Queasiness in my belly

It isn't the thought of a new school year that makes me feel a little queasy.

and

It isn't the sight of indecent public displays of affection that make me go green in the face.

and

It isn't the smell of my puppy's teeth-rotting bad breath that makes my throat close up.

and

It isn't the taste of old freezer burned Popsicles that make me want to toss my cookies.

BUT

It is having to have to watch and overhear seedy segments of the awful television show "The Bachelor Pad" that bring about my feelings of nausea.

Don't get me wrong.........I enjoy my fair share of junky t.v. shows( i.e. Gossip Girl(omg! it is such a good show!))but never have I witnessed such bad entertainment as when I see bachelors and bachelorettes scheming and thinking they are being clever.

NO MORE!

Please.

Peely Body

As a result of the below mentioned California trip, my skin has decided to peel away........ 3 weeks later.

I don't know what it is about beach sun but it is mystically stronger and causes more severe burning power than regular pool-side sun. Beach sun is also deceiving as it teams up with cool beach weather fooling beach visitors into a false sense of safety from beach/sun rays.

What a pesky pair leading to peeling appendages.

Hate it!

Nostalgic California

My family surprised me with news of a California trip just hours of getting home from my summer away. I had not seen the sunny state, that I once called home, in over a year. Driving down the I10 and feeling the heat from the outside always sharpens my fuzzy memories of desert living. Palm Springs in the summer time is hot. You wake up and it is hot. You go to bed and it is hot. I found myself wishing I was back in Jordan because the weather there is actually cooler than Palm Springs. Nostalgia hits me harder than the heat when I visit the desert. I saw my old high school and we ate at our favorite old sandwich place. It is fun to go back to where I grew up and see how things have changed.

My mom got to experience some old home town nostalgia as well. We took a day trip to Huntington Beach to get some sun on our Utahan skin and to get escape the heat. My momma took us to the beach where she would walk to as a kid and then she showed us her elementary school and old house. It was bitter sweet as we pulled up to the house and saw that the new tenants had completely remodeled the place leaving it almost unrecognizable. Things just never seem to stay the same.

Welcome Home

I had a nice welcome back last night. My pa, ma, and sissy met me at the airport but my luggage did not. They decided they wanted to stay in Chicago......they will come home soon though.

I woke up this morning in my own home and in my own bed. I took a shower in my own shower and got dressed in clothes that were not crunchy.

A real friend called me and I ate a real American breakfast. Red, white, and blue waffles were the perfect welcome back to my American home.

Day trip/turns into overnight stay, gravel pits, farm animals, kind strangers.

I am racing through my last week. Now is the time to soak in everything around me. I was advised by a friend that I should do something cultural. So, early Monday morning I woke up and hopped on the first bus I found to the Badia.

All of my time in Jordan has been spent living and working in the city. I realize that there are two kinds of worlds in Jordan. There is the city and then the Bedouin. Life in the desert is very different from how people live in the city. I saw more traditional people and no places to buy shwerma. In the Badia, knowing people and having connections is everything. Luckily my Badia boys have friends who have horses and camels so I was able to have some kind of country entertainment.

In one day, I was able to see and do everything that the desert village of Salhiyya offers (if that gives you any indication of the remoteness of the desert.) I was glad to step out of the world I knew and see things through a different cultural lens.

Meeting with Her Excellency

Our final internship meeting with Her Excellency Halla Latouff was an excellent opportunity to share our thoughts and feeling about our time in Jordan and to understand the perspective the Minister has on development.

The goal all along has been about the transference of knowledge and culture. The Minister shared with us that one of her greatest experiences in life was the chance to spend a year of study in the U.S. when she was 16. To this day, she still keeps in contact with her host family and is still grateful for the eye-opening experience that has forever influenced her outlook on life. She explained that we are all just people with different past experiences, opinions, and attitudes towards life.

I will always remember my time in Jordan as a time that challenged me yet I am still optimistic. The exposure to different ideas, peoples, and ways of living has caused me to reflect on my own ideas, values, and ways of viewing the world. My opinion is this:

The world is full of ugly and hateful things but it still has the potential to change if there are those willing to facilitate change for the better.

Ajloun: Part Duex

Things move quickly around the Alissa house. One moment you could be getting ready for a cooking lesson and the next you are being ordered to put on your shoes quickly because you are going to AJLOUN.

Ajloun is a a beautiful city just north of Amman and is the home to my host mum's sister and her family. The greatest point of interest in Ajloun is the Ajloun Castle which sits a top one of the city's big hills. I went to the ancient site a few weeks ago with some other interns but going with all the family made the experience feel a lot more personal. The feeling of belonging to this family always grows more poignant as the number of family members increases. Three of my host mum's sisters and their kids went with us to the castle. The steep road leading up to the hilltop fortress was packed with cars and people walking with large bags in hand. Fridays are the days that families hit the hill and bring their bags of dismantled argila pieces with them.

The night air smelled like pine trees and a smooth breeze was well appreciated as I looked over the old city of Ajloun. There are moments when I feel like the places I visit are like home. ( Jordan and Southern Utah are really the same place)I am always asked about why I am here in Jordan and how I have liked what I have seen........and I always answer honestly. I love it here. I meet so many people here desperate to get out and it becomes very real to me that beautiful places are not always as wonderful and exotic to the people who are struggling within the country's borders. Along with the beautiful site, the nice family dinners, and the safe walks at night, I have also seen the homeless, discouraged, and desperate. The intertwining of the two experiences makes things bittersweet but also puts a well needed reality check into every day.