“LET’S GO!” This was the theme of last week, when my parents came to visit. And just as well, because life at the office has been, in the words of Larry David, “pretty… pretty… pretty” slow lately. This is largely due to the fact that practically everyone is on leave! UNESCO has a fairly generous vacation policy, which it seems like most people take advantage … Continue reading Yalla: Explorin’ Jordan
I’ve written and rewritten this blog three times now. First, sometime during my second to last week of my internship, then on my last day at my internship, then again on my flight out of Beirut; and it’s not that I don’t like what I’m writing or that my last two weeks were uneventful (quite the opposite), I think it is just that posting this … Continue reading Merci Ktiir, Lebanon
“Little by little”…. Little by little, life in Amman is beginning to feel more normal. Days are relaxed and comfortable here, which is a welcome contrast to my hectic life at Penn! Though I hit the ground running when I first arrived– quite literally, considering the car accident mentioned in my last post— over the past two weeks I have really begun to settle in, … Continue reading Shway shway
10 weeks down; 2 to go – and I still feel like I’m just getting started. I’m finally making a life here in Beirut, but I leave so soon, and I am pretty bummed. So here’s a bit of a glimpse into the life I’m creating here. _____________________ I started Arabic classes a few weeks ago; and though I still can’t get passed the basics … Continue reading A Beiruti in the Making
God [Allah] willing! It’s a phrase I hear many, many times a day here in Jordan, from practically everyone around me. Sometimes it seems hopeful, sometimes it seems like an excuse, sometimes it kind of just seems like “like,” a default word to fill the gaps when you don’t know what else to say. I’m not usually one to think that things are ever out of my … Continue reading Inshallah
صباح الخير [sabah alkhyr], or good morning from Amman, Jordan! Sadly, after a week that’s still about the extent of my knowledge of Arabic…and it’s not even morning right now. And full disclosure: I had to google the correct romanization after learning it phonetically from my Uber driver (more on that later). I originally had it typed in my phone as “saba alhair”– you can go … Continue reading Jordan or Japan?
Um okay, where has the time gone?! Six weeks in – officially half way through my stay in Beirut and I feel like I just got here (which is why this post is so late, didn’t I just write my first blog last week?). Yet, I also feel like I leave tomorrow and have zero time to do everything I still want to do. I … Continue reading Learning with World Learning
Last Friday evening, I arrived in Beirut, Lebanon. Tired and sore from 15 hours of travel, I was anxious to pick up my luggage, get through customs, and find World Learning’s (the INGO I am interning with) Security Manager who was waiting with a driver to take me to my new home. As we drove from the airport to the apartment, I stared out the … Continue reading Ahla wa sahla! Welcome to Beirut!
The International Educational Development Program 