Atel Hillside Hotel Amman

... to talk with than the Queen Bee herself, lol. Then he was off and I crashed, belly full and apartment 90% clean.<br><br>Wednesday: <br>Language class. Final apartment and room cleaning. Laundry. Still cold out but no rain. Adib and I attempted okonomeyaki on our own and my sushi rolls got the approval of Jess so I was pretty proud of myself. Early to bed.<br><br>Thursday:<br>FoEME ran a conference this day at the Royal Regency Hotel. It was the 6th Annual Good ...

... of currency in my wallet, American, Egyptian, and Jordanian. Cool moment.<br><br>As we continued through the desert, the driver I had never really lightened up. He was quiet, stern, and just downright awkward. When we stopped at a gas station, though, he quickly lightened up as he asked me for money. It was the first time he called me 'sadiqi' or friend. I foolishly gave him all the money for the entire trip, not remembering that he'd be dropping me off places ...

... quite a long way (maybe 5 or 6km) from the centre, but near the<br>intersection of two busy roads, just across the street from the Amman Mall. So I had an<br>interesting wander for an hour or so, looking at the few shops that were still open, along<br>with several fast food shops of the Jordanian variety including one with the cooks right by<br>the street window. They had three wok stations with the most vigorous burners I have seen<br>in a kitchen; when they ...

... old adage to write what you know. I bought it in Siena as soon as I got in town and devoured it before leaving town, which is why my next selection was the rather longer Dickens tome. I gave it to Francesco in Bologna en route back to Milan, and have felt guilty ever since I realized in Belgrade that I'd forgetten it in my earlier post. If for nothing else, I'm glad I finished David Copperfield so that I could finally give Hornby his due.<br><br>

... br><br>I did get a cute "ya habibi" shirt which was a small bit of joy. From that point the day turned around. We met up with Firas and Adib and other peeps at The Basement. We mostly discussed the book buying debacle and tried to formulate more plans for travel over the Eid. After the coffee shop closed at 2 am we headed to the OTHER Hashem. Devan conked out in the car while we seriously gorged on 4th Meal (aka 2nd Meal during Ramadan). It was really good. Maybe ...

Friday and Saturday = the weekend in Jordan (the work week begins Sunday and ends Thursday).<br><br>What does this mean for me on this beautiful Sunday? That I am at FoEME for my first day of work! Well, it is actually Ali and Rebecca's last day so things aren't really being handed over to me until tomorrow or so but today is my first day at the office. The staff is six and there are three interns, the other two are from ...

... Israel. A taxi driver wants a comprehensive peace so he can visit his family in the West Bank.<br> But at the bar in the Four Seasons, one of Amman&#8217;s glitziest hotels, young Jordanians have other things on their minds. Two young women, dressed in tight black trousers and tops with headscarves artfully arranged, carefully scan the scene. Another young woman, perhaps a glass or two over the edge, is draped around a much older man. The Bedouin desert feels a long way away.

... left out, Kristen and I went out to look at the stars. The moon was actually too bright to see the milky way, even though it was just a tiny crescent. It was perfectly clear though and the views were really amazing. Though only a crescent was fully lit, you could see a full outline of the moon which was quite special. We also saw the longest shooting star I had ever seen, going from one end of the big dipper all the way down past the North Star. After a half hour of ...

... to help ourselves to anything in the fridge, gave us some fresh bread and juice, and told us to cook ourselves up some dinner from their supplies, no charge. &#8220;This is your home!&#8221; we were told, and this became her mantra for us for the rest of the time we spent there!<br><br>The next day we awoke to the deafening sound of a man yelling over a loud speaker right outside our window at about 5am. It took us a moment to realise this ...