Week Eight:

This past week was full of firsts.
I had my first Master’s degree class on Sunday evening, beginning at 5 p.m. and ending at 8 p.m. It’s a long three hours for one class, though the professor did show up about 25 or 30 minutes late, so it actually didn’t start until 5:30. It was encouraging that the professor did have a written syllabus for us, along with required textbooks and useful websites. That said, I believe academic standards and endeavors here will be a little different from my previous experience.
On Monday afternoon, I had my first official Rotary club presentation. I presented along with two other Rotary Ambassadorial scholars here in Jordan to the Amman West club, which meets for lunch on Monday afternoons. It was an awesome experience and all of the members were very welcoming, very talkative, and very interested in each of our stories.
An unexpected side benefit of presenting with other scholars was that it was also very interesting to learn about each of them. One, Laura Kalb, is from a club in the East Phoenix Rotary region (yes, apparently the eastern half of Phoenix, Arizona, has its own entire region). She grew up in Maryland, graduated from a small undergraduate university in Pennsylvania, and then spent six years working for a non-governmental organization in Phoenix, helping primarily with refugees from Somalia. She is here in Jordan also for a year and is studying in the Conflict Resolution program at the University, actually in a couple of my classes as well. My other colleague, Ben Woodman, is from Kentucky. Ben got his undergrad degree from a small school in Kentucky but then went on to get a Master’s degree from Princeton. He also did a year abroad, studying at the American University in Cairo. Along with his studies, he has also spent quite a bit of time working for the Department of Defense as a Middle East political analyst. He was here representing a club from Washington D.C., where he had been living, but unfortunately and to my dismay, he’s had to cut short his scholarship and return to the U.S. to take up a job with the Treasury department, working in their Middle East division on finances and particularly Extremist Islamist financing (he hopes). For my presentation, I focused pretty heavily on our region of East Tennessee, the City of Oak Ridge, and on the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club, including information and pictures regarding the club’s major projects and programs.














Another first was the first rain of the season. It seemed really strange and out of place to find the day overcast and drizzly. It was kind of a nice break to see some variety in the weather, but it also added a new aspect to driving conditions, which are hazardous enough as it is, to say the least. That said, apparently the fact that we have had only one rain so far, this late into September, is odd. Following along on the weather line, I experienced my first (and second) dust storm. Dust storms, or tozz (with a short “o”), are pretty uncommon for this time of year in Jordan. This one rolled in similar to a khamsiiniat (“50’s”) wind, which is a period of roughly fifty days in late Spring and early Summer where the winds bring up dust from the South. The experience was not what I had imagined off a dust storm. I had a mental image of high winds and blowing sand; rather, this was similar to fog but with a brownish-yellowish hue, and it smelled like a construction site where someone has been cutting tile. Unfortunately, the storm drifted in while I was in class and I had decided to walk to school that night, so I got to see the various shades of brownish-yellow for a mile and a half walk back to ACOR (where I’m staying).
Other adventures for the week included meeting and debating with a Danish professor (whose lectures I got to attend in place of two separate classes, for the same professor). It was fascinating being able to hear his lectures, which were about the European Union and its relationship with the Mediterranean (such as Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, etc.). I also spent time with one of his students, a Bosnian-Danish guy, who was very cool to talk to and a lot of fun to hang out with, particularly because he had experience in the Danish military. And finally, I got to hang out with my friend Khalid once again; as always that was enlightening and an excellent opportunity to practice my Arabic.
This coming week, I’m looking to start on a number of different projects, including research for classes, research for my thesis, and possibly getting involved in a regular volunteering project. So insha’ Allah khair!
I hope you enjoyed the update and, as always, thank you for your interest!

Respectfully,

Brennan Roorda

Week Seven:

Considering it’s the middle of the week, I feel like I’m way behind on this post. This weekend was particularly busy and with the start of classes, somehow I have managed to fill my days to the brim, often with last minute plans that go pretty late. That’s one cultural note, the tendency to stay out late at cafés doesn’t really end with Ramadan; things often stay that way year around.

So last week was my final week at the Embassy, working in the MAP (Military Assistance Program) office. It was definitely an educational time working in the Embassy, but honestly, I’m glad to be starting classes now and glad to be able to branch out and work closer with Rotary here in Amman. Most of the week at the Embassy was given to tying up my project and saying thank you to the people who helped me navigate some of the difficulties of establishing myself here in Jordan. I also took advantage of the decrease in my responsibilities to take one day to help out an archeologist living here at ACOR, and drive him down to a dig site to do inventory on the summer’s dig collection. Having a car, which I’m authorized to have, being connected to the military, is it allows a lot of freedom, as well as gives me the opportunity to help others out with transportation. It was also lucky that I came along to the dig site because the inventory ended up being more intensive than had originally been planned; at one point I ended up crawling through a window just to access the pottery. Overall, it was a very informative trip and I learned a lot about the world of archeology, which is pretty diverse and can actually be very demanding.

This weekend, as I mentioned, was also very busy. At the last minute I jumped on with a group going to a famous “eco-tourism” site called Wadi Mujib. Wadi Mujib is essentially a canyon cut into the Jordanian landscape by a river. The government of Jordan has recognized the inherent environmental value of this unique area and thus has sought to preserve its character, while still offering the opportunity for tourists and Jordanians alike to explore its beauty. So the area is now protected under a nature area reserve system, with this one naturally being called the Wadi Mujib Nature Reserve. The park has a primary entrance and there are a number of guided tours that take hikers through the mountains in the area as well as through the river itself. My group took the route that goes up (very steeply!) from the Dead Sea, into the mountains, travels along a path through what looks almost like a lunar landscape, and then drops down into the Wadi itself. Then the path takes you along and into the river. The river isn’t very deep, but it can be fast moving (and sometimes dangerous). Finally, our route culminated in a rappel down a waterfall, which was very cool. On a side note, if you’re ever wondering between a grocery bag and a waterfall who will win in a fight, I’d recommend betting on the waterfall… unfortunately I bet the opposite way and now my poor Jordanian cellphone has had to pay the price. I have yet to get a new one because I’m still in mourning for the last one.

The next day (again last minute) I jumped on with a group holding an end of the summer party for a group of Iraqi refugee children. The children had spent the summer with a program, doing art projects, music, and learning English. The kids’ ages varied between as young as 3 and as old as 14. The group that organized the party is run by an American lady named Sasha Crowe and an Iraqi gentleman named Ghazwan. The party itself was fascinating to see because it put in stark relief the many things we share and some of the differences across our cultures. A difference, for example, was that the party was opened with a short section from the Qur’an, read by one of the students. It was impressive to watch because recitation of the Qur’an (or iqra’) requires study, training, and practice, due to linguistic differences between Qur’anic Arabic and spoken Arabic, and due to the poetic construction of the Qur’an. Despite the difference in that it was a Qur’an being used to open the meeting, it did remind me of many gatherings in the U.S., which are often opened with a prayer. The kids were fun to watch because they were just typical kids, playing games, some dancing to music, and getting their faces painted. They all got prizes at the end, for their artwork and for staying with the program. It was fun to watch the parents too, because it was so like a social gathering at a school open house, with kids running around and parents socializing, some keeping an eye on their kids and some not (as tends to happen at open houses). Overall, it was a really good experience and I’m glad to have been able to take part.















That’s pretty much it for now. I hope this entry was fun and informative, and as always, thank you for your interest!

Respectfully,

Brennan Roorda

Week Six:

As many might have heard, the holy month of Ramadan is now past and yesterday was the last official day of ‘Eid al-Fitr, the celebration for the end of the fast. Doing the fast was an experience but I can definitely say I was glad when the end of the month came around; not eating or drinking makes it difficult to be motivated to do anything during the day. With Labor Day and ‘Eid back to back, it was a very short week at the Embassy, and a lot of people take advantage of the slow time to take their vacations, so it was very slow at times as well. As classes begin on the 19th of September, my time at the Embassy will become more and more limited and I may take some time to explore a little more around Jordan.
Just as a quick update, this weekend I went with a coworker (an Army Reserve Captain) and a group of his friends up on a hike through one of the wadis that comes off of the Dead Sea. A wadi is basically a canyon cut into the desert by water, though it’s also used to describe a valley as well. The hike was fun and the wadi had a surprising amount of greenery, even now towards the end of summer. There were numerous opportunities to climb and explore and even swim some. The view from the campsite was incredible, and despite the heat, the air was extremely clear even across the Dead Sea, and we could easily see into the West Bank (as well as the lights of Jerusalem at night). One bit of advice for hiking and camping in the desert: bring lots of water AND a method to purify more, if need be. I’ll let readers read into that advice what they would like … Overall, the trip was great; a good group of people, a good place to see, and a great new experience.
The majority of this week’s post I’d actually prefer to focus not on what I’ve been up to, but rather tell about my new friend Khalid, who I met at the beginning of this week. He’s a colleague of another friend, with whom I may end up training and hopefully boxing in the near future. Khalid is one of those people who strengthen my belief that people from different parts of the world are not as different as they might seem through the television or newspapers. I had the opportunity to go and hang out with Khalid last night for a few hours, and reflecting back, it was a truly incredible conversation.
Khalid is 26 years old. He is from a Palestinian family but he himself was born in Jordan, in one of the refugee camps nearby to Amman. He finished his studies at a small university four years ago, with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. He’s a pretty devout Muslim, but not overbearing, he’s just willing to talk about his faith if someone else asks. Since graduating, he’s been teaching third and fourth grade at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)* School in his refugee camp, focusing particularly on teaching English. Khalid is self-admittedly addicted to the internet. He’s a pretty outgoing guy so he’ll be on Facebook meeting people and even on English phone-call sites so he can practice speaking English. Unfortunately, as many know, people who are kind hearted and outgoing at the same time can sometimes be taken advantage of, which seems to be Khalid’s problem. It sounded like he’d had online trouble from with everything from “fishing” to viruses to an online love that essentially stood him up.
In talking to Khalid for a few hours, a lot of things came out pretty quickly and to be honest it became somewhat apparent that, as nice of a guy as Khalid is, he may be struggling with depression in the truest sense of the word. As a school teacher for UNRWA he makes a decent salary, particularly for his age, but he’s disheartened because as soon as he became employed he started footing the bill for his younger brother to study. Once his younger brother graduated (he’s now employed as a radiologist), Khalid picked up the bill for his younger sister to study nursing and the younger brother refuses to help support her because apparently she is not “good at studies.” So Khalid has literally spent every extra cent on his siblings’ educations; he admitted, somewhat sadly, that he feels trapped and like he’s working for nothing, especially now that his younger brother is using his extra money for fun and travel, while he, Khalid, is stuck on the refugee camp. Listening to that story, I could only hope that I would have the heart and generosity to help pay my little brother’s education, should he need it, and to maintain that strength of character despite the disheartening situation with his brother.
Khalid also asked me at one point to explain “The American Dream.” I was a little taken aback by the question at first, but decided to run with it. After explaining and then discussing it for a while, he nodded and said “Yes, I have this, the American Dream.” Unfortunately, I can’t honestly say that the American Dream is very welcome in many parts of the world, including Jordan. As a Palestinian, despite being born in Jordan, Khalid does not have all of the same rights as an East Bank Jordanian, particularly with regard to employment and professions. Just as an example, in an unrelated discussion Khalid admitted he had always wanted to serve in the Jordanian army because he liked the clean-cut look of the uniforms and the thought of training. He didn’t say it, though I knew it was in the back of his mind, but being of Palestinian origin, Khalid can’t serve in the army. And as odd as it might sound, Jordan is one of the best countries in the region for Palestinian rights, even offering the majority citizenship. So ultimately, Khalid can succeed if he works hard and has it in himself to do so, but I fear his birthplace (a refugee camp) and the Palestinian aspect of his identity may always be a limit to him here in Jordan.
















I could definitely write more about my conversation with Khalid, but I’m my post might be running a little overlong. Tonight I will be going with Khalid to his home for dinner; his mother invited me in a brief phone conversation. So we’ll see how that goes and I’ll hopefully have more stories to tell next week.
I hope you enjoyed and as always, thank you for your interest!

Respectfully,

Brennan Roorda


*Note, Palestinian refugees are not considered the same as other international refugees and thus UNHCR, the primary organization for international refugees, does not deal with them.

Week Five:

I realize I’m a little late with this post; since it was Labor Day weekend, I tried to make good use of the day off, so I hope I can be forgiven. I also already typed this post, but unfortunately forgot to send it to myself from the Embassy computer (oops); oh well, draft two, new and improved.
Last week was another experience with bureaucracy, this time within the University itself. Go figure that one of the most difficult things I’ve had to do so far was pay! After being formally enrolled as a student at the University, I then had to register with the International Studies department and with my specific classes. That in itself took a day of walking around and talking to different people, all of whom were very friendly and helpful. I tried to pay that day, as well; however, I guess that was a little ambitious because once I arrived at the Registration finance office, I was told that I had been misdirected and I had to pay at the bank. The bank, unfortunately, was not open until about 1pm, and I had to go to work. So the next day I returned and tried to pay, and the hurdle became the fact that I was trying to pay with a check. It didn’t seem to make much sense to me that one would pay cash for such a large payment, however apparently that’s how it’s often done. But once I’d started with the check, they would not let me stop and I ended being sent to the main University finance office to be told that it was no problem, I would simply have to pay a small international transfer fee. By the end of that process, due to the Ramadan work schedule, the Registration finance office had already closed its doors for the weekend, so I was unable to turn in my record of payment. On returning yesterday, Sunday, I was then told by the Registration office that they needed the original copy of the transfer statement from the bank (of which I only had a copy, stamped and signed). I returned to the bank, a little frustrated at this point, and was then sent again to the main finance office of the University, where they finally took pity on me and completed the process themselves. In the end, I handed that office my record of payment and they printed a copy of my class schedule: I was good to go, though I felt a little like a ping pong ball (I forgot to mention that each of these offices is a good half mile to a mile apart).

This weekend I decided to check out the Amman art scene. This city is often surprising in its profusion of cultural exhibitions and shows, in particular with the number of art galleries. The galleries are generally privately owned, but often enjoy the patronage of either the Royal family or other influential members of Jordanian society, such as the Honorable MRS. Mayor of the town of Jerash. One of the more famous of these galleries is called Darat Funun (House of Art) and is run by a private foundation called the Khalid Shoman Foundation. The gallery tends to house more modern art styles and the stated goal of the foundation is to promote the spread of Art, Architecture, and Archeology in pursuit of a future “Renaissance in the Arab World.” Another, smaller gallery, Jacaranda Images, also geared towards more modern arts, had a special exhibit of a local artist who overlays multiple photographs in order to “generate a complex range of emotions through contrast.” This particular exhibition was entitled “Memories of War and Love” and seemed to aim to demonstrate the human impact of violence and conflict.

For Sunday night I invited one of my former teachers out to iftar at a restaurant near downtown Amman, to catch up and in order to practice speaking good Arabic (because he is painstakingly particular about good grammar, pronunciation, and word usage!). The iftar was fun and it was good to catch up, but the real adventure came afterwards, when he took me along to his favorite hangout, at a café called “Maqhaa Sahafa” (Journalism Café, named for the multiple newspaper companies nearby). This experience was part of a bigger cultural activity known as sahar, which is essentially spending time with friends and family late into the night, talking, telling stories, and playing games. The café itself is essentially a hole in the wall, almost literally, but the clientele was obviously very consistent, as all of the patron’s knew all of the waiters by name (often nickname) and vice versa. Very few of the patrons I saw actually gave any of the waiters an order, rather they would simply say what amounted to “the usual” and within a few minutes they would often have a coffee or tea and be puffing on an arguilah (the large water pipe commonly and sadly known as a hookah in the U.S.). After about three hours of hanging out there, I now know how to play taawila (backgammon, which is originally a Turkish game) and shatha (a card game) and my understanding of dialect is hopefully just a little better.

That’s it for this week. I hope you enjoyed and thank you for your interest!

Respectfully,

Brennan Roorda