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