Hi Friends!
Today was the first day of CIEE orientation. We met up early this morning, hopped on tour buses and were herded around Amman with a professional tour guide and CIEE staff. It was cool for me to be on the tourist side of things, since all my time in Amman thus far has been with family and experiencing the city more like a local. It was interesting to think of what differences between Amman and the US I have taken for granted all along, and what is must be like to never have seen the city and just be plopped on a bus driving around. The other kids I've met in the CIEE program have been pretty cool, mostly International Relations majors, and all interested in the Middle East--duh.
Even just being in Amman 3 days now, I've noticed myself comprehending more and more Arabic I'm hearing in conversations, now I just gotta be able to think of the words and say them myself! Having people talk to me in Arabic and responding in English is kinda fun, but when I recall an Arabic word on my own and slip it in I feel even better! I'm not always right though. Yesterday I slipped and fell up some stairs (don't worry, I'm fine) while I was carrying some Lentil soup (yes grandma is fattening me up) and I was so happy that I remembered the arabic word for slipped..even tough it turned out I almost the arabic word for slipped. Now I actually can't remember what the arabic word for slipped is, but I did back then! Maybe if I slip again, It'll come back to me. Which is quite likely cause it has been raining since I got here. The drainage for the roads in Amman is pretty bad (possibly non-existent?). Dad and I were driving through downtown Amman (which is the lowest elevation part of the city) and water was halfway up the tires of cars, literally splashing cars exhaust pipes. You could probably skim board down some of the more water logged streets while it's raining, if you didn't get run over. Driving, awesome. I need to take a video of me crossing the street, quite exciting.
I've had 2 little arabic alphabet lessons from my Dad and Grandma in the back of her Pharmacy. I have started to recognize some letters and can start to piece a few words together. I can now spell, "house" and "dad" and "mom" and "yazan" and "Basma". Today I was visiting my Uncle and 3yo cousin, and enjoyed watching his kids TV show, I think Arabic dubbed Sesame Street is about to become my new favorite YouTube channel. Some of my little cousins kindergarten arabic books may be "disappearing" soon haha. oh! or even better, I'll just read them children's books once I can. Perfect. I am excited to learn the alphabet and start to piece together more syllables...but watch me eat my words as soon as I'm assigned a homework on it haha.
Today was the first day of CIEE orientation. We met up early this morning, hopped on tour buses and were herded around Amman with a professional tour guide and CIEE staff. It was cool for me to be on the tourist side of things, since all my time in Amman thus far has been with family and experiencing the city more like a local. It was interesting to think of what differences between Amman and the US I have taken for granted all along, and what is must be like to never have seen the city and just be plopped on a bus driving around. The other kids I've met in the CIEE program have been pretty cool, mostly International Relations majors, and all interested in the Middle East--duh.
Even just being in Amman 3 days now, I've noticed myself comprehending more and more Arabic I'm hearing in conversations, now I just gotta be able to think of the words and say them myself! Having people talk to me in Arabic and responding in English is kinda fun, but when I recall an Arabic word on my own and slip it in I feel even better! I'm not always right though. Yesterday I slipped and fell up some stairs (don't worry, I'm fine) while I was carrying some Lentil soup (yes grandma is fattening me up) and I was so happy that I remembered the arabic word for slipped..even tough it turned out I almost the arabic word for slipped. Now I actually can't remember what the arabic word for slipped is, but I did back then! Maybe if I slip again, It'll come back to me. Which is quite likely cause it has been raining since I got here. The drainage for the roads in Amman is pretty bad (possibly non-existent?). Dad and I were driving through downtown Amman (which is the lowest elevation part of the city) and water was halfway up the tires of cars, literally splashing cars exhaust pipes. You could probably skim board down some of the more water logged streets while it's raining, if you didn't get run over. Driving, awesome. I need to take a video of me crossing the street, quite exciting.
I've had 2 little arabic alphabet lessons from my Dad and Grandma in the back of her Pharmacy. I have started to recognize some letters and can start to piece a few words together. I can now spell, "house" and "dad" and "mom" and "yazan" and "Basma". Today I was visiting my Uncle and 3yo cousin, and enjoyed watching his kids TV show, I think Arabic dubbed Sesame Street is about to become my new favorite YouTube channel. Some of my little cousins kindergarten arabic books may be "disappearing" soon haha. oh! or even better, I'll just read them children's books once I can. Perfect. I am excited to learn the alphabet and start to piece together more syllables...but watch me eat my words as soon as I'm assigned a homework on it haha.
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