tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26776652410280186952011-07-07T21:11:00.454-07:00empty lots for grazing goats at the base of shopping mallsJordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.comBlogger571100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-21048351573433177902010-01-06T17:59:00.000-08:002010-01-06T18:13:17.163-08:00

we moved back from jordan on december 21st. here's the long and the short of it:jessey was asked to quit her job on november 1st. she was told that she wasn't grateful enough for receiving her job back after being swiftly fired and re-hired back in july. she was also told that she was not doing her best work. as you may know, she went to part-time because she was also required to finish her

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-41461071062846176502009-11-18T12:26:00.000-08:002009-11-18T12:54:01.865-08:00

i'm reading "the lion of jordan", a biography about king hussein bin talal bin abdullah, the late king of jordan. the author used this phrase, "an eye for an eyelash" as a description of israel's foreign policy. i promptly wrote it on my hand and considered the implications of such a statement. i wrote a blog about this before, during a more close-to-home conflict between israel and palestine.

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-50484792314888138102009-11-09T10:11:00.000-08:002009-11-09T10:30:22.583-08:00

when i came back to illinois in july, i found myself marveling every time i turned a corner in the car at how green everything was. living in a desert, where it gets green for about 2 weeks in the spring, the sight of green grass and green leafy trees was literally delightful to my eyes.it rained here for 3 straight days, and for 24 hours straight at one point last week. as grateful as we were

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-64879691323995314332009-10-19T09:45:00.000-07:002009-10-19T10:11:51.803-07:00

the desire for proof, tangible, reliable proof that something that we believe is true is universal. its interesting that the two major religions that dominate our world are virtually without proof. i can't prove the resurrection. my proof for the resurrection is reliant on proof texts from the book that guides my faith. my proof for the truth of the good news relies on stories of faith

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-11750698857090256502009-10-05T10:39:00.000-07:002009-10-05T10:55:00.741-07:00

Yes, it's me...Jessey! I just want to fill you in on the amazing things God is doing in my life. First of all if you don't know, I'm enrolled in Grand Canyon University's online Education program. I've never really liked attending school (except for the social aspect), but I am really enjoying it despite the fact that I don't have the social aspect this time! I am currently taking an

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-48250855467684288652009-10-03T01:49:00.000-07:002009-10-03T02:04:54.871-07:00

i was talking with my friend/roommate Christina about a job i had once, and she gave me the idea of sharing my job experiences with the world. i'm 27. keep that in mind:1 - paperboy - age 8 - 142 - Junior Counselor at Camp of Champions USA - age 143 - dirt shoveler - age 154 - burr bench operator at Excel Foundry & Machine - age 165 - ministry intern FBC - age 176 - Pizza Hut waiter - age 177 -

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-76742367643564612752009-09-26T08:07:00.000-07:002009-09-26T08:26:37.972-07:00

this is the title of the first chapter i will be teaching this week in 8th grade history.  i know.  in your head some little synapse just popped, causing your mind to slightly blow.  sorry about that.   i just finished preparing for the lesson on "christianity" in the textbook.  i'm sure at this point you understand where i live if you're reading this blog, so you certainly understand the fine

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-66136439107375651312009-09-03T04:42:00.000-07:002009-09-03T05:07:11.228-07:00

on august 16th, we signed new contracts at our school for this school year. we had to fight for these jobs on june 30th, the day before we returned to the states. and upon returning to jordan, things just got more and more stressful. the school doesn't have a good philosophy of education. it doesn't support the teacher as an educator. and we continually are given shoulder shrugs from the

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-63622793632749726302009-08-25T05:41:00.000-07:002009-08-25T06:32:00.952-07:00

today is the fourth day of ramadan, a holy month of fasting observed by about 90% of the population of jordan (that's a non-scientific statistic by the way, i just made it up based upon 97% of the population being muslim and about 7% of those being liberal or non-observant muslims, in my experience). jessey, christina (our roommate) and i are fasting for the first time together during ramadan,

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-42520989203678482982009-08-19T05:54:00.001-07:002009-08-19T06:04:58.167-07:00

when we arrived back in amman, we had 2 roommates. this was planned, of course, but still marked something new in our 6 years of marriage. our roommates are also friends of ours, emily and christina, who both live and work here in amman. we're entering into this thing called "living in community" and we don't even know what its supposed to look like. for instance: how do we clean the

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-48685559852417700922009-07-06T14:50:00.000-07:002009-07-06T15:09:32.298-07:00

the feeling of being overwhelmed is difficult to explain. i've been feeling this way many times recently, and for the most part, i am grateful for the feeling. i've been overwhelmed negatively in these 2 situations in the last 2 weeks:1) when jessey lost her job, and i lost my summer pay and my guarantee of a job upon our return to jordan on the day before we were to leave for our summer break.

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-73549954623285371022009-06-19T01:04:00.000-07:002009-06-19T01:05:37.472-07:00

what's the point of this?WADI AL MALEH, West Bank - Exercising its authority as an occupying power, the Israeli army has begun breaking up bedouin camps in the West Bank where the nomadic herders have grazed their livestock for years. Two dozen families have been displaced so far in eviction operations this month against low, black tents dotting the parched hillsides of the northern Jordan Valley

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-67558424198634949582009-06-12T11:38:00.001-07:002009-06-12T12:48:44.661-07:00

my blogging has been tired lately, as i have been.  my apologies.  instead of trying to formulate a coherent thought-provoking blog, i will just give you the highlights from our last month of life:1.  exhaustion from school.  2 weeks and 2 days of classes left, and we are ready to be done.  things couldn't get any crazier than they are right now at school.2.  moved into a new apartment.  we now

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-20494872346850296872009-05-13T01:38:00.000-07:002009-05-13T02:00:03.070-07:00

i (jeff) was eating lunch outside the other day with some of my fifth graders. the smartest girl in the class asked me, "what did you want to be when you were a kid?" i responded that if professional baseball and basketball fell through, i wanted to be a marine biologist. she pondered. then she told me she wanted to be a doctor for a long time, but now she wants to join the army so she can

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-37455497705365400642009-04-18T00:24:00.000-07:002009-04-18T01:33:18.951-07:00

easter is tomorrow, for those of us who live in eastern orthodox land. i call it eastern easter and western easter now. so, that makes today "holy saturday", and our friends are all going with us to umm qais to celebrate together while fasting. umm qais is where jesus drove the legions of demons into the pigs and they jumped off a cliff into the lake of gardarenes, or the sea of galilee. it

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-4399875009325649722009-04-16T07:06:00.000-07:002009-04-16T08:15:38.789-07:00

my mom and dad came to visit for 10 days, ending this past sunday.  it was great to have them here and give them a taste of what life is like in our world...including maqlubeh (made correctly), muttabel, hummus, falafel, manaqueesh jebneh and zaatar, shwerma, fatoosh, and fattah.  here are some pictures from wadi rum, mount nebo, the jordan river, and the dead sea...enjoy, and come visit us.

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-44460577221644617992009-03-26T12:05:00.000-07:002009-03-26T12:31:05.687-07:00

immediately, i apologize for the title, but, it is a direct quote from me to this guy named andy that i met this week during one of my 2 sick days.  see, i (jeff) have herpes simplex, meaning specifically that i get a single cold sore on the middle of my bottom lip sometimes when i get stressed.  not to be confused with the other herpes, which is an STD of epic proportions, is a viral infection

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-13210686357785797372009-03-13T01:59:00.000-07:002009-03-13T02:25:19.561-07:00

last saturday, jessey and i were en route to our weekly arabic lesson with our tutor. we got into a taxi, driven by a man with a foot-long beard and a dishdash on. we're both usually excited when we get near a beard of such magnitude, so we were happy to have stumbled upon this particular taxi. he immediately noticed one of my tattoos and asked me what it was (keep in mind, this conversation

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-17679510373051750622009-03-04T06:43:00.000-08:002009-03-04T06:48:14.221-08:00

however unrelated this blog is to where we are and what we are doing, this is something we care deeply about and wanted to inform you of the latest steps towards international justice (hopefully) in the tragedies that have taken place in darfur, sudan. this is taken from AP: THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant Wednesday for Sudanese

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-49092677206725673772009-03-01T00:28:00.000-08:002009-03-01T01:03:36.869-08:00

we went through our regular (although slightly off) routine this morning of waking at 5:20 to turn on the water heater, going back to sleep for another 23 minutes, jessey getting an idea of what breakfast will be (which today was nothing), jessey getting in the shower, jeff stalling getting out of bed, getting dressed, etc. it has been raining the last three days now, and the land has needed it.

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-86933400366933209392009-02-17T14:13:00.000-08:002009-02-17T14:24:52.354-08:00

it's been a long time since we left jordan (17 days to be exact) and we are ready to return, outside of the whole packing and flying 12 hours thing. it has been great to see old friends, talk, eat vegetarian food, and play the wii fit. we are super pumped specifically for matt and ali who are officially engaged and getting married this summer. YEAH!one very cool thing has happened in the last

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-41906154347834674872009-01-18T07:40:00.000-08:002009-01-18T08:07:21.523-08:00

i was thinking/talking the other day with a friend about all of the problems in the world...he said he couldn't really feel too much for either side of this conflict in palestine because if it weren't for conflicts of the same nature, america wouldn't exist. he said that what is going on is exactly the same as the settlers killing off the natives in the americas way back when...pushing out the

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-30353236246321353942009-01-12T09:57:00.000-08:002009-01-12T10:40:23.709-08:00

about one hour into our time at the protest, the prayer call went off at the mosque on the corner. those truly devoted to their religion stopped, in the midst of the protest, and prayed. they went through their prayer motions, various people taking on leadership roles to lead the prayers. a peace fell over the protest. i thought to myself, "maybe this will help calm this angry protest". i

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-6167184545894823622009-01-10T06:07:00.000-08:002009-01-10T06:59:09.536-08:00

our friend emily is a photographer. she is also insane. that's why we like her. she lost her memory card for her camera and asked if we had one she could borrow in order to go photograph a protest at the israeli embassy here in amman. we had one, and we were bored, so we decided to go be a part of what we hoped would be a peaceful protest of the horrors of this current conflict in gaza.the

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-40723272923440515842009-01-06T11:27:00.000-08:002009-01-06T12:04:36.348-08:00

i just stopped by yahoo! and saw the following big headlines:Jennifer Love Hewitt splits with fiance'Odd scene as appointee tries to take Senate seatFBI plans large hiring blitz of agents, expertsCities made from JELL-O and other unusual objectsand today's top searches were...from 1 to 10: Rebecca Romijn (solid performances in X-Men...3 years ago)Kelly Rutherford (whom?)Jett Travolta (famously

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-71475472890695445582009-01-03T06:22:00.001-08:002009-01-06T07:26:28.914-08:00

some might think it was inevitable that something would pop off in the middle east while we were living here. i didn't give it a second thought. but now, in the midst of growing political and emotional tension, i realize how wrong things are and how much things need to change. i want to describe the palestine/israel conflict with a parable (thanks to my brother's college experience):the guys,

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-36091064215881880712009-01-02T05:18:00.000-08:002009-01-02T05:44:18.216-08:00

the best thing about living away from everything "normal" is that you are forced to constantly be learning and growing and thinking and expanding and being conscious about every decision that you make and every conversation that you have. let me explain. one of the easiest things for me to do is to complain about my job. its easier to complain than it is to accept reality and to learn to work

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-40945998516087053232008-12-27T04:11:00.000-08:002008-12-27T04:30:22.164-08:00

we celebrated christmas two days ago...just like you. we were privileged to share time with our arab friends on christmas eve, who cooked a meal for us (kufta (sp?) which consists of rolled meat and potatoes and tomatoes and onions). they are suffering, because their daughter is terminally ill with a brain tumor that has gotten worse in the last six months since her last surgery. it was

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-7606666366480536702008-12-11T00:03:00.000-08:002008-12-11T00:49:17.301-08:00

this our new place...for the next four months. our friends matt wickman and annamarie monkmeier (married, with different last names...freakin hippies) just had a new baby (blaze...freakin hippies) and migrated back to the states for four months to be with family and take a break from the middle east. they needed some people to rent out their place from them while they were gone, and we

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-61501454493771964262008-12-08T11:58:00.000-08:002008-12-08T12:33:24.625-08:00

we walked out of our apartment and beheld a pool/stream of blood running down our outdoor staircase. the stench of blood and death were in the air as we heard our neighbors talking while slaughtering a ram/goat/sheep (not sure).its the eid al adha, or the holiday based around remembering abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son (purported to be ishmael by the locals), and allah's provision of

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-84228218530633863362008-12-05T01:46:00.000-08:002008-12-05T01:55:40.741-08:00

i entered into the realm of counterfeit money the other day without knowing it. as you can see from the picture, the bill on the right is much smaller than the bill on the left. it was given to me as change at a store less than 50 yards from my house. its on normal printer paper that is crumpled up, but it was convincing enough for me not to think of it...until i tried to pay for something

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-5883011711220466782008-11-29T06:37:00.000-08:002008-11-29T07:06:46.859-08:00

thanksgiving note #1:jordanians (and for that matter, the entire world) don't care about thanksgiving as a holiday. they're thankful people, but they don't celebrate squanto helping the pilgrims learn how to live off of the land they stole from his people after they all died from diseases brought from the "old world". i don't know why.thanksgiving note #2:no amount of turkey, chicken, stuffing

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-56547179332271344872008-11-12T07:16:00.000-08:002008-11-12T07:27:23.284-08:00

some things you should know about our new jobs:1. jeff has to wear a shirt and tie every day2. we have to leave the house around 6:30am every day3. it costs us 6JD a day to get to and from work4. working together has ups and downs (the only down is venting about things that the other can actually relate to, which brings with it empathy but no pity)5. the school is nuts-o6. the 2nd graders are

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-11093171627442128882008-10-29T10:23:00.000-07:002008-10-29T10:24:35.014-07:00

its only been an eternity (if by eternity i mean 4 days), but we started full-time jobs here on sunday at a school in amman. a member of the royal family runs this school, and by our contacts with the american community school, we found out that there was a desperate need for a couple of teachers to teach elementary health science, science, and math. in a whirlwind of 2 days, we received a

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-68443201104514486982008-10-22T03:46:00.000-07:002008-10-22T04:17:31.742-07:00

we have just finished our first two english classes at the al wihda center here in amman. for those of you who don't know, we are teaching english as a second language as volunteers at a english center near our home. jessey is teaching a level 5 class (which translates to about 1st or 2nd grade level) and i am teaching a level 4 class (which, of course, is slightly lower than her class). our

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-69890283544244010292008-10-20T07:08:00.000-07:002008-10-20T07:31:32.002-07:00

we aren't accustomed to having good financial opportunities fall into our laps. we aren't those people who have cool things happen to them all of the time. we just plug along and trust that Allah will take care of us. that's how we made the decision to come here. we don't have much, but we have enough, and faith that we are worth at least a few sparrows to Him. here is the story of how Allah

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-44137443727221656562008-10-14T06:26:00.000-07:002008-10-14T11:12:13.640-07:00

we took our camera with us to the balad (downtown) todayhere's what we saw:hippies?business mansign for the hotel you can stay in if you visitsame hotel: nice right?plus, these guys tried to sell us a camera while we took a picturecute old lady in our sarvis up the hillhusband and wife shoppingshopping for designer hijabjuice standlamb heads (?)shwarmathis is where we get what we call the "

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-90304047999058621452008-10-14T04:18:00.000-07:002008-10-14T04:58:39.898-07:00

Have we ever told you that we can't flush the toilet paper down the toilet here? We have to put it in the trashcan. That was a fun habit to change...and we have a smelly can of toilet paper in our bathroom now.ORHave we told you our stove/oven and our heaters run on gas tanks, and we currently have one full and three empties? The only way to get new tanks is to listen for the ice cream truck

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-70646999835635891252008-10-07T06:35:00.000-07:002008-10-07T07:18:44.759-07:00

jessey and i went to Aqaba this past weekend, on our own, on a bus. we purchased our tickets at the JETT bus station on friday and left saturday morning on an adventure we won't soon forget. there are some things that jessey doesn't want me to dwell on (namely the not so good experiences: with taxi(s) and the bus driver, and that it was 95 plus degrees outside) that i won't mention here. so,

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-78919728886142876902008-10-02T10:50:00.000-07:002008-10-02T11:16:21.640-07:00

"...the Quakers, for example, have succeeded in instilling feelings of love, compassion and forgiveness among their followers not because theirs is fundamentally different from other faiths but rather because of the way religious teachings have been inculcated in its followers. If the Quakers have succeeded in humanising behaviour, why can't other faiths do the same?" ~ The Jordan Times,

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-81838029450024591682008-09-29T21:24:00.000-07:002008-09-30T01:58:30.305-07:00

the video almost says enough. this was not a recording (playing through speakers), but the sound of thousands of voices through the loudspeakers of the starbucks-esque mosques (like starbucks, there's a mosque on (almost) every corner). we were not sure what this moaning/praying was about when we first were awakened around 4am...we didn't know for sure until we got into the downtown area

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-47742624275744757842008-09-27T05:24:00.000-07:002008-09-27T05:48:35.061-07:00

ramadan is reaching its end. many people have bruised foreheads (literally) from praying so hard and hitting their heads on the ground so often during this last month. at the end of ramadan is the eid, which is a three-day feast and all out gorge-fest to celebrate the end of the month of fasting. kids have it off of school. most businesses are closed. many well-to-do families go on trips to

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-61534226799299192872008-09-26T00:10:00.000-07:002008-09-26T00:15:07.164-07:00

this is your chance. ask away, anything you want to know about life here in jordan, or why we are coming back. oh, and, how are you doing and what's new in your life? also, become a follower of our blog (see sidebar), and let me know if you don't want to receive it in your email (if you did).one more thing, read all the other posts here too. we love you.

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-58611548796160187722008-09-22T09:05:00.000-07:002008-09-22T09:29:56.749-07:00

our land-lady's husband died of cancer this morning. he's been suffering at home for the whole time we've been in jordan. very sad. i came home from the clinic today and there were 15 men sitting outside in the courtyard near the entrance to our apartment, smoking their marlboro's, kent's, and gittanes', dressed in white and/or black. i peeked into the apartment and saw about 10 women,

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traffic is really congested these days around 1-2pm, because everything closes down early during ramadan and people are anxious to get home and either a:) cheat and eat/drink or b:) forget about how hungry they are and relax. we were on our way home yesterday in a sarvis, and our driver was very agitated. he attempted to blow by a guy in a truck who wasn't moving forward with the line of 50+

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-6257794076675058232008-09-13T12:55:00.000-07:002008-09-13T13:02:44.063-07:00

where in the world is osama bin laden? yes. that's the name of the movie. and its a must-see if you want to get a feel for what we are experiencing here on a small (minute even) scale. its a movie by the same guy who did 'super-size me' where he ate only mcdonald's for i don't remember how long and almost destroyed his body permanently. anyway, it just might help expand your mind about what

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-13470072925370062012008-09-08T11:29:00.000-07:002008-09-08T12:06:38.499-07:00

one of the chosen women asked me, 'why don't people in the promised land know there are chosen ones here in the wilderness?' the question struck a chord deep in my heart. why do all those who reside in the promised land, chosen and yet-to-be-chosen, think of the wilderness as a place devoid of chosen ones? why don't we have a concept of his worldwide people, including the wilderness? it seems

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-68396897238415826772008-09-04T12:34:00.000-07:002008-09-04T22:59:15.683-07:00

frank turned 9 today, though he will tell you he's 12. either way, he's divisible by 3. we had the privilege of being invited to and attending his birthday party this evening (even though we had never met him). he attends the local church we do here in ashrafiyya with his parents. they wanted us to come and meet him. we were more than happy to join in the party, as we are party people..

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-27562030509730147012008-08-31T10:01:00.000-07:002008-08-31T10:24:02.339-07:00

tonight, throughout all of the middle east (and of course, other parts of the world as well), people are outside, looking to the skies, to see if they have to give up lunch (and cigarettes, alcohol, water, and afternoon delight during the daylight hours) for the next 30 days. Ramadan is upon us, and there is an air of hopeful anticipation that the moon will not indeed be the woeful crescent

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-41558118981840875442008-08-26T21:40:00.000-07:002008-08-26T22:07:45.789-07:00

i finished a steroid treatment for poison ivy on the day we arrived in Amman. about two days later, i noticed i still had poison ivy on my leg (it never goes away, a constant annoying personal struggle, which has me dedicated to never going into the woods again). we contacted a doctor friend to find out what we should get from the pharmacy here and then started a journey to find a pharmacy. we

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we arrived in Amman, Jordan around 6pm local time, after our 12 hour trek above prince edward island, the atlantic ocean, ireland, england, the mediterreanean, and israel. after basically paying a guy to leave us alone with our baggage, we joined rick (schupp, as in shoop-shoop-a-doop) in his hyundai van for the crazy drive to a community fellowship group his family participates in (the driving

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-31960571122771590772008-08-20T09:03:00.000-07:002008-08-20T09:15:02.508-07:00

two weeks without work has helped us do some reflecting on our past and get ourselves prepared for this trip. today, we sit one day from departure, getting packed and saying some last goodbyes. here are our goals for this adventure: 1. To meet our neighbors and share a meal with them2. To learn as much as possible in four months about Arab culture from the people around us3. To focus on

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-84979523772698682392008-08-06T14:45:00.000-07:002008-08-06T14:50:23.850-07:00

the point of this blog is to give our friends and family regular updates on our trip to amman, jordan as we have no other solid way to communicate with them. also, jordan is a "closed country" so please be mindful of what you choose to comment about. thanks, keep reading, and please do make effort to interact with us throughout this experience.

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-61989997456502428712008-07-30T11:25:00.000-07:002008-07-30T11:40:32.147-07:00

the waiting began on march 3rd. it continues...its been difficult to wait for august 21st to roll around. but tomorrow marks 3 weeks until departure. 3 weeks. after almost 5 months of waiting, we are on the doorstep of the biggest adventure of our lives. yet, we are nervous about one thing: being completely immersed in a new culture that we really know nothing about. not that we haven't

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-56717187431819243712008-06-13T07:00:00.000-07:002008-06-13T07:53:19.801-07:00

not 3 hours after i (jeff) posted the last entry, we received word from Rick that we have a place to call home in amman. the neighborhood is on one of the "seven hills" or mountains in amman. its called jabal ashrafiyya. it is a furnished, two bedroom flat in a predominantly arab/muslim neighborhood. here's a quick look at some of the scenery:(center: roman amphitheater in downtown amman -

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-34577896947963256802008-05-24T14:59:00.000-07:002008-05-24T15:09:44.713-07:00

the last month of our lives has been unbelievable. we have been actively pursuing this trip for about three months now, and have been able to raise $4890 already...wow. it is humbling to know that so many people care about us and believe in us enough to help us accomplish our goals. in this last month we went from $900 to where we are now and have also been able to sell our house. everything

Jordanian Eaganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246722124909227780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2677665241028018695.post-70239584018140563862008-04-25T13:03:00.001-07:002008-04-25T13:05:25.255-07:00

Thanks for joining with us on this journey to Jordan. We will regularly update you on this blog with news before, during, and after our trip. Thanks again for supporting us...

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