Friday, March 2, 2012

Instead of Preparing for Class, I'd Much Rather Be...

Laying on a hammock in Old Creek Canyon watching dark clouds gather and smelling the mixture of warm rain and dirt roads.

Dancing on a falooka in an unfamiliar land, hearing an unfamiliar rhythm, imitating an unfamiliar movement.

Running Izaak Walton trails with Csilla and syncing to her pattern of breathing.

Watching my dad paint while we listen to music of the best kind.

In a hot yoga class for two.

About to embark on an adventure using public transportation. And there is no time frame and no need to rush.

Listening to Jayk strum some chords on his guitar and sing some Bob Dylan tunes, his pitch dipping in and out of tune.

Taking a nap in the shade of a tree. It's hot, but not humid.

Dancing in my 560 N 845 E kitchen to some raunchy music with roommates. The smell of baked goods is filling the room. Also, we pray the mold under the refrigerator doesn't continue to spread.

Naked.

Starting a field hockey game. I'm excited, but mostly apprehensive.

Listening to a good o' tale, one that has been recited countless times, one that is hilariously familiar.

At a market place. No one has regard for personal space or control of their personal volume.

In a playful wrestling match with Jess, only this time I am the one who has biceps and he is the one that resorts to biting.

On a long walk at a late hour.

Listening to my mom hum the harmony of a Carpenters' song and secretly wishing I had her low, smooth voice. I will never admit that to her.

In the middle of a night game. Screams and laughter are echoing.

Barefoot and sandy.

At the beginning of a road trip with Ynna, only this time she's driving and I'm in the passenger seat with my feet up on the dashboard. Instead of gummies, our snacks consist of ham roll ups and ice-cold slurpees. We swap deep, dark secrets.

Responding to Jacy's never-ending string of questions, trying to be witty, trying to make her laugh.

Pretending to be asleep, only I am under the covers with a book and a flashlight.

Drinking a cold glass of sobia from a juice stand. I use a community, glass mug. Sometimes they rinse it off, sometimes the residue of a stranger remains.

Running across the bottom of the ocean weighed down by a massive rock. I'm safe below the unbridled waves.

Thumbing through Jory's never ending hair, fighting sass with some more sass.

Stealing a mango from a neighbor's tree and passing it down a long line of Soliais.

Playing with Liz in an abandoned St. John's tree house, practicing drills in case of a freak tornado or hurricane or fire or volcano eruption. Next up our playground is a log, but we can only see a pirate ship.

Sitting on the porch of a Lancaster row house listening to the racket of a banjo. It's a summer day. And there are no mosquitos.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Reunited and it FEELS. SO. GOOD.

Friday, December 23, 2011

The Long Awaited List

We made a list of memorable occasions/signs of going crazy during the study abroad. Enjoy!

-tracing a hand to make a turkey during class
-sleeping in the ladies lounge for two hours
-not being able to connect english sentences
-reading an article about Iraq peeing oil
-breaking out in dance moves
-Sami's border crossing
-Sami playing poker with a girl from the Israeli army
-dance careers
-doing handstands on edges of cliffs
-guys dreaming about mahajababes/mahajaskanks
-boys watching anime movies daily
-sticking pens up one's nose (ahem James)
-trying to fit the entire recorder in one's mouth (ahem James)
-dissolving into boston accent
-wearing leggings for extended periods of time
-toilets exploding
-checking out our boab's booty. we call him big booty haris
-southern bell and eastern flower (m3 ba3d?)
-five foot tall attacking sass-a-frass
-no shave november
-roasting marshmallows on a gas heater
-choosing between warmth and asphyxiation (warmth won)
-stuck in elevators
-hair tumble weeds
-two students playing in sewer water (it was raining)
-speeding and drifting with arabs
-five liters of pepsi (small boston, big pepsi)
-epic dancing peekers
-fashion show on the bus
-boys talking like girls
-shwarma twice a day
-increased chocolate eating
-ferrel felines following students to school
-ferrel felines singing outside our window
-"I trusted you"
-someone trying to get an audience with the king and breaking all possible social norms (failed)
-race drama
-"thats what she said" got Out. Of. Control.
-skinny dipping in the Sea of Galilee
-running out of water in the middle of a shower
-the miracle of the water
-meeting with members of the Muslim brotherhood
-the miracle of the internet
-hitchhiking
-sticking fingers in water tanks because it was leaking
-wearing roommate's last pair of garments without permission
-punching a taxi
-eating falafal everyday
-Arab women falling in love with Andrew
-hellen keller
-Gary drowning in Wadi Mujib
-stalkers
-shoulder touching stories
-Arab men falling in love with Sarah Kate
-wearing ugly clothes, two sizes too big
-pushing two twin beds together and fitting four people
-comparing every price to falafal
-getting get kicked out of a taxi
-throwing humus in the restaurant
-getting flashed by an Iraqi mamma
-getting felt up by an Iraqi mamma (oh yeah, those happened)
-getting locked in kitchen/apartment
-unknown couple kissing in Qasid (STILL unknown)
-pregnant couple count: 2
-crazy shabab hair/pants
-talking teachers out of presentations
-falling asleep on buses
-speed walking to kanafa
-frequenting koshary restaurants
-adventures to Mafruq
-wearing clothes to bed, getting up and going to school in the SAME clothes (guilty)
-increased facial hair (not guilty)
-climbing down the colosseum illegally in Petra
-climbing up cliffs illegally
-mustache count: 8

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Time for the Holy Land

Finished my exams!!
I have survived the Jordan study abroad. 

My apartment is experiencing a wild range of emotions. So if you are one of the men from the program, I suggest not coming within 50 feet of this apartment. 

Our next couple days are busy with our goodbye's and packing. We leave on Saturday. Here is my itinerary for the Holy Land:

Saturday 10th:
Cross border early
Massada
Jericho- lunch
Cable Car to Monastery
Hisham's Palace
Staying the night at a convent in Nazareth

Sunday 11th:
Sephoris
Akko
-Crusader Ruins
-New Excavations
-Prison Tour
Haifa
-Bahai Promenade
-Beach
Sisters of Nazareth Convent

Monday 12th:
Nazareth Churches
Nazareth Village
Sisters of Nazareth Convent

Tuesday 13th:
Banyas + Waterfall
Tel Dan
Druze Restaurant
Golan
Staying at Ein Gev, Kibbutz on Galilee

Wednesday 14th:
Galilee Churches
Boat Ride
LDS Church
Tiberias
Baptismal Site
Ein Gev

Thursday 15th:
Bet Alpha
Megiddo
Um Al-Fahm
Kibbutz Ein Shemer (dinner)
Ceasaria
Arrive to Jerusalem Center

Friday 16th:
Triumphal Entry Walk
Via Dolorosa
Cardo
Demascus Gate
Western Wall
Jerusalem Center

Saturday 17th:
Church
Gethsemane
Garden Tomb

Sunday 18th:
Temple Mount
Davidson Center
Kotel Tunnel
Lunch in Bethlehem
Jerusalem Center
Lectures at 7 and 8 PM

Monday 19th:
Lectures at 8 and 9 AM
Free day in Jerusalem (but wait, we have an assignment?)
Lectures at 7 PM
Jerusalem Center

Tuesday 20th:
Yad Vashem/Mr. Herzel Field Trip
Lectures 7 PM
Jerusalem Center

Wednesday 21st:
Sederot Tour
Tel Aviv:
Bun Gurion's House
Independence Hall
Rothschild St. Wooden Houses
Jaffa

AIRPORT

BOSTON :)

So naturally I am excited and praying that my energy will last a little longer.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Meet Majdid, the mother of the Iraqi family. She just beat her kids in a card game.
 It must be a universal thing. Remember when you would make Jess cry, mom? Oh wait and Jayk and Jory AND Jacy. I can still hear your cackle.
I had to say goodbye to them last night. It was rough.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

One time, Ynna criticized my blog for its lack of pictures. Since it's your birthday, this post is dedicated to you. Happy Birthday, pretty girl. I miss you.

This weekend we went on a two hour bus ride and found this:
Green.
So Dil stopped the bus and let us walk around outside. 
I'm thankful to be here.

I'm thankful to learn more about myself while studying Arabic and this culture. 



Even with the consequence of a constant headache, I'm thankful for our moveable gas heater. It saves us from our thirty degree apartment.

Death by hypothermia or asphyxiation?

Easy. Asphyxiation.
Our Thanksgiving was a little unorthodox with falafal sandwiches and hours of newspaper reading. We made up for it shwaya with a potluck dinner tonight. Finding cooking supplies and working ovens was a fiasco. Creative thinking made it work in the end and it was delicious.

I'm thankful for my Jordan family.
More importantly, I'm thankful for these girls. Last night, all three of us squeezed into a twin bed. Didn't think that was possible, didya? They even let me sleep in the middle, those gems.
I've written about Dana previously. She is the sweetest. 

Jordan and I have literally spent every minute together on this study abroad. We have pushed each other to maximum capacity and fought through times of sluggishness and despair. She's brilliant and extremely talented. I'm thankful to be around someone who is motivating and supportive. Shuks katiir.
Happy Thanksgiving!