behind a mask of clouds.  But it will rise.  Until it does we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.

This leaves only one day … today.  Any man can fight the battles of one day.  It is when you and I add the burdens of two awful enemies – yesterday and tomorrow, that we break down.

It is not necessarily the experience of today that disturbs one’s peace of mind.  It is often the bitterness for something which happened yesterday and the dread of what tomorrow may bring.  Let us therefore live one day at a time.

~Coach Bacevich