friend bananas and rain

Annika goes to Jordan

I have recently eaten delicious fried bananas soaked in honey. now my stomach is asking my why i didn't stick to three tasty morsels rather than eating approximately seven of the little bastards.

i feel as though i've been lied to by the american media about the weather in the middle east.It is currently raining here in amman. i am not prepared for this. when i signed up for the middle east, i visualized blistering hot day after blistering hot day, with desert sands adhering to my eyelashes and sweet pouring down my back in bucketfuls. tis not so. As I sit in my only warm item of clothing, a gray wool sweater, i yearn for the 3 months sans rain this summer while my feet freeze. I desperately need to go shopping to equip myself for this Seattle-esque weather.

other than the cold cold weather and daylight savings time ending, not much is new. besides a trip to syria of course. and our first interns arriving. more later when i can download the pictures.


wishing you a happy fall from rainy amman.
ani

Jerash oh Jerash

Here are some lovely pictures of my trip to Jerash a few weekends ago. A beautiful open plain of ruins for the Roman times. Life continues to bring wonderful times here in Jordan.

My favorite Arabic phrases

in all my free time, i've been taking an arabic course for spoken Jordanian and Palestinian arabic at the french cultural center. my teacher is a wonderful muslim woman named khulood who alternately tells us about how we can help orphans during ramadan and explaining how to tell off lecherous menfolk.

Some of the key phrases I have learned thus far:

Bokra fil Mish Mish -- Figurative Meaning: In your dreams buddy.

Literal meaning: Tomorrow in the season of Apricots. The apricot season comes but once a year for a few short weeks -- people scramble to find the apricots and then, woosh! they are gone and most are left empty handed. much like your potential suitor that you make this statement to.

Example:

Lecherous person: Hey baby, you've got a nice ass
Person being Leched upon: Bokra fil Mish Mish!



Sifr ala Schmal -- Figurative meaning: Useless.

Literal meaning: Zero on the left.

When I write this: 1
and then I write this: 10
and then this: 100

Look, the numbers are getting bigger!

But, when I write it like so: 01
or: 001
the number does not change.

Thus, when you add a zero on the left the number does not change -- adding the zero is useless...just like your chosen victim.

Example:

Student: I don't feel like studying, I'd rather paint my nails and change the ring tones on my cell phone.
Teacher: What am I?! Sifr ala Schmal?!


Hashash
Literal Meaning: none.

Figurative meaning: Based on a play on words. Hasas means sensitive -- Hashish means marijuana. When you combine the two, you get : Hashash. To be used in situations when a friend of your is acting as though he high on the aforementioned substance, in english a possible slang translation might be, dude are you on crack?

Friend one: (Jumping over garbage cans and falling into them)
Friend two: You are hashash!


To be continued at a later date

Ramadan Kareem

A bit late, I know, seeing as Ramadan is only about a week from over. Then I will spend less time gorging myself on the sweetest honey covered pancakes you ever did see, and I shall spend more time choking on cigarette smoke in the taxi ride in the morning.

The four or five men who routinely serve us coffee and tea are momentarily out of business because of the whole no eating and drinking during the day thing, so instead they drill holes into the wall and dust tables.

I just received a wonderful Ramadan treat -- rain! The first rain I have seen in Jordan in the three months that I have been here. It is bringing down the haze, the pollution -- the olive washing rain. Oh what a wonderful thing to wake up to wet streets and to be able to breath the heavy air. My moment of Zen.

Change of Address

Hello everyone,

I've decided to up my AIESECey ness and join nomadlife.


so, my new nomad address is:

stompercat.nomadlife.org


Come on over and check me out.

Eid Miladek

Today I turn 23.

I have spend 3 of the 4 birthdays in my twenties out of the country -- a positive trend if you ask me. 22 was an enjoyable year, spent finding my bearings after graduation, working, feeling a little more "all growed up". And then Jordan.


It has definitely been a good week. Total number of applications we've received for membership: 220. Total we are taking for Induction: 120. This is part of the reason I haven't blogged for the past couple weeks--each day has been spent running around either Jordan or Yarmouk University campuses with orange signs and wearing the same blue shirt Every.day.

Lovely. And now the fun begins. Our first potential AIESEC members in the history of Jordan. Amazing.