Yesterday we had the privilege of visiting the beautiful beach town of Aqaba and snorkeling in the Red Sea. I've never been to a tropical place before, nevermind snorkeling in a coral reef. I still can't believe the things I saw yesterday and feel as if it was all an intensely colorful, surreal dream. We had to leave TTU at 6 in the morning which was a little hard for a night owl like me but I was so excited I barely felt the early hour and the lack of sleep. We drove 3 hours to Aqaba and met the owner of Dive Aqaba--ironically the brother of one of Dr. King's friends. He was very jovial and helpful and soon we were ready to get out on the water. While waiting at the dock I couldn't help but marvel at the vivid teal color of the water and the way it gradually darkened to navy as it got deeper. All of the staff were very kind and helpful, and we enjoyed talking to them and the many international passengers also onboard.
Anyway, to the snorkeling! It took a while to get situated with my flippers, mask, and snorkel, but once everything was in place and I jumped into the refreshing water a whole new world was opened up to me. At the first site we observed an old tank that looked as if it had been at the bottom of the ocean for many, many years. It was teeming with colorful fish that seemed to love the shelter it offered, but had no problem sticking around for us to observe them as well. A couple of us dove down to touch the tank and felt very accomplished. The pressure was painful to our ears but we braved it to say that we had touched an underwater tank. I thought that was cool but it was only the beginning. After swimming a few yards (and at the second site) a world filled with rainbow colors and indescribable shapes was revealed to me. Innumerable different kinds of coral and fish were immediately before my eyes and so close I could touch them. I could barely believe it was real. almost felt as if I was at the aquarium and there was glass between me and the wildlife. I simply swam around in awe for the hour or so we were out and was constantly seeing new creatures. The colors were the most amazing part. Every color imaginable was represented and even some I could never describe in words. I can still see them all and I wished I had an underwater camera but at the same time I didn't because I would be taking pictures of everything! Every shape and size was also represented. There were tiny blue spear-shaped fish in schools that stayed at the top and I delighted in swimming through them and trying to touch them. There were small and medium-sized fish of all shapes and colors that seemed to mostly stick together in schools ranging in size. Then there were big loner fish who seemed to have their own agenda. One of my favorites was what I believe was a parrot fish with bright, fun shades of pink, purple, green, and blue all over its body. It swam in a funny, jerky manner and picked things off of the bottom every so often. The other fish that really struck me were orangy with a greenish metallic tinge to them. They were so beautiful that words don't do them justice at all. You had to be there!
Being on the boat was very relaxing and we were all indescribably happy to shed our long sleeves and pants for bikinis and get some sun! We enjoyed a delicious buffet lunch after snorkeling and of course the good company of the above mentioned staff and passengers. This was definitely the highlight of the trip for me and a day I will never forget. It was a perfect exit for our Jordan experience.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
We have made many friends in Irbid. Roula is the wife Dr. Zaidon Al muhasin. She has been incredibly hospitable -- having us for dinner, bringing us a meal, and taking us swimming. Last Friday, Areen, Roula's oldest daughter took us shopping in Amman. It was a day filled with adventure and girl bonding experiences. We walked from the university to the bus station. It was about a 15 minute walk. It only cost 1.7 JD to take a bus to Amman. That is about $2.42 and it takes about an hour to get there. Some things here are so cheap. Everywhere we went people wanted to give us rides but we were very careful to only take marked cabs. I really don't think we were in any danger, it’s just that many people are poor and want to earn money. So once we arrived in Amman we found a couple of taxis to take us to the mall. The neighborhoods in Amman were much grander than anything I have seen yet-- big Mediterranean-style houses with well groomed yards. The mall is similar to an American mall except the food court is way better. It had a ton of choices for both fast food and sit down dining. There are also more souvenir type shops. So after going to the bathroom - incredibly clean-- there are workers who stay in the bathroom around the clock and make sure every stall is clean before you enter it. Next we ate lunch. Over here the big meal is lunch and you have it around 1 or 2 pm. I like the schedule. People often rest when it is really hot and then everyone is out in the evenings. For lunch I had grilled chicken on pita. It was made in front of my eyes over hot coals. After lunch we were energized for shopping. We probably spent a good 5 hours straight shopping. We mostly bought souvenirs. We finished our shopping with some delicious ice cream. I got pistachio. Arene said it was Arabic ice cream. We found cabs to take us back to the bus station. There were no busses going to Irbid so we found 2 cabs that drove us all the way to Irbid. It was 10 JD for each cab—less than 5 dollars a person. There are police at the bus stations who check every cab leaving the bus station. It all seemed relatively safe although when were trying to find the cabs to drive us home we were again approached by many men speaking Arabic and gesturing with their hands. Kaitlyn just jumped into the fray and started pointing at two cab drivers and saying “YOU TAKE US TO IRBID FOR 10 JD, YES?” Sometimes she really surprises me. So we made it home around midnight. It was really a lot of fun.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Picture update!!
All of us girls organizingand coding the data!
Dr.King working with
the Dean of Education, Dean Yousef Sawalmeh. He was extremely helpful in finalizing our surveys and coordinating the data collection.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Data Collection
Hello Friends!
Today was very exciting for all of us because we finally got to collect some data! We all woke up around 7 a.m. We made our way to Kefah's office around 8 or 8:30 a.m. We had all our questionnaire packets organized and ready to be printed. We went down to the print shop in the basement of the Public Relations building. We created an assembly line where three of us put the questionnaires together (they are several pages each), a very kind man helped straighten the piles out, then finally, one of us stapled the questionnaires together. We put together the questionnaire packets for the women and men, including the open response sections. We did not have the mother's questionnaire packet or either of the Figure Rating Scales ready for today's data collection unfortunately. We will be able to pass out the mother's questionnaire on Sunday. All of the women who agree to participate in our study will be asked to bring home a specfic questionnaire for their mother's to fill out. This will allow us to make generational comparisons.
We got to collect data in four different classrooms. Two of the classes were in the school of arts and two of the classes were in the school of education. We split into two groups while collecting data because we surveyed classrooms that were held at the same time.
It is quite different collecting data in a foreign country. We intentionally smiled at the students and were friendly in order to connect with them across the language barrier. It felt good to get many smiles back. Also, as we thanked the students for thier participation, they seemed just as thankful for the experience. We learned that surveys are not common here. In one of the classrooms, we were told that the students have never filled out a survey for research before.
We celebrated our first day of data collection with a wonderful lunch with Kefah and her nephew. Then we relaxed in our room, and enjoyed our evening with a swim in the women's campus pool and a walk through the city.
The four of us girls are feeling very accomplished as we sit in the living room. We just completed organizing and coding 156 surveys. We are excited to continue our research Sunday morning (Jordan's first business day of the week; tomorrow is the weekend).
We are hoping to head into Amman tomorrow after a good night's sleep!
وداعا,
Ashley, Bonnie, Heidi, and Kaitlyn :)
Today was very exciting for all of us because we finally got to collect some data! We all woke up around 7 a.m. We made our way to Kefah's office around 8 or 8:30 a.m. We had all our questionnaire packets organized and ready to be printed. We went down to the print shop in the basement of the Public Relations building. We created an assembly line where three of us put the questionnaires together (they are several pages each), a very kind man helped straighten the piles out, then finally, one of us stapled the questionnaires together. We put together the questionnaire packets for the women and men, including the open response sections. We did not have the mother's questionnaire packet or either of the Figure Rating Scales ready for today's data collection unfortunately. We will be able to pass out the mother's questionnaire on Sunday. All of the women who agree to participate in our study will be asked to bring home a specfic questionnaire for their mother's to fill out. This will allow us to make generational comparisons.
We got to collect data in four different classrooms. Two of the classes were in the school of arts and two of the classes were in the school of education. We split into two groups while collecting data because we surveyed classrooms that were held at the same time.
It is quite different collecting data in a foreign country. We intentionally smiled at the students and were friendly in order to connect with them across the language barrier. It felt good to get many smiles back. Also, as we thanked the students for thier participation, they seemed just as thankful for the experience. We learned that surveys are not common here. In one of the classrooms, we were told that the students have never filled out a survey for research before.
We celebrated our first day of data collection with a wonderful lunch with Kefah and her nephew. Then we relaxed in our room, and enjoyed our evening with a swim in the women's campus pool and a walk through the city.
The four of us girls are feeling very accomplished as we sit in the living room. We just completed organizing and coding 156 surveys. We are excited to continue our research Sunday morning (Jordan's first business day of the week; tomorrow is the weekend).
We are hoping to head into Amman tomorrow after a good night's sleep!
وداعا,
Ashley, Bonnie, Heidi, and Kaitlyn :)
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Beginning to Feel at Home in Irbid
Well this morning was our first time waking up in Irbid, well rested from our travels yesterday to Yarmouk University. The drive was a fascinating three hours, as we witnessed the change in the plant life from brown to green, and shifts in architectural style. At some points along the way we would see Bedouin tents, small family homes, and clusters of towering apartment buildings, all within the same mile. The drive also offered all of us the opportunity to turn to our personal journals to record all of our adventures.
We were all in awe at the size and beauty of Yarmouk University campus. It was unlike any place we had yet seen in Jordan, seeming like a small city in itself. Some of the buildings have large curved staircases up to their main entrance- the library here in particular is a beautiful building. We were amazed at how many students were out walking around campus, and noticed that here it is acceptable for women to wear their hair uncovered if they should choose.
We were received well and were taken out for a nice lunch. Afterwards we met with the president of the university, Dr. Sultan, to discuss the itinerary for our research. It was expressed that Bridgewater State College is like family here, and we were made to feel very welcome. It was exciting to meet Dr. Sultan, and to feel the excitement about our visit. We were also invited to a special dinner for the campus on Monday, and made plans to meet in the morning to create a research schedule.
After our meeting, Kefah, a very important administrator who is helping us here, treated us to ice cream. We went to the most modern and attractive McDonald's I have ever seen!! She has been very nice, not only helping us to coordinate meetings with the right individuals, but also helping us to settle comfortably into our apartment here. When we returned to our flat, we organized the surveys to be well prepared for the morning's appointment- and then we took an evening walk through campus and down the main street here. Everything is open 24 hours on this street, and it is lit up with various shops and restaurants- not to mention the sidewalk vendors! We bought some laundering supplies before heading back for a good night's sleep.
It was a great feeling to wake up this morning knowing that we could really begin serious work on our research. After a hummus breakfast in the campus cafeteria, we had a meeting with Dean Yousef to introduce ourselves and our research. The morning was extremely productive, with the paper copies of our Arabic surveys going through a final edit. We have just received and email with the original files so that we can make our changes in the morning, and print. Almost ready to go!! Tomorrow should be a very exciting day at Yarmouk!! --Bonnie
We were all in awe at the size and beauty of Yarmouk University campus. It was unlike any place we had yet seen in Jordan, seeming like a small city in itself. Some of the buildings have large curved staircases up to their main entrance- the library here in particular is a beautiful building. We were amazed at how many students were out walking around campus, and noticed that here it is acceptable for women to wear their hair uncovered if they should choose.
We were received well and were taken out for a nice lunch. Afterwards we met with the president of the university, Dr. Sultan, to discuss the itinerary for our research. It was expressed that Bridgewater State College is like family here, and we were made to feel very welcome. It was exciting to meet Dr. Sultan, and to feel the excitement about our visit. We were also invited to a special dinner for the campus on Monday, and made plans to meet in the morning to create a research schedule.
After our meeting, Kefah, a very important administrator who is helping us here, treated us to ice cream. We went to the most modern and attractive McDonald's I have ever seen!! She has been very nice, not only helping us to coordinate meetings with the right individuals, but also helping us to settle comfortably into our apartment here. When we returned to our flat, we organized the surveys to be well prepared for the morning's appointment- and then we took an evening walk through campus and down the main street here. Everything is open 24 hours on this street, and it is lit up with various shops and restaurants- not to mention the sidewalk vendors! We bought some laundering supplies before heading back for a good night's sleep.
It was a great feeling to wake up this morning knowing that we could really begin serious work on our research. After a hummus breakfast in the campus cafeteria, we had a meeting with Dean Yousef to introduce ourselves and our research. The morning was extremely productive, with the paper copies of our Arabic surveys going through a final edit. We have just received and email with the original files so that we can make our changes in the morning, and print. Almost ready to go!! Tomorrow should be a very exciting day at Yarmouk!! --Bonnie
Sunday, July 12, 2009
The Food is Unreal
I constantly find myself marveling at how scrumptious all of the food here is. I figured since I keep commenting on it and all of the unique flavors I might as well write a blog entry! It's not like only a couple things are good at each meal, everything is good. More than good. Delicious! Or "zakee" (I'm not sure if that's the right spelling so someone Jordanian help me out! I couldn't find it on Google) to be culturally correct. Every day I keep thinking "oh there will be something that's not as good today" but there never is. It is top quality and usually extremely fresh and homemade. Tonight we had the privilege of eating with the family of a Jordanian woman named Rasha who is currently studying at BSC. Her mother is a phenomenal cook and being very hungry from the long day we had and swimming the Dead Sea, I was more than happy to dig in to the numerous dishes in front of us. The abundance of food here is amazing. Usually in the U.S. we'll have one main course and then a few side dishes. Here there are several main courses and many side dishes! It's so hard to decide what to eat the most of because everything is equally as good. I love the use of unusual ingredients to bring out unique flavors. Cinnamon seems to be very popular and was used on the fish at Buthina's house. It was amazing! I never would have thought of putting cinnamon on fish or any kind of meat and I'm not even that big of a fish fan but I had absolutely no problem eating 2 pieces. I noticed cinnamon again on the chicken and rice we had for lunch today. I also love the parsley and mint used in the chopped salads here. I think I could live off of those salads. There are often bits of lemon thrown in that add a great tangy flavor and crunch, not to mention healthiness. During one of our many phenomenal lunches at TTU we enjoyed "zahtar," a blend of ground sesame seeds, powdered sumac, and thyme used for dipping. I couldn't believe how good it was with some olive oil and pita bread. And finally I love the pickles here. I've always been a huge pickle fan and also a fan of anything unusual and with a kick. I'm not exactly sure what they use in the pickling process but I know that it's super yummy and unlike anything I've ever had. They're almost a mix of dill and bread and butter but leaning more toward the dill side. Amazing! I've been so spoiled with the cuisine here I think I'll start expecting high-end restaurant quality meals all the time now!
Mansef, the traditional Jordanian meal and the delicious fruit we had at Buthina's. It's always so fresh and ripe here!
Mansef, the traditional Jordanian meal and the delicious fruit we had at Buthina's. It's always so fresh and ripe here!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
