Yesterday Roa'a came over for lunch and a visit. We enjoyed haystacks (taco meat, rice, tomatoes, green peppers, cheese, yogurt in place of sour cream...) and then she taught me how to make Arabic coffee. It is very strong, like expresso, but the grounds are boiled with the water and then you sip off the top and allow the grounds to remain in the bottom of the cup. Arabs grind cardamon with their coffee beans and so the flavor is also a bit different, but I've learned to enjoy a cup every now and then. :)

When she was ready to leave she went to put on her hijab, and so I asked her to show me how to put it on. She put it on me and thankfully I remembered to pull out the camera for some pictures. :)

Here I am with the hijab on. This is only one of the ways the women wear it.

Roa'a in the midst of putting hers on. The lighter colored piece is an elastic-y thing that most women wear underneath the scarf to help...what I'm not entirely sure. :)

The two of us :)

National Celebrations and a University Party

Last Tuesday I spent the entire day at the university since there was a reception/party for the Language Center students in the evening.
So anyway, after class I met Roa'a for awhile and there was a huge commotion going on by the main library, so of course we went to check it out. Apparently it was the anniversary of the time that this country repelled the country next door, the only time this other country has yet been turned back, which was cause for celebration I guess. :) There was someone asking questions over a loud speaker, and shabob (guys) were repelling off of another building. It was interesting to observe their celebrations, because I don't think the U.S. would celebrate quite the same way, although the 4th of July is somewhat because of the same reasons. Inside the Language Center they had a bunch of pictures up about this war, and one of them had pictures of all the soldiers who lost their lives during the conflict/war/whatever you call it. Some of the soldiers were really young, maybe even 19-20.
So, after observing the festivities my American friend and I went and enjoyed some Pizza Hut stuffed crust pizza for lunch. :) It was the first time I've eaten it here, and it was delicious!
In the evening we went back to the university and joined the crowd of students waiting to get into the restaurant for the party. We waited outside almost 45 minutes until the president of the university showed up with his entourage so that we could go in and greet him and then eat. We ate lots of good Arab food and then it was nice to head home.
So that was my exciting day last week that I haven't gotten around to writing about until now. :)
This Friday and Saturday the university trip is first to the desert, where we'll ride jeeps (maybe camels!!) and sleep in Bedouin tents overnight and then down to the very southern tip of the country, to their only port city, located on the Red Sea. I was looking at the weather for the port city and it's supposed to be between 80 and 90 degrees down there over the weekend, which I'm excited for. :) I might actually get some sun, although we're going to need to find some sunscreen so I don't burn. Inshallah I will put pictures up on Sunday or Monday from the trip. :)

Women's Party

Last week my roommates and I hosted a group of ladies to celebrate Women's Day, a week late. :) We had a ton of desserts that were delicious and it was a good chance for me to listen and try to respond in Arabic. At the end of the evening we all took a card stating a truth, like, "You are beautiful/capable/worthy..." and then wrote on the back for a woman whose name we had drawn, and then tied it to a flower and gave it to that person. 

It was a special time to encourage each other as women.

Here's a pic of my flower and the card...mine said "you are capable". :)

Stepping into History

Last Saturday I again joined the university's trip, and this time we traveled to the mountain that Moses stood on in Deut. 34 when he looked into the Promised Land from afar. We went first of all to the mountain and then afterwards went to the nearby city that has a famous church that I visited a few weeks ago. This time I had my guide book along so we were able to figure out the map on the floor of the church. For lunch we visited a local restaurant and had 3 different types of meat: chicken on a stick, lamb on a stick and kebab on a stick. (Kebab meat is minced meat mixed with spices and formed onto a stick and then grilled) These meats are some of my favorite to get at a nicer Arab restaurant...they are so good!

Here are some pictures from the mountain:

The plain of Moab, the Jordan River beyond the green and just in the distance the hills leading to Jerusalem. It was super hazy that day so it was a bit of a let-down, and the pictures don't capture everything we saw.

They put a large sculpture of a bronze snake, like the one Moses made in the desert in Numbers 21:9

The view to the north

A Franciscan monk who is one of the caretakers of the grounds there

Spring flowers

Spring poppies

Update

I was reminded this morning that I had said that there were developments happening and that I hadn't updated everyone like I promised. Sorry about that! I tend to forget what I've written on here.
Anyway, there was a rumor circulating about the political situation in a country to the west and for a couple hours before we found out the real facts it appeared to be something that would affect me here. But it turned out to be a much over-blown rumor, and while something did happen, it wasn't anything that would have overflowed into this country.
So I am safe, and sound, and enjoying weather in the 70s!

Time Change...

Just a reminder that we don't change with you all back home for Daylight Savings. We'll move forward on April 1st. :) So for the next four weeks I'm only 6 hours difference from the East Coast and 7 hours from Iowa.

Here are the pictures from my friend of the trip to the north. 

This girl followed us around for a bit and then communicated that she wanted a picture...with me? :) I'm not sure where she's looking.

Taking a picture of the Sea of Galilee in the distance.

On the steps looking into the underground church thing...I'm not sure exactly what it was. :)

With my friend in the underground thing that I was going into in the last picture. 

This Saturday we are going to Mt. Nebo and the city I visited with my two friends a month ago. I guess it's hard to get to Mt. Nebo, so I'm glad for the chance to go with the university.

Update-ish

Today it snowed! Or rather, to be a bit more accurate, there was snow in the air. It didn't actually stick to the ground at all. That was at the university, and then here in the southern part of the city we only had rain. But anyway, it's a drastic and rather unwelcome change to the weather from last weekend.
Political update-ish....the rumor I had heard yesterday seems to be a bit out of proportion. There are some movements in the works for next week, but not here in this country and not anything that sounds like it would spill over here. So don't worry, friends and family, I'm fine and will stay that way. :)

My co-worker took some pictures today of the snow so I'll put that on here when I get the pics from her.

Snow...really?!

After a beautiful few days at the beginning of the week the weather has turned cold and windy, with a chance of rain tomorrow. Actually the Arabs all say that there might be snow, but I'm skeptical of that claim. I'll believe it when I see it.
In other news, I heard an interesting claim about next week that could affect me here. I'll pass that along through emails and other channels though. You can be thinking of me and the political situation here...I would appreciate it! :)

Busy Days

The last few days have been a bit more full than previous weeks, all of it good though. It's just a bit different. :)
Friday I spent the afternoon utilizing the little bit of creativity I have to paint and to make a mosaic coffee mug. It was a blessing just to be with some friends and I was actually somewhat pleased with the result. :) In the evening I helped with the kids at church and then spent the night with my friend who lives closer to the university so that we didn't have to get going quite as early the next day.
Saturday, as you saw from the last post I went with the university on a trip.
Sunday was class, of course, and then I spent some time with Roa'a before coming home. We had a short quiz on Sunday, which I didn't ace by any means, but it wasn't horrible.
Yesterday after class I went straight to the English center where my roommates work to help them with oral testing for their upcoming classes. There were some 140 students yesterday that we tested which made for a crazy time, but once I got the hang of it I kinda enjoyed it. After that the three of us (my roommates and I) went to the gym. It was the first time I had gone, but it was actually a good chance to get some exercise, and it was nice to work out in an all ladies environment. :) They have some classes that look like a lot of fun so I'm hoping to get into a couple of those.
This afternoon was more testing, but there weren't nearly so many students this time. It was a bit warmer and my roommate and I decided to hike up the hill on foot instead of taking the servees, so I got yet another workout this evening. :)
This evening will hopefully include a bit of studying, along with a delicious supper that my roommate is cooking right now (it smells amazing!) and a movie night. :)
Tomorrow I'm going home with Haneen to her house for lunch so I'm excited about that. Hopefully I'll be able to fumble my way through some Arabic with her mom and sisters so that we can talk a bit more. :)