First Thoughts in Arabic

1 – 9 – 2013

I’m really not sure what to make of my experiences in Jordan so far. Today, I’ve gone back and forth between feeling very confident in my Arabic speaking ability and feeling somewhat incompetent. Likely, this is because I’ve been sick all day since waking up at 8AM and puking my guts out for the next ninety minutes. Still, it’s hard to just dismiss my own feelings, my own perceptions.

I have to say, I love it here in Irbid. The food is cheap and amazing (when it’s not giving me stomach problems). Dear lord, the baba ghanoush is divine and there is shawarma EVERYWHERE. Eating out at a decent restaurant costs less than McDonalds in the US. Everyone is friendly and sociable. The weather this time of year is absolutely wonderful – a little warm in the sun during the day but in the shade it feels fine. Every night, a wonderful breeze washes through the town, carrying out the stress of the day and bringing a relaxing evening chill one can sink into and enjoy. You can buy literally any movie for a single JD (a little over a dollar) and they have full seasons of How I Met Your Mother for 6JD.

Classes start tomorrow. Despite taking my language exam barely half an hour after I finished puking, it went rather well. I enjoyed the conversation and the professor, Manal, is very skilled at talking with inexperienced Americans. Along with a number of other factors, that test will determine the level of Arabic I am placed into. To be honest, aside from my ego, I don’t really care whether it’s beginner or intermediate (no way I’m ready for advanced). I felt like the exam went very well but I don’t know what the standard for speaking is.

I am nervous and excited for classes. I think. Especially with being sick, everything here feels a little overwhelming. I feel like my mind needs a quiet place to retreat to every once in a while – a corner I can mentally crawl into and turn off for a little bit. Honestly, I spent a lot of today disengaged, just trying to get through the day in one piece without puking again.  Hopefully, that is a symptom specific to my sickness, not the language pledge (which we took this morning).

In one of the orientation sheets, there was a testimonial from a former student saying that Irbid is what you make of it. You can spend your entire semester scared of talking in Arabic to Jordanians, complaining about the ubiquitous trash, or hiding in your room watching Netflix. These are totally plausible options. They are NOT how you will enjoy the semester though. One of the students, John, studied with CET in Irbid two years ago. He says he came back because he still had things to understand – with the language, the culture, and the spirit of Irbid itself. Right now, I’m overwhelmed. I don’t even know what I do understand. But hopefully, that’s the spirit I can capture in myself. 

Hopefully, I can embrace this semester with the enthusiasm of discovery. Hopefully, I have the fortitude of will and consistency of thought to look on the bright side of things.