very very nice

It's midnight and there are cars honking and people screaming outside and probably raving drunk. I am in because the lameass I was supposed to go out with cancelled on the last minute. I better find some people to get trashed with...luckily I have a friend coming on Thursday, and Dad in two days. Between the two of them I should be covered.

On second thought, getting drunk with my dad may be creepy.

WARNING: I actually start work tomorrow, so I may not have the time anymore to post every day. On the other hand...maybe you will get lucky and I will have no life.

Someone gave me a philosophy on life in Jordan today: it has all the pitfalls of a dictatorship, with none of the perks; i.e. there is no freedom of speech but still, everything is expensive. A cup of freshly made juice at a nice restaurant is $3 (2 JD). A decent hotel can be $25 a night. A "bargain" breakfast can cost 6 JDs.

Biggest achievement today was getting hummus from this highly recommended restaurant Hashem, in the middle of the downtown area. I spent the day with a British girl, A, who spent the spring semester in Amman and is wrapping up her trip before she goes home. We got a bowl of hummus, a bowl of beans, chickpeas and olive oil (the dish is called fool), a plate of fries, pita bread and tea for 2 JD (dictatorship prices, I guess). By the way, Allan Madrid, you were a key connection here, so thanks.

Also I had a diarrhea scare last night. I think it was just a one-time thing. I thought it might be dysentary or typhoid. I got my vaccine the day of my flight and it's not yet effective.

I spent about 40 minutes getting lost and being late to a gathering today that A invited me too. I met her Arabic teacher and a bunch of other American and Italian women who have been here for anywhere from two weeks to four years. Sleazy journalist type I am, I whipped out a pen and sucked out all their contact information, which may be useful if I want to study Arabic, get a homestay, see the United Nations Relief Works Agency and the Palestinian refugee camps they run, or get advice from former Fulbrighters on how to put together an application. Basically, a pretty shoddy bunch...not.

And now, I am grouping the catcalls I got today into the like and dislike categories. It doesn't matter if you show arm or not, it's because I am obviously white and foreign.

Like:

• "Very nice, very very nice."

Dislike:

• Whistling.
• Yelling things at me in Arabic, which I don't understand.
• Saying "hello, hello, welcome."
• Being five years old and doing any of those things.
• Making groping gestures as you walk by.
• Honking in my face.
• Staring at me from a window or balcony 30 feet above me.

By the way, my little sister's flooded summer camp has made the news. Being a good little girl, she is in upstate NY for the month and was evacuated to a nearby high school for a few days: http://www.recordonline.com/flood06/stories/fa37.htm