...and it was ALL IN ARABIC. Whoa.
Pretty sure NO ONE spoke English there. It was, needless to say, pretty damn intimidating. This conference was for an organization called YouthWork:Jordan (YWJ) and they talked about how they could get more involved with youth to help them get gainfull employment and become productive members of Jordanian society. The unemployment rate here in JO is really high, and most of those unemployed are youth. These are people who would be a huge help to the community, but because they are not empowered and lack the resources they need to succeed, many resort to activities that don't help them get anywhere in life. That is why my work here in Amman is so important. One of the things that my community partner thinks (as do I) is important is reading for leisure. We take it for granted in the States, but here kids don't grow up being read to or liking to read for fun. We believe that getting kids more interested in reading will open up a new world for them and try to help curb the lack of productivity in Jordan's youth.
But back to the conference. I went a little early, thought I was in the wrong place, had to buy 30 minutes worth of internet access at the conference center to show the concierge the invitation (which was in Arabic) so verify that I was in the right place, then go down to where the conference was held. I met ONE person who spoke English and that's because was from the International Youth Foundation. She is an American from California and I was so glad to hear someone I could understand! The lady with her was Arab and so she translated for us what the speakers were saying. That was great--I actually learned something about what YWJ was doing. That is, until the American and the translator left. CRAP! I was SOL then!
So my boss called me to ask how it was going and I told her: "Yeaaaa, it's all in Arabic and I'm a bit overwhelmed. My head is spinning!" She was so nice about it and very understanding. She said to try and stay through lunch and meet people, which I did. I think I made it until riiiiight before lunch when I could not continue. I felt so bad about leaving then, but I remembered what Arvind said--be compassionate. It's okay that I couldn't understand what was going on or what was being said. It happens. And that's no one's fault. So with those wise words in mind, I left the conference and went back to my apartment. When I told my boss that I'd tried, she laughed and assured me that it was okay. Alhamdulillah for an understanding partner to work with!
Later on in the day, after I'd done a little work in my apartment and gotten some emailing done to the States, I called Arwa to see if she had "taken dinner," as she says. She had not, but I was more than welcome to come down to her apartment to dine with her and her sister. I am so thankful for her! She is such a kind person and has helped me to adjust to Amman. Annnnnyway, we had a first course of soup at the apartment, then we went out into the city to eat the "main course." Arwa said to me that we could go out to this street with shops and restaurants and eat because I'd mentioned that I wanted to go to the mall...
...enter al-Wakalat Street!
Y'all, this place is my new favorite!! There were shops that I knew, those I didn't and plenty of restaurants! I got another little taste of home with dinner--Arwa and I went to Papa John's for our "main course." Let me tell you, this was the nicest PJ's I'd ever been into! Very nice tables, great music, it was so neat! I felt like such a tourist but it was fun. There was a family there at the same time, and Arwa said they were from Syria. She could tell from their accent. Hilarious! We had so much pizza I thought I would burst! But thank goodness al-Wakalat Street is for pedestrians. After all that food I thought I would burst, so it was good to walk around and walk it all off. The weather was perfect too! It had gotten dark by that time, but the breeze was really nice and the atmosphere was just really cool. (Pictures of me on al-Wakalat Street to follow...I fail at taking them off my camera, sorry friends.) We walked through a few shops, then we walked into one that is my new favorite--Zara. I'd never heard of it before (have you?), but to me, it is almost as good as H&M, for all of you who know how much I LOVE that store! Zara is a Spain-based clothing store with pretty good prices and lovely clothes! I absolutely hate shopping (surprised, are we?) but this place was like heaven to me! The pieces in there are so nicely cut and soooo my style! And I've found that European clothing is cut so much more slim than ours in the States. Goodness! Anyway, enough of that. Inshallah I will go to Zara again soon to see how much damage I can do :)
We got back to the apartment and I think I about fell asleep right then. I was so tired after so much activity that day. The only little blip in the day was when I was in the middle of a Skype convo with my mom and the dang blasted internet decided to be a pain and go out. I was upset about that for a while, but then I thought about it and realized how good I have it, to have internet at all. I need not to have such hardline expectations with everything. Everything will be okay in its time :)
So with that, I'm going to get back to work. Perhaps I'll have more to say later on today (hey, I made a rhyme haha)...Salaam,
jMed
P.S. Can you believe that June is TOMORROW?! Yea, me neither, too. This year is flying by! BEST MONTH OF THE YEAR!! Don't even deny it :)
Pretty sure NO ONE spoke English there. It was, needless to say, pretty damn intimidating. This conference was for an organization called YouthWork:Jordan (YWJ) and they talked about how they could get more involved with youth to help them get gainfull employment and become productive members of Jordanian society. The unemployment rate here in JO is really high, and most of those unemployed are youth. These are people who would be a huge help to the community, but because they are not empowered and lack the resources they need to succeed, many resort to activities that don't help them get anywhere in life. That is why my work here in Amman is so important. One of the things that my community partner thinks (as do I) is important is reading for leisure. We take it for granted in the States, but here kids don't grow up being read to or liking to read for fun. We believe that getting kids more interested in reading will open up a new world for them and try to help curb the lack of productivity in Jordan's youth.
But back to the conference. I went a little early, thought I was in the wrong place, had to buy 30 minutes worth of internet access at the conference center to show the concierge the invitation (which was in Arabic) so verify that I was in the right place, then go down to where the conference was held. I met ONE person who spoke English and that's because was from the International Youth Foundation. She is an American from California and I was so glad to hear someone I could understand! The lady with her was Arab and so she translated for us what the speakers were saying. That was great--I actually learned something about what YWJ was doing. That is, until the American and the translator left. CRAP! I was SOL then!
So my boss called me to ask how it was going and I told her: "Yeaaaa, it's all in Arabic and I'm a bit overwhelmed. My head is spinning!" She was so nice about it and very understanding. She said to try and stay through lunch and meet people, which I did. I think I made it until riiiiight before lunch when I could not continue. I felt so bad about leaving then, but I remembered what Arvind said--be compassionate. It's okay that I couldn't understand what was going on or what was being said. It happens. And that's no one's fault. So with those wise words in mind, I left the conference and went back to my apartment. When I told my boss that I'd tried, she laughed and assured me that it was okay. Alhamdulillah for an understanding partner to work with!
Later on in the day, after I'd done a little work in my apartment and gotten some emailing done to the States, I called Arwa to see if she had "taken dinner," as she says. She had not, but I was more than welcome to come down to her apartment to dine with her and her sister. I am so thankful for her! She is such a kind person and has helped me to adjust to Amman. Annnnnyway, we had a first course of soup at the apartment, then we went out into the city to eat the "main course." Arwa said to me that we could go out to this street with shops and restaurants and eat because I'd mentioned that I wanted to go to the mall...
...enter al-Wakalat Street!
Y'all, this place is my new favorite!! There were shops that I knew, those I didn't and plenty of restaurants! I got another little taste of home with dinner--Arwa and I went to Papa John's for our "main course." Let me tell you, this was the nicest PJ's I'd ever been into! Very nice tables, great music, it was so neat! I felt like such a tourist but it was fun. There was a family there at the same time, and Arwa said they were from Syria. She could tell from their accent. Hilarious! We had so much pizza I thought I would burst! But thank goodness al-Wakalat Street is for pedestrians. After all that food I thought I would burst, so it was good to walk around and walk it all off. The weather was perfect too! It had gotten dark by that time, but the breeze was really nice and the atmosphere was just really cool. (Pictures of me on al-Wakalat Street to follow...I fail at taking them off my camera, sorry friends.) We walked through a few shops, then we walked into one that is my new favorite--Zara. I'd never heard of it before (have you?), but to me, it is almost as good as H&M, for all of you who know how much I LOVE that store! Zara is a Spain-based clothing store with pretty good prices and lovely clothes! I absolutely hate shopping (surprised, are we?) but this place was like heaven to me! The pieces in there are so nicely cut and soooo my style! And I've found that European clothing is cut so much more slim than ours in the States. Goodness! Anyway, enough of that. Inshallah I will go to Zara again soon to see how much damage I can do :)
We got back to the apartment and I think I about fell asleep right then. I was so tired after so much activity that day. The only little blip in the day was when I was in the middle of a Skype convo with my mom and the dang blasted internet decided to be a pain and go out. I was upset about that for a while, but then I thought about it and realized how good I have it, to have internet at all. I need not to have such hardline expectations with everything. Everything will be okay in its time :)
So with that, I'm going to get back to work. Perhaps I'll have more to say later on today (hey, I made a rhyme haha)...Salaam,
jMed
P.S. Can you believe that June is TOMORROW?! Yea, me neither, too. This year is flying by! BEST MONTH OF THE YEAR!! Don't even deny it :)
4 comments:
I LOVE Zara...though in Spain the clothes there were kind of expensive (with the Euro/$ exchange rate and all), so I usually just looked and didn't touch.
More importantly, I wanted to give you props on attending a meeting in all Arabic for even a half day. And finding a way to understand what was going on, whether through translator or nonverbal cues or whatever. It sounds from you're blog like you definitely got some take-aways even though you didn't understand the words. Good for you!
Hey Jasmine,
Glad to see you arrived safely and all is well.
L, Melissa
J Med! I am loving your blog so far! I'm so glad that you got to go to Zara. I have actually heard of it, and I'm a fan. They have a few in the U.S.---Miami & Las Vegas come to mind. My friends tell me that the selection overseas is much better than what we have in the U.S. (I'm not shocked. :-p)
J Med! I'm loving your blog so far! I'm so proud of you! Even in your times of despair, you are still an inspiration to us! :)
I'm glad that you got the chance to go to Zara. I've actually heard of it. I went to the one in Miami. They have a few others here in Atlanta, Las Vegas, etc. My friends tell me that the selection is better overseas though (which doesn't surprise me). :)
YAY! (I just felt like saying that... no reason really...)
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