hot and tired

As you can tell, I have been a little busy. I am going to school in the mornings and teaching in non-air-conditioned and what's worse- non-fanned!!! rooms until 2:40 and then I make the mad dash to finish up homework, walk a bit and catch a taxi and make it to tutoring at 3:30. I am there until 5:30 and then I have to come home, eat, do homework and rest a bit! :)
So, I am glad that this teaching gig is almost over- 2 more days!
I have a ton of homework- I wrote down like 2 full pages of vocab today- so-- I must go-

Helping out-

It appears that the Baptist school here is in a bit of a pinch. So, I am headed up there to teach 4th grade english until they can find a teacher. I hope that this is only for the week or so but I think it will help them a lot, let me serve them and also will allow me another bridge so that I can volunteer there again this semester. So, although it was not in the plans to get up at 6:15 on Sat. am for school - I guess I am going to get another lesson in serving :)

the roof

there are moments when you just relax and know that you are at home. Yesterday, this happened as I sat up on our roof. The roofs here are not pitched but flat. Ours has a wall about waist high that goes all around it. It is (obviously) the size of our apartment and we have access to the whole thing. We put a table and some chairs up there and last night after a blistering hot day I went up to get some relief from the heat. The sun was down and the heat was going away by the minute. A cool breeze picked up and the city was all lit up. There is a huge mosque that is in plain view from the roof and it was in its weird way beautiful sitting there above the city. The Intercontinental Hotel is about 1 block away and they had live music on their roof- so I was able to listen for free! It was fun to look out and see this really expensive hotel out to the left and me on my roof enjoying the night for free!
I took a strand of Christmas lights and ran it to the roof so that I would have some light and then got some books- no arabic ones, just books- and read for a bit in the cool night air. I am so glad that Amman gets cooler at night and that I have a roof to enjoy it!
As I was getting to go in, someone on the mountain facing us decided to shoot off some fireworks. I got to enjoy the 5 min. display and laugh at how great it was that I love fireworks so much! This is the place to live if you love fireworks- they go off almost every night in the summer.
So, after a hot day of tutoring and walking it was SO nice to be able to escape to the roof!

olympics

this week has been one of getting the apartment set up. It is a bit harder here where places don't deliver like they do in the US and there are no places to rent trucks or moving companies. But my roomie, elle, has done a great job of getting it all set up. I have my room all together- even hung a few things up today.
It is hot here, so pretty much nothing happens in the afternoons. I now understand why there is such a thing as a "siesta" because the last few days it has been too hot to do anything in the afternoon but lay in front of the fan and try not to move!
I am getting back into Arabic- I have been tutoring all week and then start with my "group" on Sun.
I am trying to stay focused, use my Arabic and enjoy life here as much as possible. It is weird knowing that I will be done in a few months and then will be moving on. It makes the time here a little sweeter in some ways.
It is funny to see what they show in the Olympics here. We have seen lots and lots of soccer, some basketball, more Equestrian stuff that I knew existed, all of the rifling and archery and occasionally we will wee a glance of the diving, swimming or a review of the gymnastics for the day. It has been funny to see how we value sports so differently! who knew that watching the Olympics would be so cultural!

learning

i think that learning is the hardest thing. I mean, we all learn things everyday. We all know that "knowing is half the battle" and that to know something you had to learn it. We weren't born with much knowledge....we have all learned it.
You would think that my "professional student" self would have learned that learning requires having a need. But, I am realizing more than ever that being a "learner" means being "needy." It means admitting that someone else is more "expert" than I. It means that I listen, take in and change. It means that when I sit and order incorrectly in arabic, that I take the rebuke and correction of my friends. I admit that they are experts in Arabic and I am just learning.
This is hard for me- I want to make sure I am more of an expert than them in something- comparing myself to them so that I don't feel so stupid. I act like "well, you might speak better Arabic than me, but I speak better English!" like, I am saved by how well I speak English :0 or Arabic :0
Slowly, I am seeing that there is beauty in being a learner- admitting weakness and receiving from others.

life back in Amman

So, I have totally enjoyed my new house- I am waiting to send pictures until I get all the furniture in and it looks more like a "home." But it is in a great location- I can walk to my favorite coffee shops, to school for tutoring and even have the best shawarma joint in the city about 2 min. up the hill!
It is fantastic!!
I am walking a lot (it it the cheapest way to travel, good for your health and also helps in fighting global warming :)!!) and I love it. It is fun to be on the streets of a city and experience it's life as you go from place to place.
My friend comes in from Mufrak (a city up near Syria) tomorrow and we are going to have fun all day. Then it is Sunday- the last day to catch up before tutoring begins- and then I start back on Mon.
I am excited to be back- but don't really want to start studying :0 I have enjoyed the break! But I am sure that the toughest thing is just beginning....so I must go and begin :)

back in amman

and loving it!!!
i have a great apartment thanks to ell (my new room mate) and it is in the best location and I am on my second cup of coffee from my favorite coffee shop on earth....it is good to be back.