النهاية

“I’m snowed in in Amman of all places.” Snow. I never thought my semester in Jordan would end in a terrible blizzard. I have now been sitting at the airport in Amman for nearly ten and a half hours, with only six and half more to go! As a result of the nasty weather conditions roads have been closed to and from the airport and throughout Amman. Therefore, the students in my program decided to play it ridiculously safe and camp out in a Starbucks tonight. A thirteen hour non-stop flight to Chicago awaits me followed by a four hour layover and then a quick jaunt back to Minneapolis. So in approximately twenty six hours I will be reunited with my family.

I have epically failed at blogging this semester. It has been extremely difficult for me to reflect on my experiences and to explain and write about them as they happened. I still can’t really put my finger on Jordan as a country, Jordanians as a people, or my feelings towards any of the above. This semester has been anything but easy and I’ve struggled a lot to stay afloat here. As I prepare to go home, I feel extremely strange. I’ve been surrounded by the same 15 people for the last three and although I may not have fallen in love with the country of Jordan, I depended on the relationships I formed to get me through and to make things easier. To leave them now feels sad and strange and confusing. As excited as I am to be going home, I didn’t realize until today how important and pivotal this semester and the people I met have been.

I plan to retroactively do some blogging. In the second half of the semester I took a trip to Jerusalem and Palestine, went on a program excursion to more sights in Jordan, celebrated Thanksgiving with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and gravy at a professor’s house, went to the engagement party of my language partner’s sister, and learned way more Arabic than I ever anticipated. While I hope to post about all of these things in the next few weeks (with pictures!), I hope even more to be able to share my experiences with anyone who takes the time to read this blog in person.

Over the course of this semester here are a few things I have learned/ accomplished:

-Made friends with someone from Syracuse. Apparently not all of the students there are absolutely horrible, godless heathens who make up the scum of the earth. In fact, my closest friend from this whole experience went to Syracuse. Truly a Christmas miracle.

-Don’t put a kitten on the roof of your apartment building.

-Arabic isn’t impossible! This semester I have gone from an Intermediate Low speaker of Arabic to an Advanced Low speaker of Arabic. I also wrote a five page research paper in Arabic, gave a fifteen minute presentation, and made it through a conversation about the economic climate of Jordan/the Middle East, the impact of refugees on the economy, and the effectiveness of international development programs in the region.

-Found out I make incredibly awesome chocolate chip cookies.

-Sometimes you don’t have water, sometimes you don’t have electricity, sometimes the heat doesn’t work during an epic snowstorm and you can’t sleep because you’re so cold even in your warmest clothes under four heavy blankets. Throughout those times there are people living in tents in refugee camps right down the street from you. So much has been given to us and so much can be taken away.

-The Arab-Israeli conflict is complicated, to say the least.

-The Middle East runs on its own time system where everything works on inshallah (hopefully) time.

-Sexual harassment is unavoidable in the city of Irbid. It is something that so many women throughout the world experience daily ranging from the simple irritating comments to horrendous sexual crimes. It makes you feel less human, more object.

-We could all use a little more feminism.

-I’ve learned how to cook Jordanian dishes through class and I look forward to making a mansaf for my family to enjoy with their hands.

-Daily life becomes so routine, no matter where you live.

-Kanafeh is the most delicious substance on earth.

-Arabs love conspiracies.

-People are an experience. Interaction is the experience. Surrounding yourself with good people who love you and support you will get you everywhere.

Again, I intend to blog about food, experiences, trips, friends, and everything in between over the Christmas break. I also intend to post all my pictures to Facebook in the coming weeks. Please ask, inquire, probe, interrogate, demand from me information from my experience. I owe it to you.