Last week, protests consumed the city. It was a scary time- not knowing what was going to happen next, and of course, constantly getting emails from CIEE. Luckily, this week things calmed down a considerable amount, and my colleagues and I are safe and sound- it would have been fun to get evacuated though??. BUT... these protests and Gaza nonsense ruined my trip to Israel! And for that, I'm very mad. It looks like I won't be visiting Israel this semester, but hopefully I can get there some time in the future.
On Thanksgiving CIEE had a big Thanksgiving potluck for all of the students, and it was a good effort, but it was nothing like home, obviously. However, my friends and I had our own Thanksgiving potluck and it was fab-fab-fabulous! Four Americans, two Jordanians, a German, and a Swede- the perfect combo!? Complete with mounds of stuffing, chicken (# dontknowhowtocookturkey?) and pumpkin pie, it was the perfect pick-me-up and start to my holiday season. From now on, anytime I'm awake, Christmas music WILL be on, and I am so incredibly excited about going home for Christmas. Is it bad I'm already thinking about all of the things I want to eat when I get home?? Christmas cookies are literally calling my name from across the ocean.
Yesterday I realized I haven't taken pictures for basically two months! I'm gonna get on that...Hopefully.
-Blonde Girl Out
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Life's Little Pleasures
In honor of Thanksgiving, I am finally publishing a post I drafted a couple weeks ago! Being in Amman for Thanksgiving is a much stranger feeling than I expected, and while I am very thankful for this opportunity, and for everyone that has been supporting me, a part of me still wishes I was at home. However, CIEE is having a Thanksgiving luncheon today... and I heard stuffing is not on the menu. THAT, is a big problem... because besides being with family, the point of Thanksgiving is to eat your body weight in stuffing. Right?? I will see how it goes though; I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
A few weeks ago I moved into an adorable apartment in an area of town called Jabbal Amman- I couldn't be more happy! Ever since Alex and I moved into our cozy new apartment, I have been able to start enjoying the little things, and I have come to realize I have fallen in love with Amman ( finally! ). Here's just a few of the the things I love about my life in Amman:
-The warm weather and cool breeze. Being able to open all of the windows in the apartment and breath the fresh air.
-Sitting on the balcony and reading a novel.
-Eating a chocolate bar for dinner.
-Waking up, reading the news, and having a big homemade brunch on a Friday morning.
- Being able to simply use a fridge and do my own dishes!- I hate maids!
-Riding in the taxi with the windows down and observing everyone and everything around me
-Hearing the call to prayer emanate throughout the city and feeling the rush of peacefulness that comes with it
- The quietness of afternoons in Amman.
- Going to the bread stand and buying breakfast for 40 cents from a local, and just being able to say good morning to someone.
- Listening to my favorite music as loud as I want, even country music (:
- Seeing my sheets hanging on the balcony- not having a dryer isn't so bad after all.
- Teaching myself how to make coffee without a coffee maker, camper style!
-The feeling of Fall finally coming, and staying for good.
- Feeling confident in myself, my Arabic skills, and my ability to thrive in a new city.
- Looking back, and realizing how much I've grown as a person and learned about myself during my short time in Amman.
- Also realizing how much Arabic I've learned, and seeing how I've assimilated into a new culture
- On a daily basis I get hear new opinions and ideas that have helped me better understand the world and form new opinions
As I said in my last post, I am learning to live a simpler live, and I am loving it. Being removed from DC has allowed me to find clarity in my life, and I have been able to put my "real" American life into perspective. I have realized how truly lucky I am to have my family and friends, and even to be able to attend George Washington to pursue my dreams.
Most importantly, as I have evaluated my life, I have decided that maybe I'm not going to save the WHOLE world, but I am sure as hell determined to do my part!
-Blonde girl out.
A few weeks ago I moved into an adorable apartment in an area of town called Jabbal Amman- I couldn't be more happy! Ever since Alex and I moved into our cozy new apartment, I have been able to start enjoying the little things, and I have come to realize I have fallen in love with Amman ( finally! ). Here's just a few of the the things I love about my life in Amman:
-The warm weather and cool breeze. Being able to open all of the windows in the apartment and breath the fresh air.
-Sitting on the balcony and reading a novel.
-Eating a chocolate bar for dinner.
-Waking up, reading the news, and having a big homemade brunch on a Friday morning.
- Being able to simply use a fridge and do my own dishes!- I hate maids!
-Riding in the taxi with the windows down and observing everyone and everything around me
-Hearing the call to prayer emanate throughout the city and feeling the rush of peacefulness that comes with it
- The quietness of afternoons in Amman.
- Going to the bread stand and buying breakfast for 40 cents from a local, and just being able to say good morning to someone.
- Listening to my favorite music as loud as I want, even country music (:
- Seeing my sheets hanging on the balcony- not having a dryer isn't so bad after all.
- Teaching myself how to make coffee without a coffee maker, camper style!
-The feeling of Fall finally coming, and staying for good.
- Feeling confident in myself, my Arabic skills, and my ability to thrive in a new city.
- Looking back, and realizing how much I've grown as a person and learned about myself during my short time in Amman.
- Also realizing how much Arabic I've learned, and seeing how I've assimilated into a new culture
- On a daily basis I get hear new opinions and ideas that have helped me better understand the world and form new opinions
As I said in my last post, I am learning to live a simpler live, and I am loving it. Being removed from DC has allowed me to find clarity in my life, and I have been able to put my "real" American life into perspective. I have realized how truly lucky I am to have my family and friends, and even to be able to attend George Washington to pursue my dreams.
Most importantly, as I have evaluated my life, I have decided that maybe I'm not going to save the WHOLE world, but I am sure as hell determined to do my part!
-Blonde girl out.
Friday, November 9, 2012
City of Lights and Love!
Where to begin... Paris is the most beautiful city I've ever seen in my life. Honestly, what people see in movies wasn't even close to my six days in Paris that's how amazing it was.
The people were all so welcoming, and even though they didn't speak much English, they were still polite and helpful despite many common beliefs lol.
Everything in Paris is just so beautifully presented. First your food looks like it belongs in a magazine, and then when you taste it you nearly pass out. How does the whole world not want to take over France??
I keep convincing myself it's a good thing I didn't study in Paris because I'd be broke as a jokeee! How is a can of coke possibly 5 euros?? is it lined with gold? I mean, it was fine with me because we just got beer for the same price, but it's the principle that counts!
Anyways, Stephen and I visited Versailles, the Army Museum, Museum D'Orsaay, the Louvre, the Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle, the Arch de Triumph, the Bastille, the Pantheon,and some other places too!
Honestly, the best part of Paris was just walking around and surrounding ourselves in the breathtaking architecture. Ok, I HAVE to own a balcony with flower pots hanging off of it when I grow up.. because everyone in Paris has them, and I'm super jealous.
I loved getting fresh bread and cheese and wine and crepes and yatayata .. the list goes on, and WOW. There are these things called croque madames- LIFE CHANGING. It's basically a hot ham and cheese with cheese on the outside and an egg on the top- it literally melts in your mouth.
I loved the fact that every other store was a bakery, meat store,cheese store, of flower store. Is that even real life?? Like where do they get furniture and stuff?? It's a mystery.
We did see where they get their pets though!! I fell in love with a fluffy yellow duck in a pet store... and really, I could see myself living in Paris in a few years and having a little yellow duck to take on walks. How glamorous.
Obviously the Eiffel Tower was a highlight of Paris. No matter where we were in the city, we could see it, and it was so beautiful. I always thought it was stupid, but once you get there it takes your breath away.
My hotel was located on Rue Cler- and it was the most adorable road in Paris... and needless to say, the most precious hotel in Paris too. Obviously.
Stephen and I also made it to every neighborhood in Paris, and for that I am quite proud... I also stopped to look at every single pastry in every single bakery along the way (: Is it possible to gain ten pounds in six days?.. if it is, I did it. My favorite bakery "item" ( what should it be called, piece of heaven? ) was a croissant with butter and sugar in the middle and almonds on top... I'm starting to consider the idea of becoming a baker and moving the Paris. Good idea??
The only let down from the trip was the fact that the catacombs were closed for "AC problems" and no one bothered to tell me! I walked honestly like 12 miles to get there... Stephen would probably say it was closer to 2, but, it took like an hour and that's a long time. I just wanted to see the bones, I really didn't need AC to see them..
However, little things, such as unexpected dinner companions, are what really made the trip memorable. One night Stephen and I were eating in a tiny local restaurant and as we were getting up to leave, two old men, probably in their 80's, sat down next to us. The man that sat next to me began rambling in French and I told him, with one of my 4 French phrases, that I do not speak French. After a few minutes and a very puzzled and uncomfortable look on my face, he finally starting laughing and switched to the most proper British English I've ever heard in my life. We wound up talking and sharing multiple bottles of wine with the men for about three hours, and it was quite interesting, but very enjoyable. The man sitting next to me kept telling me I need to improve my diction because I do not speak proper English- after a couple hours of practicing I saw no improvement obviously. Anyways, it was an unexpected treat to get to sit and have dinner with locals in a tiny Parisian restaurant, and it's definitely something I will never forget. Moments like these make me reevaluate my own life, and after this trip I can honestly say I am going to strive to life a more Parisian lifestyle. Taking a trip to the bakery and having fresh flowers in your house, or taking the time to enjoy a long dinner with friends, are things that are irreplaceable in life. My "always-on-the move" DC lifestyle is not the way life is supposed to be lived. When I return home, and even now in Amman, I am striving to slow down the pace of my life and to learn to fully enjoy life's small pleasures and enjoy my time with the people I love.
The people were all so welcoming, and even though they didn't speak much English, they were still polite and helpful despite many common beliefs lol.
Everything in Paris is just so beautifully presented. First your food looks like it belongs in a magazine, and then when you taste it you nearly pass out. How does the whole world not want to take over France??
I keep convincing myself it's a good thing I didn't study in Paris because I'd be broke as a jokeee! How is a can of coke possibly 5 euros?? is it lined with gold? I mean, it was fine with me because we just got beer for the same price, but it's the principle that counts!
Anyways, Stephen and I visited Versailles, the Army Museum, Museum D'Orsaay, the Louvre, the Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle, the Arch de Triumph, the Bastille, the Pantheon,and some other places too!
Honestly, the best part of Paris was just walking around and surrounding ourselves in the breathtaking architecture. Ok, I HAVE to own a balcony with flower pots hanging off of it when I grow up.. because everyone in Paris has them, and I'm super jealous.
I loved getting fresh bread and cheese and wine and crepes and yatayata .. the list goes on, and WOW. There are these things called croque madames- LIFE CHANGING. It's basically a hot ham and cheese with cheese on the outside and an egg on the top- it literally melts in your mouth.
I loved the fact that every other store was a bakery, meat store,cheese store, of flower store. Is that even real life?? Like where do they get furniture and stuff?? It's a mystery.
We did see where they get their pets though!! I fell in love with a fluffy yellow duck in a pet store... and really, I could see myself living in Paris in a few years and having a little yellow duck to take on walks. How glamorous.
Obviously the Eiffel Tower was a highlight of Paris. No matter where we were in the city, we could see it, and it was so beautiful. I always thought it was stupid, but once you get there it takes your breath away.
My hotel was located on Rue Cler- and it was the most adorable road in Paris... and needless to say, the most precious hotel in Paris too. Obviously.
Stephen and I also made it to every neighborhood in Paris, and for that I am quite proud... I also stopped to look at every single pastry in every single bakery along the way (: Is it possible to gain ten pounds in six days?.. if it is, I did it. My favorite bakery "item" ( what should it be called, piece of heaven? ) was a croissant with butter and sugar in the middle and almonds on top... I'm starting to consider the idea of becoming a baker and moving the Paris. Good idea??
The only let down from the trip was the fact that the catacombs were closed for "AC problems" and no one bothered to tell me! I walked honestly like 12 miles to get there... Stephen would probably say it was closer to 2, but, it took like an hour and that's a long time. I just wanted to see the bones, I really didn't need AC to see them..
However, little things, such as unexpected dinner companions, are what really made the trip memorable. One night Stephen and I were eating in a tiny local restaurant and as we were getting up to leave, two old men, probably in their 80's, sat down next to us. The man that sat next to me began rambling in French and I told him, with one of my 4 French phrases, that I do not speak French. After a few minutes and a very puzzled and uncomfortable look on my face, he finally starting laughing and switched to the most proper British English I've ever heard in my life. We wound up talking and sharing multiple bottles of wine with the men for about three hours, and it was quite interesting, but very enjoyable. The man sitting next to me kept telling me I need to improve my diction because I do not speak proper English- after a couple hours of practicing I saw no improvement obviously. Anyways, it was an unexpected treat to get to sit and have dinner with locals in a tiny Parisian restaurant, and it's definitely something I will never forget. Moments like these make me reevaluate my own life, and after this trip I can honestly say I am going to strive to life a more Parisian lifestyle. Taking a trip to the bakery and having fresh flowers in your house, or taking the time to enjoy a long dinner with friends, are things that are irreplaceable in life. My "always-on-the move" DC lifestyle is not the way life is supposed to be lived. When I return home, and even now in Amman, I am striving to slow down the pace of my life and to learn to fully enjoy life's small pleasures and enjoy my time with the people I love.
The famous madelines- the only thing in Paris that's not as good as its cracked up to be
On one of Paris's many bridges
We light a candle in Notre Dame with a prayer (:
View from the top of Notre Dame
Also, I think it is important to mention I should probablyyyy receive a Guinness World Record award for the amount of chocolate I consumed in those six days, and I'm damn proud of it (:
-Blonde Girl Out
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Happiness is Paris
Notre Dame
Happy Hour every hourr!
Petit Trainon- Marie Antionette's House
Inside the Louvre
Under the Arch
Naploeon's Tomb
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