5/21/10: I'm alive and made it to Amman

I feel like I haven't seen the night in days. Think about that for a moment. I was flying eastward. I was literally flying into the sunrise. Needless to say, I lost any and all sense of space and time.

But being able to finally see the sunset this evening in Amman, which if you haven't seen it yet from one of its basking hills should be considered a crime against humanity, let me fell human again. The day is taking its normal course. Awesome.

I guess the only thing I have to say about my flight over here is that having an American passport is like being an VIP in a club. In "ticketer" in Paris literally asked me what nationality my passport was from and when she discovered I was American, stopped giving me a hard time and told me to go where I needed to go. I totally avoided the faces of all other non-American citizens as I walked past: no need to gloat.

No marriage proposals yet!! No goats either. But I have seen two camels walking along the highway!!

One thing I immediately noticed when driving out the library was that groups of people, probably families, were camped along the edge of the highway having little picnics. This is were the camel comes in. A picnic isn't a picnic until Amir brings his camel.

On a more unsettling note, I also noticed 'shanty towns' of tens in valleys under the mountains of mansions and apartment complexes. Its certainly not the first time I've ever seen these but I have also found it unsettling that literally the poorest of the poor live in the shadow the richest of the rich.

The primary purpose of this evening was to meet my host family. I didn't get into Amman until around 630pm and didn't get picked up until probably over a 1/2 hour later (mainly because of visa and customs).

I could not be happier with my family. I am living with a Muslim woman named Lena and her two children: Zaina and Zaid. Lena is a vegetarian!! Like me!! They speak English so very well and have been very opening and warm towards me. The first thing Lena told me was, "We are family, these are your brothers and sisters and I am like your mother...although don't call me Ummi (the arabic word for mom)...call me Lena."

What has probably solidified my adoration of this family was that after eating a delicious spread of vegetables, grains, and spiced bread; we went out to shop for things Lena and her children needed to bring to a school party. This included of course a watermelon and two cantaloupes.

Lena considered taking a cab back to her apartment (merely a block and 1/2 away) because the carrying of this said fruit along with nearly 1.5 kilo of chocolate would be too heavily. Yes, 1.5 kilo of chocolate, a watermelon, and two cantalopes...let your imagination wonder. The shopkeeper even waked us out until finally we decided (at my suggestion) to just walk home. Lena's son Zaid insisted upon carrying the watermelon that was easily the size of his torso. He grunted and rambled all the way home, in both Arabic and English, referring to the watermelon as his baby...specifically saying,

"The baby is my habibi!"

I think its pretty clear that me and this family are going to get along just fine.

But I can't speak in English starting tomorrow. I know tomorrow will be hard and the next day, and the next day. But I imagine the soon, at least by the time i leave, speaking in Arabic will no longer be so difficult for me.

In'shallah