May 16-21
It's great to be back in Amman.
This week we arrived in Jordan on Tuesday, May 16th early in the morning.
May 16: We started off our excursion with an orientation at Qasid by the Qasid director on academics and living in Jordan. Most of it was review but it was a good refresher after a year of living in anywhere but Jordan. We ate at the Al-Awa'il restaurant, which despite being right below Qasid I haven't ate at before, where we had mashaawi. We visited the Citadel in Amman, الجبل القلعة which is the site of a Roman temple to Hercules, a Byzantine church, an Umayyad palace, an Umayyad mosque, and an archeology museum for artifacts from early man to the Islamic period. We ended the day at Umsiat Amman, a restaurant near the city center.
May 17: We took our placement tests today. For lunch we went to my favorite cheap falafel joint, Mat3am Hamadeh across the street from Qasid. In the evening, I ended up at Rainbow street in a cafe called Wild Jordan برية الأردن which is one of the most hipster cafes I've ever been to, with an amazing view of the Citadel. We ended the day with shisha at Old View Cafe, where I discovered a new drink called Jallab, with flower water, intense sweetness, and a strange aftertaste. Afterwards we had an interesting ride back home.
May 18: First day of classes. Four hours of Arabic class was pretty draining after a semester without any Arabic class. Mr. Tobias Bradford, from the US Embassy in Jordan, spoke to us about the security and infrastructure situation in Jordan. We met our language partner, Abdullah today as well. Charles offered to elaborate on some subjects Mr. Bradford spoke about, so I made my way down to Kepi Cafe at Paris Circle, which looks like a pretty high-end area. Kepi Cafe featured lots of American and Western dishes, like enchiladas. A group of us walked and ended up against at Old View Cafe for more shisha and Jawafa juice (whatever that actually is).
May 19: We had class off for Jum3ah. I found a cheap 6 JD haircut a short walk away from Qasid where a few of the barbers knew English. I went to Souq Jaara, a famous market only open on Fridays in the summer. Before the market, we ate at Al-Quds, a well known falafel joint on Rainbow Street, which featured my new favorite falafel in Amman (and the world). Souq Jaara had lots of crafts and art in stands from various vendors and artisans. I'll be sure to be back for gifts.
May 20: Our first excursion day: Mount Nebo and the Dead Sea. Mount Nebo is the site where Moses gazed upon the Promised Land before dying. What was new that I haven't experienced last year was a Byzantine church that was renovated, with beautiful mosaic walls and floors. Dinner was at Mat3am Al-Awa'il, where I had the Jordanian Kebab. Delicious, but pricey.
May 21: Our second day of classes. Once our stove is fixed, I'll probably be able to create a daily rhythm with meals and time for homework.
This week we arrived in Jordan on Tuesday, May 16th early in the morning.
May 16: We started off our excursion with an orientation at Qasid by the Qasid director on academics and living in Jordan. Most of it was review but it was a good refresher after a year of living in anywhere but Jordan. We ate at the Al-Awa'il restaurant, which despite being right below Qasid I haven't ate at before, where we had mashaawi. We visited the Citadel in Amman, الجبل القلعة which is the site of a Roman temple to Hercules, a Byzantine church, an Umayyad palace, an Umayyad mosque, and an archeology museum for artifacts from early man to the Islamic period. We ended the day at Umsiat Amman, a restaurant near the city center.
May 17: We took our placement tests today. For lunch we went to my favorite cheap falafel joint, Mat3am Hamadeh across the street from Qasid. In the evening, I ended up at Rainbow street in a cafe called Wild Jordan برية الأردن which is one of the most hipster cafes I've ever been to, with an amazing view of the Citadel. We ended the day with shisha at Old View Cafe, where I discovered a new drink called Jallab, with flower water, intense sweetness, and a strange aftertaste. Afterwards we had an interesting ride back home.
May 18: First day of classes. Four hours of Arabic class was pretty draining after a semester without any Arabic class. Mr. Tobias Bradford, from the US Embassy in Jordan, spoke to us about the security and infrastructure situation in Jordan. We met our language partner, Abdullah today as well. Charles offered to elaborate on some subjects Mr. Bradford spoke about, so I made my way down to Kepi Cafe at Paris Circle, which looks like a pretty high-end area. Kepi Cafe featured lots of American and Western dishes, like enchiladas. A group of us walked and ended up against at Old View Cafe for more shisha and Jawafa juice (whatever that actually is).
May 19: We had class off for Jum3ah. I found a cheap 6 JD haircut a short walk away from Qasid where a few of the barbers knew English. I went to Souq Jaara, a famous market only open on Fridays in the summer. Before the market, we ate at Al-Quds, a well known falafel joint on Rainbow Street, which featured my new favorite falafel in Amman (and the world). Souq Jaara had lots of crafts and art in stands from various vendors and artisans. I'll be sure to be back for gifts.
May 20: Our first excursion day: Mount Nebo and the Dead Sea. Mount Nebo is the site where Moses gazed upon the Promised Land before dying. What was new that I haven't experienced last year was a Byzantine church that was renovated, with beautiful mosaic walls and floors. Dinner was at Mat3am Al-Awa'il, where I had the Jordanian Kebab. Delicious, but pricey.
May 21: Our second day of classes. Once our stove is fixed, I'll probably be able to create a daily rhythm with meals and time for homework.
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| Mashaawi at Al-Awaa'il |
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| Mosaic floors at Mount Nebo |
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| Jordanian Kebab at Al-Awaa'il |
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