We are here!

We have arrived safely in Tafila. For the first couple of days I did not have internet access in my room so it has taken me a while to post a blog. The weather has been great – bright and hot during the day and cool at night. As I am typing this in my quarters at Tafila Technical University (TTU) a light breeze is wafting through my open window carrying with it some amazing Arabic music. There are also sporadic bursts of fireworks. The last two days have been quite eventful. Today we went to a ceremony where we witnessed several traditional dances all performed by men donning knives and swords. The dance performances were accompanied by music produced by musicians playing traditional instruments. After the ceremony we were invited to a lunch where we ate mansef with our hands. Mansef is made primarily of rice and meat. A yogurt-based soup is poured over it so that you can glom the rice into balls in your hand and then push it into your mouth with your thumb. The meat is sheep and you just basically pull it off the bones with your fingers. It was quite delicious and a fun experience. Next we were taken to the Dana Wildlife Preserve. It is a beautiful place with a very deep canyon or gorge. The landscape here is really something. There are dramatic changes in elevation here that make driving here like riding a roller coaster which is okay because I like riding on roller coasters. Oh and did I mention the beautiful sunsets? Just incredible. The people are very gracious and welcoming. I cannot tell you how many times I heard “Welcome to Jordan” today. It really does feel as if you are in another world though. Almost all of the women wear headscarves and we have little interaction with them. For example, there was only one woman at the ceremony. Everywhere we go we are accompanied by men and served by men. I haven’t seen any women working outside of the university.

The only disappointment thus far has been the data collection. The president of TTU changed his mind about letting us collect data from the students. We are still planning on collecting data at Yarmouk University and we may be able to obtain a community sample here in Tafilah. Even though we have yet to conduct any research the students and I are certainly broadening our horizons.