We Are Here!

We made it! Kipp drove us to the airport in rush hour with plenty of time for our flight which was as good as any 13 hour flight in coach can be I suppose. I don't think any of us got much sleep, but we managed the ordeal well

They grew less happy when the guy sitting between them came back when he tried to snag a window seat. On the plus side, I saw about 4 movies I never would have watched :)

We arrived around 5pm and were greated (greated greatly) by Alaa and Mohammed. Thankfully, the 100+ degree weather had subsided

We stopped in a nice suburb of Amman (Abdoun) and had a nice dinner

Jeff and Carmela going straight to the heavy-duty cultural stuff by stopping at Habiba, the most famous dessert place in the country where they enjoyed fantastic Kunafa

Mohammed giving us our Kunafa. You stand outside in an alley and order, then go inside this very small room to get the magic stuff

We took a nice stroll downtown then made our way up to Irbid in northern Jordan

No rest for the wicked - we were up early the next day doing English lessons with the kids

Practicing introductions

How old are you?

Jeff diving in with the older kids

Alaa is happy with Nina's gift - she doesn't know yet that Nina bought out all the candy in the school's bookstore and had me shlep it over to Alaa

Only the second day and they add another notch to their belts (and maybe a few inches) by trying Manif, the national dish

Jeff holding court

Captain Duaa and Suad (Carmela's mentee)

Suad's creation that didn't last long

Jordan is not run by the government, nor is it run by tribes. It is run by groups of sisters - in the north, it is the Amoura sisters, seven strong. This is Alaa on the left and Fawzia (Fufu) on the right who generally looks at me this way

We capped off our evening at my favorite Yemini place. We started with biryani and  moved on to foole (pictures to come)

It has been a great start to our trip! I was reunited with many good people, and Jeff and Carmela hit the ground running. More to come :)

T Minus One

We are a little over one day from departure to Jordan. Lots of planning, packing, and scheduling happening all at once. Christian, Lauren, and Patrick have been a big help on the packing end, particularly since I am taking lots of books and school supplies. Nina lent me a big suitcase, and I think I am about set. We will hit the ground running when we get there - We will get into Irbid late Saturday night then be at the school the next morning by 8am ready for some English fun! We are taking a direct flight this time and it will be approximately 13 hours (14 hours coming back fighting the jet stream). I am excited as this trip will be more of a collaboration between several educators than has been the case in the past. I have learned to expect fluidity, and I am sure everything will be fine. Stay tuned.

Back to Arar :)

I am very excited, as we are heading back to the Arar Academy Schools in Irbid, Jordan this week. My school, Moraine Valley Community College, has continued to partner with Arar and is even sending two colleagues with me this trip! We will be assisting with the Summer English Camp they are hosting as well as a Girls Empowerment Workshop that we will hold a a nearby nature reserve. I am so fortunate to return to Arar to continue our work. Beginning this Friday, there will be daily posts on our adventure :)