Jordan, Dec. 09

I realize how inadequately my notes convey everything we did on this trip, but I will have to save the unabridged version for the occasion of writing a book.

- Woke up at 5:30 (tough for a day of vacation) and ate breakfast at the hotel. Left around 7:20 with a driver, headed for the King Hussein Bridge.
- Stood in line for an exit "stamp," exchanged some cash, and got on a bus for the border
- Half way, we had to get off of the bus, show our passports, get back on and headed for the West Bank.
- Went through security at Allenby Bridge, and it took over 4 hours to get through customs. These girls are thorough with their information...and like to socialize with their friends.
- Took a taxi (about 20 min.) to J-town.
- Made it to the Hotel Addar, haggled for a room price, and realized we left one of our bags in the taxi. By God's kindness, the driver realized that, and had his brother bring it back to where he dropped us off. How amazing!
- Went for a walk through the neighborhood. We stopped to watch some crazy horse races and eat falafel sandwiches in a Palestinian neighborhood, eastern J-town. Lots of young "bucks" showing off their racing skills on a dirt track, just having fun. There were camel rides and some sort of shaky looking Ferris wheel, too. Wild.
- Went back to the hotel and took a nap until about 6p.m.
- Met Kyle's friend, Dave, who studies at the Hebrew University on a fellowship. We ate burgers with him near the school, then took the bus downtown for a Guinness. (Check out the pictures for the menu with Hebrew.) He gave us some good info. for our stay, and we headed back to the hotel.
- Slept like a baby.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Jordan, Dec 8

- Ate breakfast at the hotel
- Figured out we can't cross the river until Tues. because of the Eid holiday. Chris talked to the bridge crossing officer on the mobile of the desk clerk. Cool guy.
- Went to St. George's Greek Orthodox church and saw the world's oldest map, a floor mosaic. The incense reminded me of church when I was growing up.
- Went to Mt. Nebo, supposed to be the place where Moses was shown the Promised Land.
- Drove on CRAZY cliff-edge roads down the mountainside and passed a few Bedouins herding their goats and camels on the way to the Dead Sea.
- Chilled (literally) by the pool at the Amman Resort after floating in the Dead Sea- so salty!
- Drove back to Amman (about 1 hour) and checked into the Al Manar hotel. Christmas tree in the lobby. I love Jordan.
- Went out to adventure and tried to visit the Roman Amphitheater, but only saw the outside. Chris bought some kebab in Heshamite square (the main city square). We were trying to find a specific restaurant, but our cab driver didn't have any idea where we were going, so we just ate at some Italian place.
- Kyle, Chris, and Noah went to the hotel lounge to hang out, while I went up to the room to watch CNN. Not feeling so great, so hopefully it will pass by morning.

+Photo from Opening Ceremony of Little League Softball

International Day, and the first of many posts

Here's one snapshot out of several that I took during our school's International Day. Each homeroom was appointed to research a country, and then present its country to the other students through bulletin boards, realia, pictures, flyers, food, music, and all things cultural. I chose Morocco for my 7th grade girls, and they really went above and beyond in completing this project! Although the day was fairly chaotic, the students had fun and were able to go home early, which left us teachers time to chill- uh, work.

Pictured (L-R) are some of my teacher friends: Myself with Heba, Ramona, and Balsam

Also, I decided that I'm going to post some short notes out of my journal from our first few vacations. Most of the pictures are in chronological order, so have another look, or do so if you haven't already.

Dec 7
- We got to the airport here about an hour before our flight was to leave, and it was crazy busy. A Jazeera Airways agent moved us to the front of our line, and we made it through in time! What a start to vacation!
- The 1.5 hour flight to Jordan was quick and painless.
- We arrived in Amman around noon.
- Took two different buses to get to Madaba, and afterward, we ate at the Hadoud Jdoudna restaurant. I need to find a recipe for fatteh hummus!
- Stopped at a local grocer on the way to the hotel for some snacks, and then watched "Blood Diamond" while marveling at the Christmas decorations. (Blood Diamond is an interesting, but also violent and harsh movie about the illegal sale of diamonds in South Africa and other nearby countries. Not recommended for the faint of heart.)

A Garfield Birthday

For those with January birthdays:



source

Pittsburgh Steelers: Unstoppable

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XUdoNla4TU

Just fun

A little birthday fun to kick off the New Year...

back at it

(Here's a picture of Chris and I that one of our friends took before church last week. As usual, I am not looking at the camera.)

Today was our first day back to school, and I'm pretty glad. Vacation is great, but I know very certainly that I'm not meant to be lazy all of the time. It feels good to be back in the trenches, ahem, in the classroom and starting afresh with the kiddos. Hopefully, we'll have a great round of exams and a smooth start to the new semester.

Also, I've started to help coach a girls' softball team for a friend. There is a community league that has teams of girls from ages 10-16 on each team, which makes things interesting. Standing on the field in the 45-50 degree weather, with the wind whipping around my face brings back some cold memories! Because of my school schedule, I am only able to make one out of two practices every week, so there isn't much of a strain on my time. It's just enjoyable to help out when I can.

18 degrees

Hopefully, these pictures will make you feel warm inside, since it's only 18F in Indiana, PA. We are hanging out at a mild 65F here, with a low of 43.

Egypt
Jordan Plus

Happy New Year!