The trip to Jordan started with a delay: my 7:00 plane from RDU to Boston was running late and the check-in attendant provided little reassurance that I would make my connecting flight out of Boston on time. Fortunately, the plane arrived and we were on our way to Boston about a half-hour behind schedule. I caught a shuttle to the Northwest terminal at Logan international airport and was just in time for boarding at 9:55 to Amsterdam.
Apparently, there’s really no escaping the fact that the Archer siblings look ridiculously alike: on the overnight flight to Amsterdam, one of the flight attendants said that he had “definitely seen me before.” We figured out that he had most likely seen EVA on her way to Rwanda! At least he didn’t ask if I was her little sister…
Once in Amsterdam, I had a nice jog to the Royal Jordanian gate, which (of course) was located as far from my arrival gate as possible. Here, an Arab woman asked me if I was from North Africa (the Maghreb)—in Arabic! I was able to explain that I was traveling to Jordan as an American learning Arabic. Still, it was very encouraging to try out my Arabic—and being taken for an Arab makes me wonder how I’ll fit in Amman.
Our descent into the Middle East was striking as we passed over all sorts of rugged and desert terrain. I’ve posted one of the pictures I took on the plane of the landscape. Once we landed; I met up with Mary, a girl in my program. We got our visas and exchanged some dollars for dinars—sadly, the Jordanian dinar is worth more then the so-called almighty American dollar. We made our way through without any problem until we got to the baggage claim, when neither of us was able to find our luggage. Royal Jordanian Air took our information and said they would call the hotel we are staying at when the luggage comes in and deliver it to the hotel.
Despite the (temporary, I hope!) loss of luggage, I am still very excited to be in Amman. Driving to the hotel, we noticed many cars pulled off to the side of the highway and families set up chairs, light a fire, and share a meal. We asked our driver about this, and he explained that the families were eating together after evening prayer and enjoying the nighttime weather. We also spotted our first camel, some horses, and a donkey alongside the highway on this trip.
The Al-Amera hotel apartments are sparsely decorated, but the bedrooms, furnished with twin beds, are plenty big enough for our stay and we have a nice sitting area and small kitchen in our apartment for four. Another room of four girls in our program is right across the hall, and the three gentlemen in the program are down the hall in the opposite direction. I am rooming with Maria, a friend from Arabic 102this past spring.
Tomorrow we are having a general orientation of Amman and the University of Jordan. I’m looking forward to learning more about my new surroundings, and seeing more of this new country!
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