a smiling moon

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 that indicates the start of the month of Ramadan. people on roofs of houses, shop owners sneaking a peek at the skies, leaving their merchandise unattended, and children playing on the stairs, waiting for the moment that the moon will break through the haze over the city of Amman and tell them if they can eat three meals for one more day. but, chances are very good that September 1st will be the first of 30 days where folks will not be allowed outside of their houses with a snack in hand or water for the walk to the bus. for 30 days, break-fast is at night and start-fast is the morning meal. this is a foreign concept to much of the west. but here you are required, by law, to respect the religious order of Ramadan and not disturb the fast by walking around with water or food to eat. its mandatory. so, as you can imagine, everybody dreads this month of the year, as everyone is agitated (imagine 1 million chain-smokers without cigarettes all day) with each other, and possibly God. hopefully we can learn to trust God more and have the opportunity to share with our neighbors and friends that fasting can be more than just an obligation, more like an opportunity to encounter God on a deeper level. we're keeping our eyes peeled tonight, too.

neighborliness is next to godliness

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 walked down the staircase (jabal ashrafiyya (our neighborhood) is a large hill on the east side of Amman with many staircases built between buildings for easier travel on foot) to the street below ours and stopped in the liquor store to ask for help...hoping for help in english. after i botched asking if he spoke english in arabic (i used the female form of the question) he said yes. so i asked if he could tell me how to get to a pharmacy. it was at this point that i realized that he did not actually really speak english, at least enough to help us with this question. but, instead of saying, "sorry, i can't help you because i don't speak english well enough" (which would have been awkward because saying this would mean he really did speak good english), he called someone on his cell phone, explained in arabic to the person on the other end that we needed help, and then handed me the phone. i said hello, and the person spoke fluent english, and gave me directions to a pharmacy. my new friend, the liquor store guy, thought the directions sounded too long so he grabbed the phone again, explained something again in arabic to the girl on the phone, then handed it back. she then told me directions to an even closer pharmacy. i thanked the stranger on the phone (thanks) and liquor store guy (shukran) and then we went on our way. turns out, the directions were perfect and the pharmacy is really close to our apartment...and the cream i needed was only 1.40 JDs ($2 US). i stopped back in to thank liquor store guy again and was impressed at his willingness to help us out. like he had our back. what i've learned from this and several other experiences like this is that, for the sake of maintaining honor, my neighbors will do whatever it takes to help out so they don't bring shame on themselves. oh that we could all learn a lesson in "loving our neighbors as we love ourselves" from this.

for what its worth

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 is crazy due to the fact that there are apparently no rules of the road manuals in amman, jordan). and it was dark when we arrived . so, for what it is worth, for what we have seen of amman, jordan, with the roadside picnic-ers and the western-styled arab scene girls alike, its been interesting...and we drove by the world's largest popeye's chicken (possibly a true statement) on the way to the schupp home. day one. complete.

tomorrow is day one

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 them
2. To learn as much as possible in four months about Arab culture from the people around us
3. To focus on learning Arabic
4. To gain a greater appreciation for everyone (we meet) and everything (we have)
5. To learn how to be deeply and truly kind and show kindness in every action and facial expression
6. To use this four months to prepare for the rest of our lives, no matter what our vocation or location may end up being
7. To change

May we not become a stumbling block to anyone and may we see the roots of love grow deep within us and may you not recognize us when we return.

the point, reiterated

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.