whoops

ok so it seems to me that I will just have to come to terms with the fact that I cannot be responsible for something as simple as posting every day. Was out of town for almost the last week and didn't really have any internet access, oh well. I'll post the pics from the last week later today. Also, I almost lost my camera this weekend because I left it in bar (look what happens when you go in one of those houses of sin!) and thought it was gone forever. However it turns out that some random person had decided to take it home (to try it out? thought it was his that had somehow jumped to another table? is a klepto?) but then bring it back with him when he came to the bar the next night and turn it into the bartender. Moral of the story, people are weird but yay anyway, life is good!

29

A neighbor kid, who spent some time deliberating before choosing this spot to have his picture taken. I pulled out my camera and he ran to the middle of the room and stood waiting for me to snap a photo, then suddenly got a look of panic on his face and ordered me to wait while he prepared himself. He ran to the corner, fixed up the pillows, and created his own little photo shoot. Turned out well don't you think? Of course afterwards all the other kids were jealous of my praise of how smart he was to pick such a beautiful spot to have his picture taken, and we proceeded to have a mini photo shoot. But he was the first, and basked in that for the rest of the night. Until he was climbing on my back, fell off, hit his head on the wall, and ran and told his parents I had hit him so hard that his head was bleeding (not true); our friendship was strained for awhile after that.

28

Game night with Grandpa. Shoots and Ladders no less. It got pretty heated, and ended with Mohammed (#95) rolling on the floor laughing hysterically and yelling "grandpa LOST!" This is actually a granddaughter from one daughter, grandson from another son, and a friend of the grandson. All playing together. How often did you play board games with your friend's grandpa? How about with a foreigner who barely speaks your language sitting in the corner awkwardly taking pictures?
Aaaaand we're back on track with the dates.

27 (Feb 20)

This is my form of self flagellation, as punishment for failing to post daily as I promised myself I would. This is what it looks like when you braid your hair forward instead of backwards. Now you can rest easy knowing just exactly what it looks like. Awesomeness. It also has many practical benefits, including not tickling your neck, not being able to pull your own hair when reclining against it, fashion (of course, I mean note the awesome 50s thing going on on top) and not breaking your hair by being in the same boring old 'do as every other day. In short, it's not weird and embarrassing, it's smart.

26 (Feb 19)

Another night in Amman, on our own dime. And because of this there were 5 of us in the same room, 2 in a balcony reconstituted as an extra room, which is now more like a really cold cave with 2 beds squeezed in. This is MJ, Mark, and Torin. They are special.

25 (Feb 18)

A few of my fellow volunteers, in their natural habitat. Night in a hotel on the PC dime. Making the most of it with a little wine, breadsticks, peanut butter cookies, leftover Chili's chips and salsa, and classic rock. I know, I know, the life of self sacrifice I lead is intimidatingly austere.

24 (Feb 17)

Teaching! Teaching! Yay! Today we learned the colors of the Jordanian flag. Well the kids colored in outlines of the flag with the colors handed to them. But that was a pretty big deal anyway. This teacher (who is actually a volunteer, the mudeer's daughter) is really great with the kids. She caught on really quickly to the idea that if you give them a WHOLE LOT of praise after every little thing that they do they are more likely to try and do it again. Needless to say, I gave her a whole lot of praise for being THE BEST TEACHER EVER!! MASHALLAH!!

whoops

ok ok. i was out of town for the weekend and as soon as i get my computer to stop being a jerk there will be new pictures. inshallah

23

How most of the day is spent, if it's a good day. The teachers sit in a ring under the heater and gossip, the kids sit around the table and stare into space, and I sit at the kids table and occasionally poke at them or try to get them to play with me. They are generally too mature to play with me. And if you are wondering why so many of my classroom shots are from this awkward, table-level angle, it's because I don't want anyone to notice I am taking a picture. Not only does it ruin the authenticity of the situation (and as I am very professional and serious about this, that would never do), but the kids will freak out and just want to point at things for me to take a picture of (the chair, the spot on the floor, the window, their fingernails) for the next 20 minutes, and the teachers will freak out about having their picture taken while there is a chance they were smiling, gesturing, not looking pretty, or anything else.

22

Don't Break the Ice baby! Kefa was the only one that really liked this game on its debut, but she seriously loved it. If any of you poor, deprived people are unfamiliar with this game, the goal is to knock out one block at a time without toppling the little skater dude (who is way more intense and detailed than I remember him from childhood). Kefa would get so excited pretty much every turn, that she would just start hammering all over the place, with all her might. At my first movement or noise to tell her to take it easy, however, she would suddenly stop herself and say "No! Just One!" She just couldn't contain herself, no matter how much she wanted to follow the rules. We never really got around to understanding that you didn't want the guy to fall over; after all, it is the most exciting part. When he would fall she would inevitably yell "yay, I won!" no matter who knocked it down.

21

Ok back on track. I back-dated those last few pictures because I was out of the village and couldn't post for awhile. Also, this is the way of the blog world, I dated that stuff the day I want to pretend like I posted it and now...it is so. Bam.
So, today was Mohammed's birthday! Well, his birthday party. Yesterday was his birthday, but we didn't know, and my teacher just happened to have a cake baked for today (because that is apparently something that happens) so we said it was for his birthday party. Look how happy he is! What an attention whore. Anyway the cake was great, very Jordanian (soaked in sugar water, and made with more sugar than flour), and the kids loved it.
Also, this is the classroom, if you can't tell, and I would like to draw your attention to the fact that there is still the remains of the plastic wrapping on the chair to the left of Mohammed. It's torn because "the kids are bad and don't know how to sit right" but it is photographic proof that the time honored tradition of keeping your new furniture wrapped in plastic, made famous by many a grandmother, is alive and well in Jordan.

20

The ever-studious Kefa. She brings a stack of school books from her siblings with her to school every day and fills the margins with little lines.

19

The bustling city of Al Mansheya. This is what I see when I am trudging back from work on the days that I decide the benefits of leaving early outweigh the pain the hike causes in my now completely atrophied muscle.

18

Finally in the company of others and I still manage to only have a picture of myself to post. Bringing the joy of the chocolate chip pancake to Ar Ramtha and my friend Sarah's house.

17

Oh so intent. Everyone is completely obsessed with this game: "Let's Go Fishin'." Oh America, is there no end to the wonderful things you possess?

16

An example of the beautiful, careful construction process in Jordan. If you can't see the floor, it's still just the ground, the roof isn't finished, and there are no windows in the window holes. However, the water pipes are nicely bolted to the wall, and the shiny new sink has been attached to the wall. With concrete. That is just piled on top, and at no point will that be cleaned up or "finished" or anything. No hole drilled in the wall yet for the drain. A3di (it's normal).

15

First day of school. It was cold today, and there was a threat of rain, so we only had one kid. Brought out one of the new games from America (!). It was a big hit. So big, in fact, that I had to fight for the student to get a crack at it. I also got to practice using the word rashasha (cheater).

14

The streetlight outside my house tonight looked awesome in the fog.

13

The cat (Neil Patrick Harris) in his favorite place to sleep. I maintain that he does not know that my hair, and I, are a part of the same being.

12

Belly dancing belt, check. Star Wars roller skates (scooter), check. Umbrella hat, check. It's time for a show!!!

11

Remember what I said about pictures of reading not being exciting? What was I talking about?! Awesome, right? This particular book, which I am about halfway through is pretty awesome. Definitely worth reading. Though he occasionally makes up words. Like "omniveillant" and "aetataureate." And not in a cool I just can't be constrained by your limited vocabulary, I NEED to express myself kind of way, in a wait...that's not a real word, I swear I read it in a Rushdie novel kind of way. Still, worth it.

10

This is Ear Candling. It is a real thing. It is weird. It's a hollow cone of wax-dipped muslin that you light on fire on one end and stick the other end in your ear. I just looked it up on wikipedia and basically: only crazy people use them, and only crazy people studied them. I will say that there was DEFINITELY some wax in that baby after I was done. This was, however, my first and last foray into the strange world of ear candling.

9

Halfway through dishes. It was the event of the day.

8

Like, we are totally going to go skiing later. This is my at home outfit: underarmor, long sleeve fleece, sweater, long johns, awesome jordanian long johns, 3 pairs of socks. Rockin it.