Pictures

I figured I should put some more pictures on here, just to keep you all from getting bored. :)

This is the front of the Language Center at the University. I think I will be spending most of my time in this building.

To my surprise I found Mt. Dew and Pringles here! :) However, neither one tastes quite the same as in the U.S., although that only slightly diminishes my enjoyment of them. 

My new cell phone :) There's even games on it, which means that it beats out my old cell phone, in my opinion.

The lovely cushions that I commandeer when I want to read or be on the computer. Because the wireless doesn't reach to my bedroom, all my blogging and emailing is done from the living area.

Change of Plans...& The Feeling of Success

Well, I know I said yesterday I was going to go to Mecca Mall, but turns out we didn't go. Instead we went down to the balat, or near the balat, to go shopping on Italian Street. So named because of the Italian Hospital that is located on this street. (at least that is what I assume) Don't ask me what makes the hospital Italian though. :) Also, my friend showed me how to use the servees, which are the shared taxis that drive on specific routes around the city. Anyways, back to shopping. There are alot of used clothing stores on that street and we (a friend and I) went to go find some shirts for me to wear, since most of mine aren't long enough. And it was a success! I got three new (to me) shirts, and I even wore one of them today, on what was supposed to be my first day of classes.
Notice I said "supposed to"? Well, yesterday wasn't the only change of plans...today also carried lots of surprises. :) I got up super early because I hadn't finished registration on Thursday, and I wanted to make sure I was on time. I had to wait for a taxi for awhile, but still got to the University in what I thought was plenty of time. Well, after going to the Language Center and speaking to the gentleman who helped me Thursday, I found out that in actuality, classes don't start today, they start Wednesday, with orientation on Tuesday.
And so, I was able to take my time finishing my registration, and since I was feeling such a weight of worry lifted off me at getting that all done, I decided to try and figure out which bus I needed to take to get back to the balat. And that is where the feeling of success came in, because I did it! Well, okay, I did it with some help from some very kind women. I used that one Arabic word I know, "balat" and they pointed out the bus to take. From where I got dropped off I walked into the balat a ways, and then hailed a taxi to take me the rest of the way to my neighborhood. I'm glad I didn't try to walk the whole way to Italian Street to catch a servees up the hill to my neighborhood, because it was a long way from where I got dropped off. But still, I accomplished public transportation!!
It is with a great sense of relief and accomplishment that I am back at the apartment, awaiting the next adventure... :)

The Weekend

This weekend has been laid back for me, since I don't have homework yet. :) Thursday evening a new roommate moved in here. She is from Korea and I have enjoyed not being the only one in the apartment. My other roommate arrives back from the UK today. This is her apartment, so it will be nice to have her around to explain the nuances of getting hot water and other such things. :) And I'm also looking forward to having another friend to connect with.
Today I'm going to go to Mecca Mall. I heard it is bigger than any mall in the U.S. so I'm excited to see it. I'll also be getting more food supplies, now that I have a better idea of what I need to get.
And then, tomorrow is the big day! I'm so nervous right now thinking about it, not knowing what to expect. In some ways I don't want the day to come, and in other ways, I wish I didn't have to wait a full day. But by this time tomorrow I will be almost through one class, and hopefully ready to settle into a routine. :)

Photos of the day

I have a couple more pictures of the city to share...

This was taken at dusk, from my balcony. Notice little green dots among the other city lights? Those are the minarets connected to the various mosques throughout the city. The sound of the call to prayer echoes through the city....a very beautiful and haunting sound.

The city is built on mountains, or jabels, as they call them. So, to walk down the jabel to the balat (city center) there are stairs to go down, or up if you so prefer, although these particular ones are extremely steep. :)

My New Home

Here are some pictures of my apartment.

The living room/dining room. The front door is on the left. This is taken from the doorway towards the bedrooms

This is looking the other way in the main room. On the right there are cushions along the wall to sit on. The doorway to the left goes into the kitchen, and then down the hallway the first left is the bathroom and the second left is my room.  There are two other bedrooms back there.

This is looking into the kitchen. The glass door leads out to the balcony. Around the corner to the right is lots of counter space.

And this is the view from the balcony. There are ancient ruins right around where the flag is.

And this is my room, or at least half of it. There's a dresser and mirror to the left out of the picture.

Lastly, here's the view from my window.

The city is built on mountains/hills and it makes for some steep streets. There are stairs that are built going down the hills so that it makes it a bit easier to walk up and down.

I met our guard Yosef this morning. He came to fix the light bulb in the bathroom. I had been trying to shower in the dark. :)

Today I also ventured out on my own for the first time. I took a taxi with a friend to where she was taking her child to pre-school and then I took a taxi by myself to the store called Cosmo, which is a huge department store. I got my cell phone and some other necessities before taking a taxi back to my neighborhood. Maybe later today I'll go out and get the rest of the food that I need to really start cooking.

Here are a couple of pictures from my journey.

Waiting to back away from the terminal in Cedar Rapids

The sun setting behind me as I headed to Chicago. Good-bye Iowa!

I made it!

I guess I should have started off by saying that, instead of posting pictures from last weekend. :) Anyway, I made it safely to my new apartment around 3:30 am this morning and for now have the apartment to myself. I didn't sleep much on the plane, so it was easy to fall asleep once I laid down and didn't get up 'til around 11 this morning. I still feel tired, so I'm hoping I won't be wide awake when it's time for bed tonight. :)

This afternoon a friend was able to show me around the neighborhood a bit and give me some advice on taxis, shared taxis and buses. I haven't attempted any modes of transportation, but I hope I can figure it out before Sunday when classes start. Tomorrow I can hopefully make my way to the University to get registered for classes.

Maybe later tonight I'll put on some pictures from my trip here and of the apartment.