The Paris of the Middle East

While Beirut didn't capture my heart and take my breath away the way Istanbul did, it was cosmopolitan and beautiful and surreal and I would love to go back (now a moot point after getting an Israeli passport stamp this past weekend, but I digress).  I went to Lebanon for my long Easter weekend with lots of ideas but no concrete expectations.  After my experiences in relatively homogeneous Egypt and Jordan, it was strange to catch strands of English and French in addition to Arabic on the street, see churches and mosques right next to one another, and notice women barring their legs for the world to see.  Random soldiers holding large guns will, however, never be something that I will get used to seeing.

Following a multiple-hour hostel-searching adventure, our fearsome foursome piled onto a bus headed for the Jeita Grotto north of the city.  This was indisputably the greatest example of a natural wonder that I have ever laid eyes on.  Pictures weren't allowed inside, so you'll have to take my word that the crazy formations of majestic stalactites and stalagmites were phenomenal.

Mountains near Jeita, for lack of photos inside the Grotto.

Later, we spent hours wandering around Beirut, walking down the old Green Line from the Muslim-Christian civil war and along the Corniche at sunset.  The dichotomy between the old and the new throughout the city was so bizarre.  Everything (walls, buildings, sidewalks, whatever) older than me was riddled with bullet holes, but this was juxtaposed with scores of fancy newer buildings and empty lots filled with wildflowers.  It was the first time I've ever been in a place with such palpable evidence of violence.  It was hard to even imagine somewhere so beautiful being torn apart by something so terrible.

Place des Martyrs (covered in bullet holes) with the
Mohammed al-Amin mosque beyond.

The Mediterranean at sunset.

Destroyed building near our hostel.

One of the greatest things about the trip for me was the food.  Amman has lots of delicious hummus and falafel, but lacks anything resembling a diversity of choices.  I was completely overjoyed to have a burrito, crepes, and Thai food.  Nom nom nom.

The next day, we piled back into a bus headed north and went to Harissa and Byblos.   Harissa is a holy site for Lebanon's many Christians and features a giant statue of the Virgin Mary.  We took an amazingly terrifying cable car (aka Teleferique) up the mountain and when we finally reached the top, we discovered that the statue is undergoing repairs and is thus blocked by a huge fence.  So anticlimactic.

View from the Teleferique!

Our Lady of Lebanon... shrouded. :(

The ruins at Byblos were the coolest that I've seen so far--and after spending a semester in the Middle East, I've seen a lot.  The castle itself looked much like the others I've been to (Karak and Ajloun in Jordan) and it was fun to poke around and explore, but what made Byblos special was the setting.  It was surrounded on three sides by the glittering waters of the Mediterranean and was covered, and I mean covered, in wildflowers.  It was almost too picturesque to be allowed.

Brooke, Julia, Quinn, and I at the Byblos ruins.

Coast at Byblos.  Ruins should always be covered in wildflowers.

This next part I really debated sharing, but I think it's important and I don't want to sugar-coat my experience.  The Middle East is somewhat infamous for sexual harassment.  The day-to-day in Amman can be bad; Egypt was much worse.  By and large, it's just catcalls and uncomfortable stares.  In Wadi Rum last month, I'm pretty sure one of the Bedouin guys was trying to negotiate for my hand in marriage with the guy leading my camel, which is funny but also really bothered me.  It's a fact of life for women here (American and Arab alike), but you just have to take it with a grain of salt and move on with your day.  In Lebanon, I barely noticed anything like this at all; the every day harassment was almost completely absent.  But one point when we were walking around the city, a random middle-aged man that we passed suddenly grabbed my butt.  I wasn't alone--I was walking with three other people, one of whom was male.  I was stunned.  In all of my time in the region and with all of the annoying crap I've put up with, no one has ever laid a hand on me and I've honestly never really been concerned that someone would.  I guess it just goes to show that no matter the cultural norms of a country, there will always be creeps.  For the most part, I've put it behind me and I didn't let it ruin my impression of Beirut, but I've been a little jumpy ever since.

In conclusion, Lebanon is beautiful, I didn't have any run-ins with Hezbollah, and have now officially touched the Mediterranean Sea on three sides.  Stay tuned for an update on my weekend in Jerusalem later this week!

Gobble Gobble Part II

The second half of my Turkish journey was spent mostly on planes and buses and more buses, but the in-between was entirely worth it. On Tuesday, we flew from Istanbul to Antalya, a town on the southern coast of Turkey, and then took series of three different buses through gorgeous mountain roads with occasional views of the sea before finally arriving at our destination--the Bayram's Treehouses in the tiny village of Olympos.

Our stay in Olympos could not have been more different than our experiences in Istanbul. The mere 36 hours that we spent there were filled with exploring 2nd century BC ruins, lounging on the beach in the sun, night swimming, playing with the stray dog that adopted us, chatting by the fire with the myriad other interesting travelers, and, best of all, sleeping in a TREE HOUSE. If this isn't paradise, I don't know what is.

Our distinguished tree house.

Gabby and our adopted stray dog, Qirsh. He was very
concerned for our safety and barked incessantly anytime a
stranger tried to come anywhere near us.

Lura and I on the beach.
(Courtesy of Gabby Arens)

Gabby and I climbed to the top of the ruins aka up a
mountain (in skirts and sandals no less). 
Greatest view on earth. 
(Courtesy of Gabby Arens)

Gabby, exploring the ruins of Olympos.

After our brief stay in Olympos, we headed back to Istanbul for one last night of whirlwind adventure. Gabby's family friend's sister-in-law, Akca, had graciously insisted that we spend our last night with her and her boyfriend Ercan in their apartment in Chihagir (Istanbul's equivalent of Greenwich village) instead of in a hostel. We had the greatest time with them--we drank tea at an itty bitty cafe overlooking the water, ate a delicious kebab dinner in Taksim and dessert right next to the Gallata Tower (so beautiful at night!), and went dancing until the wee hours of the morning.

View from Akca's living room window!
.

Sunset tea overlooking the Bosphorus?
Yes, please!

Ercan, Akca, Lura, me, and Gabby in Taksim. 
They have a silly device on the side of the street that
takes your picture and then emails it to you!

The next morning, we awoke to the only sunny day in Istanbul of our entire trip. After some exploring of Chihagir and Taksim, we went back to the Grand Bazaar to visit our shopkeeper friend "Dennis" (I don't know what his name really is, but it sounded kind of like Dennis) who calls us his angels and then hopped on a plane back to Amman. 

It was so weird to go to Turkey after being in Jordan for two months. Men and women hold hands in the street. People go from bar to bar with open beer bottles in hand. I even saw women's shoulders and collar bones, ya haram! But at the same time, it felt familiarly Middle Eastern. It was such an amazing intersection of cultures that I could have spent weeks wrapping my mind around it all.

The other thing that really hit me while I was there is how unbelievably lucky I am to have learned English as my first language. All four of us were a little shell-shocked when we got off of the plane and realized that we didn't know a single word of Turkish. But just about everyone we met could speak at least a couple words of English and many signs had English translations, so we were able to get by. I can't imagine trying to do everything we did if no one spoke our language. Needless to say, I was very happy to return to Amman where I can carry on a decent conversation with a taxi driver and say "thank you" without a 15 second struggle...

Taking on the Interwebs

This week my exciting opinions about the world have been popping up all over the internet.  A friend that I interned with at Save Darfur last semester recently started a blog for women transitioning from college to the "real world" and she asked me to do a guest post on my observations about women in the Middle East.  Check out my thoughts on women and the Arab media over at Fresh Ink.  While you're at it, check out the rest of their blog too!  The authors, Hannah and Caroline, have posted a lot of great insights and advice on everything from careers to fashion to women and politics.

Additionally, a few days ago, I was approached by a friend of a friend back at American University who was writing an article for AWOL (American Way of Life Magazine) about the ongoing pro-union protests in Madison and wanted to find out what AU students from Wisconsin thought about the whole business.  It went live online yesterday too, so take a look at my groundbreaking quotes about my lovely state.

On a more personal note, I made the exciting/terrifying/marvelous discovery yesterday that I have completed more of my degree requirements than I thought, so many that despite my double major and minor I can graduate next December if I want to!  I have absolutely zero desire to graduate early (Pass up taking a semester's worth of elective classes at a prestigious university that are already 2/3 paid for by my scholarship? No way!), but the idea that it is possible is a little terrifying in and of itself. 

A Cop-Out Post

There is one person in Jordan that I spend infinitely more time with than anyone else.  Lura, another CIEE student, and I not only live in the same house in the same extended host family, but we also have three of the same classes, split taxis regularly, and generally spend our entire Jordanian lives together.  Lucky for me, she is a marvelous human being who puts up with my grumpy morning self and takes my anal retentive tendencies in stride.  In the mere month that we've been in Jordan, we've shared experiences ranging from a getting-to-the-university-on-a-sketchy-microbus-that-randomly-starting-going-backwards-on-the-day-of-our-first-Arabic-test adventure to trying to make it look like our plates are full when my host mom implores us to take more food at dinner.  She just posted an entry in her own study abroad blog that is a much more insightful summary of our last few days than anything I could come up with myself, so shall leave you with a link and her wise words about the our colloquial Arabic class and the LGBT movement in the Middle East.

Jerash

Yesterday I had the day off from classes for the Prophet's Birthday, so some friends and I took a day trip to Jerash--a city of Roman ruins about half an hour north of Amman.  It was my first time outside of the city since I got here nearly three weeks ago and I was amazed by how beautiful the countryside is.  Exploring the ruins in Jerash was like nothing else I've ever experienced because (1) they let you climb all over everything and (2) it was an amazing mix of cultures and times and peoples.  The sounds of the call to prayer wafted over us while we walked amidst crumbling ancient buildings with views of the modern city in the background, little kids playing a game of soccer in a field next door, and groups of other tourists speaking numerous languages passing through.  All of this combined with a delicious lunch of Lebanese food and perfect weather made for an absolutely amazing day.  And now, photos!

Amman to Jerash taxi drive

The group with modern Jerash in the background.

John and I repping AU!

Ancient city of Jerash from the top of the Temple of Zeus.

Lemonade with mint and free dessert at the Lebanese House restaurant
(the king has eaten there)!

This entry was also posted to the AU Ambassadors blog for prospective American University students.

Wust El-Balad

I have been listening to Wust El-Balad's music non-stop since Mubarak resigned on Friday.  Wust El-Balad is arguably Egypt's most famous musical act and I was fortunate enough to see them perform during a weekend trip to Cairo last summer.  They are amazingly fun to watch on stage and have perhaps the most versatile repertoire of any other band I know.  The following song in particular keeps playing on repeat in my head because it is just so darn applicable to what is happening in Egypt right now.

The best English translation (combined from a couple websites with my own edits) that I can come up with is:
The morning sun will come to me, will sing and wake me
A song of life and hope I've never heard before
With the first yearning I'll be calm and see many things I've never seen before
A bird with wings of silk will fly and fly above
Telling me of legends I've never heard before
With the first yearning I'll be calm and see many things I've never seen before
With the first yearning I'll be calm and see many things I've never seen before
The universe will smile again and the light will wait for me
Laugh at last, my time, for I've known happiness. 

This weekend was devoted to exploring Amman, including it's own wust el-balad (which means "downtown" in Arabic).  Thursday afternoon, my fellow CIEE students Lura (who also lives with my host aunt!) and Tad and I explored Rainbow Street, which is a beautiful cobblestone street with lots of restaurants and shops.  We got caught in a surprise downpour and took shelter in a random cafe that ended up being an amazing find.  While a little on the expensive side, it was absolutely charming and had the best view of the city.

Lura at the cafe on Rainbow Street
(If you look closely, you can just make out the Citadel through the fog over her shoulder.)

Later that night, my next door neighbor Erin (who is doing the full academic year program) took us to the grand opening of a new restaurant called "Tube" where her Jordanian friend's friend is the chef.  Besides City Mall, it was the most Western place I've been since I got here (the menu included fettuccine alfredo and apple pie), but it was interesting to see where Amman's hip elite hang out. 

Friday, Erin took us to check out the weekly Friday Market downtown, which is basically a city block-sized outdoor Goodwill plus a farmers market on steroids.  I didn't buy anything, but it was really cool to walk around and observe.  Afterward, we went to Hashem's, a famous falafel shop, where I had the most delicious falafel, hummus, baba ghanoush, and pita that I've had so far plus tasted my first chai binana (tea with mint leaves)--my new beverage of choice.  Then, I spent Saturday at a program-sponsored all-day event to meet our peer tutors (Jordanian students who have agreed to help the American students practice their conversation skills).

Ola (my peer tutor) and I

She seems very nice and today (Sunday) I had lunch with her and a few of her friends in between classes at the University (remember, Jordan is a Muslim country, so weekends are Friday and Saturday!).  They were very welcoming and spoke in a mixture of English and Arabic so that I could understand all of their gossip.  :)

This coming week should be full of adventures.  Not only is it the first real week of classes now that the placement tests and add/drop are over, but we have the day off on Tuesday for the Prophet's Birthday and a day trip to Jerash is in the works.  Then, Friday is a trip to the Dead Sea with a group called Cycling Jordan to bike around the farms there (my dad will be especially happy about that one) and Saturday is a community service day at a local school in Amman.  But for now, yallah bye!

Home Sweet Homestay

 It's been a week since I moved in with my host family and while things haven't exactly been crazy (because I have infinitely more free time than I have ever had at AU), it has definitely been an interesting and somewhat humbling experience thus far.  Tomorrow also marks the end of my first week as a student at the University of Jordan (UJ).  I'm not quite sure how to assemble all of the observations/impressions/reflections that are floating around in my head into something cohesive, so here is a list:

1) My host family is truly wonderful.  My host mom, Bashira, has especially made me feel at home (and never, ever let's me go hungry for more than three minutes at a time).  It is, however, really strange to plop down in someone else's home and try to fit into their existing family dynamics and routine while trying not to commit any cultural faux paux.  I've been in new situations before, whether going to camp or college or what-have-you, but each of those times I've been adapting to a new place along with a group of people who are all going through that same process, so living here is completely different from anything I've done before.

View from my bedroom window on my first night

2) The other thing that makes living here really strange is the language barrier.  While my family members can all speak some degree of English, ranging from a little to practically fluent, they always speak in Arabic unless they are addressing me directly.  This is definitely a plus for learning the language (the reason I'm here after all) but, as one of my American classmates put it, makes it feel like I'm living in a foreign language film without subtitles.  Lots of nodding and smiling has been involved.

3) It is cold here, really cold.  But not in the way Wisconsin winters are cold.  Daytime temperatures are hovering in the mid to high 40s, but it has rained every day since I got here, which make the chill feel more penetrating.  Also, the buildings just aren't heated and insulated as well as they are at home, so I never really warm up.  Being this cold is a very new sensation for me.

More from my bedroom window

4) Jordan is the fourth most water poor country in the world and almost always on the verge of a water crisis, so my eco-friendly tendencies have been in heaven here!  Water is never wasted and all of the newer toilets have really awesome dual-flush settings.  Electricity is also really expensive, so all of the power outlets in my room have little switches to turn them on and off so power doesn't drain out when they aren't being used.  SO COOL.

5) My three-year-old host nephew, Ali, speaks amazing English--probably even better than many three-year-olds in the States--and makes my attempts to communicate in Arabic look like a joke.  Seriously, it's a little depressing.

6) I'm constantly surprised by the way certain aspects of Western consumer culture have permeated society here.  Some friends and I went to City Mall last weekend to pick up some necessities and it was like stepping into any suburban shopping mall in the United States, complete with a Gap, movie theater, and food court.

Three-story KFC ad in City Mall

7) The UJ campus is GORGEOUS.  I didn't know so much green could exist in the Middle East.  The agriculture program even grows food right on campus for the cafeteria.  Going to a school with 35,000 students is definitely a big change from comparatively itty-bitty American University.

Early morning on the UJ campus

So far my classes have been going well.  In addition to taking Arabic (both Modern Standard and dialect), I'm taking two classes called "America and the Arabs" and "Islam in the Modern Context."  I'm really excited because I think the content of these courses will dovetail nicely with my experiences in real-world Amman.  Tomorrow, I get the results of my Arabic placement exam and in sha allah (God willing) I did well enough to stay in the advanced level!