Le Royal Amman

Sunday: <br>The problem with waiting so long to recap my week is that I don't really remember Sunday at this point. I remember I took my time getting to work since I had been working all day Saturday. Everything else is a bit fuzzy. I might have gone over to Adib's that night to play cards him, Firas, and Bashar...but I actually think that was Monday night. OH! I think Gupse and Adib came over to help me with my Arabic homework and then cards was the next night ...

... or may not be very clean, I thought to myself, "Whoa, Self, you are drunk." Of course my Self concurred on this issue, did it's job distracting me from the sick drunk feeling and used my digits to dial adib's phone (since Annette was out for the flu count and I know his work keeps him up late) and slur something like "hey, could you maybe pick me up and drive me home" in a pathetic voice that probably sounded like I could pass out at any moment...which I feared might actually ...

... which he probably could have guessed so it was very generous of him to ask if I wanted to join. I threw a pashmina on my head and we went about trying to locate the correct gravestone. Idk what cemeteries would normally look like but this one was most wall to wall (in a manner of speaking) gravestones with barely enough space to walk between. Also the entire grave is above ground, not just the headstone. This sort of leaves very little space for plants although a few plots were ...

... said wow I went to Kalamazoo and he laughed and said "Ah, so we are enemies." Good times in Amman. Also oddly weird but affirming...that guy and another person totally separate of him pinpointed without me saying anything that my family is part Lebanese just by looking at me. Everyone was really nice and fancy and the place was awesome, again with the upscale lounge atmosphere. The bar was open and the dancing was plentiful...what more can you ask for? A great mix ...

... for the day and I am off for the day. I successfully frolic to the bus, hop on, pay, and explain where I need to get off. 1 point for me. Then I cross the street at the 8th Circle without being hit by oncoming traffic and grab a taxi quasi-successfully (it ended up being a share taxi which took me by surprise). Once I reach FoEME I burst through the door a bright ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, ready to greet ...

... calm and civilized. In fact, it is like the happiest meal<br>ever as approximately 25 bodies come back to the land of the living. Adib's mom seriously prepared the most amazing meal. There were like 20 different dishes I would say. Salads, dips, rice dishes, chicken, lamb, bread, etc. I wish I could name all of the dishes but I can&#8217;t. The only dish I knew was fatoush. There were also special Ramadan juices, I tried sous which is like ...

... stayed to the treadmill, elliptical, and what I thought was a stepper until I got on it and started sloshing around like a drunken Blue Footed Booby. I also power walked (yes, power walked) this sweet track that is suspended in the air and extends outside the building. The walls of the track are glass so there is an awesome view and, as one might expect if you know my penchant for cuttlefish and animals that waddle, I was thrilled to see a group of goats ...

... 8217;ll say they&#8217;ve fixed the problem when they really haven&#8217;t. Another frustration is some people&#8217;s concept of time and responsibility, which I absolutely cannot stand no matter what country I&#8217;m in. <br><br> <br><br>Besides frustrations though, one topic has really been interesting me since I got here, and that is relationships between Christians and Muslims and sexual relationships between men and women in general. I had learned about ...

... many skimpy dresses and shirts and outfits hung up in most clothing stores. I saw two women in traditional garb enter a store filled with Western women's clothing, spaghetti strap tops, tight jeans...what were they buying? I don't know. There were also lots of lewd t-shirts in English. I really couldn't put my finger on what was actually getting sold in a lot of these stores. There was one section that had wedding dress stores and lingerie stores...but they were ...

... in the fruit and veg souq (market). The colours, smells and sounds of the market proprietors and their produce echoed around the souq streets. Reds, greens, yellows, oranges of all shapes and sizes. A cacophony of beautiful sounds. The city for me was personified by this one stall owner's sales pitch, "These tomatoes are from our lands, these tomatoes are from our country". It was beautifully sung, and thankfully translated to me by Takeshi. The capital became our base for 3 nights ...