Kidnapped By Syrian Refugees!

     I had some internet problems last week, so I could not blog, but we'll try again today. Also, as for the security update: currently it looks like our trip to Israel and Palestine will proceed as planned. We will hopefully leave next Friday morning.
    And now, here's a quick overview of a couple of recent adventures:

My issues class decided to have an unofficial cultural immersion day in class:) Here we are in full native dress, learning to dance the Dibka

• Last Monday: LDS Charities, BYU Jordan, and a group of Syrian refugees who who all have psychological training have teamed up for a number of different projects. For instance, we have all participated in a language exchange with some of the Syrian teenagers who are stuck in Amman. This Monday, however, our professor's wife let several of us come to a children's event. Basically, we played with the children, chatting with them and watching them draw  pictures. We even all got our faces painted with symbols of Syrian nationalism, which was interesting. The children were charming, although it was strange to think about what they had been through. For instance, one lovely little girl with soft dark curls drew her home in Syria, but in addition to the house, the trees, the little stick-figure child, and the smiling sun she drew, she added a large green helicopter, shooting fireballs down onto the little house.There were other sad things: for the last half hour, they reconvened for an activity that I can only describe as a cross between a Primary meeting and a political rally. The children all sang songs and chanted about freedom, Syria, the will of Allah, and, most importantly, the fall of "the regime." One little girl started crying half-way through her song. She finished singing about the beauty of Syria with tears streaming down her cheeks, and one of the adults whispered to us that her mother had been killed by the regime before they were able to flee Syria.

• 

  Here we all are with some of our Syrian friends who we have done lots of projects with

   
• That Thursday, we all went to a Syrian refugee camp in the north of Jordan. It was a very small, very nice one (we had originally planned to go to Zaateri--the big, new one, but they were having too many riots). We put on a puppet show in Jordanian Arabic---I played the mother puppet in this one. And here's the second one that the other group put on (You can actually see me the entire time on this one---I sat with the children doing crowd control, and my blue turban--all the girls had to be fully modest to go, which means hair was covered---is at the bottom of the screen:) Anyway, it was one of the funnest things we have done! While we were waiting for the second puppet show to start, I saw a little girl come in, and I started playing with her with my puppet. Soon, I had approximately 12 little Syrian girls sitting around me, plus one little boy on my lap, and we were all chatting away about the puppet show and what they wanted to be when they grew up. For crowd control, I sat with 2 children on my lap, and when the show was finished a group of five of them grabbed my hands and tried to pull me away to go visit their houses. I protested and said the bus was going to leave soon (which was true), so they escorted me to the bus. Several students had to stand at the doors of the bus to prevent the children from boarding, and they all waved and ran after the bus when it started to pull away.

This is our Irbid branch, where we have attended church for months. Yesterday was our last day, so we took a group photo. The senior missionaries who are called to the branch are sitting in front. Also, I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting yesterday, which was terrifying. It went really well though, and I will never be nervous for a talk back in the States again, having had to do one in Arabic:)

Happy Thanksgiving!

  Well, I'm not dead yet! In fact, the protests are starting to die down in Jordan, as the citizenry slowly realize that life, sadly, is just going to get a lot harder.
    This is just a quick update with a few videos, courtesy of Scott Gemmel.
   First, we have the video which he took on "Thanksgiving Day." I'm sorry that my part wasn't more---touching. I didn't realize what exactly he was taking video for.
     Also, here is the video for the first day of our big field trip a couple weeks ago. That was probably one of my absolute favorite days in Jordan, so enjoy! I even have a line in this one! He also got some great footage of us hiking down the siege tunnel to the bottom of the hill. (I'm the one wearing the green turban.)
    All I will say is, everything looked even more magnificent in real life than this video. And those castles made me feel like I might see Aslan any moment!
    And here's another video where we all go down into a Crusader-era wine cellar, because hiking down into dangerous tunnels of unknown origin and destination is what BYU students do best! I'm the only female voice there:)
   In short, I think we put Indiana Jones to shame!

Middle Eastern Security Report

Waiting at the Irbid bus station for the Home-teaching trip 

 

    This has been an eventful week in every sense of the word! The Jordanian government decided to stop subsidizing several basic goods (which they have been doing for years), and the public responded with violent protests. We are actually under neighborhood arrest for the whole weekend, because random and violent protests have been popping up all over the downtown area, including the shopping area near the school where I usually accompany for a Christian children's choir. The US Embassy has issued a travel warning for Jordan, and church was cancelled today as well. And yet, the whole situation still feels surreal, because I honestly haven't seen any of it!
   Then, there's the rest of the Middle East: Syrian conflict spilling over into Israel, Israel shelling them back---twice. Hamas also decided that this was a good time to start bombing Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, with Israel responding---forcefully. The personal application? BYU IR people have alerted Elder Jeffery R. Holland to our situation, and there is a 50% chance that our trip to Israel and Palestine will be cancelled. And to top it  all off, there's a remote chance that some of us BYU students will go home for Christmas and not even be American citizens anymore:)
   And so, having done my duty to international affairs, I return to my adventures in Jordan, which are as follows:

• On Sunday, winter began--it got cold and started raining! For some reason, it didn't occur to me to bring an umbrella to the Middle East, so I spent all of Monday sloshing around school and spreading various clothing articles all over my classroom to try and dry them out. Thank goodness for layers! And here's a picture to prove it:
•  Sunday is Hometeaching Day, even in Jordan. I and 3 of my fellow Irbidites made the 1.5 hour long trek by bus Al-Husn, where we visited with several families in the branch. I gave my part of the lesson then and hung out with the RS president and her 2 daughters, ages 19 and 21, which was great fun. The biggest difference between Hometeaching in Jordan and America? In Jordan, they feed you dinner! We were presented with Magloubeh (Imagine a pizza pan with a huge mound of rice dumped onto it, studded with meat, potatoes, and eggplant, and cooked in chicken broth. The Arabic yoghurt and Arabic cucumber salad are also included.) Arab hospitality is real--I am constantly amazed by how generous the Jordanians can be with their time, their love, and their food.

• Thursday was the Islamic New Year, so we only had one class because our Jordanian teachers had a break. Therefore, we celebrated Thanksgiving a week early! All the BYU students, senior missionaries, and LDS marines "gathered together" in the early afternoon for marvelous feast.We're supposed to be "living in Thanksgiving daily," anyway, right?
• But on the way to Thanksgiving dinner, I committed the unpardonable. You see, a woman who I met at the Greek Orthodox church about a month ago directs a children's choir, but finding a pianist in Jordan can be difficult. So, she asked me to be the accompanist, even changing the date of the Christmas concert so that I can attend. I have been attending rehearsals for several weeks now, which has been great fun, partly because she is a lovely person who I enjoy spending time with, and partly because playing Christmas hymns is lovely. I had no idea how much I would use music here in Jordan! I have been astonished by how many times we have been asked to sing, or play the piano, or direct choirs. All those Young Women's lessons about developing-your-talents-because-you-just-never-know are coming back to me:) 

That's me and the daughter of the choir director. She moved the rehearsal to her home for security reasons. 

                Anyway, I decided to go by the choir director's house before Thanksgiving dinner to practice on her piano, but when I arrived, she announced that she had only made a light breakfast because her relations were coming over later so we could all have a nice lunch of mansef before she sent us on our way! (And by the way, "light" did not accurately describe the breakfast.) I repeat, Arab hospitality is real!

• Since church was cancelled, we all gathered at our professor's apartment today to eat Thanksgiving leftovers. On my way home, I was invited into the neighbor's apartment, since I have made friends with the children who live there. I told them about building snowmen, and they admired my hair (being a blonde here can be quite fun) and taught me how to do math in Arabic while we had some cake. I chatted with their mother, too, and she wanted to know about my religion, since they are Christian. I told her as much as I dared, which wasn't much, but she was understanding. She must have approved, too, because just as I was about to say I should leave, she said they were just sitting down to lunch, and had I ever tried mansef? 

    With wonderful people like this, is it any wonder that, despite the turmoil that literally rages around this area, I do not want to leave?

In Which I Ride A Camel

 

         Sorry about the long wait! My internet doesn't always function at a high enough level to allow blogging.

          I realized to my horror that my last post missed one of the most important parts of our trip to the south of Jordan---the camel ride! I almost didn't do it because I dislike riding horses so much, but we were in Wadi Mujib (location of the filming, and more importantly, the real-life events of the famous movie, "Lawrence of Arabia!"), so I thought I'd better try it. Actually, I loved it! It was rather comfortable and felt quite safe and clean. I loved the feeling of power from being way up on a convenient camel, and I was impressed by the ease with which the desert steed traversed the dunes. I also made friends with our Bedouin guide, Abu Hamid. He started singing to the camels, and I asked him to teach me. And so, friends, I rode my camel across the sand dunes of Jordan, singing with a Bedouin in broken Bedoo Arabic about, "the blue-eyed Amrikaani on the camel oh my darling!"
         Last weekend was a blast--I and two friends were invited to the Halloween party at the Greek Orthodox church in Amman. So, in full costume, off we went! It was a great Halloween party--we danced to Egyptian music (although I still don't really understand the rhythm of Arabic music. Several times, we Americans just started swing-dancing or the Mackerina!), ate Jordanian baked goods for dinner, and even had a wonderful chocolate cake, full of whipped cream and studded with chocolate chunks. We finally had to tear ourselves away from our Arab friends after 11 and head home.
      Today, we went to Ajloun and conquered yet another castle, only Ajloun was built by the nephew of Sala-Addin, not the Christian crusaders. I am including this picture for 2 reasons--1) It shows Taskkeel-Gilead, the birthplace of Elijah the prophet, and 2) to dispel any rumors that Jordan can't be green. We had rain and fog all day!

     Last but certainly not least, we went to an Ammonite watchtower in Amman and found a geocache. I call that a good day!

I Walked Today Where Harrison Ford Walked*

 I just returned from an absolutely amazing trip to the south of Jordan. It was a 4-day trip, but classes start up again tomorrow morning. We had so many amazing experiences, which I have no hope of cataloguing fully if I want to be ready for class tomorrow, but let me get some high points:

• We visited 2 Crusader's castles called Kerak and Shobak. My favorite was Shobak, the second one, where there is a wonderful secret tunnel leading from the castle to the bottom of the hill on which it is built. It took about 10 minutes to make the full descent, but it was thrilling to be in a real castle, and I may or may not have made several references to things like "The Chronicles of Narnia.
• I walked through the Canyon of the Crescent Moon to seek the Holy Grail! All I have to say about Petra is, neither the pictures, nor the movie "Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade" do it justice. There's just so much to see, and it's so exotic and majestic.
• I achieved one of my primary goals in life by wearing a turban made from a lovely Pashmina scarf, purchased from a lovely Bedouin grandmother in Petra

   Also, for those who are interested in olivewood Nativity sets, here is the video of the trip we took to the store where they're made. 

         And if you're not totally worn out yet, here's a really nice video from our very first trip to Madaba, Mount Nebo (the real one!), the Dead Sea, and the baptismal site on the Jordan River, courtesy of Scott Gemmel. (I'm the one in the large hat and the tiger shirt.)
* I have to attribute this highly appropriate quote to my friend and classmate, Chelsea Elliott

Mother of Bullets أم الرصاص

  

    Pardon my late posting! We have had some internet problems the last couple of days, and this is my first opportunity to blog. To make up for my lateness, I am posting a link to a video that my classmate (actually he is the resident camera man for research purposes) made of our trip on Saturday. (I am wearing a pink shirt.) I am also giving you extra-large pictures, it seems---our -fixed freshlyinternet can only do so much:)
    I actually planned Saturday's trip (I am still trying to collect everybody's money!) to Mukawir (or Muwakir in Arabic--we keep mixing them up) and Am Rasas, which is actually a wonderful, still-in-the-process-of-being-excavated Byzantine village with magnificent mosaics, but its name in Arabic translates to "mother of bullets."
     Mukawir is the ruined palace/temple of King Herod, where Salome did the Dance of the 7 Veils for the head of John the Baptist. Here I am with some of the other girls trying to recreate the scene---we actually kept most of our veils on, but our professor still said the performance was worth several heads!

     Overall, despite the challenges, it was such a great trip! The palace is on its own mountain in the middle nowhere, and we took a bus to it and had to hike the rest of the way. Afterward, we hiked down into some of the many natural/improved caves where, as the story goes, John the Baptist was actually imprisoned.
     If you really enjoyed the last video, here's another one of the trip we took to Wadi Seer.

    

Modified House Arrest

       I have been asked to include more pictures in this blog, so I am starting things off with a photo of the BYU Jordan 2012 mascot! This is Bissa (the Jordanian word for cat) or Aladdin. We found a tiny, 4-week old kitten on the street by my friend's house one night--3 baths, a vet visit, and several weeks later, the rapidly growing feline is firmly installed at my classmate's apartment. (He is going to our Jordanian professor's home when we leave). He spent several days at my apartment, though.
   This post might be a bit political, but it's mostly Jordanian politics, so I don't think I can offend anybody too much. Yesterday (Friday/Sunday) was an interesting day, and we were put under a sort of modified house arrest for security reasons. Church in the Irbid branch was cancelled, and so was the Arabic-speaking branch, so we all went to the ex-patriate branch at 8:30 AM. Here we are in front of the church building in Amman (that's my new Jordanian dress--it was so difficult to find something that would fit me! The poor salesman had to go back to storage to find a shirt, and he only had one in my size.
 
  The reason was this: The Arab Spring has not really made its way to Jordan (my professor says it is because Jordanians remember the horrors of their recent civil wars too well to want to do it again), but the combined weight of a bad economy, the new pressure of 200,000 Syrian refugees on Jordan, and the usual complaints about the government are causing political stress. They pushed some new laws on Parlimentary election through last summer, to be implemented some time this year--nobody knows exactly when. (I would try and explain Parlimentary election laws, but I have recently concluded that no one actually understands them, and they make the electoral college look like the most logical and democratic system in the world).
     Everyone was quite worried--the US embassy increased its security (again) and shut down for the day, the Arab Greek Orthodox church cancelled services, and we were confined to the neighborhood. (I was rather disappointed, as we had to cancel our dinner engagement with a nice investigator family up in Irbid.) The police set up a perimeter around the downtown area, complete with machine guns, some of which we saw. The King also dismissed the Parliament yesterday morning---I still don't quite understand that political move, and I am trying to imagine the American response if President Obama told Congress that they could just go home.

Eating authentic chocolate chip cookies at Taj Mall in Amman on Thursday night

   Of course, it was rather frightening, and we all gave special prayers for the people of Jordan in church. At the same time, it was rather interesting to be here for it. And the news has been encouraging--the counter-demonstration was cancelled at the last minute, and only 10,000 people showed up to protest. We heard some things coming from loudspeakers, but didn't see anything (I live in the suburbs, so to speak.)

     Meanwhile, the BYU students had a group dinner together at another apartment. This is the view off of their balcony, looking out over Dahiat Al-Rasheed. Despite portents of doom, our day of modified house arrest was actually quite lovely.