My life as of late...

Well as always, it has been a while since my last post…and there is a lot to catch everyone up on! From the last days of summer, to Ramadan, to the first month back at school, hopefully I'll be able to do everything some justice!

Not to long after Justin left, the Holy Month of Ramadan began. Ramadan is a period of time where Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset before breaking fast with their friends and family. To be honest, I had a conception of Ramadan before coming to Jordan that the entire month was one big party – that things slowed down during the day and people stayed up all night long eating plates and plates of cultural dishes, cakes, cookies, more cakes, and more cookies so have you. But I realized during this month that my assumption wasn't completely accurate. Things in Jordan did not come to a screeching halt during the daylight hours, with people doing their shopping, completing household chores, and going to work everyday. I noticed the people in my life turning to their faith to get through the long days, and know that during Ramadan they are reminded to appreciate the blessings in their lives. As for the Iftar every night (breaking fast), the meals were much more modest than I had imagined, and about the same size as the lunches prepared outside of Ramadan. Of course there were cakes and desserts to be shared, my favorite being catayif, a potato pancake with coconut and pecans folded inside and deep fried. But unlike my expectations, these were not consumed in complete excess.

The thing I personally liked the most about Ramadan was how the whole family came together to break fast every night. I ate lunch with the family I live above almost every night of Ramadan, and appreciated how everyone came together to share the moment. It was inspiring to see everyone come together after having strengthened their faith throughout the day. I fasted a few days, albeit with a little bit of water, to see the effect such a sacrifice had, and to be honest, it was miserable! My energy level decreased tremendously, and my thoughts kept returning to food. That my Muslim friends could push past these feelings and continue fasting day after day is inspiring, and I have gained an even greater appreciation for their faith.

One night during Ramadan my center and a women's organization in Mafraq hosted an Iftar dinner for our students at a local restaurant. It was amazing to see the kids out and about in the community, and the outpouring of support I felt from the restaurant staff and owner, as well as from the amazing women who helped put on the event.

Other than the dinner, the other big event that occurred during my summer after Justin left was a summer camp that we held for my center's students. Thanks to a Friends of Jordan grant, we were able to put on a great day camp for the children, including art projects and fun games (sack races, balloon-pop), and a nice breakfast of falafel, hummus, and all the fixings. It was great to see my students during the summer, and was a great way to refocus my attention on the upcoming semester.

At this time, I am about a month into the new semester. So far I've been focusing a lot of my attention of see my SPA project through to completion. We contracted out to complete center renovations, and, everything being finished with that, are now moving on to painting and finalizing the room. I'm so happy to see this project come to fruition, and can't wait until it is all finished.

My other big focus so far this semester has been working with the autism. I was invited to offer advice and training at a center in Zirqa which is opening up a new autism program, and spent a few days there helping to train the staff and develop materials. I've also been working on an autism manual to use in my center which goes over some basic teaching techniques for working with children with autism. The manual is currently being translated into Arabic with the help of my center staff, and I'm excited to see the implications for expanded use. I've also been spending the majority of my day working in the autism class in my center, especially with one student with rather severe behaviors. Its been frustrating trying to work on behaviors without having a system for behavior modification in place, but the classroom teaching and I have been working on developing more cohesive standards which we hope will allow for consistency in our interactions with him.

As for the other students in the center, I haven't forgotten about them. I created a big calendar with the days, dates, and weather, and have been going to each class everyday and discussing the information. I've also been working on teaching materials and adaptive learning materials (such as for one student who is visually impaired), and doing art projects with the students here and there. Its been busy-busy so far this semester, but I'm loving being integrated enough in my center to accomplish such things.

In other news, I've been visiting a lot lately, and trying to exercise more. I figure I might as well make the most of the little downtime I have, because it's beginning to dawn on me that I have only one year left! Speaking of which…the new volunteers are coming soon and I'm excited to meet them all. It looks like I'll be helping out with quite a few of the trainings of Special Education volunteers, and I'm excited to help introduce them to the life and culture of Jordan!

If, by any chance, any new volunteers are reading this, I have a few pieces of advice: 1) Bring sandals and flats! You may not wear them too much during PST because of the weather and dress code, but I wish I had brought them with me! And 2) Don't waste money on buying expensive adaptors in the U.S. Chances are they won't work or will blow out the first time you use them. You can buy adapters and power strips here for only a few dollars (1-5 JOD) which will last for a while and won't break the bank!! If you have any other questions, just email me!

Okay, well that’s it for now! I'm about to relax a bit (lazy Friday) and enjoy some of the homemade carrot cake I just made…don't be jealous 

All my best,

Stephanie Hubbell

Summer Adventures

Hello all! It's officially summertime, as I'm reminded every day by the HEAT! I was prepared for it coming in, but the biggest adjustment is just getting used to constant sweating! But so long as the only person I have to impress, Justin, is 4000 miles from me, I guess I'll be okay.

Speaking of Justin, he was here visiting me for the better part of July, so I suppose I have a lot of storytelling to catch up on. I was expecting Justin to come in to Amman Queen Alia at 5:00 pm, so, of course, I got there obnoxiously early so as not to miss him. As his arrival was approaching I kept getting more and more nervous, and stopped paying attention to my surroundings. At about 5:30pm, wondering why no one was coming out of the gate and I was the only person waiting in the terminal, I asked the information desk when I should expect his arrival…20 minutes before in the airport's only other terminal, I was told. Somehow I got lost in a two-terminal airport. I ran to Terminal 1 just in time to see Justin coming through the gate! Perfect timing as it turned out! It was pretty unreal to see him…my two worlds were colliding, and at first I just didn't know what to do or say, but we fell back into things pretty quickly. We took a taxi into the city, and, apart from loosing me cell phone and becoming convinced there were cockroaches in my dinner that night (they turned out to be olives, silly me), things went splendidly! We spent about four nights in Amman (same hotel, different rooms), and during that time celebrated America's independence at the embassy where Justin got to meet all my PC friends, and did an obscene amount of sitting by the pool for someone who hadn't been in a bathing suit in 8 months!

After Amman, we flew to Cairo, and spent a few days seeing the pyramids and experiencing Egypt. We had an amazing private tour company leading us around for three days, and except for one bad buffet at a tourist-trap restaurant, we had the time of our lives: riding camels, almost buying $100 paintings on papyrus, watching Spain make it to the finals in the World Cup, and taking a dinner cruise down the Nile (complete with a belly dance show starring, briefly, a breakthrough performer…me!).

After Egypt we flew to Turkey where we stayed at a quaint little bed and breakfast with an amazing view overlooking the Bosphorus. We spent a day touring Istanbul, seeing Blue Mosque, Saint Sophia, the Hippodrome, Topaki Palace, and the Grand Bazaar. The weather was amazing, cold and rainy, but coming from Jordan and its plus-hundred degree heat, it was a welcome surprise! For dinner we strolled into a small restaurant in Sultanahmet, sat down, and looked up to see a picture of former president Jimmy Carter dining in our exact seats from a few years back! The shish-kebab was to die for, and I loved every second of our day and night.

After Istanbul we flew to Cappadocia, home to the "fairy chimneys": giant rock formations that look like pillars from another world dropped onto the beautiful Turkish landscape. We spent two days touring with another couple, seeing an amazingly extensive underground city, and an old monastery consisting of tunnels and caves carved into mountains for protection. I got to try my hand at throwing pottery at a traditional Turkish studio, learned about the art of Turkish carpets, and experienced the most unbelievable hot-air balloon ride with Justin over the breathtaking scenery below. Everything was perfect beyond question, including the hotel, where my room was upgraded to the "Sultan's Palace" suite. I'm a lucky girl…what can I say?!!

After Turkey we flew back to Jordan to give Justin the tour of my new home. Despite a nearly missed connection and lost luggage, I made it to my SPA grant meeting (regarding the speech therapy clinic I've mentioned before), and all went well. Aqaba was next on the agenda, where we spent several days at the Movenpick resort (so NOT the Peace Corps life), sitting by the pool and snorkeling in the Red Sea. I'd say more, but I think I left half my brain there to soak up the rays!

Petra was next. When we arrived, we signed ourselves up for a walk of Petra by night. I'd never been to Petra before, and so for me at least, walking the two miles to the treasury by candlelight was pure magic. It was all I could do to ignore the buffoons yelling, running, or waving their glowsticks around; but all in all, no one could stop me from appreciating the wonder that is Petra. Seeing the treasury lit up by candles, I couldn't help but cry – it's what I do when I experience intense emotions – and there, with the man I love by my side and feeling such wonder for the capacity of human achievement, I let the tears come!

We returned the next day to see Petra in all its glory, at it still took my breath away. It was bigger than I could have ever imagined and well worth the two-kilo trek in. We spent that whole day and the next exploring all of Petra: hiking up to the monastery and enjoying the panoramic of Wadi Rum, climbing up to the high place of worship, and ducking into caves that transport you back in time with their unchangingness. I had to keep reminding myself that I could come back rather easily to Petra, because its not a place you can go to once and forget.

After Petra we came up to Mafraq, where Justin got to see what my day to day life is truly all about. We stayed up way past my bedtime visiting with my landlords every night out in the garden, drinking tea and laughing about all the funny things I do and say on a near-daily basis. He got to eat mansef and malfoof, drink lots of tea (which he loves), and picnic with one of my co-workers in the countryside. We stayed pretty low-key, but I think he really enjoyed seeing the everyday nuances of my life in "the Fraq."

With just a weekend left, Justin and I went to the Dead Sea. We enjoyed the last few days by the pool in each others' company, smeared ourselves with Dead Sea mud, and floated until our eyes stung (about half an hour, but it was still fun!). It was hard to come to terms with the fact that he'd be leaving again and we'd continue on with a Skype relationship for the next year and a half, but at least we now know that we can survive the time and distance apart. We made so many new memories that I'm grateful for, and those will be with me to get me through until we're together again.

Since Justin left, I've been trying to keep myself busy. Firstly, I helped out with a special education teacher training put on by GUVS in Amman, sharing stories about how to overcome student behavioral issues in a productive way. I also just got back from a conference called "Arab Women Speak Out," where I and a few counterparts were trained in how to put on a workshop for local women regarding issues about health and wellness, such as prenatal and maternal health, nutrition, chronic disease prevention, and domestic violence. I also adopted a cat, Roxy, from a fellow volunteer who will be leaving for America shortly after completing his service.

Next on the project agenda is pushing along our SPA proposal and putting on a summer camp for my students. It's been good for me to jump back into things that matter to me to keep myself motivated and moving forward. I was so happy to see Justin and enjoy our vacation together, but keeping busy helps me remember why I came here in the first place and what I have to offer. I can't wait to see my kids and teachers again during the upcoming semester, but first comes Ramadan, an Islamic month where followers fast from sunrise to sunset to consecrate their devotion and piety. I'm sure I'll have lots to talk about during the upcoming month, and I promise to keep everyone updated. Until then, PEACE out .

End of the semester!!

Ok, in case you haven't noticed, I've fallen off the writing wagon…very sorry!! I've been going through phases of what I do in my free time: crafting, furniture refinishing, painting, writing (stories, not blogs), Lost-watching (most recently), and, as always, visiting. But the good news is I'm back to updating my blog!

The school semester is about to end this week, so I'll update you all on what it is I've been doing. I've taken on the position of art, music, and sport teacher at my center. Every week, I come up with activities to do with my students, and go into each of the classrooms to present the activity with the help of the teachers. Sundays we do sports, like variations of tag, bowling, and bean-bag toss. I see each of the six classes for 40 minutes each. Mondays are art days, and we do all kinds of projects. Some of my favorites have been "stained-glass" from colored tissue paper scraps and contact paper, mosaics, coffee-filter and cloths-pin butterflies, and toilet paper roll bracelets. I've learned to be a bit creative with art projects, coming up with ideas quickly if need be, with easy to come by materials. Nothing is wasted here, and I find myself saving packaging, cereal boxes, soda bottles, and every scrap paper I come across. I'm lucky that at my center we can afford to by things like paint, markers, paper, and contact paper, and I don't take that for granted. On Tuesdays we do music, though I'll end up doing art with the kids a lot. On account of the fact that I know no Arabic children's songs to teach, and we have no instruments save a few drums, we do a lot with shakers and coffee-tin drums about keeping rhythm and imitating a beat. On Wednesdays, I've been going to a school nearby to co-teach English for elementary aged students. We follow lessons dictated by the ministry, so instead of coming up with material, I make up activities that engage the students and allow them to practice what they are learning. On Thursdays we tend to go on field-trips to the local youth-centers or on picnics, and either way, snacks and debka are always involved.

On the weekends I visit a lot, as there are several families I see on a pretty consistent basis. Sometimes I'll have friends of mine stay the weekend with me, or will go to visit them on the weekends. I'll also go into Amman with everyone quite a bit, sometimes just for the day (I'm only about 50 minutes away), and sometimes overnight. We, until recently, were playing in a football league in Amman every Friday, and I learned that I really like playing defensive line and receiver. Most of the Department of Defense guys and Marines we played didn't ever want to hurt a girl, so I ended up doing pretty well! It's always nice to go into Amman and see everyone in town, even if I always end up spending half my monthly allowance on Starbucks and Blue Fig!

We've had a few conferences and events with the Peace Corps. We had a language training in Aqaba, a counterpart conference where we brought partners from our work-sites to discuss projects and activities, and a project design conference, where we learned the nuances of implementing a large-scale project at site. My mudeera (director) accompanied me, and together we came up with a plan to start a speech-therapy clinic at our center. Hopefully it will all come together, but for the time being, I'll be putting in a lot of work on this over the summer. We're also hoping to put on a summer camp for our kids during the last week of July, but need to secure funding and make sure everything is a go.

I've also been doing some projects with other volunteers and organizations. In late February I volunteered with Operation Smile, an organization that provides surgery to children with cleft-lips and palates. As a volunteer, I helped to watch the kids at the hotel they were staying in, and assisted with the coordination of getting the patients to and from the hospital for their surgeries. I even got to go to the hospital once to keep one patient company, and went with her to a speech-therapist based in Amman the next day. This experience coupled with my centers plans for a speech therapy clinic have been great in keeping me on course for Speech-Language Pathology when I get back to the States someday…because with every day with my kiddos, a Master's Degree in Special Education is looking better and better.

Another project I helped with was putting on an event for children with special needs. During the end of May, many of us PCVs collaborated to make a carnival for the children at our centers. When it was all said and done, I think that things went really well. The day kicked off with a talent showcase, where kids got to sing and show off their debka moves. One of my students with autism got loose on the gymnasium floor, so, lucky for him, he was in about 7 or 8 different performances. Each volunteer was responsible for putting on one activity, and with the help of my center, we did balloon animals. I learned that making 150 balloon hats it pretty tiring work, but it was worth it, as all the kids we're beaming with joy whenever I put a hat on their heads.

Most recently, I did a teleconference with the Lucia Mar school district about 21st Century Learning Skills. I was able to share my experience as a Peace Corps volunteer with educators in my hometown district, and tell about what skills are most important in my day to day life. Apparently there was even an article written about it in the local newspaper, Santa Maria times, which was brought to my attention by my country director.

All in all, I'm excited for this summer! Hopefully I'll get the chance to help out some of the other volunteers with their summer camps, will be putting on one of my own, and will be working on some other projects along the way. Also, Justin is visiting in less than three weeks, and I can't wait!! It will be so good to see him, and we have big plans through Egypt, Turkey, and Jordan! I can't wait to show him what my life is like here, and think it will bring us even closer together!

Anywho, I promise to write more during the summer months!! I'm sure that I'll have lots of adventures to write about!!

Best,

Stephanie

Life at Site

Hey all!

Things are going well at site...busy busy (ana madzgula kthir), but I'm having a great time. My day to day has become routine, and I'm settled in, so I thought it might be time to write a bit about my day to day life.

I work Sundays through Thursdays in my special education center. I usually wake up around 7 and get ready for work. If I'm lucky, I'll skype with Justin for a few minutes, before heading out around 7:40am. It's about a ten minute walk to my center through my neighborhood, and I usually arrive just in time for a cup of tea before classes begin at the merkez. The teachers at my center are wonderful (funny, dedicated), and we greet each other every morning with "kafiks?" and smiles. At this point I've been making a lot of little resources for the center per request...when a teacher has an idea, I help them make materials, such as behavioral reinforcement charts and lesson plan activities. I'm still observing a lot while contributing to the day to day schedule without being too much an imposition. We've done some fun things since I've been working here, like Valentine's Day crafts and a field trip to the Merkez Shebab. Things are good, and I'm optimistic for the next to years.

Work is done by 1:30 every day, and I'll walk home through the sug where I can buy groceries for the next few days. I love the fresh eggs and bread, and have been cooking myself mainly vegetables and rice (I don't cook with meat in my house, because I've become perfectly content with keeping things simple in the kitchen). After returning home, I like sitting in my house or on my roof with a good book, which I either read or set aside while I nap. I'll usually go downstairs to visit once or twice a day, sometimes going down for lunch at 4:00, but always coming down for conversation and Alia (a Turkish soap dubbed in arabic that has become my favorite TV show here). My mudeera and I walk every night for excercise, though it always turns out to be a good opportunity to bounce ideas off of each other.

My weekends are usually spent relaxing, doing laundry, and visiting with families in town or my Peace Corps friends. I went on a lovely picnic with my landlord's family a few weeks ago to their farm outside of Zirqa, where we barbequed kebab and enjoyed the sun and conversation. I like the sponteneity of my day to day life here... I never now exactly how my day will play out when I wake up in the morning.

Just a bit for now...I'll write again soon. In the meantime, you should look at the website I helped create for my center: www.almafraqsped.weebly.com!

Take care!

Steph

Sworn-in and settling in…

Hey everyone. Just wanted to write an update about how things are going here in Jordan!

Our group, J-13, had our swearing-in ceremony on the morning of December 23rd at Al-Bayt University in Mafraq. We were lucky to have all of our host-families in attendance, as well as prominent local and university officials. After 2 months of PST anticipation, the day went unhitched, all of us eager to start our services as Peace Corps volunteers.

We spent Christmas day and the day after in Amman. On the morning of the 26th the Peace Corps organized a sports day, where many of us met up to run around and play soccer and ultimate Frisbee. Later in the day we attended a Christmas party hosted by the U.S. Embassy where we enjoyed the traditional holiday food we missed back home. The Embassy is a very impressive building in the city, and I felt very lucky to be invited to spend the evening there with my P.C. friends.

A few days later we moved to our permanent sites. Things are going great so far, and I've officially fallen in love with Mafraq, a charming city of a little over 50,000 people bordered by Syria to the North and about an hour's bus ride from Amman. Having spent two months training in a village just outside of the city, my transition has been a natural one. Although I've engaged some in my favorite pass-time here (aimlessly exploring new cities), my familiarity with Mafraq makes it easy to get back home after the end of a long day.

I've taken care of the business regarding moving in: buying home necessities, applying for a P.O. Box (I'll write it at the end of today's blog) and setting up internet in my apartment. Recently, I've been doing research regarding the structure of Special Education classrooms in the U.S. for supplementary knowledge, and it's been nice skyping friends, family, and Justin!

I observed at my center for two working weeks (Sunday through Thursday), and am currently on winter break from the merkez. During those two weeks I had a chance to get to know the teachers and students, and have been impressed with the passion of the teachers and the motivation of my mudeera. There are approximately thirty students at my center, three classes of special education, one autism class, and an art therapy class. There is also a physical therapy room where children, most with cerebral palsy, come for therapy sessions. I've been trying to learn new technical vocabulary and have been exchanging words with my mudeera everyday.

I'm constantly visiting: with the family downstairs, with teachers from my center, and with new friends in the city. Jordanian hospitality never ceases to amaze me. Always when I say my goodbyes (long after the American side of me says I'm overstaying my welcome) my hosts will undoubtedly beckon me to stay longer still, offering one last glass of tea or cup of coffee.

All in all, I love things here, and will keep you all posted on future news : )

Take care!

Stephanie

P.O. Box 155
Mafraq
Jordan

Merry Christmas

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!! Today is Christmas Eve, and although I am sad to be away from home, several of us got together to read the nativity story and sing traditional Christmas songs, so I was in good company. Afterwards, I organized a little Christmas party in the dorms, complete with seven paper snowflakes and two stockings (hey, resources are limited at this point). I never realized how much a white elephant exchange would improve people's outlook on spending this first holiday season away from their families, but speaking for myself at least, it was good to share it with such amazing individuals!

Don't have time to write much now, but know that I'm happy and safe here!

Getting close to swearing in!

Hello everyone!

Sorry it's been so long since I last wrote (I know…it’s a pattern), but I don't have internet connection often and when I do I usually don't know where to begin.

We're nearing the end of our pre-service training, and things are going well. I'm feeling much more confident with my Arabic, and am trying (somewhat successfully) to use it as much as possible. Every time I enter a ducan (store) and do my shopping in Arabic the storekeepers tell me I speak well, but I'm not sure if that’s because it really is or they're surprised I'm speaking it at all!

I'm sad to be leaving my host family. They have been incredibly welcoming and helpful, and have introduced me to the zaki-ness (deliciousness that is) of Jordanian food (Magluba, Manself, and Kibsa have become my staples). I've had some great times at their home, and am lucky to have been with them for Iid, a Muslim holiday celebrating Allah sending Abraham a sheep to sacrifice instead of his oldest son. On this holiday, men from each family will sacrifice a sheep, and the whole three day holiday is filled with visits to friends and family (and drinking shai kathir (lots of tea) and enjoying heilu (chocolate)). Another great experience I've had with my family was visiting in the family bayt-shar (a large Bedouin tent made of goat-hair fabric). We sat around a fire inside, maybe 20 of us, drinking tea and coffee for hours; it was really one of those "Wow…I'm really in Jordan" moments.

During the past few weeks we had practicum, three weeks spent training in centers like the ones we will be working in. I trained in a center in Mafraq, putting together lessons for students and trying my best to teach them in Arabic. All in all things went well, and gave me the confidence to do it in my own center.

Speaking of which, I just returned from my site visit. I'll be working in Mafraq, the city we've been training in. We had a conference in Amman at which we met our mudeers/mudeeras and counterparts, and then we went to our respective cities to get a taste of what our lives will be like. I saw my apartment, and I'll just say that I am very lucky (its very specious and fully furnished already…I'll be quite comfortable for the next two years ). I'm living above my mudeera's family, and feel welcomed into the family already. My center is very nice as well. They recently had volunteers from World-Learning come for a beautification day at the center, and it's really a lovely working environment. I'm excited to continue my observations of the center, so I can see where my specific knowledge and experience will best fit in.

I'm sure there's more, but we're starting a session soon and I have to run. All in all, things are really wonderful! Inshala I'll get internet in my apartment and will be able to write more often!

Miss everyone!