Wintertime in Jordan

This is my hundredth post on this blog!

And what’s better for celebrating than with a backdrop of rain! Yes, it’s wintertime here, which means the struggle bus that is fieldwork just got a bit colder.

While nowhere near the Chicago winters I’ve endured, the average temperature here is in the 40’s during the day, and a lack of central heating means I rely on space heaters and AC units. It’s a rainy season, and sometimes there’s snow, although the last big snowstorm happened 5 years ago. Amman is a city of hills, so accompanying the rain are mudslides and general destruction; a few weeks ago, a major street collapsed.

But, as I last posted, there are things to look forward to this season. (And I’m now awake for it!)

This wintertime will mark a new stage in my fieldwork. I have begun an internship with Plan International Jordan, where my main responsibility is to support and expand the organization’s one-woman Communications team. I’ll be working in the office in Amman and traveling to Azraq camp a few days each week. I am excited for the opportunity to be back at Azraq and this time to interact with more of the children who live there.

And there may be a few other exciting developments that I hope to be able to announce soon. So stay tuned for more wintertime adventures as they unfold.

 

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The word for this post is:

shmel: left (direction)

Cairokee is an Egyptian band known for its politically-charged songs. In this song, they describe things heading in the wrong direction, as noted by the title: Shmel fi shmel (an expression meaning things are going “left” instead of going down the right path). You can use the word “shmel” when asking for directions, but don’t get confused because it can also mean “north”!