Parties, politics, lunch meat and gypsies

Oct  28, 2013: From Tom:

Followup on Wild Party: Parties are usually celebrated with gunfire in the air, as we found out. Our landlords, who happened to be here, actually called the police who came out. The party cooled down a bit and then the gunfire started up again. The police came back and it settled down. Not a big deal I guess. I found out that most people do have guns, many guns. I guess that may be  why Jordan seems relatively safe from it's hostile neighbors. The crime rate is almost zero. There are a few "honor killings" mostly among friends. Almost no assault or theft. We feel very safe on streets, even dark lonely alleys.

Lunch meat?....We'll I was invited to have a lunch with the landlords last Saturday. They had visitors from Chicago and other family there. Delicious meal. I thought it was roast beef. It was actually roast GOAT. I must say it was better than beef and didn't taste like chicken. Also rolled cabbage leaves with something hot inside and a spicey tomato/cucumber/ onion dish. Pomegranate seeds with baklava for dessert. Different but wonderful.

Discussion got around to politics. They are all Christian and shared their concern with how the  Christians are being persecuted in most of the Middle East countries ( Syria, Egypt, Iraq ). There was a long term concern with the subtle drift even in Jordan. No overt persecution or even challenges but a  pronounced drift. If there would be a problem in Jordan, it would't be from the outside but from within. The Muslim Brotherhood is making very subtle overtures and have created a new political party that appears more moderate but it may be a sham. They definitely want a theocratic,  radical government so it' something to watch.

Gypsies: We found out the gypsies are not gypsies but refugees, mostly Palestinian. There are many, many people living in shabby tents, in dirt fields with pens for miscellaneous animals. No plumbing or electricity, yet we see wash on the lines. They come through the orchards scavenging for firewood. Often the little girls are at street corners tappinon windows for money. Sometimes the women are holding their babies begging. It is so sad, but so prevalent. They seem everywhere. It seems like the major problems in Jordan are the unemployment and the refugees. It is a strain on the support system. We are told to not go near the major refugee camps because they are very dangerous. Aid workers sometimes are attacked. It i g s very sad.

One of numerous camps near our home. Madaba in background. 

Jerash, Ajjoun and Jordan River Valley

Oct 20, 2013 From Tom:

Jerash is the largest and best preserved Roman site outside of Italy. Frankly, it is much better than Corinth, Ephesus or Rome. While it may have been settled 2-3,000 yrs BC it really was established by Alexander the Great about 331 BC. It flourished with the Romans in the 1st Century as part of the Decapolis, or 10 cities in the region called the Levant (Palestine). It's about 48 km north of Amman and only about 30 miles from the Syrian border.

We had a week off, after teaching two classes, so we wanted to take advantage of the Eid al Adha holiday. It is a beautiful drive climbing out of the rolling hills/ desert region into forested mountains. The old Roman city, while sacked a few times and destroyed and buried in an earthquake, was nicely restored. It's probably the 2nd most popular visitor site in Jordan following Petra. (We're saving Petra for when we get a resident card, thus dropping the entrance fee from over $100 to about $1 per person.)

We probably walked 3-4 miles in the 4 hours we were there but it was well worth it. In addition to the original triumphal arches of Hadrian, the Hippodrome or chariot race and gladiator arena they had a semi-circular theater seating 15,000 and the original Roman Forum, Temples and columned "cardo maximus" or Main Street. What I appreciated most was the order and careful organization of the city within the walls. It puts to shame the "modern" cities built haphazardly and without any sense of dignity. Each street had a view, destination or terminus and the citizens were always guided to the prominent buildings via carefully organized promenades. Very regal.

In the Hippodrome were demonstrations by the Roman Centurians as well as chariot racing. As we were leaving we remarked that it felt like we were actually in Rome, not Jordan.

Ronna approaching Hadrian's Triumphal Arch at Jerash

A little short but has the right stuff. 

A humorous event was at the Roman Amphitheater. There were some Jordanian men, dressed as Roman soldiers, playing Scottish bagpipes. We overheard one guide saying that the bagpipes originated in Jordan and the Scots stole them and modified them. Wikipedia supports that, so it must be true.

After a long day, we celebrated at the coolest restaurant ever, called the Lebonese House, perched on a hillside. Large Arabic family groups were gathering for their holiday meal with lots of hugging and double kissing on the shaded roof terrace.

We pushed too far and tried to get to Ajloun, a Crusader castle on a mountaintop about 45 minutes north, toward Syria. It was a miserable drive through tiny, twisting, looping dog-paths and squeezing down the only streets of villages where the social life is smoking houkas on the curb. It was a bit scary and Ronna had had enough, especially since our GPS unit was now in failure mode and started leading us astray. After checking off the castle, we decided to try another route home, another mistake. More windy, twisty choked roads, leading through tiny villages where they were still slaughtering sheep, but this time "on the main street".  It was a bit tense.

Coming out of the mountains finally, we had an overlook view of the Jordan River Valley, a lush, flat agriculture zone between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea, about 150 miles. This is the border between Jordan and Israel, including the Palestinian West Bank. The Jordan River is the border and is a heavily guarded military zone. The areas between the military zone and the mountains are intensively developed greenhouse farming areas. It's the San Joaquin Valley of the Middle East. We drove along this for over 60 miles and saw constant greenhouses. We also went past the baptism site of Jesus but it was getting dark. We'll save that for another day.

As it turns out, there is a long standing and serious conflict between Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon over the use of water in this valley. This was one of the real causes of the Six Day War of 1967 between Israel and Syria, Jordan and Egypt. It is my understanding that Israel and Jordan have now agreed to a major joint water development project in this area.

Our final leg was a tortuous, hairpin curve ascent of Mt. Nebo in the dark. Our little car could hardly make it. We would come around a curve and there would be a group of people having a party in the dark in the middle of the highway. We were so glad to be home. And our messy little Madaba looked great after all those "edge of existence villages".

Salome and AK-47's

Oct 24, 2013 From Tom:

We just got an email from Kelly saying lot's of people are living boring lives and vicariously having fun through our 'adventurous lives.' Well, right now I'd like a little boredom. I'm trying to prepare my Gospel Doctrine lesson for tomorrow, ( Friday) and there is a wild party going above and next to us. There is a lot of firing of guns, including machine guns, from our roof and from the next door neighbors house. The music is like Salome dancing and is shaking the house. I don't want to peek. People are running up and down our stairway and I don't dare.....There goes the machine gun again. I think we'll sleep under the bed.

I know they are just having a party, but it hardly is in harmony with the mission of Elijah.

So right now, I could use some boredom. Oh and if that isn't enough, we got an email from the Embassy warning us not to venture to the north section of Amman tomorrow afternoon because there is going to be a demonstration of some sort. Wonderful! It gives special meaning to the linger longer we will be having after church.

Merry Eid to all....

Oct 19, 2013 From Tom:

We had heard of Ramidan, which was past, but last week we were out of school because of the celebration of Eid al Adha. I didn't realize what a significant Holy Day or Solemn Festival it was. It is termed the Feast of the Sacrifice, referring to the sacrifice Abraham was willing to make of his son, Isaac. It is on the scale and has similarities to both Thanksgiving and  Christmas and is celebrated the full week. You should look it up on the Internet for better explanation.

The families select and purchase a sheep or two from farmers that bring them to small corrals along main highways. The selection process is very involved with the farmers' helpers trying to chase and pull out the right sheep, then having everyone poke and feel if the sheep had the right feel or  firmness. If it wasn't right they would chase down another and the bargaining would continue. The whole family  participates. Then the sheep is slaughtered by cutting the throat, carefully skinned or flayed and cut up into packets. The family takes the packets home in bags and gives some or all to needy families, friends or relatives as a good will offering. Each sheep costs about $400-450 but they distribute to a number of families. Thus, it's a Thanksgiving Feast and the gift giving of Christmas, with no one needing to take items back. We saw many of the sheep/goat pens and went to watch and understand a little better.

Sheep herds available for selection

Selection of the sheep. This family looked at about 10 before selecting the "right" one. 

The Grand Bargaining process

The sacrifice or slaughter of the sheep

Careful skinning and butchering. Very little is wasted

At first we were a bit nervous because we might be intruding on a sacred ritual and offend them. Here are a group of men holding long knives and cleavers with blood all over themselves, with severed heads, feet and body parts laying around. ( Severed heads of sheep and goats ). Carcasses are being butchered on racks and the wool pelts are piled up.

I went up alone as Ronna was a bit nervous. I asked if I could take photos and they were accommodating. Within an hour I had been offered to come to their home for coffee and treats and meet the rest of the family. One man, looking like a sheik offered to give me a sheep for my own. I declined, but he was very gracious and introduced me to his kids and grandkids.

All week we saw huge family gatherings at restaurants and along roads. It's strange to see long caravans all pull up on the edge of a freeway, sometimes blocking one or two lanes to have a family reunion and hugs and kisses.

Catching Up!

Oct 19, 2013 From Tom:
A few things have happened since we wrote last that we need to explain.

First, our computer system failed. We could get email at Tom's ( archnexus account) but not on gmail. Nor could we blog or look things up or get into our bank account. It was driving me crazy. Was it the computer, the operating system, the router/modem, the network coming to the house? I asked a good number of very smart people and got nowhere. I was starting to panic because we needed to be doing work for the university and our most basic tool didn't work. Also, I couldn't pay bills at home ( on-line banking ) I was ready to pack up and go home. Really.

Also, I had gotten sick ( sinus infection ) but that would lead to a sore throat and eventually pneumonia if I didn't catch it. A good doctor  here helped but part of the cure was to go on Prednisone. The Prednisone made me anxious so I had trouble sleeping, thus I needed Ambien or some sleep meds. I only had 6 days remaining of medications we brought from home and the local doctor couldn't/wouldn't get me anything. Either it was not available or he didn't want me to "get addicted".

So I was in a jam. Without the sleep meds, I would get sick again and couldn't function. The meds are either not available or would take too long. Again, I was ready to pack it up, since I couldn't function here.

We had previously solved the problem of the dogs, gypsies, water, toilets, driving, language, curricula, finding our way, etc. But I couldn't figure this out. That's when a little prayer comes in handy. Yes!

This was Wednesday night after a long and difficult day driving through the mountains of Syria.
(Just kidding, we were in the mountains near Syria, maybe 25 miles away.) Thursday I felt impressed to go test the computer at Brent's home in Amman. Bingo, it worked. Then when I returned a prompt came on the screen about an OSX reset. I didn't know what that was, but I did it, and the computer worked again. Then, I was able to obtain the sleep meds needed to get through until we got a package sent through courier from home. So life is back to manageable again.

Also, I got called to teach the Gospel Doctrine class in the little branch here. It will be an uplifting experience. Ronna is too buried with classes so I'm doing it alone.

We are adapting to a new lifestyle. Tom's on the left, in case you were wondering. 

A Trip to the Parcel Post Office

Oct 14--From Ronna - It was finally confirmed after email notifications and many phone calls that our long-awaited package had arrived. Lindee had sent it about a week after our departure, so three weeks isn't bad. We got it which means it is possible and that opens up all sorts of future possibilities! It mostly contained books we plan on using, needles and thread, essential oils I use as perfume, my computer glasses, one family picture album, and two tubes of make-up. My brain is planning the next box already. Unfortunately, what isn't consumed in the next nine months will have to be shipped back, dumped or left.

I digress. The trip to pick up our package at the parcel post location in downtown Amman.....that's the true eye-opener. We have traveled to Amman many times in our short month here, but, obviously, we had not traversed these particular streets! Our faithful guide and friend, Osama, led the way, having made an arrangement to deliver a car for someone. That was the first problem: we had to follow him, and stay in sight of him, in Amman traffic. Bad idea.

It actually only took about thirty minutes longer than normal, but it seemed like an hour. I think we doubled back and went around in circles more than once, madly trying not to lose sight of Osama. We started to wonder if he was purposely trying to ditch us. It also seemed as if we kept descending until we were in the bottom of a gorge. Down we wound, through impossibly narrow streets, packed like sardines with no escape. Incredibly, local people were crowding the sidewalks, darting into shops and bistros and in some places mixing with the slow-moving cars. Goods favored textiles and home-furnishings and always the clothing shops, always.

Typical Jordan Street Mix

As Tom tensely maneuvered, the bizarre landscape revealed itself. Narrow stairways climbed almost straight up between the shops; step after step with no railings and no landings until stories high, they would zig and zag onward to an unseen destination. My stomach grabbed and my legs ached imagining how it would be to climb those stairs everyday to reach home. Because perched on the edges of sheer cliffs were basically tenements. No lovely white stone here, just grey and dingy facades randomly punctuated with a string of brightly-colored laundry hung out to dry. In some places, potted plants sat precariously on the edges of crumbling walls. Squat one-story buildings mixed with two-and-three-storied ones, crammed together and weighing each other down. Layer after layer, the homes cluttered the hilltops.

Only a short distance from this area stands the impressive City Hall and Cultural Arts Center. And, just down Queen Zahran Street are the embassies and mini-palaces. The contrast is so stark. Not unusual for any big city anywhere in the world, I suppose, but somehow, always unexpected.

From Tom: Following someone in Amman traffic is knuckle biting, since people cut in and out and  cross traffic divides you willy nilly. At one point Osama, being four cars ahead of us, cut into the oncoming lane to race ahead. I think he forgot us. I did the same, knowing I would loose him and never find him again if I didn't. Ronna pleaded with me, 'You can't do that'....well, yes we did. We passed about 20 cars driving on the wrong side of the street. As approaching cars starting flashing and honking, we cut back in, due to the courtesy of the drivers we had just passed. In America you would be shot in a road rage incident for doing something like that. In Amman, "ah well".

Then when we got to the hole in the wall Post Office, still in bumper traffic. Osama gets out of his car, stands in the middle of the oncoming lanes and directs oncoming traffic to stop and directs me to cross the lane of traffic and park on the sidewalk front, facing the wrong way, with everyone yelling. "Oh, well."

Amman Parcel Post--after 3 weeks from America

Our 5th line at the Post Office

The post office reminded me of the prison in spy movies. Dark hallways, dark offices with 3 or 4 men sitting and smoking in them with piles of stuff. We stood in 5 lines before we made progress and then 4 or 5 encounters with customs, police and postal officials. Got it. I couldn't take the revealing photos, for fear.

Somehow our GPS system got us out of the mess in about 10 minutes, so we went to a movie at the Taj Mall and had dinner at McDonalds. Just for a trip to the Post Office.    

Dr. Sawalha and Al Mahabba Hospital

October 12, 2013 - From Ronna

My turn. Today we had planned on a shopping tour of Abdoun which is an area of Amman noted for up-scale homes and department stores. Various embassies are clustered in the vicinity with armed guards stationed in front of big gates attached to big walls surrounding each. No pictures. Instead, we stayed in Madaba and established a physician for Tom, right now, and me, later.

Tom started to get sick two days ago with the sinus sneezy-peezy stuff. Knowing what was coming, he began amoxicillin (brought with us) and salt water nasal rinses. Friday(our Sunday), we relaxed and listened to General Conference through a link provided by Jack Wixom, husband of the Primary General President. Tom and he are good friends. He called all sorts of references of possible doctors he could go see, but no one answered. With the holiday of Eid Al-Adha this coming week, the prospects looked grim. My students told me that the holiday was like our Christmas only many people travel to Mecca instead of celebrating Christ's birth.

He took a chance and went to his favorite pharmacist at Pharmacy One for help. She recommended a doctor and we called him. He answered his phone! We met him in the emergency area of Al Mahabba Hospital after waiting in some records room with three young women visiting in Arabic behind the desk. It dawned on Tom that Dr. Ghadi Sawalha had said to meet him in the emergency area. As we descended the stairs, the Dr. saw the only Americans in the hospital and told us to sit and wait for a moment. He hurried off to attend to a woman who was hemorrhaging. Seated next to us were women sobbing. After about 15 minutes, a gurney with the woman was wheeled down the hall and about twelve people followed it out. The doctor joined us and told us that she had had an aneurysm in her brain and was being taken to the King Hussein II Hospital in Amman. "Very serious," he said, shaking his head.

We were ushered into an examination room. The room was basically empty except for a large wooden desk and two examination tables. On the only metal side table in the room, sat a box with fixings for a broken bone and underneath, it appeared to be the little drill to cut the cast off. Casually draped upon each examination table were sheets. Who last sat there or when they were last washed or the table wiped with disinfectant or anything in that room cleaned, were questions running through my mind as I watched Tom being checked. I had an overpowering urge to wash my hands and put on a mask.

Dr. Sawalha asked the right questions and seemed competent enough. He said he was an internist who was trained in the Royal Jordanian Army. I was hoping for Harvard Medical School. But, he seemed aware of the various medications Tom takes and, honestly, we didn't have a lot of choices! As part of the University's health benefits, we can see a doctor four times a year? semester? Some of the meds are paid for, some not. The Dr. saw infection pockets in his throat and so, he is starting him on a ZPAK, prednisone and finishing the amoxicillin. The usual. We went to the pharmacy, but had to return to the hospital for another signature and then back to the pharmacy. That is always the case.

When we first entered the hospital, a tall, good-looking man approached us and asked who we were looking for. I told him and he asked somebody else and we were put into that record area. But, before sitting there, Abdul chatted with us in quite good English. Always refreshing! It seems that his wife just gave birth to his third child, a boy. He is a mosaic and sand painting artist and is in the process of opening up a shop on the way to Mt. Nebo. He has spent time in Washington, D.C. running a shop and loves the town. He made us promise to come and visit him and meet his family soon. Typical.

After we left the hospital, I couldn't help but wonder what the infant mortality rates were here. I thought  about my last visit to Logan Regional Hospital and how clean it all was (and yet people still get staph infections there) in comparison. I imagined having a baby or an operation at Al Mahabba Hospital and couldn't wrap my head around it. We are so fortunate.  

Emergency Room Entrance. It's a dead end, down a steep ramp. ( Bad figure of speech )

Guardian Angels

Oct 11, 2013 From Tom: I never expected to find guardian angels in Jordan! After all, we are in between Syria and Iraq and it's easy to think that terrorists are everywhere, but guardian angels are here in rich abundance. It's actually their culture. Here are some examples:

Osama: We were introduced to Osama by Brent and Margaret Strong and referred by Chris and Bobbie Coray. Osama actually called Strong's and said he wanted to have us come to his home for dinner. We didn't know what to expect. What he heard in the conversation an hour or so before the dinner appointment was that Tom and Ronna needed a car. Whithin an hour, he arranged for two friends to drive two cars out from Amman ( 45 minutes away) for us to choose. Bingo! He solved the problem that had plagued us for almost 2 weeks.

Since that time he went with us to the Police Station to get our 3 month visa. Our previous try at the station almost got us arrested and the terse comment, "Come back tomorrow" It looked like a scene out of a Columbian Cartel interrogation center. Osama also is taking us to the downtown Amman Post Office to get our package. He has cousins everywhere and of course one of his cousins is the Post Master. He also went with us to arrange for a bank account. Again, previously we were told, "Come back tomorrow". While meeting with us on several occasions he would take us for dinner. That means he would take us but not eat, and he would pay for it. He also took me to the right barber and the right tailor. Neither of them charged us.

He has an incredible shop near Mt Nebo as well as one in downtown Madaba. His people make mosaics. Because of the influence of Bobbie and Chris Coray, he now makes some mosaics that are a depiction of the Tree of Life and he, ( a devout Muslim) says it's Lehi and the Book of Mormon.

He also says he loves the Mormons because while others, including his own faith, talk about service and integrity, he respects the Mormons most because they really do it.

 Osama (George Clooney) and my Queen

Osama with his wife Ouda at the meal in their courtyard. She couldn't speak English but graciously sat with us. The meal was roasted chicken in a rice mix with yogurt. No one uses utensils but they gave us plastic spoons. Yum!!

Osama's artist making a mosaic. Tiny piece by tiny piece glued on a fabric then flipped on a plaster/cement base. Incredible ! We'll be sending one home. 

Osama's friend and shop worker. Knows everyone and is going to get me a meeting with the Mayor. 

Owners of Black Iris: Ronna and I were at our wit's end trying to find the medical clinic to get certified  for AUM. We had been given bad directions 4-5 times and were now walking down a dusty alley on a hot afternoon looking for the clinic. This lady noticed us and came out to see if we needed help. We asked her where the clinic was and she had us come into her home. I thought she would just look it up in the directory. No, she had us come into her beautiful home and have fruits and treats with her family and her guests recently arrived from Indonesia. Then she had her son walk us a few blocks to what she thought was the clinic. Who brings strangers in their home for food? Lovely people. 

Suriah: The clinic the woman from the Black Iris took us to was not only closed but was the wife of the person we really were supposed to see. Anyway, when we got there ( this is now our 6th try ) none of the staff could speak English. So there was a lot of waving of arms and confusion. This woman, who was a patient waiting to be seen, stepped up and asked if she could help us get to the correct clinic. We accepted, thinking she would just point or give us directions. She offered to have us go in a taxi. When I said we had a car, she was willing to go in our car to get us there. When we got to the correct clinic she insisted on going inside with us to get us to the right person. I offered to give her a ride back. She refused. I then offered to pay for her taxi, which she also refused. I then asked, "How may I bless you for your kindness?" She smiled and said that God will bless her and walked out. We were very touched.

Sariah

Iraqi tailor

Iraqi Tailor:
I needed some repair on my slacks so Osama took me to a tailor he trusted. The man spoke very little English but when he learned that I was from America he almost kissed me. He then told me he loved America and George Bush. He then carefully opened his shirt and exposed the burn marks in his skin inflicted by cigarettes in torture by the secret police of Saddam Hussein. Even though he obviously was living very humbly with his wife and two daughters, he refused to accept payment because he appreciated America, and I represented America.

There are many others that I didn't photograph including boys and men who went out of their way to take us to where we needed to go, or who patiently helped us turn our car around in a tight alley when we were stuck going the wrong way or a family who invited us in for dinner when we knocked on their door by mistake. If you compliment them for a beautiful thing in their home, they give it to you. When you meet with someone, just for a few minutes, they bring or offer you coffee or tea.

This is a tradition of the Jordanian people. Their highest value is "hospitality". This is why they have kept their border open, welcoming in the Palestinian, Iraqi and now Syrian refugees. They can't afford it. They are getting very little help from the world but now half of their population are Palestinians, about 50,000 are Iraqi and almost one in five are Syrian. It's a strain on a country that has no oil, few other resources and has high unemployment. But the tent is always open for a visitor. Bless them.

Teaching Abdullah, Fahed, Rawaa & Wajih

Wed Oct 9-From Tom: School Days, school days...

Here are some images from the campus, some before the students arrived and a few after. AUM is only in its 3rd year so things are all pretty new.... and in many cases not working yet. Ronna and I are in a new building with classes starting. Desks and furniture is still being installed, no internet access, phones just were put in, many doors don't work or are locked.

Overall the campus is very beautiful, like a citadel on the hill. It takes it's visual clues from the nearby cities that are white clusters of closely packed buildings at interesting angles. So visually they did an interesting job. Technically, they missed the boat. I'm having my class try to observe the things that were designed improperly and come up with solutions. So far my list is approaching 50 and growing fast. The emphasis is on appearance and don't worry about the detail.

It was 60% over budget and late. So I'm interested in how they managed.

Main walk between Science Buildings A and B

There were about 400 students the first year, 800 the second and now between 1200 and 1500. It is gaining a good reputation. Most of the faculty are PhD and trained in the US, UK, Germany, Russia, Egypt, Lebanon, Italy and France. Very cosmopolitan. Most students are Jordanian but there are many from other countries. While it is owned by the Catholic Church, there is no evidence of the Catholic liturgy or iconography--which would be offensive to Muslims.

There is no apparent differentiation between Catholic, Orthodox or Muslim regarding how people are treated. Many young women wear the head covering or scarves, but many don't. Indeed most of the students are pretty cool looking and have tight, clothing. They actually are very beautiful for the most part. Most are very friendly and will go out of their way to help you. I have kids coming up and calling me Dr. Tom.

The faculty and students are all supposed to speak English. Ya right!! They default to Arabic when it's convenient. When they do speak English, I have a hard time understanding. I always have them spell their names. There are no Bob or Marys. As indicated in the Post Heading they are Abdullah, Fahed, Rawaa & Wajih. I took that from our class list. No one uses last names since that would involve about 8 names for each ( most include Mohammed somewhere). Their first is distinctive enough, and actually quite beautiful.

The Business Building B, The patch of grass is only one of two patches within 100 miles.  

First day of School. Note that some have head scarves and some don't. They don't make anything of it. 

Lots of retaining walls, stairs and ramps. Way too many in my opinion. Things don't connect but it's cool looking. 

View to the Science Building, outside of the Snack Bar. Usually very crowded.

Many, if not most of the students and faculty smoke. It's forbidden inside buildings but some don't pay attention. It's also interesting that students are starting to wear coats and sweaters. When I took this it was close to 80 degrees. It gets down to 60 or so at night. ( taken 10/7/2013) Every day is beautiful blue skies with a breeze. Yesterday, there was a dust storm and the horizon was a big brown cloud, but it wasn't too severe.

The university is trying to emulate an American University, but they have  a ways to go. I'm going to create a suggestion list that can be used by them for making changes. They love the quality of the American systems, but there needs to be a major change in thinking in every way.

For example, American are usually concerned about time, getting things done on time, showing up on time, being on schedule. That is the furthest thing from their mind. It's not a big deal to either not be on time or not show up.

Building management details are strange. There are major doors and entrances that have been locked since we got here. Not even panic hardware. I had to walk around the entire building to find a way to get in, even though I tried about 6 entries. They may have paper and soap in restrooms but many don't. Student gathering places and medical clinics are way out of the path and not given signage to find them.  So they are not used.

I'm used to our western attention to detail and responsiveness. Here it's a much more relaxed attitude without the concern about making it correct.

The programs and courses are largely scientific and business. Many upper level chemistry and engineering programs. I'm impressed with the advanced teaching but a bit frustrated with the facility not being managed to match their aspirations.

Most of the students and faculty live in Amman, about a 45 minute drive. There is a shuttle bus system which is well used. There also are a lot of students and faculty driving Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi and Lexus vehicles. Seems like there is a big spread between the wealthy upper class and the lower class. Not much in the middle.

The interest of the King and the President of AUM is to slow down the "brain drain" to America and Europe. They want the students to stay and build businesses in Jordan. Yet many of the students have the desire to leave. It's a big concern and challenge. I believe Jordan has a good future if the Syrian conflict doesn't spread. Many of the best families from Iraq, Palestine and Syria have relocated to Jordan because of it's relative security. So it should build on it.

I'm staying home today....I got my first sickness, a sinus infection. Good thing I brought some good meds with me. We now have 10 days off for the Jordanian equivalent of Thanksgiving mixed with Fast Sunday. They gather together as families, buy and slaughter sheep and give most of it to the poor. I told my class about how we do Fast Offerings and they thought it was a great idea. That's about as far as I can go in discussing faith.

We're planning a trip to Petra and Jerash soon but need our Residency Permits first. With permit cost is about $1.40; without permit it's over $100 each.

October 6, 2013 From Tom: Photos of our Jordan Home

Office/Study area, converted from Dining Room

Patio in the grape arbor--delightful in warm afternoon.

Mariam Rammadi, Owner of home and sister to Nasri, PhD Vice President at AUM. She taught Arabic for 40 years

Sewar ( Say-War), daughter, US educated, works for Save the Children

Home from grape orchard on west. We are in lower floor, but above ground level

Our bedroom, on southwest--catches nice breezes. 

Our guest bedroom on southeast. 

Kitchen eating area--Nice morning sun. Goes out to East patio. Note bottled water. 

View north to Madaba. Note gypsy camps in fields. 

Our home from adjacent roof with view to southwest, toward Dead Sea

East grape orchard. Rock outcroppings look like patches of snow.

Madaba from  southeast. Note contrast of density of open field with packed city. 

Sunset from our Entry

Overall: We are in a nice setting compared to what we anticipated. We had heard of others having very difficult living conditions. This is generally quiet, peaceful ( except for dog packs at night) and close to our work at the university ( 10 min.). The neighbors keep to themselves but are friendly. The space is more than adequate and other than living without the conveniences we were accustomed to ( clean water, normal electricity, TV, music/sound system, big refrig, steam room, telephone access to our family and friends, vacuums and appliances that work) it's fine. ------Tom

PS I guess Ronna would probably add the aggravation of getting a shock and buzz any time she touched an appliance. Nothing is grounded. Ah well.

Saturday, October 5: From Tom: First Impressions

As we approached Amman, the capitol of Jordan, we noticed some very interesting contrasts:

• Freeways: Even though we were on a modern three or four lane freeway, there were no lines to indicate lanes. Drivers were weaving and bobbing however they wanted. Mostly they make way for you if you indicate you're heading in a direction, but I would say the cars and trucks are inches apart at 60-70 mph. Then you have things like fruit stands along the freeway, with people stopping in the lanes to buy some fruit. Then you have pedestrian crosswalks going across the freeway. Yes, people are supposed to stop if someone is in a crosswalk. Mostly they swerve. 
• Buildings: It seems that all buildings are white. At first it looked like plaster, but it actually is stone. Yes most buildings have the same cut stone facing. It's pretty cool. From a distance, the buildings are all clustered like millions of boxes piled together on the hillsides. The closer we got the more we realized that even though many were pretty simple and poorly designed, there were many that were very ornate, like palaces. There didn't seem to be much order in the placement. You would see a brown dirt prairie with rocks and then a walled compound with a palace inside, very well landscaped and gated. Then there might be simple box homes and more dirt field with tents housing gypsies. These would be surrounded by small herds of sheep or goats, then more clusters of box dwellings. Most of the dwellings seemed unfinished. They have a finished 1st or 2nd floor and then clusters of re-bar sticking out of the roof, like it's still in progress. It seems half or more of the buildings are in this condition. 
• Amman: Here is a city of 2.8 million people that barely existed less than 100 years ago ( 1500 people in 1914). Yet it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is one of the strongest hubs for multinational corporations and has been the destination for many very wealthy Arabs, coming from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt. This is because of it's stability. There is a high confidence that it will be safe and stable so the wealthy and educated have flocked there. 
• Vision of Amman: It is a gleaming cluster of white boxes, set against a barren, brown desert. There are few trees until you get into the older, established neighborhoods. It is quite hilly, so the homes and buildings are set on the hilltops and the highways go through the "wadi" or gullies. There is a network of freeways, quite modern, networking the city. The overall organization is a series of major roundabouts or "circles" 8th, 7th, 6th, etc. These are several layers high, with tunnels below and bridges over. Approaching a roundabout or circle, you need to have your wits about you, since there are roundabouts leading to roundabouts, and no lines or lights controlling traffic. It's a large and moving "game of chicken" If you want to get in, you jerk your car forward and hope the other driver believes you and gives way. Amazingly, we have seen almost no accidents, yet cars and people are inches apart. 
• In the neighborhoods and commercial sections of Amman, it becomes very urban, very sophisticated and very upscale. It reminds me of cool sections of Los Angeles, except with very upscale architecture, palaces of white stone. In the older sections, which we have yet to truly get into, it becomes a maze of clogged streets and jammed people. 

  

  Typical residence in the district where the King lives. 

• People on the Streets: The sidewalks are generally filled with an wide assortment of people. They are dressed in traditional garb, full coats or cloaks with head scarves or turban like headbands. Others are very western and cool in their appearance. Most women have a scarf over their head, some have their face covered except a slit for their eyes. We have seen almost no full face coverings. Most are walking in pairs, men with men and women with women, often holding each other or holding hands. I think it's a traditionally accepted and not to be misinterpreted. Lots of children in the care of parents.

  

  Osama's street in Madaba. He blocks the traffic with a chain to be friendly to tourist visitors. 

• Finding Our Way: One of the first things we got was a good GPS system and had it loaded with Brent's favorite locations. It's a life saver. There is no way, even after 3 weeks that we could find our way. Yes I might be able to find church now, but it's pretty scary since all the signs are Arabic words written in Arabic, and the traffic is moving around curving streets pretty fast. Our little voice comes on and says turn left now then take the second exit then go right and merge left. We call her Houda. It's nice that she doesn't get mad when we miss the turn or ignore her. I wish she would warn us of speed bumps that seem to be everywhere. 
• Madaba: By contrast, Madaba is a much humbler, much messier town of about 60,000. It might be 5,000 years old but most of the construction is about 40 years old and not very cool. Most of it is stucco but some is stone also. The most interesting thing other than it's historical significance is the crazy street system. Imaging chopping spaghetti and strewing it on the floor. That's the map of Madaba. Now make half the streets one way, but don't mark them, just let people get half way down the street and have a truck or Mercedes head toward you with lights flashing. Lots of empty lots with rubble, then commercial strips with Arabic signs for every known product then big old buildings. Four lanes of traffic plus pedestrians force there way down a two lane street with people double parked and tour buses wedging through and children playing in the street. Don't forget a herd of goats or sheep. Oh yes, drivers believe one hand should be used for steering and the other for honking. They honk for any reason, warning you, cheering you, showing their anger or tooting a friend. They toot even before the light turns green. None of the streets line up and there seems no rhyme or reason, yet the traffic and people flow with no road rage expressed, at least for very long. 

  

  The main drag in Madaba--typical traffic

• Our Neighborhood: We are on the Road to Ma'in, which is the highway toward the Dead Sea. We are about 2.5 miles from town on the end of a long winding drive through uncle's houses and olive orchards. It's always been under construction. We have very expensive mini-palaces on one side and some gypsy villages to the east. In the day, it is quiet and peaceful with gentle winds and full sunshine. At night there are packs of wild dogs that tear through and have brawls most of the night. We made comment to our landlord family and the next night two shots rang out and two dogs were killed. It's quieter now. We also see gypsies wondering through the olive trees gathering wood for their fires. They seem a world apart and quite independent, but they live is such squalor. It's very sad. 

Yet we are happy with our setting. We are about 10 minutes from the university and 5 minutes from town. We are about 40 minutes from Amman where we go to church and shopping. Now if only we could keep Ronna from getting shocked whenever she touched an appliance ( non are grounded and give a little shock. The answer we get from the landlord son, who is an electrical engineer) is " well, you need to wear your rubber sole shoes". Ronna doesn't appreciate that.

Tom showing Mariam how to prune her grapes.

One of our good neighbors! We call her Allison