For all of you that want to send me mail...here's my new PO Box address:

Jordan

Al-Mafraq

25110

PO Box 491

Craig Smith

I know, I know...It looks upside down, but that's the way the guys at the post office told me it should be.

First days anywhere are weird. My first day of 8th grade I ran into a pole. My first day with a driver’s license I drove the wrong direction down a one way street and sat in the intersection for a complete chorus … Continue reading →

Though this article from The Guardian is quite long, I think it does a nice job of describing the ins and outs of just how messy the situation in Syria is right now.

Syria: beyond the wall of fear, a state in slow-motion collapse

Fortunately for me, Jordan has yet to be affected significantly by the events in Syria.

This post includes links to several news articles as well as a few of my comments pertaining to each one:

Though I currently reside in my permanent village and spend most of my days hanging out, drinking tea, playing cards, or playing soccer with local community members and local teachers, I have not officially started teaching at my school as all Jordanian Ministry of Education (public) Schools are currently on their winter break after first semester exams ended a couple weeks ago. Typically the second semester starts the first Sunday (the work week is Sunday to Thursday in Jordan) in February, but this year that day happens to fall on February 5th which is the Prophet Mohammed's (pbuh) birthday and is a national holiday; therefore, the first day of second semester is schedule for February 6th. Unfortunately, however, I may not be able to start working on February 6th as teachers across the country have announced their decision to strike for the second time in 3 years in opposition to the current salary restructuring plan set to go in effect at the commencement of the second semester.Last weekend about 12 current TEFL (Teachers of English as a Foreign Language) PCV's attended a conference in Amman sponsored by the American Language Center entitled Shaping the Way We Teach: Successful Practices Conference. The majority of attendees were Jordanian English teachers from throughout the Kingdom. There was also quite a contingent of international attendees and presenters from throughout the Arab world and North America, including a group of US State Department sponsored English Language Fellows who are currently teaching English at posts throughout the Middle East and North Africa. The highlight for many however, was the fact that the keynote speaker was none other than Eid Dahiyat the Jordanian Minister of Education and current Acting Prime Minister of the country. (I say acting because Jordanians only have national elections once every several years, but the all Ministers and Members of Parliament are all fired once every 9-12 months and Mr. Dahiyat is currently serving as Prime Minister until the next round of national elections).Thirdly, in my time here in Jordan, I have been struck by the kindness, generosity, and peacefulness of all Jordanians. When Jordanians watch the news and hear about people dying; be it Syria, Palestine, Egypt, or other places; Jordanians are truly sad and hopeful for a peaceful end to conflict. That being said, Jordan is a country with scant natural resources a very high unemployment rate among young men (the unemployment rate for women isn't officially as high, but that is primarily because most women do not look for a job outside of the home). Almost all men that I have met in Jordan have one of five jobs: teacher, soldier, fire fighter, merchant, or driver. As a side-note, I should also point out that many of these men, especially teachers, have a second job as merchants. In the desert villages where I have spent most of time since my arrival in October, there honestly aren't many job prospects other than those that I mentioned. For many Jordanians who want a secure and steady job, the best option often times is to join the army. When you add this to the fact that King Abdullah was a highly decorated Special Forces Commander in the Jordanian Army before even being named Crown Prince by his father King Hussein and is quite supportive of the army, you find that Jordan, though peaceful and one of only two Arab countries to have a peace treaty with Israel, all of sudden becomes one of the most militarized countries in the world. If you look at the article, you will also notice that of the top ten, seven are in this Eastern Mediterranean/Arab region with Israel being the world's number one most militarized country.Finally, this article proves that it gets very cold and it even snows in Jordan.

Today I was coming back from a trip into town (and a 3 hour wait to pay the bill for my internet. Found out there are no public restrooms in Ramtha. Anyway). I was walking past a patch of houses … Continue reading →

If anybody is looking for something to do this summer, this is a great opportunity:

And here is a link to more information.

Hi folks,

I got internet in my house today. The instructions said I had to put the modem next to the window, but the power cord is pretty short and my only outlet is on the wall opposite the window so it's unclear how consistent my internet will end up being; for now, however, I appear to have my entire room arranged in a way that it seems to be working all right. Let's hope I can keep it that way...

Anyways, here are some more links to things related to our Swearing-In Ceremony:

This first link is a news article from AmmonNews.This second link is from Peace Corps FB page announcing our Swearing-In.This third link includes some of my pictures from the Swearing-In Ceremony.Finally, here's a link to some pictures from the Roman ruins at Jerash (Gerasa).

Enjoy!

The Swearing-In Ceremony of January 4th, 2012 marked the end of PST and the commencement of our lives as Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV’s) in Jordan. I honestly had no idea how big of an event this would until it actually happened. I was always under the impression that we would get together at the Training Center and be given little certificates stating that we had successfully completed Pre-Service Training and were now authorized to serve as Peace Corps Volunteers. I could not have been more wrong: Not only did we not receive certificates (unheard of in the Peace Corps world), but the event was a gallant affair held in the luxurious performance hall of the university, attended by some of Jordan’s elite, and televised live on national television. A few of the distinguished guests and speakers included the Peace Corps Jordan Country Director, the United States Ambassador to Jordan, the Mafraq Minister of Education, the national Minister of Youth, and the President of Al-Al Bayt University.

Honestly, however, I was less impressed by the attendance of these guests as I was by my more personal guests. I was honored by the presence of my PST host-family as well as several teachers from both the school where I worked during PST and the school where I will work as a PCV. Though the ceremony was well structured and the speakers all appeared to be quite appreciative of Peace Corps in general and each of us specifically as Peace Corps Volunteers, I found more enjoyment from the time before and after the ceremony in which I was able to converse with my new friends, both Jordanian and American alike. Many of these people, whom I consider to be very close friends of mine, I will not be able to see but on a limited and sporadic basis over the next two years. For me, the best part of the Swearing-In Ceremony was celebrating with and being with the people I consider closest to me in Jordan.

So I passed my final language test and was sworn in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer and moved to my permanent site, in Ramtha, Jordan. I live there now. My apartment is very very small, but I love where I … Continue reading →

New Peace Corps Volunteers Sworn In

US Ambassador to Jordan Stuart E. Jones today swore in 37 new Peace Corps volunteers at Al al Bayt University in Mafraq. The volunteers are set to begin their two-year assignments in education and youth development projects throughout the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. From: usembassyamman Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 03:29 More in News & Politics

What I said today: “I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, and that … Continue reading →

Yesterday, on the first day of 2012, I moved out of my host family’s house and got on a bus with my giant backpack, smaller backpack, guitar, and Peace Corps issued 1 gallon teapot. It was a struggle. Turns out … Continue reading →

Last week the J15 PCT’s (the fifteenth group of Peace Corps Trainees in Jordan) had another important milestone on our road to Swearing-In and becoming Peace Corps Volunteers (on January 3rd!): The Counterpart Conference and Permanent Site Visit. All the TEFL (English Teacher) Trainees, as the YD (Youth Development) and SE (Special Education) Trainees had gone the week prior, hopped on a bus together and took the hour and a half long ride into Amman where we were met at the hotel by all of our future principals. This two-day long Counterpart Conference was a very exciting time for us as none of us had had the opportunity to meet anyone from our school, or really anyone from our village for that matter.

After the initial get-to-know-you conversations, which actually provided me with a great opportunity to practice my Arabic in context, the first activity that we did was a team-building activity. Each pair of principal and trainee was given 100 straws, 2 meters of tape, and 20 minutes to plan and build the most stable and tallest tower. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how well my principal and I worked together. After drawing out an initial model of what our tower might look like we went to work constructing our tower. After a couple false-starts we had what we believed to be a good solid base and were ready to start building up. We quickly discovered, however, that I am terrible at taping straws together (though I was better at connecting straws together without tape). What pleased me most was that we both recognized the strengths and weaknesses in the other and were happy to work together to support and enhance the strengths of the other so that our end project was significantly better than either of us could have done alone. In fact, our tower was so good that the judges deemed it second best and awarded us with a box of yummy chocolates. I believe this to be an important metaphor for our future work at the school site and I hope that my relationship with my principal and English teachers continues to develop as it started in Amman.

Also during the Counterpart Conference, the PCT’s and the principals broke off into two groups to develop a pair of lists of expectations. Both groups developed lists of what they believed the other could expect from them, as well as what they were currently expecting from the other. I thank Peace Corps for providing us with this opportunity to vocalize our needs and expectations from the very beginning, and also for giving us the opportunity to see what the principals were expecting of us. More importantly, however, it was wonderful to see how closely aligned were our expectations and those of the principals. This conference was certainly a great first step towards developing relationships and doing our work in our schools and communities throughout Jordan.

Following the Counterpart Conference, rather than the PCT’s getting on the bus together, we each got into a car with our principal and took off to our permanent site for a two-day site visit. Now my principal does not actually live in my village, rather he lives in the nearby city, so I only was able to spend one day in my village. The day I spent in the city with my principal and his family, however, was wonderful as they all went out of their way to make me feel welcome and really a part of the family. They took me on a tour of the city, cooked some fabulous kebsa (a slightly spicy dish [literally, one big dish that we all eat out of] of rice, chicken, lentils, veggies, and almonds), and even offered me one of their beds to sleep in at night.I am not even sure how this last part came about, but they even insisted that I sing five Christmas carols to them. As I am sure you all know, I am a terrible singer, but fortunately for me Arab music has almost no connection to Western music (their notes aren’t even based on an octave, rather there are something like 13 notes in one scale), they have no ability to distinguish good Western music from bad Western music (just as I have no ability to distinguish between good and bad Arab music), and they seemed to love listening to my Christmas carols.

The next day we went into my village (قريتي) to check out the sites and school in town. We started at the boys’ school, where I’ll be working, and I spent most of first period meeting many of the 27 other male teachers. I spent most of second and third periods with the principal and one of the English teachers getting a tour of school, which included the teachers’ lounge, computer lab, kitchen, beautifully decorated hallways, and every single classroom. In Jordan, like most countries of the world, the students stay together in the same classroom all day and it is the teachers who rotate from class to class. This system certainly has its advantages and disadvantages when compared to the American secondary school system, but it afforded me the opportunity to see every single (male) student in the school in only two periods.

I really appreciated how my principal was willing to take the time to introduce me to all the students in the school. I also appreciated how he emphasized the facts that I will be a teacher just like all the other teachers in the school, that I will work with them for a full two years, and that I will not be merely an English teacher but rather a community volunteer for the entire village. Now that effectively every male from the village between the ages of 6 and 18 has had the opportunity to meet me, and even hear me speak a little Arabic, I am much more confident in my ability to forge relationships, teach English, and serve in my community.

Finally, I spent the rest of the day touring the village. I was lucky enough to visit the local health center and meet the doctor and nurses, visit the post office and meet the postman, and meet a couple of the local shopkeepers. The last site I visited in town was my new (huge) house. My house is about a ten minute walk from my school on the edge of town with a deck overlooking the countryside. I have two big bedrooms, an entry way, two huge living rooms, a bathroom and a kitchen. I can’t imagine how I will fill up my whole house all by myself, especially considering how cold it is right now. I imagine for the next couple of months I will confine myself primarily to the kitchen, bathroom, and one of the bedrooms where I will keep my heater. Maybe in April or May when the weather starts warming up I might start exploring the rest of my house, but for now I imagine I will just hunker down in my bedroom and try to stay warm.

Lastly, I want to wish everyone a happy holiday season and happy New Year. Peace Corps was nice enough to bring us all together on Christmas where we were able to celebrate with an American Christmas dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and root beer floats. Though I apologize that I do not have any pictures from this celebration, I do have some photos from my site visit available here.

A Peace Corps Christmas Carol On the first day of Christmas, Peace Corps gave to me… A soba* with a gas tank 2 jars of peanut butter, and a soba with a gas tank 3 phone cards, 2 jars of … Continue reading →

This week I went to a counterpart conference in Amman to meet my mudier and my counterpart, and then after the conference I went back to Ramtha with them to spend the night on my counterpart’s floor, see the school, … Continue reading →

I realize I just finished describing a typical weekly schedule in my previous post, but I also want to emphasize that our life here as J15 PCT’s is anything but monotonous. With events such as Eid Al-Adha (The Festival of the Sacrifice), weekly weddings or engagement parties, regular births of new babies (60% of Jordanians are under the age of 22), World Cup 2014 Qualifier Soccer matches, and friends and family just stopping by to visit there is always something exciting happening in the lives of Jordanians.

In addition to all these events, the J15 PCT’s have just completed two very important steps this week towards our progress in becoming PCV’s: the current PCV Site Visit and the Official J15 PCV Site Announcement. For the Site Visit all J15 PCT’s were split into (gender segregated) pairs and sent off on our own for the first time to visit a currently serving PCV at his or her site.

I went with another PCT to visit Mike who is a volunteer serving as an English teacher in the village of Gadisiyah in the governorate of Tafilah. Mike could not have been a more welcoming and gracious host for the two of us and I had a fabulous time visiting him. His village has one of the highest elevations in all of Jordan and sits at 1650 meters (5400 feet) above sea level. Not only this, but his house rests on a cliff with spectacular views over-looking Wadi Dana Nature Reserve, a 1000 meter deep canyon cut out of the mountain by the Great Rift Valley which contains the Sea of Galilee, the River Jordan, the Dead Sea, the Red Sea, and the Great Lakes of Africa. As I was only in Gadisiyah for a day and a half, we didn’t have time to go hiking or exploring in the Wadi, but I was lucky enough to make it half way down into the canyon (where there are lots of trees!) and play soccer for three hours with the teachers from Mike’s school.

Upon our return from the PCV Site Visits, the J15’s stood outside in the freezing cold around a huge map of Jordan in the parking lot of the university. On this map 38 villages were labeled throughout the country. One by one the Peace Corps Jordan staff called out our names and the names of our villages where each of us will spend the next two years beginning on January 4th, 2012. The J15 Site Announcement Ceremony concluded with a serving of cake and all 38 of us spread out across the map of Jordan in the location of our permanent sites as of January 4th.

I was lucky to discover that my site is in the same governorate (Mafraq) as my training village and only 3km from Mafraq City. This means that, while my village has a population of only 8000 people, I will be only a 10-15 bus ride from the urban center and market, and I’ll be less than hour on public transit from my wonderful home-stay family and Jordanian friends in my training village.

Now I still have not yet been to my future village, nor do I have much knowledge of it, but I do have a one page information sheet provided to me from Peace Corps from which I would like to share some information with you. Firstly, however, I need to explain that the job title that Peace Corps Washington offered me and which I explained to many of you before I left (English Teacher Trainer) is not a job that exists in Peace Corps Jordan. I honestly do not understand how this happened, but there are about five J15 Trainees who thought they were here as English Teacher Trainer Volunteers, but are being forced to work as a Teacher of English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Volunteer. I will admit that I was pretty frustrated upon my arrival in Amman to discover that I will not be doing the job that I had been preparing myself for over the past 10 months. I had several conversations with Peace Corps Jordan staff (including the Country Director, the Director of Programming and Training, and the TEFL Coordinator), about my frustrations over this grave miscommunication. By now, however, I have accepted my role as a TEFL Volunteer and really do enjoy the interactions I have had so far with Jordanian (male) students, but I did emphasize pretty strongly to Peace Corps Jordan staff that I do not believe it is appropriate in the future for Peace Corps Washington to offer English Teacher Trainer positions in Peace Corps Jordan.

All that being said, I am quite excited to be a TEFL Volunteer in my new village in January and have actually had the opportunity to help out with the training of the other J15 TEFL Volunteers: I helped facilitate technical sessions on both classroom management and assessment. Several other Trainees came up to me after the sessions to tell me they appreciated my demonstration, so I am happy to be helping out with the training in that sense. Additionally, all TEFL Volunteers in Jordan are required to teach 100% of their English classes with a Jordanian counterpart and, hopefully, my counterpart(s) and I will be able to learn teaching strategies and techniques from each other.

Furthermore, I would like to continue sharing information about my permanent site: The school has 273 (male) students and 27 (male) teachers from grades 2-12. In Jordan all students take English from 1st grade through 12th grade and there are 3 English teachers who share these 11 grades at my future school. The average class size is about 27 students, though the average classroom is about 35% the size of classrooms in the US.

Something that I am particularly excited about is the fact that I am the first Peace Corps Volunteer ever to work in my village. On the negative side, this may mean that many of the people I work will never have been exposed to Americans or American teaching styles and consequently I may have a difficult time at first feeling effective and successful in my work. On the positive side, my school and principal and counterparts are eagerly awaiting my arrival, I may have a greater opportunity to encourage positive change in the school and community, and I will be able to have more freedom and autonomy in my work as I will not have to face constant comparisons with previous PCV’s.

Other information about my site includes the fact that many of the men in the village work as soldiers, bureaucrats, farmers, or businessmen. In addition, there are about six other J15 (and several J14) Volunteers working in Mafraq City and the surrounding villages providing ample opportunities for collaboration within my village as well as in other villages, Mafraq City, and even at the university.

Additionally, I am scheduled to visit my site in about 3 weeks and I intend to take a few pictures and share more information with you about my village at that point.

Finally, I really do appreciate you taking the time to read this and showing an interest in my life and work here in Jordan. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and wish you a happy holiday season. (!كل عم و إنت بخير)

It was Thanksgiving! I hope everyone had a lovely, highly American time with lots of turkey and pumpkin pie and family. I didn’t end up having any of those things, which was definitely a bummer, but my Thanksgiving actually turned … Continue reading →

This week marks the mid-way point of Pre-Service Training (PST) for my cohort of Trainees, collectively known as the J15’s as we are the 15th group of Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV’s) in Jordan. By now most of the J15’s have settled into our PST routine, which I will describe in detail below.

We all typically spend every Sunday and Monday together at the university where we have training sessions in Arabic Language, Safety and Security, Health and Wellness, Diversity, and Jordanian Culture, as well Technical and Job-Specific training related to our particular assignment as a PCV in Jordan.

The middle of the week, Tuesday through Thursday, is spent in our particular training villages. In my training village there is one other male Trainee (John), who is my roommate in my home-stay family, as well as three female Trainees. In the mornings, John and I go to the boys’ school while the women head off to the girls’ school. At the school we spend time observing English classes, drinking tea with other teachers and the principal, staving off throngs of children who apparently only know how to say “Whass yer naame?” in English, and co-teaching about one lesson per day with a Jordanian English teacher.

After school on Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s, and Thursday’s we come together with the girls to have Arabic class which is taught by our Language and Culture Facilitator (LCF). We typically have 4-6 hours of Arabic Language and Jordanian Culture instruction and practice on each of these three days as well as on Saturday’s.

Friday is considered to be the holiest day of the week when most shops are closed, public transportation is quite limited, and everyone spends time with their family. For the Trainees this means that we get a relaxing day with our family, really good food, and lots of tea with friends and extended family members. Saturday is also considered to be part of the weekend, but more services are open and available and our LCF comes back to the village for a full day of language and culture class.

This will continue to be my schedule for the next three weeks or so at which point final preparations for my transfer from being a Peace Corps Trainee (PCT) to becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) will begin. PST officially ends on January 3rd, 2012 with the Swearing-In Ceremony for all J15’s; January 4th, 2012 marks my first official day as a PCV when I will move to new my village where I will spend the next two years.

A wonderful person that I love recently created this: http://27monthswithpeanutbutter.wordpress.com/ So if while you’re reading about squat toilets and mansef you feel the need for some good old fashioned 1st world problems to balance it all out, you now have that … Continue reading →

this is what i look at every day. Continue reading →

Check out this cool video from Manna Project International (MPI): a non-profit organization that I have worked with at Vanderbilt, in Ecuador, and in Guatemala.

Hi there,

I don't have much to say right now other than things are going really well, I'm settling into life in my training village, and my host family could not be any more welcoming and fun.

What I do have is some pictures from my training village. You'll see what my town looks like, what my apartment looks like, and some of the fun times I have been having with my host family.

Additionally, I have a video from before the Jordan-Singapore FIFA World Cup Qualifier Match in Amman on Friday:

Jordan Levinson Delivers Fulakunda Pulaar Speech

Peace Corps Senegal Volunteer Jordan Levinson delivers her speech, in Fulakunda Pulaar (a local language), at the Fall 2011 Swear-In ceremony. From: pcsenegaladmin Views: 2 0 ratings Time: 03:02 More in Nonprofits & Activism

Hello all,

I hope this message finds you well i would really like to provide pictures soon, but my Internet access is still quite sporadic and getting pictures from my camera to my computer to the Internet is a task that is just a little too overwhelming for me right now. In the meantime, however, I did want you all to know that my life in Jordan is wonderful.

As a Pre-Service Volunteer (PSV) I spend 2 days a week at the Training Center at a university in Mafraq. I spend the other 5 days each week in a home stay with a Jordanian family in a village in between Mafraq and Syria. In fact, I can see Syria across the desert from my bedroom window.

The family I live with is incredibly warm, welcoming, and fun to be around. The food, also, is fabulous. For meals, we always separate by gender, sit on the floor, hide our feet, and eat only with our right hand (and usually without silverware), but I love it.

In the village, we have small-group Arabic language instruction 4 hours per day in addition to 3 hours of practicum with local English teachers in (gender segregated) schools. I don't have much yet to say about these as this schedule does not start until November 1st.

I know this message has been quite abbreviated, but I should have some more interesting and detailed stories to tell in the coming weeks.

Finally, I would like to assure you that I am very happy here in Jordan and to leave you with a couple links to related reading. This first link describes how Manna Project International - Ecuador continues to subscribe to an Assets-Based Community Development model, which is a framework that heavily guides my philosophy and actions in my work. This second link is an Economist article detailing some of the current political situation here in Jordan.

Okay, everything I thought about people in the Middle East was wrong. When I told people I was joining the Peace Corps in Jordan I mostly got two reactions: “Oh my god, you are so brave.” and “But you’re a … Continue reading →

Peace Corps Jordan - Night of Magic and Dancing

A night for the disadvantaged youth of Jordan, full of magic and dancing. From: thecrackofnight Views: 12 0 ratings Time: 03:26 More in Travel & Events

Nights in Amman - Peace Corps Jordan - Floating Fire

A flaming balloon movies into the night sky above Amman. From: thecrackofnight Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 00:45 More in Travel & Events

So here I am in Jordan! Probably I should have posted this awhile ago (I got in last Thursday) but things have been understandably busy since all 38 of us arrived in the country at 2am. We’ve been doing a … Continue reading →

Venice Web Series Episode 10 Season 1

The drama begins to heat up in Venice and this web series as we find Ani (Jessica Leccia) and Lara (Nadia Bjorlin) enjoying a private meal in an exclusive restaurant where Lara knows the Chef. The two share stories of their lives and childhoods including how they had chosen their careers and discuss how their families feel about their sexual orientation. At the end of the date, nervous and unsure of the next step, the two draw closer and Lara leans forward until their lips meet for their first passionate kiss that leaves them both desiring more. Owen (Galen Gering) and a nervous Sami (Gina Tognoni) await Gina's (Crystal Chappell) arrival for drinks. Owen does nothing to calm Sami's nerves as he describes Gina as a pit bull and over protective. Gina arrives all smiles and pleasantly greets the two. Owen, while trying to impress Gina, talks about Sami's work in the Peace Corps. Gina lets out a sarcastic laugh and asks "When are you going back?" Sami excuses herself and goes to the restroom and Owen calls Gina on the carpet for her sarcasm declaring that he really likes Sami. Sami returns to an uncomfortable silence at the table, but an enamored Owen reaches over and kisses her as an over protective and somewhat critical Gina watches. Continue to watch what happens on this online series. From: venicetheseries Views: 303 8 ratings Time: 08:45 More in Entertainment

Venice Web Series Episode 6 Season 1

Episode 6 of this web series opens as Owen (Galen Gering) is set up on a blind date by his Aunt Guya (Hillary B Smith) and is quite pleased when he meets Sami (Gina Tognoni). They get to know each other sharing past blind date failures over a beer. Owen is very impressed with the Peace Corps work that Sami has done and invites her to dinner at the beach. Owen and Gina (Crystal Chappell) arrive at the Colonel's (Jordan Clarke) for brunch and are greeted outside by Guya (Hillary B Smith) who is so giddy that she announces she is even wearing panties! Once entering the house and greeting the Colonel, the mood turns dismal. Watch as the family drama heats up on Venice the online series. From: venicetheseries Views: 286 7 ratings Time: 07:54 More in Entertainment

Today I said goodbye to my dad and my dog and got on a plane to Philadelphia. I brought two bags (40 lbs each), my guitar, and a critically overstuffed backpack. And that’s all I’ve got with me from my … Continue reading →

After spending the past couple months with family and friends in Oregon, including one disastrous Beaver loss to Sacramento State, one exciting Duck win over Arizona State, and lots of games of Settlers and Tick, I have now begun my journey to the Middle East. I spent today flying from PDX to PHX to PHL. Tomorrow I have Peace Corps Orientation here in Philadelphia. Wednesday night I have a red-eye flight to Frankfort followed by an 11 hour layover and a second red-eye flight Thursday night to Amman, arriving early Friday morning. Who knows how much Internet access I'll have upon my arrival in Jordan, or when I'll be able to post again, but once I get settled I'll do my best to give a brief update of my first few days of Peace Corps Orientation and Training.

On the occasion of the Earth's human population reaching 7 billion people (Earth only had a human population of 2.5 billion in 1945, the year the United Nations was founded), UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has outlined his Five Global Imperatives. He defines them as "five generational opportunities to shape the world of tomorrow by the decisions we make today":

Sustainable DevelopmentPrevention as a Framework for International CooperationBuilding a Safer and More Secure WorldSupporting Countries in TransitionWorking With and For Women and Young People

Reflecting on these Five Global Imperatives, I am struck by the amount of impact and change they may potentially bring about in the area of the world that I am about to enter. I believe that the realization of these five will bring about more change in the Arab world than anywhere else on Earth. The following are a few of my immediate (and likely still naive and ill-informed) thoughts in reverse order:

There is little doubt or debate that Arab women have fewer rights and opportunities than women in other parts of world, as highlighted by recent events in Saudia Arabia. While there have always been Arabs speaking up for the rights of women under the argument that a nation can not fulfill its potential when 50% of its population is subjugated, the majority of Arabs (both male and female) would prefer to see the maintenance of the status quo rather than the progress described by Ban Ki-moon.

I'd also like to comment that a common misconception among Westerners (and some Arabs) is that this Arab subjugation of women is religiously based in the Qur'an, when it fact it appears that the Qur'an has very little to say on this issue and this tradition is actually a holdover from pre-Islamic times.

Again, there is little denying the fact that the Arab world currently has a surplus of countries in transition. One can name countries like Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, which have all been successfully "liberated" and are now in the process of rebuilding from the destruction brought about by the rebellion and creating a new government that hopes to better serve the people than the one which has been disposed. One can also name countries like Syria and Yemen, where people are dying everyday as popular uprisings look to topple militarily-backed regimes.

When discussing countries in transition, one cannot forget the country of Israel and the Palestinian Territories and their ever flickering hopes for peace. In Ban Ki-moon's statement he specifically addresses this very issue. He states:

We must be courageous in standing up for democracy, human rights, and peace...In the Middle East, we must break the stalemate. Palestinians deserve a state. Israel needs security. Both want peace.

While many in the Arab world would deny that Israel wants peace, I for one appreciate Ban Ki-moon and the UN for specifically singling out the resolution of this decades-long conflict as a Global Imperative.

One often tried (though not necessarily true) method used throughout the Arab world and in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is that of mediation. Ban Ki-moon ask us to "think what we could save by avoiding conflicts - by deploying mediation missions, for example, rather than troops". Negotiation and mediation are a must for there ever to be hope for peace in the Middle East. President Obama recently chided Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for seeking statehood through the UN Security Council, claiming their unilateral actions to be an affront to the peace process and to Israel. Many Arabs, however, argue that the traditional method of "American-Israeli-dominated" negotiation and mediation have not resulted in peace and thus a new method must be attempted. As Rami G. Khouri writes, with Abbas' bid for statehood at the UN the "Palestinians stopped acting like helpless victims of history and global politics and started acting like a self-interested party that has not only rights to demand, but also political agency and the capacity to act".

Finally, and firstly for the Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon discusses sustainable development. This is a topic that I have been passionate about ever since my first trip to Peru in 2003. I truly believe that the undertaking of any development work which is not sustainable is at best a waste of energy and at worst a destruction to the community. "Sustainable Development" is a term that I personally would like to see replace the term "Charity". I do not believe that well-intentioned money alone can solve problems. Outsider funds are not sustainable. Rather, at best, they are merely a bandage. In order for a community to grow and develop to its full potential the capacities and connections of the individuals, organizations, and institutions must be formed and strengthened in a culturally appropriate manner that corresponds to the desires of the members of the community.

The following link provides my official announcement of selection as a Jordan Peace Corps Volunteer:

http://nextpcvs.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/csmith/

From that website you can also find announcements and bios of other recently arrived and incoming PCVs from throughout the West Coast.

This post does not concern my work in Jordan or with the Peace Corps, but it does represent a very important opportunity for another organization that I have been deeply involved with: Manna Project International.

As most of you know, in 2007-2008 I spent 13 months in Ecuador as a founding Program Director on Manna Project International's second international site in Quito, Ecuador to go along with the original site in Nicaragua. Due to our successful expansion of Manna Project into Ecuador, Manna has since expanded again to Guatemala in July of 2010, a site where I spent a month last summer supporting the new founding Program Directors get their feet on the ground and flesh out their community development philosophy.

The reason for which I am currently discussing Manna Project International is because Chase (Bank) Community Giving is currently holding their "American Giving Awards". Five charities in each of five categories (Educators & Mentors, Champions of Health & Wellness, Heroes & Leaders, Community Builders, and Youth Developers) have been nominated for the chance to win up to $1,000,000. Chase will be giving awards of $125,000 to the organizations that garner the most votes on Facebook in each of the five categories. You are allowed one vote in each category and I encourage you to vote for Manna Project International in the Youth Developers category.

Furthermore, the last time that Chase Community Giving held an online vote, Manna Project International earned enough votes to qualify for a $25,000 prize, and thus has now been honored with an invitation from Chase Community Giving to participate in this year's "American Giving Awards". Please vote soon, however, as voting ends October 5th, 2011.

A link to the voting page on Chase Community Giving's Facebook page is available here. Please click on it, "Like" Chase Community Giving, and vote for Manna Project International in the Youth Developers category.

Hello and welcome [marHaba (مرحبا)] to my Peace Corps Jordan blog. From here I'll be posting updates, stories, and pictures from my work and adventures in Jordan and the Middle East. Please feel free to subscribe, follow, and/or share with anyone else who might be interested to receive regular updates.

For those of you who do not know, I will be arriving in Jordan on October 21, 2011 to begin my service as a Peace Corps Trainee (PCT). During my first 2.5 months I will receive job-specific, technical, linguistic, cross-cultural, health, and safety and security training. Also during my time as a PCT, I will be living in a home-stay somewhere near the city of Al Mafraq. Upon my successful completion of Pre-Service Training, I will be sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) right around the New Year.

Starting in January I will begin my work as PCV as an English Teacher Trainer. This basically means that I will be working with current teachers of English to Jordanian children to support these teachers in their teaching as well as their English skills so that they may serve their students as effectively as possible.

Some of you may have been wondering why the title of this post has a capital "H" in the middle of marHaba. This is because when Western, English-speaking linguists decided to transliterate Arabic script into Roman script they discovered that spoken and written Arabic has 2 distinct letters which, to Western ears, sound just like the letter "h". For this reason, one of those letters is transliterated as "h" whereas the other, used in this case, is transliterated as "H".

Unfortunately for me, this not only happens with the letter "h", but also with each of the following letters: "s", "t", "d", and "k". Furthermore, Arabic has 3 different sounds that Americans equate with the "th" sound. This all may sound plenty difficult, but I cannot forget that in addition to all these couplets there are at least 4 more letters/sounds in Arabic that do not exist in American English.

Suffice it to say I've got my work cut out for me, not to mention the fact that I am moving to a culture that is so foreign to Westerners in so many ways. I will have to learn to make considerable adjustments in my lifestyle, all the while attempting to communicate in one of the world's most difficult languages to learn for an English speaker.

Nevertheless, I couldn't be more excited and intrigued for this next step in my life. I am utterly grateful for all the support that so many of you have provided to me throughout the years. Although I go to Jordan looking to forge new relationships with new people in a new culture, I will always remember and hold a special place in my heart for the people I've met and the relationships that I have developed over the years across the United States and throughout the Americas. Finally, I have to thank my family for always supporting me and encouraging me to live my life.

The streets are strewn with litter and the young man throws several pieces of trash from the floor of the bus onto the earth outside. Bottles break. I cringe. The woman beside me gives me a smirk.

As classic as this is in Jordan, I can't help but realize how much more in touch I am with nature here than I was in the States. Should I wash my clothes now? No, it's going to rain. Or no, I'm too tired to wring them out. Or yes! the sun will be at full-force when I hang them out to dry, and they will then get bleached by the sun.

When will you want help picking your apricots, and when should I harvest my olives?

Most importantly, when will it get dark? With each night, it gets dark about three minutes earlier. Three more minutes I should make sure to be in my home or with my neighbors, rather than out walking alone.

Now I should go close my windows - the seasons are shifting and it's time to start opening my windows during the day and closing them at night. It's getting cold here...

I slept in today after staying up late to watch the Office which I streamed online. I never watched TV in America and expected myself to read many many books when in Jordan... that's what you're supposed to do as a PCV... read because you're not supposed to have internet or television or phones that you can afford to make calls on. Sometimes we joke how PC Jordan is really named "Posh Corps" because each of us have large sturdy houses and electricity and running hot water (though making it hot is really expensive if you always have it on) and refrigerators and indoor plumbing and there are usually some people who speak English in the village and if not it's a relatively easy trip to get to Amman (no canoes or hiking or puddle jumpers necessary). I can go to my dukan (corner store) and get a pepsi (maybe even diet!) and I can buy McDonalds and Popeyes and Burger King in Aqaba and in Amman I can find anything I could want (though perhaps at a slightly steep price).

To de-stress and get in-touch with why I'm here I like to go for walks. During Ramadan it's especially amazing because at around 3pm everyone's inside resting and the streets are fairly silent.

So I'm walking... quicker than normal so I can actually get some exercise and then suddenly some teenage guys decide to get my attention by pretending that they're going to hit me. I should have gone to their home.... they pulled into a drive right there... but somehow a crying foreign girl who doesn't have the words to say "your sons pretended that they were going to hit me" would probably not convince their parents to serve them any sort of punishment.

So I kept walking, tears drying from the August sun and breeze... looking at the beautiful landscape that I have so many times admired... this time full of a deep green and nearly ripened pomegranates and apple trees weighed down with fruit. The flowers colorfully climbing up to the sky and a window that doesn't seem to belong to the house it's attached to... it's gorgeous....

And just when I'm nearly home, there's a wild dog right beside me barking at me

Thanks, Jordan...

Yet again, I can't sleep. And I am stressing over stupid little things, like the fact that I have to go to the next village to pay my electric bill... all I have to do is call a cab, or that I have to set up my projects that I'm so excited for... I can just talk to the non-profit center and the girls that want to participate and it'll all be set up. Even though I rationalize all these little things, I feel stress.

And then I realize my problem. I suddenly understand what real loneliness feels like.

I never really knew in the States. I liked to be alone. I craved my alone time. Not to say that I didn't love hanging out with friends, but an evening alone never disturbed me.

But here, somehow I've changed. If I don't visit or have a good phone conversation I feel like I'm completely and utterly alone. It's disturbing for me to feel like this considering I always defined myself by my independence... and I realize that humans are "social creatures" but what has happened to me?

Maybe it's that I've always had a roommate and now suddenly I don't. Maybe it's that I'm the only foreigner for miles. Maybe it's that I haven't had an English conversation face-to-face in 2 weeks. Or maybe it's that I haven't seen any of the volunteers I'm closest to in a that long.

But I'm excited for the holiday coming up! Eid al-fitr... it ends Ramadan... I'm going to visit my host family in Mafraq and then hopefully see my friends over the weekend :)

In reality what I need to do is buckle-down and get to work... This has been a lazy month and it's time to actually get some projects started!

And now for round 2 of trying to sleep...

So for those of you who didn't notice, I started working in my village in the 2nd semester last year. That means that I had little idea what the kids were like in the various classes and had to choose which grades I'd teach the classes that my counterparts asked me to... at least the ones who were best behaved with me. and of course they're very different with a new ajnebiiya than with someone who's been with them for 8 months. That said, they still run up to me every morning shouting "Hello, Miss Stesha! How are you?" I've taught them some other responses besides the "I'm fine, thank you" that they are taught from 1st grade.

My school is functional (especially compared to the other schools throughout Jordan), with an attentive principal and teachers who want to do well at their job. My classes are tiny with no more than 10 students per grade (my 8th grade class will have 3 students). That said, I find it difficult to address the needs of children of various skill levels in the same tiny class with teachers who tend to ignore the worst and advise me to do the same. So what am I going to do about it? I'm going to start a remedial class... and hope that the poorest students have enough faith in themselves to show up.

Besides that, since I've been here almost a year I know which kids most want/need my help. I'm so excited for school and my clubs to start!!! Until then... I'll be in the teachers' lounge, not drinking tea, and bonding with my new counterpart (who seems really shy but like a total sweetheart...) =)

I RAN. First person past simple of the verb "to run".

So (when I'm not attempting to teach, i.e. babysit, 2nd graders) one of my biggest frustrations in Jordan is the fact that exercising in public is generally considered unacceptable for women, unless you are just walking and have a walking buddy. I do walk to school every day but besides that it wasn't an option until recently because it was "too cold". I usually walked a few times a week, with or without people because I'm the ajnebiiya saida, and even if people think it's inappropriate, they excuse it because they like me and they think I don't know better.

About a month ago I was in a charity race at the Dead Sea which reminded me how much I love the rush of real exercise... since then I've been exercising inside - running in place, doing jumping jacks, leg lifts, anything to get the blood moving without convince people I should leave town. One girl I walk with makes comments about how sad it is that we don't see more women out walking and about how the Prophet encouraged people to exercise. I wish more people heard her say that. She really does say some beautiful things that are supported by Islam.

Another girl has decided that she wants to be my walking buddy, too. Somehow yesterday that turned into us running for about 2 minutes on a softly lit street lined by olive trees and a house whose owners live in Aqaba. Today our numbers grew as nieces and a sister-in-law joined... ages ranged from 13-me and one 40+ year old (who ended up running in her socks)... Everyone joined in on the running which spanned several stretches which I'm not completely certain are unseen, but if I've got my running buddies, who can say I've done wrong? or is it worse that I brought them down with me? We're meeting again tomorrow... the running posse... I think I'm unleashed an angel/devil on my village.

Tomorrow is my first day back at school for the 2011-2012 year. This is the only schoolyear that I will be here for its entirety, and I will have a new counterpart, and try to have a new approach to it all. I want to be well-rested, productive, and successful in teaching English and a good example of an enthusiastic, participatory teaching... I don't want to simply drone from the government-issued curriculum...I want to be amazing!

But alas, it's 2.40am and all I can think about is that poor new bride who watched her husband get eaten by a shark... As if I needed that story to fuel my irrational fear of these sea beasts.

Speaking of sea-beasts, my arm is covered in a swollen rash from previously mentioned fire coral. While the first day it was just a little patch, I've since discovered that both hands have blisters from it as does the patch on my forearm (which now covers almost the whole thing)... I did some research and discovered that it'll (inshallah) go away on its own, but my neighbors who I love dearly were super concerned and wanted to take me straight-away to the hospital. Fortunately I convinced them that it would go away or I would call the doctor the next day... which I never did and it got worse... now it seems to be going away?

We'll see!

Now to round 2 of attempting to get in a few blinks before chilling with the teachers all day! No students and teachers fasting means that the day will probably be rather short and I'll be able to come back and nap before breakfast with my friends.

24 hours (and no sleep) later... the question becomes, how was my trip to Aqaba with the village people? beyond the obvious marks of my trip (new hair cut, strawberry face, puffy 'fire coral' burn, marks from sea anemones, losing my favorite (read: most useful) Jordan shirt, and sagging eyes), what do i have to mention? I held a pufferfish, played cross-gender/family hang out hide-and-go-seek games, and gave my phone number to a 20-year-old niqab-wearing big sister on a bus full of girls/women at 4am...literally the only men were the driver, his little son, and mentioned girl's little brother. We had a raging time. Those of you who have never ridden with only 13-50 year old women on a packed Jordanian village-bus in Ramadan wouldn't understand..

So Ramadan is in full-swing and I'm still trying to find my place... or at least something to do with my time.

For those of you who don't know, Ramadan is considered the holiest month of the Islamic lunar calendar. This means that for about 22 days, Muslims all over the world fast and then break the fast with suppers prepared for the family and sometimes visitors. There are rituals, first come dates, and then sweets, and then a meal, and I'm sure some other steps I'm too naive to notice but those are the basics. And then you stay up late, maybe go for a walk, maybe nap a bit, and then (at least in the village) most people get up early to drink some water and have another breakfast before another day of fasting. Fasting (sun-up to sun-down, all foods, liquids-including water, cigarettes, romance of all kinds) is viewed as cleansing of the soul and healthy for the body... Most people sleep more during the day than they usually do and are awake longer at night.

Seeing as I don't want to destroy my metabolism and want to maintain a semi-regular sleep schedule, I'm not fasting, and as a non-Muslim, no one expects me to. People did invite me to the breakfast at first, but since I was running around the country with my mom for the first week of Ramadan, they have now forgotten to. Almost all stores are closed during the day (this includes restaurants even in Amman), and I feel inappropriate wandering around at night by myself, so I've basically spent the past three days in my house working out, except for a 2 hour hunt for drinking water I went on earlier today (wandered all the way to the next village and hoofed it back with only 3 liters because I couldn't carry any more comfortably).

In most Peace Corps Volunteers' experiences, Ramadan has been a good time for bonding with the community, going on vacation, or developing a new hobby... Seeing as all my potential travel buddies are tied up for the rest of the month and I just broke a string on my new viola, I guess it's time for me to go visit! And work on my massive to-do list....

One thing that I will never understand is why people who knock on my door won't say their name. I always ask "Meen??" (Who? it's what they say here...), and they always respond "ana!" (me). And then if I ask "who's me?" They'll say "ana ana"... That only really works for like three people. All that lets me do is figure out their gender. Which is good cuz then I know how much I need to put on clothes-wise, but it's still ridiculous.

So I went into town the other day after an exhausting day at work, hoping to find a fan and pick up enough vegetables to tide me over until I went to Amman for the weekend. It was hot out. I was dressed appropriately, so in spite of a slight breeze I couldn't feel it anywhere but on my face.

I should first admit that I am much more shy than I was in the States. Especially in front of men. I usually don't know how to respond if they acknowledge my presence - laughing is inappropriate, and being totally serious is just painfully out of character. So I just become mortifyingly warm in the face and look around and run away as fast as possible.

I should also admit that I am in desperate need of new shoes. They're hard to find here, I have bad feet, and am unwilling to pay half a month's stipend on new shoes (though after this episode I'm definitely going to dip into my American savings for them... and maybe a haircut =) ). My current shoes are slippery because the insoles are sticking through the soles...lol

So in summary, it was hot, I was embarrassed and loaded down with more produce than I'd planned, and there were 4 men who I sort of know but not really and I was wearing bad shoes. I was shuffling out of the produce tent to go get some canned goods when I slipped on the sand and slammed my (already bruised from rollerskating) knee against the concrete slab sidewalk.

All the men jumped up to ask if I was okay, to offer that I sit in their chair, to drive me home, etc. I bounced back up, more mortified than before in my dirt covered black pants, in utter pain, but warm hearted by their kind gestures. "3adi, 3adi" I said... It's normal, it's okay... One of them responded "La! Mush 3adi..." No it's not normal... Are you okay? Then I kinda took my leave shuffling up the hill toward the bakery for 3 days worth of bread.

On the way there it hit me... My knee was bleeding. You know how by the age of 7 you just know that feeling? You don't even really have to look down to see it... but you want to. You want to confirm that your senses aren't distorted and that you are in fact bleeding.

Well at this moment I realized that I couldn't confirm it. I wanted to. I really did. But pulling up my pant leg to see it would be the talk of the town long after I leave Shobak. This upset me more than the actual fall and the embarrassment and the fact that I was surrounded by men who made me uncomfortable and the heat... I couldn't even have the childish satisfaction of confirming my injury.

Admittedly in America I would probably be scoffed for pulling up my pant leg to see my knee, but it's a different feeling to be mocked than to be viewed as culturally and religiously inappropriate.

At the end of the day, the people who watched me fall didn't even snicker that I'd fallen, they were kind and generous, and in spite of my frustration of being paranoid about cultural appropriateness, that generosity and kindness to an awkward clumsy stranger is something I would never see in America to that extent and something that I really really respect and love about Jordanian culture.

After a month of trainings and holidays spent in Amman, I have decided that I should stay in my village for the next few weeks to hang with my fellow Shobakians and work on my work. Of course, the only appropriate way to begin such a stint is to go grocery shopping.

To buy any groceries, including such Arabic staples as bread, vegetables, and fruit, I must go to a nearby village by car/taxi. I try to only go there a little less than once a week, considering that my stipend doesn't exactly include transportation and I've been pinching pennies since I replaced my holey shoes and manseff-tightened exercise pants.

When I got to Shobak, it was pretty normal.... the post office was closed (at 2.15...), and everyone asked how Peter is (another volunteer - everyone confuses me with his wife). One older taxi driver even stopped me to chat about a volunteer a half-hour away.

So I headed into the government subsidized grocery store to find three women who immediately began to talk about me, how I'm the ajnebiiya in the nearby village, etc. In the dark (the electricity was out) I filled my cart with all the necessities that I've been ignoring for the past month after saying "assalaamu alaikum" to the woman who worked there. About 20 minutes later when I went to check out, the woman laughed at me... "How are you going to buy those if the power's out?".... good question. Thanks for telling me before I spent that time and energy wandering the dark aisles!

Guess I'll try again next week!

Part of the reason I joined the Peace Corps was to see another culture.

One thing that I have noticed since I got here is the difference between our beloved pets in America and the cats that prowl the dumpsters and scatter at the sound of human footsteps. These cats are mangy.. I think they never learn to properly groom themselves. I've had a few conversations with one of my young neighbors about my love of animals and the fact that when I return to America I'd like to yet again have a little bissa to greet me when I get home and sit on my lap.

Somehow this vague daydream was forgotten until I returned home one day from work to find a box in my yard. Assuming it was some trash that had made its way between my olive trees, I picked it up not expecting to find that there was a squirmy large mouse in it. After the escape of a loud "Oh my god!", my neighbor shouted back "What's wrong, what happened?!" I went to her house and laughingly explained what I had found, and her children ran to my house to see the overgrown mouse.

To my surprise when I got back to my house the adorable lispy 7 year old boy is holding a small creature and is saying "bissa! bissa"... It was a baby kitten.

So I took the neglected baby into my home and bathed her... her eyes were still shut... and tried to feed her some powdered milk with a spoon. When I went into my room and looked out the window, there was the boy that I had spoken to about my appreciation of animals. Sure enough, after initially denying it, he admitted that he had put the kitten in the box, claiming that her mama had been killed by a car. (I still don't believe this story, and I scolded him many times for taking an infant from her mother and her mother's milk, but at that point it was too late... the kitten had been tainted by human hands and would likely be neglected or eaten by her biological mother.) I had no choice but to keep her.

After a week of lost sleep due to the crying feline and attempting to feed her from a contact solution bottle even though she never wanted to eat, I realized that I would have to leave her home an extra few hours to buy more food for her from the town. I had to go straight from school as there are no buses from my village to the one with amenities and I have to go with other teachers who drive.

After a few hours of shopping and dealing with a bank fiasco, I came home to find a gaggle of little kiddos who wanted to see my baby kitty. When I went inside, the kids followed and stayed at my bedroom doorway. I found that my baby hadn't moved from her morning position and was shocked at her sleepiness...sure enough when I reached down to pick her up, she was stiff.

I began uncontrollably sobbing much to the horror of my small onlookers who went running out of my house shouting for their mothers. My neighbor who had brought me the cat heard me and came in to see what was the matter... I left him as "al walad" (the boy) to deal with her remains. And then the mothers showed up asking why I was sobbing.

One of the mothers (who I love to death, but who didn't understand why I would want a baby kitty) was comforting and gave me a huge hug telling me I had done all I could do. The other was astounded by the cries coming from me because of a baby cat's death. After all, cats are just animals! She snickered until the other woman said allah yerhamha- God rest her soul. Then she couldn't contain herself anymore- she cracked up and left my house after kissing me on the cheek and shaking her head. But the more sympathetic woman came by my house later to make sure I was okay.

So, long story short, I have upheld my image as the overly sensitive, innocent ejnebiiya (foreigner)... And I still love all my neighbors even though they don't all agree that animals deserve the same emotions as humans do.

Let it be known the 11-year-old boy who brought me the cat informed me today that he is going to bring me a rabbit when she's old enough to live without her mama's milk... At least the boy's learned one thing from my kitty's death- don't take a baby away from her mother too early.

Ma'asalaama from the loving ejnebiiya