My house has been receiving calls, emails, facebook messages expressing worry over my upcoming trip to Jordan. To put everyone's worry to rest: Jordan is a very stable country and I will not be swept up in any kind of hostile protest or regime change. There has been a lot of activity on the facebook group page of fellow CIEE participants expressing their worries, fears, and excitement about what is going on in the Middle East. The conclusion I have come to from both messages there and watching the news closely is that as long as I am in Jordan I will be safe. Protests are few and scattered in Jordan, unlike in Egypt where protesters boldly call for Mubarak to resign, Jordanians have not targeted the king and have mostly focused on a push for economic reforms. Whereas footage of the protests in Egypt show citizens being blasted by water canons, tear gas and rubber bullets by the police, in Jordan police officers wander the crowds handing out bottled water to keep protesters hydrated. The Hashemites (regime which rules Jordan) have long been an authoritative regime who rules with the sword behind its back, unlike many other hostile dictators in the region. In all truth I am nothing but thrilled to be in an area of the world where people are discovering their voice, standing up and calling for democratic-like reforms. Imagine if you had been in Tienanmen Square the day that photo of the iconic "Tank Man" was taken. I promise my family and friends that I will not act fool hearty when deciding where to be during such protests. As American citizens we are not despised and therefore should not recieve much resentment from protesters. Islamists point to the American government as a source of their woes and misfortunes, not at average citizens. Still, I would never put myself in harms way. Having read many of my fellow CIEE'ers posts I have selected two fascinating medias that show what is happening in Egypt (to be certain, Egypt is not the only country where all of this is going down, however, it has received a lot of attention ever since the regime change in Tunisia). This first link is a 12 minute long or so recording of an English reporter who was with protesters in Egypt and while recording was picked up and put in a police van and driven out to the desert (very exciting). And the second media is a photo taken by an Egyptian citizen; the photo is strangely similar to that of the Tank Man which I referred to before. I hope these two medias don't cause worry in anyone, but instead have the same affect they did on me: one of genuine fascination and excitement! Stuff is happening and I'm there to document and experience what affects it has on the average Arab!! Who knows, this stuff could lead to an amazing senior thesis (fingers crossed).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/26/egypt-protests
http://i.imgur.com/rcPGl.jpg
Hope all is well to my friends abroad. I didn't think I would be posting twice before leaving but oh well.
Love,
Wylie of Arabia
Friday, January 28, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
My first foot fungus in my mouth: get it? I can't keep my foot out of my mouth...god I wish I were funny...
Dear blogosphere,
I’m coming to you from Muddy Waters café in Burlington Vermont. I’m sitting in my favorite seat by the large glass windows at the entrance, people watching as an excuse to give myself a rest from my pre-take-off literature. I’ve been reading Benjamin Orbach’s Live From Jordan a book my momma discovered and gave me on Christmas day. Already half-way through it I feel like a veteran traveler with inside tips that Lonely Planet could never have provided. On top of Benjamin’s letters is the book I just started called Understanding the Arabs: A Guide for Modern Times by Margaret Nydel. A slightly more formal book, this piece of literature is supposedly going to be my insight to Arabic culture on the ground; what will happen and how to react. I’ll let you know how accurate it is once I’m farther in and on the ground. The CIEE program has suggested that I set realistic goals for myself in order to prepare an agenda for Jordan. So, before I throw a toe in my mouth here it is:
· I hope to establish a comfortable use of conversational Jordanian. I’ve learned from Benjamin that this is best accomplished from conversational tutors: i.e. Arabs you meet who want help with their English and return promise help with your Arabic. CIEE program provider Alison enlightened us during pre-registration saying, don’t make your goal to speak Arabic fluently…it’s not gonna’ happen. So, I guess as long as I can order a falafel by the end I should be happy.
· I want to participate in Islamic practices, this means visiting mosques, attempting prayer, “attempting” Ramadan, giving Zakat, and maybe skipping the pilgrimage. My mind is open to anything and I think my hosts will greatly appreciate my attempts to understand and appreciate their religion.
· I want to travel, inside and outside of Jordan. Most importantly I think I should jump the gap over to Israel. 7 months in a Muslim country with a 60% Palestinian population is sure to bias my view of the Jewish neighbors. I don’t want any such bias. As a student of Middle Eastern studies I want to be unbiased and objective. I have seen too many “dialogues” i.e. “debates” about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict that devolve into shouting matches over historical differences. I’m sick of attending such lectures and so I hope to create my own open minded opinion of the situation that is not brainwashed by Jordanian-Palestinian biases.
· Finally, I want to start establishing an interesting and realistic research project for my government thesis my senior year. This will be my one chance to get on the scene interviews and perspective. It is one thing to hypothesize and theorize; to read the Clash of Civilizations afterwards discussing what you think with 15 other liberal American university students and entirely another to actually experience it. I am a minority for 7 months OH ME OH MY!
· I’m listening to Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison right now and he just reminded me…write lots of music! Expect some songs in broken Arabic!
· I have lots of other idealistic goals but I’ll spare you (if you’re still reading, I wouldn’t be) and move on.
This section is for Mom and Dad:
I’ll be safe I promise! I am at heart an adventurer though so I hope to have good stories to share when I return. Grammy asked me to remind you something today so I thought I’d do it on something more concrete and lasting. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for every single opportunity and chance you have given me in my life. Where would I be without your support? Well let’s not play that game. I can’t tell you enough how thankful I am so I hope that Mom you can come visit me and give me a chance to show you what is so fascinating about this part of the world to me and that Dad, you can read my words on here and be glad that you don’t have me making a mess of the house for 7 months. Maybe I’ll find a beautiful Arab princess and finally marriage rich and be able to pay you back for all these college loans.
This section for Jason:
I will be scouting out rock climbing locations and Kite boarding locations so convince mom to bring you over. I’ll also scout out the most delicious (vegetarian) falafel joints in the city.
This section for Friends:
Eh, kind of pointless, we’ll be talking soon as it is. However, I don’t know what internet access is realistically going to be like in Jordan. So, get used to checking this page if you want a long-winded, foot munching attempt at witty banter and insights. As you all know I’m unbearably sarcastic and I’m not really sure that that will come out too beautifully in writing; but I know you can’t live without it so I’ll try.
That’s about it. By the way, I’m still not a youtube sensation; what the hell guys?? Hook a brownskid up!
Love,
Wylie of Arabia
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