"Marhaban, Jordan!"

It’s been exactly one week since I finished my job at World Relief Chicago, packed up my belongings, and got on a plane to Jordan. The transition happened so quickly that I hadn’t been able to process anything until I was seated on the airplane, waiting for takeoff. As I stared at the large screen ahead of me with the picture of the flight route from Chicago to Amman, I was reminded suddenly that I was moving to a part of the world I had never visited, living in a country where I knew no one, and interacting with people I couldn’t linguistically understand. Alone. 

Many people back at home and in Amman have asked me why I moved to Jordan. To be quite honest, I never had a strong interest in Arab culture until college. Even then, I never really craved Middle Eastern food or went out of my way to study the culture.  However, I’ve met more and more Arab families through my work with refugees, and I have come to deeply appreciate their hospitality, support, perspective, food, and language. Also, I knew that I wanted to continue working with refugees vocationally, and since most of them are Arabic-speaking, it seemed like the logical next step to learn the language. So I enrolled in Arabic language classes, moved to Amman, and am studying here full-time. 

I quickly became friends with the girl next to me on the plane -also another American. She lived in Jordan last year and is returning for a few years at least. We talked about the culture, expectations, interests, and quickly exchanged contact information.  I’m actually at her home now using the wi-fi since my house’s internet has been broken for a while. 

I had paid for the school to arrange a pick-up from the airport. I walked uncertainly into the main hall until I saw a sign with my name on it.  Even though I had never met the woman holding the paper, I felt an instant sense of relief knowing there was someone to guide me the next step of the way.  It made me think of the families I worked with in Chicago who were coming to America for the first time, many not knowing the language or where to go, but then being greeted at the airport with a sign -an acknowledgement that they were expected and welcomed here.

As the husband and wife drove me toward my new home, I studied my surroundings. We drove past sheep, camels, large hills, and an IKEA. Yeah, I had a little freak out.

The sun was setting, and I was surrounded by Jordanian flags stretched out in the wind. The couple that drove me spoke a little English, and they asked if I would be interested in visiting their home before taking me to the place I would be staying. I happily accepted and they called their daughter to let her know I’d be coming. Their three children (ages 17, 20, and 21) all spoke English very well, and I quickly became friends with the daughter. We all sat outside on their closed veranda, eating snacks and talking. It had cooled off a lot in the evening, and I was so happy to just sit and listen to the family speak. After a while, they drove me to my new home, and I was already invited to have breakfast with my upstairs neighbors before my classes in the morning (yes, I had class the next morning!). 

So much has happened since my first day in Amman; I have attended classes, learned enough of my surroundings to get to school and back by taxi, been invited in by strangers for meals and tea, explored downtown with new Jordanian friends, met classmates from all over the world, attended a bedouin wedding, and have made plenty of errors with my Arabic -mistakes like saying “ana jameela (I’m beautiful)” instead of “ana jadeeda (I’m new)”. Classic. Everyday i’m encountering new people, new perspectives, new places, new phrases, and (of course,) my new mistakes. But in the midst of these full days, i’ll try to create some moments to process and bring you all along with me. Much love, everyone!