The Road to Damascus

What a whirlwind trip! Because Geoff was here such a short time, we decided to see if we could do a quick 2-day trip to Damascus, Syria. The border is only about an hour up the road from Amman and then another hour past to Damascus. Little did we know what an adventure we were getting ourselves into. My friend Jon also came with two friends of his from the States that are visiting. The five of us got along very well so I knew the trip would be no problem. To start the trip, we first had to find a taxi in Abdali (a neighborhood of Amman) that would take us from Amman to Damascus for a good price. Geoff and I found one and then, while we were waiting for Jon, he called us and said they were already on their way. oops!! Miscommunication, so anyway, Geoff and I hop in a taxi with two other guys we don't know and head to the border. The first stop at the border is a check point where an army man walks out in full uniform and takes your passports from the driver of the taxi. He attempted to say everyone's name and got most right except mine. For some reason, my name really messes with people here. Anyway, we then drive on a make a stop where we get out of the car and have to wait in line to pay a departure fee for leaving Jordan, 5 JD. Then get back in the car where we drive to yet another stop and this is the big one. We go inside, fill out a small blue form, and hand it to the guy sitting behind the "foreign arrivals" desk. He takes a look and says that it might take awhile so sit down. Because the US and Syria do not have good relations, it took us 5 hours, yes that's right, 5 hours to get our visas cleared to go into the country for less than 2 days. Luckily, all of us were cleared, along with two other Americans we met that were traveling there.

Once outside the arrivals building, taxi drivers began huddling around us, making different offers in Arabic of prices to Damascus. In Syria, there is not much English spoken but luckily, both of the Americans we met were studying Arabic and held their own in conversation. I was proud because I could understand all the numbers being thrown around. Anyway, we finally decided on a price and split into two groups of three. This is where the story gets interesting. We are on the way out of the border crossing and stop for the car inspection. At least point, more army guys are searching the guys like crazy and then, BAM! They yank out cigarettes from a secret compartment under the dash or in the trunk. Lots of yelling occurs and then our driver had to back out and go back to "get rid of" the stash. When we pulled up out back, all of the taxi drivers were stuffing cigarettes anywhere you could imagine, taping them to the side of their legs under their pants, etc. There is a heavy tax on cigarettes so to buy them at the duty free store and then to smuggle them in is a huge business. Our taxi driver was not too smart as you will see. We pulled up to the car inspection a second time, and MORE cigarettes found. The army guy smashed them on the head of the taxi driver. Once again, back up, fix, and come back. Finally, we made it through the border in one piece and were on the way to Damascus.

As we drove, we could see a beautiful, snow-topped mountain in the distance. We later found out that that is the point where Syria/Lebanon/and Palestine meet. It was quick unexpected but very pretty to see. The rest of the land seemed more fertile then in Jordan, less brown and much more green. The weather about the same, with the nights getting fairly chilly, as it is December 22nd.

Driving into the city, you could feel the different atmosphere. Damascus is such an old city, full of history, and the people just seem to feel that too. I loved the difference between Amman and Damascus, Damascus had that old town character - that stories were there, told and untold. We found a hostel to stay in thanks to our new friends we were traveling with and let me tell you, the hostel was wonderful! It was about $15 a night and we girls had a private bathroom in our room. The layout of the hostel and even parts of the city really reminded me of Italy, maybe Venice with the tiny winding streets.

Because we were in the city literally less than 24 hours, we decided to focus on seeing as much of the Old City as we could. We walked to the "souq" or the market and were just overwhelmed with the amount of shops. It is built in the old train station from the 1920's and it almost gives you the feel of somewhere in Europe. While browsing the shops, we came across the best shawarma that I have had yet. It is this bundle of lamb meat, tomatoes, pickles, fries, and labneh sauce which is to die for. When I leave the Middle East, I will most definitely miss their food!!

From then on, I pushed part of the group to find St. Paul's church, supposedly the site where he was lowered over the Old City wall in a basket to flee his persecutors. Amazing to be there, inside, and take pictures - take in all the beauty around it. Even though the city is amazing, I do have to say it was dirty, not as dirty as Cairo was but pretty dirty. Amman really looks much better than the other two cities I mentioned; however, it makes me laugh that I am used to the pollution here. When I first arrived in August, I thought Amman was such a dirty city, and now, I am calling it the cleanest. Unbelievable how perceptions change over time!

The end to our trip was also a bit exciting. We attempted to find the one bus that leaves for Amman at 3 pm on Monday afternoon. Took a taxi to the bus station, where any normal individual would think you catch a bus, and then found out that it was the wrong place. Then, in limited Arabic, we found that we should catch a local bus, #15, that would take us to the place where we could catch the bus. Unfortunately, we were running late and missed the Jett Bus to take us to Amman. When we got to the new station, a few people helped us right away and we ran into another American who we recognized had been staying at the hostel. Orlando from Sacramento. Anyway, he tagged along with us so we split again into three and three. By the time we got through the border AGAIN, we were exhausted, however, we decided for Geoff's last night, we should go to dinner and enjoy. My conductor called and told me about a great place to go for Iraqi food and we agreed! The food was to die for, I can't even describe. All I can say is that the six of us just stopped talking for about 10 minutes while we inhaled the delicious food.

Whew! Quite a trip. I will be off to Bethlehem in just another day so I have to get stuff done! I do have work that I do :o) woohoo. Alright, talk to you soon. Hope that everyone is ready for Christmas, wish I could be there. Love you and miss you, xoxo

on the other side of the world

As it gets closer and closer to Christmas, I am feeling father and farther away from my usual home and family and friends. Don't get me wrong, I have a great support system here that I am so thankful for; however, it's just not the same as being in your home surrounded by family. There is quite a presence of Christmas here in Amman which is nice - Aimee and I have a Christmas tree up in the living room that finally has lights AND ornaments. Tomorrow, I am having a little Christmas party for the kids to make ornaments and give the parents a break for the afternoon :o) Hopefully I will be able to find beads and glitter before the party, so far no luck!

Geoff has been here for a few days and he has been able to see Petra, the Dead Sea, hot springs, the citadel and the Roman theater. Then on Sunday, a group of us are headed to Damascus which should be amazing, can't wait to see a new place and experience the history and culture there. Hopefully we won't have too much trouble getting through the border!! Ahh. In cool news, we went to these hot springs near Madaba, the town near Mt. Nebo, and it was amazing!!! These waterfalls of hot water just pour down on you, you can close your eyes and just relax - that is of course until the pressure strengthens and almost knocks you over! haha. Another friend of the folks downstairs is visiting as well this week so it has been nice for Geoff to have a travel buddy, so glad I went along today though! Watching everyone float in the Dead Sea was great too - I didn't get in this time so I really spent time taking pictures and looking across the sea to the West Bank - really crazy how close everything is here.

I am going to Bethlehem for Christmas which I think I told you and then meeting Mark in Tel Aviv for New Years!! How cool :o) All of these travels are distracting me a bit from the time of year and being far away which is a good and bad thing. I want to make sure I have enough time to really sit and reflect on where I am and the significance of where I am in the world. I will literally be in the place where Jesus was born - in the place where he was crucified. Wowow. I never thought I would see these places in my life, or not at least until I was retired. haha.

Arabic update- I have finally been putting more logical sentences together but I think if I want to be really serious about music therapy in this region, I have to be more focused on getting a solid grasp on the language, even looking into some courses here. I think the combo of the courses and living in the culture could be great. :o) My job is still here as of today - the UNHCR decided to fund music therapy for 2010 but the budget is smaller and much more confined. I am really considering trying to start something on my own. There is so much need here in so so many different populations that I don't think it will be a problem to find clients and be a benefit to them. I see music therapy making a huge difference here and I hope that something good will come out of my crazy ideas.

Anyway, I will talk to you soon. miss you, xoxo.

sorry!

Hello!!! This is the longest I have gone without a post and I apologize. Last week, I was extremely busy with the Nutcracker performances and this week, my good friend Geoff is visiting from the States so I am playing tour guide around the Amman area and Jordan. :o) I promise I will give you plenty of updates soon.

Still having trouble uploading my Egypt pictures- I"ll get there.

miss you lots, xoxoxo

Egypt Day #3

Onto day three of my Egypt trip....again, this week is very busy with rehearsals for the Nutcracker so I have been a bit slow on my updating. Let's see, let's see - Egypt Day Three was our travel day to Alexandria to see the sites. The big site to see is the Bibliotheca, which houses some of the world's oldest manuscripts. Aimee and I of course took the guided tour and then went into the Rare Books and Manuscripts museum :o) Very cool! I wasn't able to take pictures inside the museum but I am got some great shots inside and outside the library. As we drove into Alexandria I got a great look at the Mediterranean Sea and was able to stick my feet in later in the day. It was quite cold!! After seeing the library and the sea, we went to a great seafood restaurant right on the coast.....now, I will show you a picture of the VAST, HUGE amount of food that was served to each of us. I received a plate of fried calamari/shrimp. a plate of grilled fish (2 whole fish), and plates beyond plate of hummus/veggies/pita, etc. So wonderful!!!! I am going to learn how to cook a few Middle Eastern dishes and I"ll try them out next year when I get back.

After a lovely meal, we took a driving tour of the rest of the city and then back to Cairo for an evening of touring and belly dancing. Aimee and I attempted to learn to bellydance - I think we looked more like we were wiggling but it works. We bought cloth that fits over the hips and shakes when you shake your hips. We'll see if my skills improve over the year :o)

Now, the fourth and final day of the trip was a quick one. We woke up early and headed over the Opera House and were able to watch a Cairo Symphony rehearsal. It was awesome to see and hear another group rehearse, they are pretty awesome. The bassoon player played with us in the October concert so it was nice to see him again and say hello.

Got home from the trip and for the next four days, was very sick with a stomach bug/bacteria infection. Gotta be careful what you eat in Egypt for sure - it was not a fun experience! Luckily, I am feeling much better now. I better be because we have a 5 hour rehearsal tomorrow night for the dress run of the Nutcracker. I love the little kids dancing in the show- hopefully I'll get my hands on a DVD to show you.

Alright, better go for now but I miss you lots, talk soon. xoxoxo

!!!

I can't believe I forgot to mention these things! These are from the first night in Cairo :o) We went out to eat right on the Nile River (placed called Nile City) and the food was amazing. Guess what I tried?

PIGEON. I'm serious - they served stuffed pigeon which was crazy looking. Aimee took pictures. At least I can say I tried it right?

Then, after the dinner - we took a crazy carriage ride across a bridge over the Nile River, the carriages were quite old and the horses were going fast. Aimee and I were holding onto each other for dear life :o)

To top the evening off, we took a boat ride on the Nile River. How cool is that?! The boat was like one you would see at the beach or something that had music and plenty of seats, we had a great time dancing and looking at the city skylines. At night, you could really see the city pollution which wasn't that appealing but oh well.

Ok, just wanted to make sure I told you those things. :o)

Egypt Day 2

I apologize for the delay in updating; however, besides Egypt being a great place to visit, it also decided to provide me with an intestinal bug for a few days once I got back. Eww.

So, moving on from that topic, let's talk about Egypt Day #2. Aimee and I were hotel buddies (surprise) and we got up on time, got ready, and went down to the restaurant for breakfast. Had a quiet breakfast, everyone was sleepy-eyed, and then waited in the lobby of the hotel for everyone to be ready. Finally, everyone showed up and we piled in our traveling van :o) to head to the pyramids!!!! Driving through Cairo is nuts, cars just fly everywhere. I thought Amman was bad but Cairo has a different breed of bad drivers - they have no shame. And as a pedestrian, you better be on your guard, cars do not stop for you. You'll be road kill before you know it! Some people aren't aware and I wasn't really before I started researching for the trip, that some of the pyramids are literally right in the city. We did not go into the pyramids because we are such a big group - I am not sure if they allow people in them anymore, a few guidebooks say they do but who knows. Anyway, we went to a stable on one of the streets near the pyramids and made a deal to tide horses out to them. While they were getting the horses ready, we watched a demonstration of our papyrus paper was made from the papyrus plant that grows in the Nile. The Egyptians used the plants for paper as well as for small boats, mattresses, and mats. They first take the stem of the plant (which has the shape of a triangle) and they shave off the green outer layer. Then they make strips from the inside and they soak them in water at least 24 hours if not more. The longer they soak, the darker in color they get. Then, to make the paper, they criss-cross the pieces of the stem, then put it through a press, or roll by hand to squeeze out the excess water and gluten. Then, it dries and you have paper! Pretty impressive. This is what I think of when I think of baby Moses in the basket in the reeds. A papyrus basket.

Anyway, after that demonstration, we picked our horses and mounted them, then headed down the street towards the desert. Let me tell you, I haven't ridden a horse in a long time, getting on was quite fun! haha. But I got on and my horse was very gentle, just wanted to get me to the pyramids. I took plenty of pictures on the way of our crazy group getting adjusted to their horses. As went started out into the sand, you couldn't see anything but then, as we climbed over a hill, the pyramids were laid out in the distance. I can't explain to you what a beautiful site it was. It's on of those things I never thought I would see in person. The desert stretched out with the pyramids, the people in front of them look so small - then to the other side, you can look out into the city. I tried to capture all of this on camera but my horse was making me bounce up and down quite a bit. :o) We stopped part of the way to the pyramids to look out and listen to a guide talk a little about them. Another man was riding a donkey and the donkey was carrying drink and food supplies that the man was selling - all of the sudden, the donkey went crazy and the man jumped off, the donkey kept going and knocked all of the bags off of it's back! Quite a funny scene if you can imagine. The sad part is that the animals are not treated very well so the donkey probably got punished when it got caught. :o(

When we reached the pyramids, the size was really hard to believe. I got off my horse and I literally walked right up to the pyramid and touched it, people were sitting on parts of it. Crazy!! As we were riding away, I got some more pictures and then one of the horses in the group just decided to sit down! Luckily, no one was hurt but it was strange - then a second horse sat down! They were tired from the heat and the long walk I'm sure.

After getting off the horses and back into the van, we set out for the Egyptian National Museum. It was FILLED with ancient artifacts that were just sitting there, out in the open. No glass cases around them. There were glass cases around the mummies and tombs but still! That would never happen in the States. I saw the exhibit of King Tut, pretty amazing :o) I was not able to take pictures in the museum which was a bummer but I will be able to tell you all about it when I get home, don't worry.

Finally, when the museum adventure was over, we were able to eat lunch. My symphony conductor's brother lives in Cairo and he and his family prepared traditional Iraqi food for us to eat for lunch. We went to a beautiful park and enjoyed the food. I am unsure of all the names but there was wonderful rice, stuffed grape leaves, stuffed kousa, and tomatoes, YUMMY!

Enjoyed some relaxation time at the hotel and then took a ride out to a game/sports lounge. There was an important football (soccer) match on (Barcelona and Madrid) so people were watching that, enjoying argeela and food, and Aimee and I were playing ping pong :o) fun fun!

Alright, that basically sums up the second full day. I don't know if I mentioned in my first update that on our first night, we were able to visit one of the main mosques. They have a women's and men's section so the girls from the trip covered up and went into the women's section. My friend Christina got some pictures of us there and I took two pictures of the inside. It was quite beautiful to say the least. A great experience.

Ok, more more to come, talk to you soon! miss you and sending good thoughts. xoxoxo

back from Egypt

WOWOWOWOWOWOW. That is my reaction to Egypt and to the Pyramids and to the Nile River and to Alexandria. It was so amazing to be there and to experience those places I never thought I would visit. I am going to have to take you through the trip one day at a time and it will probably take more than one blog post. We got home late last night so I have not had time to put my pictures on the computer yet, that will take a few days. Even though I don't have sessions this month, work is really busy with trying to find funding.

Alright, let's start with Saturday. Aimee and I woke up on time! Woohoo and we were already packed (shared a suitcase, very good at saving space this trip) and we met up with everyone outside, headed down the hill, and were picked up by a totally Middle Eastern looking bus. It's the Toyota Autobus, kind of like a big fan with the curtains in the windows. I believe I took a picture of it for you. We made it to the airport, no problems with anyone's passports except for our friend Solarios. He's from Columbia and gets hassled no matter where he goes, grr. The flight between Amman and Cairo is only an hour and 25 minutes; however, they gave us a full lunch with tea and cake. In the States, that would never happen on a short flight. You don't even get peanuts anymore on some flights!

Landed at the Cairo International Airport and began our drive to the hotel in yet another great van/bus. Hehehe, plenty of pictures of that one. Driving into the city was crazy - there were estreet venders with animals skins hanging, slaughtered animals, kids running around trying to sell things. And the pollution was unbelievable, you can see it in the pictures. Aimee and I had a hard time breathing most of the trip, eww. Cairo is busy busy but has a great atmosphere of life. There is a lot of poverty but people seem happy.... We went shopping the first night there in the Old City. Got to haggle for bargains and the prices were sooo cheap. It was almost crazy but I bought a few gifts for people at home. I also purchased a belly dancing sash. It ties over your outfit on your hips and has dangly bells so it make noise when you dance. Pretty hilarious! But we had fun testing them out that night. The hotel we stayed in was called the Om Kalthoum Hotel as it was named after a famous Egyptian singer. It was originally her home so throughout the hotel were pictures and items that used to be hers. As we were told about Cairo, the quality of the hotel wasn't fabulous but I have stayed in much worse (aka -Econo Lodge, Illinois) so it worked out as our place to stay for a few days. I learned how to ask for my room key in arabic which was very helpful as we had to turn it in each morning before we went out.

Alright, phase one over for the Egypt update. Next, I will give you the Sunday itinerary. Talk to you soon!! miss you, xoxo

going to Egypt

Well folks, we officially had Thanksgiving in Jordan yesterday, complete with two turkeys/mashed potatoes/sweet potatoes/casseroles/cranberry sauce and more. It was such a great time with a lot of my American friends as well as Arab friends, introducing them to the story of American Thanksgiving. Then of course, to top the evening off, we had to watch a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. :o) Never gets old.

I was able to skype with my family and see my grandma on skype, so nice. It felt strange not to be at home for Thanksgiving, this is my first time FAR away for a holidays. I guess it's good practice for Christmas. I am planning on being in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve so I am pretty excited about that.

Now before I get ahead of myself, I should concentrate on the trip at hand. Tomorrow morning, I head to Cairo, Egypt!!!! I am going to see the pyramids, the Nile River, Alexandria -the world's oldest library. I just can't believe I am really going to be there. Trust me, I will document with pictures galore. I exchanged money yesterday -well, actually, a friend of mine took my money and did it for me - but the Egyptian pounds are so pretty. They almost look like play money, they are so colorful and exciting.

I am nearing the end of my fourth month here in Jordan and like I've mentioned before, the time goes both slow and fast. Sometimes, I just yearn for the day that I will be flying home to see my friends and family - then other days, this place feels more and more like my home and I realize that it will be just as hard to leave here in August. I spent part of yesterday with Julie and Soetji and the kids, just made me feel very homey and Thanksgiving like. :o) Made me realize I do have a home here because of the relationships I am building. A good friend recently quoted Dave Matthews to me in an e-mail, saying "it's not where you are but who you are with that really matters". How true how true. Alright, I must pack and get ready for my adventure. Talk to you soon! xoxoxo

made the news!

http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=21842

check it out!! :o)

what happens in Jordan...

Ok, I first have to apologize for the lateness in my update; however, this last week was the busiest/craziest week schedule wise, as well as an emotional roller coaster - so I ask your forgiveness. The meaning of my title is just this - what happens in Jordan stays in Jordan. Not really, I am going to share with you all the crazy details of my life at the current moment. Take today for example: I randomly got a call a few days ago about a reporter coming to the center to do a story on the music therapy project. I don't know how they got our contact info but I said "great"! Today, when I show up, the man guy introduced himself as the anchor of the evening news here in Jordan and the man host of "Good Morning Egypt". He wanted to film plenty of minutes to make sure he had enough to choose from for the feature on the music therapy project. Not just a headline story, a feature story! He interviewed Julie and I, then some of the kids, filmed group sessions, very professional and pleasant to work with. My kids did an awesome job as well, they didn't get stage fright which is amazing - when I first started working with some of them, they had very limited social interactions.

I am supposed to get a copy of the show so I will see if I can upload it to my blog or facebook! We shall see, hopefully this will help bring some more financial support as well for the project.

In other news, Lisa and Grace got home safely to the States and Canada. I miss them a ton, hits at weird moments, but I am so lucky to have a great support system here. It is truly awesome how I have made such close friends in my short time here. Doesn't mean I don't miss my friends from home though.

Started practicing for the Nutcracker - woohoo, love that music. :o) Makes me feel like it's the holidays. We are having an American Thanksgiving this Thursday with a mixture of locals and Americans, should be a great time! Don't know what I'm making yet but I think everyone is bringing a dish. I love the fact that people just come over and cook for each other here, it's so nice to not have to plan everything, people just get together and enjoy.

Anyway, I will update more soon. love you and miss you much, xoxo

Constant Change

Well, last week, I was getting ready to go to Aqaba with the symphony. This week, I am saying goodbye to two of my best friends here in Jordan as they head home to Canada and the States. Life is always changing, eb and flow I guess......good thing to get used to.

Let me start by updating you on last week. I posted some pictures on the picture blog of the Red Sea and the hotel we played for in Aqaba. The event apparently cost half-a-million dollars to put on, princesses were there and everything, and let me tell you, the food was amazing. We ate lunch and dinner at the Kepinski and it was worth every minute. They had sushi, fresh fruit, veggies, dips, salads, desserts, hot dishes, Arabic, western...Asian, everything. My friend Joe took some wonderful pictures of the set-up, the display was what made it so great. Obviously it tasted good but the presentation is half the battle :o) Then, the symphony played outside, right by the sea during the start of dinner and then did a Sinatra tribute to close the evening. Our wind quintet also played while people were mingling and having cocktails at the start of the event. So beautiful throughout the night. We stayed in the Radisson Resort and it was lovely. The beach led right down to the Red Sea where I jumped in off the pier. Sigh, I love the water. Realized on the trip that I definitely need to live within driving distant of a body of water...it's just a must.

Over the weekend when I got back, I took my hamster cage to Julie and Soetji's and Chip is getting used to his cage. I will be bringing him home tomorrow or the next day. We'll see how that goes with the roommates. They aren't too psyched about a hamster but he's cute and it will be nice to have something to take care of. Aimee and I had a great trip today to Safeway.....we have to take a taxi there and she and I went crazy with the shopping list, causing us to have a very full taxi on the way home. The taxi driver wasn't too thrilled but oh well, we made it in one piece with all of our bags and no broken eggs.

Yesterday, Lisa and I had all of kids perform in a benefit concert for the Music Therapy Program. We recently lost funding and are trying to find other donors for the project. Even though performing is not a goal in therapy, the kids were so excited to share their love of music and we had a blast doing it. When we were setting up, a t.v crew came and interviewed us and a guy from the newspaper (the Jordan Times) also interviewed us!! It was so crazy...being interviewed on Arabic television. I spoke a little too fast so Nora, the translator, had a hard time with some of my sentences :o) I will work on that for next time. We are hoping to have some people contact us that attended to concert and give us money. In a perfect world, that would happen sooner rather than later. I will put pictures up of some of the kids....they are wonderful and they have so much to offer the world. I feel so blessed to be able to help them focus their energies to positive changes in themselves.

Ok! Last update, promise :o) Tonight was Grace's going away party and it was a blast. She has made friends in so many different places in Jordan, whether it is at work or at church or frisbee or in the apartment building. Anyway, it was great to have all of those different groups come together in one place tonight to celebrate having Grace here (and her birthday was yesterday) and giving her good send-off. I'm really going to miss that girl, met her my first week here! The party was at the Kurani's house, Grace worked for Martin Kurani while she was here and man, their kids are great. They have 5 girls and it was so fun, felt so normal, to just chase them around, dance with them, laugh and be silly. Such a calming feeling inside really.

Tomorrow is November's symphony concert...doing a little Tchaikovsky and Beethoven, should be a fun concert! And then, Lisa's going away party is Thursday night here, Friday night spending the night at Julie's, and Saturday taking Lisa to the airport. Whew, it's a crazy week.

Seeing the relationships that have been built here made me realize that Jordan is becoming home.....and then it dawned on me that all those cheesy songs were write, home is where the heart is, home is where love is, where human connections are made. I have been so lucky to meet people from all over that have shown love and compassion for me. I have also met the other type of people as well but that is life. Life is full of contradictions but I'm finding that the small things each day can provide enough comfort to get through the hard stuff.

Anyway, enough of that for now. Talk to you soon. Miss you and love you! xoxoxo

yes :o)

Ok, I can't write much because I am exhausted but I just wanted to say this.

I swam in the Red Sea today and although it did not part, it was such an amazing experience to float in that same sea that God commanded years and years ago. To look across the Sea and gaze at Israel.

I will expand on this tomorrow, promise. And post pictures. Miss you, xoxo.

Feeling Accomplished

Well, I successfully taught my first college course, I stepped in for Julie's "Music Therapy with Children and Adolescents" class on Monday morning. I was a bit nervous because I am younger than the students but they were ready to listen, answering questions and participating in discussion. Awesome! Made me feel more prepared for the course I am teaching by myself in the spring, should be a good time. Then, my day continued to be filled on Monday with a meeting about funding, a on-the-spot interview for the Jordan Times about music therapy, and then sessions with my kids. Lisa posted some great pictures on facebook of the kids having a dance party. After sessions were over, we just put on some tunes and let loose dancing :o) It was so great to see the kids relax and have fun together. Lisa and I made an American move and went to Starbucks after work to just hang out and talk. She is heading home on November 21st, a week from Saturday! Really hard to believe. Grace is also leaving so we are having two goodbye parties in the same week!

I walk to the gym when I go because it's about a half-mile down the street so a good warm-up walk...well, yesterday as I was walking, I looked very American with my sweatshirt and iPod on but for the first time, I didn't notice the awkward staring. I'm not sure why but it was quite nice, no honking from the taxi's, just a beautiful walk down to the gym. Again, in the taxi the other day, the driver thought I was Arabic with my small use of phrases but he said that I also looked very Arabic, what does that mean?! I'll have to post a recent picture so you can decide for yourself.....I think I still look like me.

Oh, and one more thing, did I mention I am adopting a hamster? I bought the cage yesterday and will bring him here on Saturday. Julie's husband's hamster had babies so I decided to take one. His name is Chip because he very much resembles a chipmunk with his colors and he's decided to eat everything in site, becoming round like a little ball. I'll take a picture as soon as I get him!

Well, off to Aqaba tomorrow, I will let you know how the trip goes and put up pictures when I can. Talk to you soon! Miss you and sending hugs. xoxo.

learning Arabic

Learning the Arabic language seems like it shouldn't be a difficult task, especially considering I am living in the culture; however, I am finding that it is REALLY difficult. The entire alphabet is different, the script is crazy, they read right to left, the books open a different way, phew, it's a brainteaser. I'm up for the challenge though. I want to make sure that I make the most of my time here and really try to become conversational in Arabic. I am already starting to comprehend a lot more of what people are saying to me (always helpful :o) ) Wish me luck with the rest of my learning process....

In work news, yesterday was a great day with my kids. After one of my groups, we just put on some tunes and danced the afternoon away. These kids are so full of excitement, joy, love...it gives me hope that they can hold on to hope in the future, even though most of them have been through so much already. Really makes me appreciate everything and everyone around me.

Went to the Citadel in downtown Amman on Friday with Aimee and Joe, had a great time. The archaeological museum was full of artifacts dating back to the beginning of human existence in this area. Parts of the Dead Sea Scrolls were on display....and the ruins were awesome. For some reason, ancient ruins don't get old, no matter how many I see, they fascinate me. I always think about what it would have been like to live in that time....probably not too much fun for a woman, but that's another topic. I missed soccer to go to the Citadel and apparently, that was not ok :o) My fellow team members were grumbling that Indiana Jones (that's me) wasn't there. I"ll have to make it up to them next week.

Things are really starting to become normal for me, being here. I"ll have to make sure I still document and take pictures of everything because even though it's normal for me, it's so different from the States.

Alright, I better get some sleep. Update soon. Aqaba concert on Thursday so I'll have some new travel photos then. Miss you lots, xoxo

chocolate chip cookies

Well, every experience in Jordan has been slightly more difficult than in the States, but it's teaching me to be patient and creative :o) Tonight, for example, Aimee and I decided we would like to make chocolate chip cookies. We had all the correct ingredients and I made sure to mix everything correctly; however, the dough turned out extra thick! This could possibly be due to the use of the half wooden spoon......and we also think it could be a different kind of flour than we are used to OR the lack of humidity OR the elevation OR any other excuses you might have to offer. Other things on the difficult list are getting to work (taxis, blah), any type of laundry :o), making photocopies, and that's it for now. It's really not to bad.

Quick Update: I just ate one of the cookies and it tasted great! :o) woohoo!

Hopefully, this weekend, we will get to play soccer and not get rained out. Then, next weekend is our concert in Aqaba by the Red Sea :o) Should be a really good time with the group and I'll get to sight-see a bit after we perform.

Work is going going......we are still waiting to hear from the UN as I told you before, I'll keep you updated but right now, we're just playing the waiting game. Lisa and I have done a really good job making connections at the center where we work with case workers and psychologists and we've heard a lot of good feedback about the music therapy program. The kids love coming and tell their parents and psychologists that, so WOOHOO! We are slowly making a difference I think. Knock on wood.

I haven't seen my trusty falafal guys in awhile so I should make a trip over to Rainbow Street. Right now, Lisa is in Jerusalem and Grace is in Lebanon so my Rainbow Street girls aren't in town. I'll give you more updates soon. Sorry the crazy stories are slowing down but don't worry, I have no doubt something fun and crazy will happen soon. Love you and miss you lots, talk soon. xoxoxo

reality

I just think it is fascinating how our brains deal with change and transition. For some people, change hits them like a speeding truck while for others, change occurs in the now and they deal with it later. And still for others, change does not seem to give them a hard time at all. I personally think I am a mix between the last two ideas. I definitely am affected by change but I think I have developed pretty handy coping skills to help me deal with change in my life. The whole reason I am talking about this is because of the funny moments of clarity/reality checks I have here. One happened today while I was standing outside the 2nd security door of the American Embassy. I was there to pick up my passport and while I was waiting, the wind started to blow around me (by the way, today was freezing, I had to buy a winter coat). Anyway, when the wind started blowing I looked up and for some reason, I finally noticed the dust blowing and surrounding the building, everything. In that moment, I thought to myself, wow Maryellen- you are living in Amman, Jordan, as a single young woman, doing music therapy. How did that happen?!! :o) It's not that it is a bad thing but sometimes, I wonder how I got here. I am so grateful for this experience, the tough times and the good ones but really, it is amazing that I am able to live and work here, practicing in my field. I just feel very lucky and sometimes feel like because I have to make this life normal, I have to make this home, I forget that I am living in the Holy Lands, the desert.

Besides that moment of clarity, like I said, I successfully purchased a winter coat and I have a great winter hat. Who knew that I would need those in Jordan. The most exciting part of the evening was when I decided to try on some boots in a shoe store and the sales man thought I was Arab. I was using my minimal Arabic skills to ask to try on the shoes and when he came back, I asked what the American size was and he was shocked to find out I was American. I felt pretty cool.....then I tripped over my shoe on the way out, cool factor over for the day. :o)

Going to hopefully get some planning and paperwork out of the way tomorrow morning so I can go to the gym, then enjoy some more symphony rehearsal. We have our next concert in Aqaba by the Red Sea. I'll be sure to take some pictures. I also want to make sure I take pictures of places I see everyday. I am used to how things work here but I want to be able to show you when I get home! Alright, time for bed. Missing you lots, talk soon. xoxoxo.

Rain!

So today is Friday, my lovely one day off a week, and it has been so great to enjoy a nasty/cloudy/rainy day here in Amman!! Some may call me lazy but I have enjoyed laying around all day, feeling slightly chilly, listening to the rain and watching the cloudy sky move by. Nothing quite like it, plus, it's starting to feel like fall which is lovely. I didn't think I would feel cold in Jordan but it is happening!

The concert went very very well on Wednesday night, we received a standing ovation by the audience and both the conductor and concert master were quite pleased. I only messed up one note which I think only Aimee and I took notice of. Afterwards, just Grace-Jon-Lisa and I went out for a bite to eat, and enjoyed time together in a smaller group. SOOOO nice to just sit with a few friends and enjoy a moment out in Jordan. Lately, my job has been getting heavy and it is harder to enjoy the small moments of everyday. I'm working on it, and I"m sure it will be fine. Here, it is quite normal to have up days and down days. There is just so much change that I deal with on a daily basis, my brain is full up with changes :o)

Because it is Halloween tomorrow, there will be a showing of "Hocus Pocus" and I will proudly wear my halloween socks there, have to support the celebration! Alrighty, time to eat some good dinner, talk to you soon. Missing home, sending good thoughts, xoxoxo

Mid-Week Connection

Usually, our symphony concerts are on Tuesday but this month, Wednesday.....a lovely mid-week show. I am sitting here before it, just being able to relax and finally update you on this week. Work has been busy busy so that is why my internet time has been cut down for awhile.

Last night, I was a cat-sitter for Tim and Christina who live downstairs. They found a baby kitten outside a few days ago (named her Pumpkin, think I told you) and she is adorable. Unfortunately, she has been waking them up at 3 am for the past few nights, so last night, I volunteered for night-duty. Pumpkin made the trip up the flight of stairs and began to explore our apartment, SO CUTE! I did take some pictures so don't worry, you'll get to see her. She's a lovely little calico. Anyway, my bedroom and bathroom area have a door that can be closed to the rest of the apartment, so we put her litter box and food in the hall between my bedroom and bathroom and that was her area for the night. I left my bedroom door open just to see if she would bother me or not. You would not believe it but she jumped up on my bed and made herself comfortable next to my stuffed dog "Chewy" and slept until 7:30 am! I wasn't quite ready to get up then so I went back to sleep for a few minutes, only to wake up and find Pumpkin sleeping next to my head on my pillow, snoring :o) Now that she is back downstairs, I miss her! Uh oh, maybe I should get a cat......hehe.

My Arabic speaking has been remaining stable but I've been so busy with work that I haven't been practicing new words, I need to get back on track! Aimee and I walk around the apartment at night, practicing all of the different sounds incorporated in the language, completely different than any of the romantic languages......someday, I will get it. Maybe in August, I will be able to speak Arabic in full sentences :o) Reading the language is also one of my goals, it would really help in daily life. For example, last night I wanted to order pizza from the place down the street but I couldn't read the menu. Luckily, the guy taking my order knew the English words for the toppings....So I ended up with a fantastic mushroom/garlic/cheese/tomato pizza! Yum!

Alright, time to get ready for symphony! Miss you and talk to you soon. xoxoxo

oh Symphony

Let's just say that 7 hours of symphony rehearsal in one day can be a bit exhausting. I am headed to bed but just wanted to update quick. Our guest conductor for the upcoming concert on Wednesday is from Holland and he is really amazing, a great guy and a wonderful conductor. The symphony sounds lovely! I'll let you know how the actual concert goes.

In other news, I burnt popcorn tonight on the stove.....sigh, I thought I was over the burning of food stage of my life. Luckily, I can cook pretty well now but apparently, the popcorn got me again. :o)

Still playing the waiting game with the UN but apparently, I am taking on Lisa's clients when she leaves so I will be seeing a case load of about 50 clients per week. THAT IS NUTS. I'll also update you on that, hehe.

Alright, talk to you more tomorrow. Right now, I need sleep. miss you ton, xoxoxo.

Football Friday

It's officially Football Friday in my neck of the woods.....well, there are no woods, my neck of the desert, hehe. And by Football, I mean Soccer :o) As I have told you in the past few weeks, a group from the symphony has been getting together and playing soccer on Friday afternoons and this past week, it got serious. Today, I will heading to soccer with our team list, a jersey (I'm on the Jordanian Club team) and prepared for a serious game. It makes me smile so much because it's all in fun but some people get so competitive, this should get interesting. I'll keep you updated!

In work land, we submitted the UN document yesterday so convince them to fund us, we will most likely find out the verdict sometime in the beginning of November. I am hoping that they continue with the project. We included an amazing case study of one of the clients that has made significant changes over the past few months, I'm sure that will help to show them exactly what we do and how it works.

As far as me being here, symphony has taken over my life this week but we played a concert in the Roman Amphitheater on Tuesday and we have a big concert next Wednesday. That means rehearsals every night starting Saturday night, lovely :o) I still love my music therapy job and as much as I hate dealing with all of the admin stuff, I will be better prepared for my next job so that's a blessing.

Julie's husband, Soetji, has hamsters and one of them had babies a few weeks ago. They are amazing, so small but they know exactly what to do. Some of them are even litter trained now. But anyway, my roommates and I might be adopting one. We'll see......I'm not sure how I feel about hamsters. They are super cute now but they don't always stay cute. The mom is a white hamster which is kind of scary looking but some of the babies and brown, that could be nice. Always some sort of adventure here! It's nice to be enjoying normal daily life as well as this crazy job that I am blessed to have.

My last update, I joined Curves, gym for women, and I am very excited! It's right down the street so I can walk to it and it's only women, so I can wear shorts and really work out. Awesome! I think that will help with my mental status too, I'm always feeling better when I'm working out regularly. I'll see if I can do a music therapy study there too ;o) haha, just kidding. But they did have appropriate work out music playing when I signed up yesterday.

Alright, better get ready for "Football Friday"!! Talk to you soon, miss you and love you, xoxo

oh what a day :o)

Victorious over the center, we finally have an individual room!! For real this time, we had a meeting today and things were interesting - slowly but surely, the director of the center finally realized why we have been pushing for an individual room for sessions - because our clients need a consistent, safe space, and we as therapists need a place that we can lock up each day that other people in the center will not use throughout the day.

It was quite a day dealing with the different ways of business and administration. Here, it is really difficult because of the language barrier. During half the meeting, Lisa and I could not understand what was being said and when we asked them to translate, we got head nods and they looked away. Talk about frustrating. Luckily, we kept pushing and things got done. We thanked them a ton but honestly, after 5 months, we should have an appropriate room for sessions.

In other news, I made my second venture to the American Embassy and successfully entered, turned in my passport application, and made it back to the Conservatory in one piece. My cab ride to the Conservatory was wonderful, I met a really cool driver (originally from Syria) who has his Master's degree in Marketing and Finance but lost his job here so he is driving taxis. He had a very professional card and gave it to me, and he also praised my Arabic, he said it was very good for only being here a few months. He spoke a bit of English as well so it was a very pleasant conversation all the way to the conservatory. So good to have a nice taxi experience.

The rest of the day was tiring but in a good way. After rehearsal, Lisa and I just relaxed at her place and talked about life and our job here. Our job is really draining and we need to make sure we take time to rejuvenate. Our clinical hours are intense as we have back to back session, whereas in the States, therapist's usually get a break in between clients. The work here is also just amazing politically, personally, and professionally. Wow, all p's. But seriously, I was sitting in an office today with a Jordanian, Iraqi, and American, just enjoying time together, talking and laughing. How amazing is that. And at work, my kids are just full of all these experiences that should have broken them but they are full of resilience and hope. AWESOME!

Being Grown Up

It's such a funny place to be, your twenties :o) Part of my time here, I feel like a baby because I am usually the youngest in the group I hang out in, the youngest at work, and this is the first time I am living abroad etc. However, then I have weeks like the end of this past one that remind me I am in the world of grown-ups and have to be one myself sometimes. We had a big meeting on Thursday with the branch of the UN that has been funding our program the last two years, only to find out they have a much smaller budget to work with this year so things like music therapy will be the first to go. Luckily, they did not cut us right there on the spot, we have two weeks to send in a proposal providing evidence (qualitative and quantitative) about music therapy with refugees and stating that it does work. I am really hoping that they decide to continue funding the project. As much as it helps to give food and shelter to a group of people, if you don't treat their psychological needs as well, they will never truly overcome some of the struggles they need to in order to live successfully on their own. Many of the goals we are working on with the kids is obviously emotional expression but also focusing on social cohesion, positive peer interactions, increasing self-esteem, creative expression.......and all those goals will hopefully help each individual know themselves better and function more positively around others. In the long run, that could mean staying in school, going to college, getting a job, working well with others/interviewing well, having the confidence to follow their dreams. I know I am starting to sound like I am full of false hope but I really believe that if we address these issues now with kids, they will succeed later in life rather than dwelling on the past. We will see what the UN thinks.

I have apparently attracted ever germ that I have been exposed to so I have a pretty bad cold right now, the kind where you wake up feeling worse than when you went to bed but hopefully it will pass in a few days. Luckily, my landlord is also a doctor! So that is pretty handy as well :o) One of my work colleagues was at the hospital last night getting tested for swine flu...I will keep you updated on that story.

Friday, we played some more soccer and man, each week I feel like more of an old lady. I'm sure it didn't help that I had a cold but after the game, my knees hurt, I was sore all over, haha. I'm getting old! :o) My bed and Aimee's bed in our new apartment are not the best for sleeping. We really need to find some foam to put on top of it or something because both of us of are more sore in the morning after trying to sleep on these beds. I'm just full of complaints today, haha.

I'm going to get ready for work but I will talk to you soon! sending hugs, xoxo

food days :o)

Apparently, my life is starting to revolve around food, which I am ok with :o) On Monday, I was feeling particularly hungry for rice and chicken which was perfect because I went over to Julie's for dinner at that was exactly what she made. She is a wonderful cook, as is her husband, so every time I eat there, it is delicious! Then, when I woke up yesterday, Aimee and I decided to go on a nice long walk from Third Circle to 1st Circle, our main goal: get FALAFAL. Since we moved, we are not down the street from our favorite falafal stand so it takes more effort to get there but well worth it. On the way, we were side-tracked by this awesome smoothie place called Fruit Salad. I ordered a mango-strawberry smoothie and it was only 1 JD (basically a $1.50) and it was fresh fresh with nothing but the fruit, SO GOOD! Then of course, we did get to the falafal stand and it hit the spot. Then, after symphony rehearsal last night, we were too lazy to cook so we walked down the street and found a great little pizza place. The menu was completely in Arabic but we ordered cheese and garlic pizza (I got mushrooms, yum!) and then, for dessert, a Nutella calzone. I'm not sure how many of you eat Nutella but it's a fantastic hazelnut/chocolate spread (I think from Germany) and it was all melty in the middle of the calzone, I haven't had anything quite like it. Anyway, to continue our food week, I woke up this morning and made pancakes for Aimee and I and we were able to sit at the dining room table, enjoying the morning with our pancakes and good conversation. YUM! for food!

As far as work goes, the past few days have been interesting. I have been doing my paperwork and planning for sessions but on Monday night, I got to help with the UN project proposal, basically the document sent in to renew my job for 2010. Lisa, Julie, and I went over to the assistant director's place and started working on this LONG document. It had been given to the assistant director on Monday and they wanted it to be completed and submitted on Tuesday. Unbelievable! There was so much to write and the language in documents like that is very different than what I am used to. As a team, we brainstormed and worked together for about 4 hours and completed the proposal, how awesome! It was great experience for me to be able to work on a UN project proposal like that and hopefully, the project will be renewed for 2010. Music Therapy is obviously benefiting the clients so hopefully, that will be clear to those in higher positions.

I need to get to work but I just wanted to give you that food/work update :o) Don't worry, I do have my fair share of Arabic food each week as well. And again, yesterday, my snack in the afternoon was a delicious pomegranate that I got for about 50 cents (and I promptly squirted the juice on my white t-shirt, haha). Love the fresh food here!

Anyway, talk to you soon, I"ll keep you updated on more adventures. I miss you lots, xoxo.

Dinner Parties are Great

To celebrate moving into our new place, Aimee and I decided to invite people over for a dinner party! Little did we know it would end up being about 20 people in our apartment, sharing laughter and food :o) I roasted 5 chickens, yes 5! but don't worry, they are much smaller here and let me tell you, the chicken in Jordan tastes so much better than the chicken in the U.S. It doesn't have any hormones/chemicals/persevatives etc. so it actually tastes like chicken! Aimee made wonderful lentil soup and then we had food donations from many guest. Chi brought his homemade fried rice which was fantastic, I made fatoosh salad (a local dish), Nadine made a chocolate mousse pie from scratch, Muhammad's wife brought hummus, and we had plenty of sweets, cookies, etc. Yum!! Everyone enjoyed the food and took time to talk, get to know each other. Then the music started and people wanted to dance. All different cultures are represented in the group from Hungarian to Taiwanese to Korean to Polish to Colombian to American to Jordanian to Iraqi and more so the dancing was quite a cross-cultural experience. Interesting to note: everyone in the group loved Michael Jackson and there was quite a bit of support for ABBA. :o) After the dancing had finished up, people moved into a game of Charades, one of my favorites! Hilarious to watch people act out movie titles and even funnier to try and guess. I had to try and act out "The Truman Show".....I got the group to get the word 'show' and was attempting Truman by trying to do the pledge of allegiance, then, my team screamed out the name of the movie and we got the point!! Very exciting I must say. Also, it was girls against guys, and the girls won!

Besides having a blast with people at home, I also have had some awesome days at work. It's easy to forget that the kids I am working with have seen so much in their short lifetimes. It's an honor to work with them and to be able to provide them a time to express themselves, laugh/cry, enjoy their peers, and to enjoy music. I am trying to do the best that I can with the resources I have so hopefully, that will continue to go well. Yesterday, during a music experience, one of my jokesters started to talk about a dream he had and got into some graphic details....it was truly powerful and so good for him to finally start talking about these things. Really an amazing moment. Sorry to be vague but I don't want to put too much personal information up about the kids because they are clients, privacy is important. However, it is great to be able to share a little bit with you about what I am doing here.

Continuing on with my update, hehe, I wanted you to know that I officially have a nickname here in Jordan. I have been playing soccer the last two Fridays with a group from the conservatory, also a mixed group of folks, and it's been a ton of fun. I was complemented by the symphony conductor on the use of both my feet to make strong shots at the goal, woohoo! But anyway, he (and a lot of my clients) have a tough time remembering my name; therefore, he has decided to call me Indiana Jones because it is two words and I guess I remind him of the girl in the movie. hmmmm.......but anyway, the name seems to have stuck and more and more people are referring to me as Indiana, or Jones, or the whole name :o) I'm pretty sure that will just be a Jordan thing, I am quite fond of my actual name.

Been a long week but a good one. The move is definitely a good one and I am really starting to feel like this is my home, at least for the next 10 months. I'll keep you updated on the coming events! Talk to you soon, xoxo

Little Things

I am so thankful that my brother/lots of people gave me the idea to write this blog during my time here in Amman. It is helping me remember the little things of each day and while I cannot document everything that happens during my time here, I hope that by sharing them with you, I am doing some sort of good thing :o) Just let me think that, ok?

Today was a great day as far as work goes. We finally got to meet with the social workers and psychologists at the center and present to them "What is Music Therapy?" Such a beneficial thing to do, to provide them with a basic knowledge of what it is that I am doing there with my clients. They listened intently and had lots of good questions at the end of the presentation and they also participated in a drum circle activity! woohoo! The other cool part of the presentation was that I was giving it in English and Nora was translating at the same time, she has such a hard job and does it so well. Very interesting to present that way, it forced me to be extremely aware of my speed of speech as well as my phrasing and choice of words. Then, after the presentation, I had 7 of my clients for sessions and they were awesome, songwriting, performing, improvising, we were all over the place and having a blast together. Some of the depth that these kids can get into is amazing and always provides me with hope for them and for me.

Another little thing of the day was my taxi ride to Carrefour this evening. I got home from work around 6:30 and Aimee and I decided we should make a trip to Carrefour for some things we need around the new apartment (coffeemaker, candles, etc.) Before leaving, we stopped downstairs where some of the other people from the symphony live, only to find Thomas, the bassoon player from Poland. He's staying there briefly while he looks for another place to live. Anyway, he decided to tag along on the trip so we set out to find a taxi. Got in one and began our journey. Thomas is quite a talker and loves to get to know people so he was already trying to talk to the taxi driver who didn't speak much English and Thomas has a heavy Polish accent. The conversation then took an interesting turn.....the driver stated he was from Iraq, pulled out his Iraqi national flag and was quite proud....then stated that he was in Amman because he had to leave Iraq. His wife/or girlfriend was killed by a bomb. That was just awful to hear....and even more awful because I know that there is a huge struggle as to America's place in the war etc. etc. I'm not going to get into a political debate but it is a constant reminder here that these people are real people too, with families and passions, and life to live. After arriving at the store and finishing our shopping, Thomas/Aimee/and I stopped at the food court for dinner and during the dinner, Thomas began talking about some in depth topics dealing with hate, love, peace, war. The bottom line that we all came up with is that there will always be both love and hate but we have to keep on loving, hoping that things will get better because love will conquer the hate in the end. I'm sounding a bit free-love crazy but it's quite coincidental how many times the idea of love keeps coming up in this foreign land.

To top the evening off, I came back to the apartment and we had a girls night with a few ladies from the conservatory. Such a blast to eat ice cream and popcorn, paint our nails, girl talk, watch movies, and of course.......we had ring pops! It was a little slice of normal, something that I don't feel that often here.

Alrighty, I better get to bed, going to a cool second-hand market with Julie tomorrow morning at 7:40 am! Then soccer tomorrow afternoon. Talk to you soon, miss you all so much. xoxo

moved again :o)

just a quick update because it's late and I have to go to bed! I promise I will write more tomorrow but I just wanted to let you know that I moved yet again, but this will be the last time. I moved into a three bedroom place with Aimee, the other flute player, and possibly another roommate, the oboe player from the orchestra. Right now it is just Aimee and I but the place is soo soo much better than the one before. This one is clean and has furniture and just feels more like home. We have to get unpacked and do an all-around good cleaning but so far so good, and NO COCKROACHES! Woohoo :o)

Also, after my e-mail and the issues last week at work, things have actually been getting done this week and it looks like we will have our very own music therapy room which Lisa and I will be the only ones able to access it. Perfect, and we can really turn it into a clinic, an appropriate therapeutic space. Also, on a side note, with no warning today, I had to speak in front of about 40 employees from the UNHCR etc about what I am doing with music therapy here, was a bit nervous but I think I sounded good, clear and professional, and hopefully intelligent :o)

Alright, bed time for me but I promise I will post more tomorrow and hopefully some pictures of the apartment and I took some pictures at the center where I work. Talk to you soon, miss you all so much. xoxo

Day to Day to Day

Today is October 3rd....well, technically this will probably get posted on October 4th which marks my two month mark of being in Amman. How crazy is that?! My personal perception is that it feels like I have been here about a year...haha, but it's pretty cool that two months have gone fast and slow at the same time.

Today was a work day for me, as is tomorrow. Only Friday for the weekend here folks. Luckily, I have my group sessions on Saturday and the kids usually have a blast with music experiences and activities. Today was one of the first days I really had to lay down the law for some of the kids. As usual, kids like to see how far they can push boundaries. I am pretty sure I will find that in any culture.

In other news, I played soccer yesterday! Oh as they call it in most of the world, football. I can't tell you how refreshing it was to actually run around for a long period of time, outside! And the best part it, it was a fenced in center, so I wore shorts. It's the first time I have worn shorts outside since I arrived in Amman, felt very strange. Only the people I was playing with could see me though and they were just the symphony folks. One of the guys is from Columbia...he was really good, I held my own though. Even thought it's been about 2 years since I've really played a game, I had a great time just relaxing with friends and enjoying being outside. I'm hoping to join a gym in about a week or two. Also, Aimee and I are definitely moving into the new place this coming week so that is exciting. It's a good location and I think it will really help to be with roommates, since both Grace and Lisa are leaving in November. :o( I'll miss them a ton.

Met some new folks tonight after church which was lovely but guess where we went to dinner? Chili's. I'm not kidding....they actually have one in Jordan. Kind of sad that we went there but the food and the company was good. I better get to sleep but wanted to give you the small updates. Miss everyone a lot....especially missing the fall weather, the desert is still very hot! Enjoy hot apple cider and things like that, I can't seem to find that here ;o) Talk to you soon, xoxo.

Tea and a Full Belly

One thing is for certain, I will not starve in this country. In fact, when I return, I will most likely be 20 pounds heavier because of all the wonderful food I have been eating. First, I will begin with my story from a few days ago. By the way, I'm sorry I have not been able to update until now, this week has been crazy with work and symphony and life in general! Luckily, I have time now to summarize :o) Ok, so my story.......well, I needed to find a black top to wear for the symphony concert because women are supposed to wear all black from head to toe. I have the pants and the shoes but I needed the top. Aimee had one that I could borrow which was awesome but I wanted to see if I could find one for myself, since I will be playing more than one concert here! So anyway, I'm off browsing in a shop and I find a little shop off of Rainbow Street that seems to have just what I need, so of course, after I find the black top, I keep looking because the prices are really cheap. I ended up getting two nice shirts for $15, pretty good! During my time in the store, the shop owner, a much older gentleman greeted me kindly and asked me a few questions and began to share his story with me. After a few minutes, he invited me to sit down and he made tea for the two of us. He told me how he grew up in Kuwait and wanted to go to the States in 1985 but was continually rejected his visa, eventually he ended up in Jordan and is happy with his shop but he wishes he would have had the opportunity for the American dream. As I was sitting there, drinking delicious tea with this kind man, I realized that it was a situation I would probably never encounter in the States. We are so busy with our go-go-go lives that people don't take the time to sit down and share stories. It was a beautiful moment for me.

On the flip side, things at work were getting frustrating because some changes were not being made that was making it very difficult to do therapy. Luckily, we had a big meeting today and things are starting to turn around, small changes have started already which is awesome. I am really lucky to be getting all of this experience here, especially in my first job. I occasionally feel like a crazy person because my brain is on constant cultural overload so sometimes, I really want to leave (like yesterday) and then today, I really want to stay and make the most of my time here. The thing that is helping the most is the great support I have at home and here. Truly blessed am I.

Tonight, I was invited over to the conductor of the symphony's house for dinner with he and his family. A few people from the symphony were invited, about 7 of us, which was lovely. Our conductor is originally from Iraq so the whole meal was traditional Iraqi cuisine. We had chicken that had roasted with peas, carrots, potatoes, tomato paste, and secret spices; then rice; hummus; a mixture of green beans in a special sauce (sorry for the mysterious labels); fresh veggies; kuba, a meat dish; and finished the meal with Iraqi sweets that you dig out of flour and tea. SOOO GOOD. I can't wait to tell my kids at the center that I had Iraqi food, they will be so excited. Throughout the evening tonight, watching everyone laugh and have a great time, I realized what an awesome experience I get to have here. Because I am doing music therapy, I get to work with kids, basically out in the field. But because I am playing in the symphony, I get to experience a bit more of the middle class life as well.....and I just get to watch and observe, and come home to my friendly cockroach friends. I have been cockroach free for a few days! but I am actually considering the move to a new place with Aimee. We shall see. I just realized that even though I am always going to have the really down days when I want to come home, I have such a great opportunity here to provide education on music therapy, to provide music therapy, to play with a professional orchestra, to sight-see, to eat new food, to laugh with new friends, to learn Arabic, to learn to live on my own......and the best of all is that I do know I get to come home and visit all of you in just 10 months, really not that long. Just keep reminding me of that :o) I took some pictures at the center today and I want to take more on Saturday, then maybe I will be able to post some for you to see! I miss you and I will talk to you soon. xoxoxo