I just got back from watching a movie with some of the other teachers. We watched Return to the Planet of the Apes, which is still in theatres. There's this entire STORE of bootleg videos in Amman. I am glad a community is starting to form here. Not developing close relationships is one thing I worry about, and also not getting out of the King's "bubble" enough and seeing a truly authentic Jordan. But I think I'm going to share the rent of a car with two other teachers, and that should help with planning weekend trips to surrounding areas.
I haven't been great about snapping pictures (but I do have a year here!), so I don't have much to share in the way of visuals. 2 days ago I went into Madaba for the first time. Highlights from Madaba include seeing the 6th century mosaic map at St. George's Church. There's the strip of color built into the sidewalk in some places of Madaba. A woman told me it tracks the Pope's walk when he visited the city. I looked down at that moment and the strip had ended. Where did the Pope go?!, I thought, worried. I looked across the street and realized he must have crossed the street at that exact point, because the strip picked up on the opposite sidewalk! We had dinner at this AMAZING restuarant. We sat outside in a courtyard with ivy climbing up the walls and beautiful trees. It was unreal, and the humus was so good that I teared up a little bit I was so happy. Someone also told me that the land I am currently living on, the land at King's Academy, is the land that Ruth and Naomi (from the Bible) lived on! Again, is this real?
Yesterday, we drove about 30 minutes to Amman (the capital of Jordan and the largest city). We went to the bootleg video store and the large Carrefour grocery store which is pretty Westernized, almost Walmartish. And I got to practice using the first Arabic I've learned, "Shukran Jaziilan," or "Thank you very much." Then we had dinner at another amazing resturant, again outside courtyard style, buffet style, but the food was being cooked on grills right next to the buffet line and a little kitty was trying to get scraps.
I'm feeling nervous about teaching. I want to be great at it, not just mediocre. I don't feel prepared right now, since there hasn't been a lot of direction for new teachers. The returning faculty arrives in the next couple days, so I am hoping to speak with the other couple teachers who are teaching the same class as I am, regular intro 11th grade physics, and feel more comfortable with the curriculum and the fact that I will be standing in front of a classroom of teenageers in just a few short weeks. All in all, I am still so excited and grateful to be here, though of course, occasionally feel my twinges of missing home.
I haven't been great about snapping pictures (but I do have a year here!), so I don't have much to share in the way of visuals. 2 days ago I went into Madaba for the first time. Highlights from Madaba include seeing the 6th century mosaic map at St. George's Church. There's the strip of color built into the sidewalk in some places of Madaba. A woman told me it tracks the Pope's walk when he visited the city. I looked down at that moment and the strip had ended. Where did the Pope go?!, I thought, worried. I looked across the street and realized he must have crossed the street at that exact point, because the strip picked up on the opposite sidewalk! We had dinner at this AMAZING restuarant. We sat outside in a courtyard with ivy climbing up the walls and beautiful trees. It was unreal, and the humus was so good that I teared up a little bit I was so happy. Someone also told me that the land I am currently living on, the land at King's Academy, is the land that Ruth and Naomi (from the Bible) lived on! Again, is this real?
Yesterday, we drove about 30 minutes to Amman (the capital of Jordan and the largest city). We went to the bootleg video store and the large Carrefour grocery store which is pretty Westernized, almost Walmartish. And I got to practice using the first Arabic I've learned, "Shukran Jaziilan," or "Thank you very much." Then we had dinner at another amazing resturant, again outside courtyard style, buffet style, but the food was being cooked on grills right next to the buffet line and a little kitty was trying to get scraps.
I'm feeling nervous about teaching. I want to be great at it, not just mediocre. I don't feel prepared right now, since there hasn't been a lot of direction for new teachers. The returning faculty arrives in the next couple days, so I am hoping to speak with the other couple teachers who are teaching the same class as I am, regular intro 11th grade physics, and feel more comfortable with the curriculum and the fact that I will be standing in front of a classroom of teenageers in just a few short weeks. All in all, I am still so excited and grateful to be here, though of course, occasionally feel my twinges of missing home.
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