Like the Cool Kids

Ben and I at a gallery with a great view

I mostly have pictures, plus a surprise video, for this post. I did want to give a quick update though. I am doing well. I've met two really nice travelers in my hostel, Kifah and Ben. Kifah is from Holland and is studying Arabic in Amman. She introduced me to the school where she is taking classes. It has really reasonable prices, so I have decided to take some basic classes there. I will start August 2nd. (Fun Fact: you might notice that August 2nd is a Sunday. That is because the weekend in Jordan is Friday and Saturday.) 

It is a really small world. The other traveler, Ben, actually just graduated from Claremont McKenna College. I recognized him immediately - though his CMC t-shirt helped - because we'd taken a Spanish class together freshman year. Here is a picture of us together:


I've been spending most of my days learning my way around Amman and adjusting to the environment.

Jordan is not like any place I've ever been. Many of the women wear hijabs or burqas. However, there is a strong Christian population in Jordan so it is not necessary for me to cover my hair except when I go into mosques.  Also, five times a day there is a call to prayer; there is even one at 4am. That one is my favorite (<-sarcasm).

I took a video of the horrible traffic that I talked about in the previous post. The video was taken from the roof on my hostel at the intersection below. Notice cars are merging into traffic and pedestrians. In the background you can here the call to prayer. It think it reflects the hectic life of downtown.

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Kifah and I at a cafe called Wild Jordan that has an amazing view of the city.

The Roman Theater. It is right next to my hostel.