Field trip and other updates

Things are starting to pick up, both in and outside of class, something I'm very grateful for! All the former free time was getting me a bit homesick...

But no worries! I have lots of things to keep me from sitting at home. Monday night I went along with a pack of CIEE students to test out a choir at one of the YWCA's here. I still don't really know what exactly the choir is affiliated with, but I do know they have a Christmas concert on three nights in December. Most of the songs were spirituals and carols, but there were a few ones in Arabic that were spelled out in English letters. I was definitely wondering how you would write lyrics in Arabic script, since in Arabic you don't write most of the vowels! Anyways, the choir is headed by a Filipino guy (I know, my friends tease me about how excited I get when I find a Filipino) who's no more than five years older than me, I think. Almost everyone there was foreign -- the other alto in my section was from... oh shucks. Norway? It's a Scandinavian country. I can't remember. Haha! But there were students and older people too. Some of the program-mates that I came with might not decide to join, but I think I'll stay. The music was more traditional than I'm used to in my new age-y choir back at Georgetown. I would, however, like to join a choir at UJ too. I have to keep bugging Ahmad, one of the directors at the CIEE office, to get in touch with the director for me. Ah well. I should know by now that things take forever in Jordan!

Yesterday we had a wonderful surprise too, because it rained! And boy, there wasn't any thunder or lightning, but there might as well have been. It was pouring! The downpour was so strong that most of us decided to wait for it to wane before venturing outside. Usually I don't mind a drizzle, but people were coming inside sopping wet! But it was such a great thing for the water-starved Jordan. I hope that people were catching the rain somehow!

Today was eventful too, because my Islamic philosophy class went on our first field trip! I knew I stayed in this class for a reason... All twenty-odd of us piled into a university bus and made our way to Wast al-Balad to visit the King Hussein Mosque. It wasn't very new for me, because I had seen the outside of the mosque when I had been to Wast al-Balad before. I hoped that we'd be able to go inside somehow, however, and so did my professor. All the girls covered their heads in an attempt to be respectful and to make the mosque attendants know we didn't want to cause trouble. The boys were able to go inside and look through the mosque, but the girls had to stand in the entrance. The women's prayer room was too small to fit just half of my class. Our professor read the dedication of the mosque to us. The mosque was from the 7th century, just after the time of Muhammad! I really wish I could have gone inside, but I know that that would have been unacceptable. One man even came up to my professor and, in nicer words, told us to get the hell out. I don't blame him for feeling intruded upon, but gender issues here are so different than what I have come to expect. If everyone is equal before God, why do they have to be separated when they pray? Maybe I'll understand why later. Maybe I won't.

We packed back into the bus and headed out to Abduli, where the second-hand clothing souq was. I had actually passed by the King Abdullah Mosque when my classmate and I were walking there last weekend! This mosque was almost completely empty except for its keepers, especially since prayer time was long over. We went down a flight of stairs to a room full of black hooded robes and all the girls put one on and wrapped their heads in addition. There was a museum and little trinket stores outside the mosque too. It was much more geared to us visitors! Inside the ground floor were a ton of models of mosques that the Jordanian kings had funded or sent workers to build both here and in other places. There was even a mosque from Uzbekistan! There were lots of pictures of the current king and his father, praying, surveying craftsmen, meeting with foreign dignitaries. There was a conference room that they let us walk into that looked very official. The seats were comfy too!

We went up to the main level to the prayer room and this time we were allowed to go inside. The carpet was so soft and comfy and the decorations were simple, but beautiful. I don't have any of the pictures I took, because my memory card decided to die on me, but I will hopefully get some pictures from my classmates! The woman's prayer room was a lot smaller but equally as simple. And it was nice to walk into a room that boys weren't allowed in for a change!

The last mosque we went to was the King Hussein bin Talal Mosque, which is... hm, I can't say the area exactly. But it was by far the most awe-inspiring one we visited. It's also the newest, since it was built in honor of King Abdullah's late father in 2003. It was almost like a castle perched on top of this giant hill looking over one of Amman's valleys. We were able to watch the sun set from the courtyard. It was just beautiful. Inside was very clear and well-lit. We were allowed to go right up to the pulpit where people read aloud from the Quran. And it was so open and bright and calm. I really liked it inside.

We were allowed in both the men's and women's prayer rooms, as well as throughout the huge outdoor courtyard where people can pray as well. Outside there were trees and lawns and flowers. I really have to get some pictures from my classmates! We were told we would be allowed to take pictures, but when I got to the outer-most courtyard, a security guard told me I couldn't (I had borrowed a friend's camera). I understood not taking pictures of the building, but I asked him if I could take a picture of the sunset and he said I could only take one! I took more (secretively, of course), but I still don't understand the logic. Is the sun somehow property of this mosque that it's disrespectful to photograph it?! There are some things I just don't understand.

Anyways, I'm spent. I'm also trying to not get sick with this cooler weather that's rolling in, so I'll head off to sleep!


Until next time!
Van

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Part of trip: Jordan: Take One

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