First, I must say to all of my Muslim brothers and sisters, Ramadan kareem--have a blessed Ramadan!!
The new crescent moon was spotted last night (Sunday) and so Ramadan officially began here in Jordan today, Monday. Because I wanted to experience Ramadan the way that so many people here do, I fasted from the time I went to bed Sunday night until it was time to eat this evening. It wasn't so bad to fast until this afternoon in the worst heat of the day (okay, it's not as hot as it is in Little Rock, but it's too hot not to have a/c...more on that offline haha!) when I started to sweat and lose what water I had in my body. I showered and had to hold myself up to keep from falling, I was that weak. But thank goodness by that time it was almost time to break the fast.
I went to my boss's house and when I got there, her, her sweet mother-in-law and her mother-in-law's sweet sister Naima (who wants to find me an Arab husband, not even kidding...she's been telling me that since I first arrived) were still preparing the plethora of dishes that we would eventually be eating. There was ouzi, a dish of rice, with chicken, seasoned with cardamom, peanuts, almonds, ginger, garlic, some other things that I can't remember, barley soup with lamb meat, another lamb dish, sambosas (shoutout to my classmates completing their IPSPs in Africa!!), different beverages, yogurt sauces, pastas, salad, lots of different stuff. MashaAllah, I got full just looking at it all!!
The maghrib (sundown...it doesn't mean sundown I don't think, but this is the time of the prayer) call to prayer sounded and ceremoniously, we all broke our fast by eating a date. After that, the eating commenced...And went on...and on...and on...I'm still full several hours later! But, Alhamdulillah, the food was wonderful! I will surely miss Arabic food once I get home. I sat and talked with my boss during dinner and several of her family members, most enjoyably with Naima (my matchmaker haha!) and really felt at home. I didn't understand most of what they were saying, but because they were so welcoming and kind, I blended in. I am actually proud of myself because I did understand a little--shwei--of what they were saying. Go me! After dinner, we had melon and a special pastry that is only made during Ramadan. It tasted a little like baklava (shoutout to my bestest StephanieSimon), with the honey and crispy pastry and nutty filling.
We all just sat full and talking and it was just a really good time. I think that was when it started to hit me: I'm going home. After ten weeks and six (well, almost six) days of living in this hallowed place, I am going home. My boss took me back to my apartment when her family started to leave her house, and the airport scene from the first first night in Amman happened again. But only this time, the tears I cried were different. I wasn't scared, I wasn't lost, but I was sad. I was sad that I'd basically met and gotten to know a group of people who are like family and that I would have to leave them. My tears were also happy. As much as I have fallen for these wonderful people I have met here, I am ready to get home to see my family and friends and loved ones. All through this trip, my boss, her family, taxi drivers, my good friend Arwa, other random people, they've all welcomed me and called me sister. That means a lot for a girl who's first time out of her mother country is somewhere with which she's totally unfamiliar and lost.
I was taken in am embraced by most of the people I have met here and that is a huge blessing. I've been met with challenges too. The language, the not knowing the streets and having to give directions to every single cab driver, the one girl who was rude to me, the not having water or internet for a week...That's all worn on me at some point, but it has all made me a stronger person and helped to further develop my character. I know that I have been changed forever. I was telling my boss tonight as we said our see-you-laters (I don't want to say goodbye because InshAllah we will meet again), God works in such mysterious ways and only when you let Him, He shows you what He wants of you. He definitely did a work on my heart and my spirit this summer and I am so glad that I surrendered myself to it. I got a project done and even more valuable to me is that I am coming back a different person. I got so much more out of this summer than I imagined and I hope that I can continue to grow like I did here.
For the first time outside of the United States, I sure picked a hard place to go, not even kidding. I had some times when I definitely did NOT want to be here, and times when I was just ready to throw in the towel, but I'm so glad I kept going. I had support from so many different places, and I thank you all. I can't name everyone who has helped--one because that would be hard to give a count that can't be counted and two I'll forget someone and somebody will be mad haha!--but just know how much your support meant (and still means) to me. I am so grateful to the many many people who helped, prayed for me, facebooked me, tweeted at me, emailed me, checked on my mama and daddy and my whole family (pretty sure this was hard for them), SJMBC (worshipping with you all via stream was amazing!), classmates who were off doing their projects but still found the time to skype with me (shoutout Tab and RyDub, and others, of course--love you more than I can say!!), the dinners I got to have with my classmate who was also here--Jared, I LOVED our convos! You are the best!!--and all the other expressions of love I've been shown. This has been wonderful, y'all! WONDERFUL!
Anyhow, it is about that time. I am about seven hours away from leaving Jordan. The first few weeks, honestly, I did NOT expect to feel the way I feel now. I did not expect to feel this sad or to miss my new Jordanian family. But alas, I am. I am so very blessed to have had this experience. My, my, my...My emotions are all over the place. It's difficult to put into words this whole experience. Okay, I'll try. One word: life-changing (Cliché perhaps? Oh well, that's how I feel. And the hyphen makes it one word. So there.)
So until the next adventure (let's see if I can keep this blog thing going...), ma'asalaama Amman, shukran kteer kteer for everything,
salaam,
jMed
The new crescent moon was spotted last night (Sunday) and so Ramadan officially began here in Jordan today, Monday. Because I wanted to experience Ramadan the way that so many people here do, I fasted from the time I went to bed Sunday night until it was time to eat this evening. It wasn't so bad to fast until this afternoon in the worst heat of the day (okay, it's not as hot as it is in Little Rock, but it's too hot not to have a/c...more on that offline haha!) when I started to sweat and lose what water I had in my body. I showered and had to hold myself up to keep from falling, I was that weak. But thank goodness by that time it was almost time to break the fast.
I went to my boss's house and when I got there, her, her sweet mother-in-law and her mother-in-law's sweet sister Naima (who wants to find me an Arab husband, not even kidding...she's been telling me that since I first arrived) were still preparing the plethora of dishes that we would eventually be eating. There was ouzi, a dish of rice, with chicken, seasoned with cardamom, peanuts, almonds, ginger, garlic, some other things that I can't remember, barley soup with lamb meat, another lamb dish, sambosas (shoutout to my classmates completing their IPSPs in Africa!!), different beverages, yogurt sauces, pastas, salad, lots of different stuff. MashaAllah, I got full just looking at it all!!
The maghrib (sundown...it doesn't mean sundown I don't think, but this is the time of the prayer) call to prayer sounded and ceremoniously, we all broke our fast by eating a date. After that, the eating commenced...And went on...and on...and on...I'm still full several hours later! But, Alhamdulillah, the food was wonderful! I will surely miss Arabic food once I get home. I sat and talked with my boss during dinner and several of her family members, most enjoyably with Naima (my matchmaker haha!) and really felt at home. I didn't understand most of what they were saying, but because they were so welcoming and kind, I blended in. I am actually proud of myself because I did understand a little--shwei--of what they were saying. Go me! After dinner, we had melon and a special pastry that is only made during Ramadan. It tasted a little like baklava (shoutout to my bestest StephanieSimon), with the honey and crispy pastry and nutty filling.
We all just sat full and talking and it was just a really good time. I think that was when it started to hit me: I'm going home. After ten weeks and six (well, almost six) days of living in this hallowed place, I am going home. My boss took me back to my apartment when her family started to leave her house, and the airport scene from the first first night in Amman happened again. But only this time, the tears I cried were different. I wasn't scared, I wasn't lost, but I was sad. I was sad that I'd basically met and gotten to know a group of people who are like family and that I would have to leave them. My tears were also happy. As much as I have fallen for these wonderful people I have met here, I am ready to get home to see my family and friends and loved ones. All through this trip, my boss, her family, taxi drivers, my good friend Arwa, other random people, they've all welcomed me and called me sister. That means a lot for a girl who's first time out of her mother country is somewhere with which she's totally unfamiliar and lost.
I was taken in am embraced by most of the people I have met here and that is a huge blessing. I've been met with challenges too. The language, the not knowing the streets and having to give directions to every single cab driver, the one girl who was rude to me, the not having water or internet for a week...That's all worn on me at some point, but it has all made me a stronger person and helped to further develop my character. I know that I have been changed forever. I was telling my boss tonight as we said our see-you-laters (I don't want to say goodbye because InshAllah we will meet again), God works in such mysterious ways and only when you let Him, He shows you what He wants of you. He definitely did a work on my heart and my spirit this summer and I am so glad that I surrendered myself to it. I got a project done and even more valuable to me is that I am coming back a different person. I got so much more out of this summer than I imagined and I hope that I can continue to grow like I did here.
For the first time outside of the United States, I sure picked a hard place to go, not even kidding. I had some times when I definitely did NOT want to be here, and times when I was just ready to throw in the towel, but I'm so glad I kept going. I had support from so many different places, and I thank you all. I can't name everyone who has helped--one because that would be hard to give a count that can't be counted and two I'll forget someone and somebody will be mad haha!--but just know how much your support meant (and still means) to me. I am so grateful to the many many people who helped, prayed for me, facebooked me, tweeted at me, emailed me, checked on my mama and daddy and my whole family (pretty sure this was hard for them), SJMBC (worshipping with you all via stream was amazing!), classmates who were off doing their projects but still found the time to skype with me (shoutout Tab and RyDub, and others, of course--love you more than I can say!!), the dinners I got to have with my classmate who was also here--Jared, I LOVED our convos! You are the best!!--and all the other expressions of love I've been shown. This has been wonderful, y'all! WONDERFUL!
Anyhow, it is about that time. I am about seven hours away from leaving Jordan. The first few weeks, honestly, I did NOT expect to feel the way I feel now. I did not expect to feel this sad or to miss my new Jordanian family. But alas, I am. I am so very blessed to have had this experience. My, my, my...My emotions are all over the place. It's difficult to put into words this whole experience. Okay, I'll try. One word: life-changing (Cliché perhaps? Oh well, that's how I feel. And the hyphen makes it one word. So there.)
So until the next adventure (let's see if I can keep this blog thing going...), ma'asalaama Amman, shukran kteer kteer for everything,
salaam,
jMed
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