The King's Visit

I promised that I would write a post about the king's visit tonight but I'm sorry to say that it was pretty uneventful for the most part. However, I made a promise and so here is my entry. Today was the day on which King Abdulluh The Second made his visit to King's Academy. He visited for the evening's Iftar (fast-breaking meal at sundown) and stayed throughout the entire meal. The meal was an all school sit-down meal for which both classroom dress and attendance were required. The evening's program started at 6:00, when the entire school had to be in the dining hall. Now, we were told that we had to be in the dining hall by 6:00 but we were also told that the king wasn't scheduled to arrive until 6:45. So for those 45 minutes it was pretty much a free for all, though most people just decided to sit at their tables and stare at the bread and appetizers that were gradually being set before them. At around 6:45 one of the junior fellows stepped up to the podium placed at the head of the dining hall and announced the arrival of HMK Abdulluh II. The king, with his posse of two or three important looking people, then walked right through the front door and proceeded straight accross the dining hall to his seat at the headmaster's table. I should mention, however, that we were all standing at the this point to honor the king's arrival. After the king had his place at the headmaster's table, Dr. Eric walked up to the podium to announce that we could sit down and that a student would recite the call the prayer for the evening's meal. I'd first like to take a moment to describe the call the prayer before I continue. For those who have never heard a call to prayer, it is bascially a prayer that is announced in specific tones and notes for anywhere from one to ten mintues. This is simply my impression of what the call to prayer is, however. I really don't know the exact art or if there even is one. All I know is the student who recited the call to prayer had clearly done this before, as he recited/sung/uttered/announced the call the prayer with clarity, rhythm, and melody. With the call to prayer the community was told that it could now begin the meal. I didn't see much of what happened at the king's table but I should mention, however, that his table was the same as any other table, except in size; as he was sitting with a group of students. When I heard that the king would be sitting with students for the evening meal I though that the school had probably randomly assigned students to his majesty's table just as it would for any other table. Apparently, I was wrong. It would seem that all the students sitting at the king's table were all exceptional students. I for one think this is unfair, however. Rewarding exemplary students by using their photos in admissions catalouges is one thing. But to give to these students the opportunity to meet the leader of a nation I think is unfair to the studens who work hard but are nevertheless seen as just average students. It's even unfair the students who are struggling with their grades and behavior but who certainly have potential and who could certainly carry a conversation with the king just as well as any other student. But luckily there is now a chance for any students to prove his/her merit and earn the opportunity to spend time with the king. The king is heading to South America for seven days and has told the school that he would like to take a boy and a girl along with him. The students would miss school for a week, but I don't think their teachers would really mind. Unlike the king's previous request to take two students to accompany him on a trip, this trip will not be awarded by Dr. Eric to two students who have shown academic accomplishment in the past. Instead, any student will be able to write a paragraph explaining why he/she would like to accompany the king to South American, and, then, Dr. Eric and other senior faculty members will choose two students based soley on the quality and content of their essays. Anyway the evening concluded with the king ascending the podium and expressing his wish to see King's Academy continue to succeed. Dr. Eric then went on to announce that the king would be remaining in the dining hall for a few minutes so that he could take a picture with the entire school community. Unfortunately, there were too many people in the dining hall to take a picture with the king all at once, so Dr. Eric instead asked the everybody in the dining hall to divide themselves into two groups that would each take it's own picture with the king. He then divided the dining hall into the left and right halves and asked that the right half take its picture after the left half. I, however, wasn't in any picture because I still hadn't finished eating my first Ramadan desserts. Besides, I didn't exactly see the point of taking a picture with the king if I was just goint to be single head floating in a giant mass of people. Well, I'm really tired and so I think I'll end my post here.

Wadi Mujib

Wadi Mujib is a Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature site that is located one hour south of King's Academy. The nature reserve features canyons, fresh water rivers, beautifully sandstone formations, and endangered natural flora and wild life, including this native mountain goat animal called an Ibex. I've been wanting to go to Wadi Mujib for the longest time now because it was close, outdoors, and simple. I was thinking of going either during Eid Al Fitr or on some weekend in October because most of the trails require guides, who do not work during Ramadan. But then this weekend the school announced that it was taking a weekend trip to Wadi Mujib to lead an expedition on the one trail that is self-guided. I signed up that very day. The trip was yesterday and, while it wasn't the kind of trail I think I was looking for, it was still absolutely amazing! It's really hard to describe so, if my descriptions don't capture the spirit of the place, one can always google image the place. The trail we "hiked" was a fresh water river canyon trail. You know I really just can't describe it so I'm going to have to ask you just to google image the place. The pictures you'll see there will give you a very accurate idea of what we did. You'll just have to imagine the trails looking just as awesome but a little easier since this was a self-guided tour. But, as I said before, it was awesome!!

On Charity and Ramadan

It seems to me that Ramadan is a time when many Muslims in Jordan become especially devout and adhere more closely to certain Islamic doctrines, almost in the same way some protestant Christians become more devout during Christmas, Lent, and Easter. Two examples of Jordanian Muslims seeming to be more devout during Ramadan are my observations on alcohol and alms giving. While the Quran technically forbids any consumption of alcohol, I think; there are still plenty of Jordanian Muslims who drink during the year. Not during Ramadan, however: So many Jordanian Muslims use Ramadan to observe this rule of Islam that most stores and cafes won't even serve alcohol during the evenings to non-Muslims. The other example of Jordanian Muslims becoming more devout during Ramadan is the act of giving alms. While one of the pillars of Islam requires Muslims to give alms to the poor, it doesn't clearly specify when alms should be given or how much. Since Ramadan began, however, I've noticed donation boxes almost everywhere I've gone. The boxes are the King Hussein Cancer Foundation, and I've seen these boxes, usually half about 1/3 full with coins and bills, at the end of check out lines, at cash registers, and even around school. As I said before, these boxes are surprisingly full considering there were only put out about three weeks ago. But during Ramadan Muslims don't just give money for alms: they also give food. The food is for the holiday of visiting family and feasting at the end of Ramadan. The holiday is called Eid Al Fitr (Eeeed AL Fiter) and lasts for about five days after Ramadan. Now, I have heard that Muslims give food to poor during the final days of Ramadan so that everyone can enjoy a after-Ramadan feast. It is this act, along with fasting, that is supposed to help all Muslims think of the poor what it is like to be poor and live hand to mouth. There is supposedly a special Eid Al Fitr prayer service and congregation but I haven't yet experienced this myself. All I know is that the Muslims I have seen in Jordan are giving money and food to the poor during Ramadan, as well as telling me that fasting is partly about thinking about the poor and being able to sympathize with them.

First Athletic Matches of the Year

When describing student life to the new faculty during orientation, the dean of students mentioned athletic matches last year had been a phenomenal success in creating a fun boarding school experience. She said that school spirit was a true spectacle and the students were ready to support their school, even though it was less than a year old. It was because of these reviews that, when the day of the first athletic matches of the year arrived, that I was among the first spectators to arrive for the JV boys soccer game. Before I describe the game and my reactions, I'll mention first that the game was scheduled to begin at 5:45 and end at 6:45, exactly when the sun was setting! When I arrived the soccer field at around 5:35, I found both teams, King's Academy and Amman Baccalaureate School, already assembled and in uniform. What I didn't find, however, was any place for spectators to sit and watch the game. I therefore walked around the King's Academy side of the field looking either for a patch of turf or clean sidewalk to sit on. While I was doing this, however, I was also observing the KA team's warm up session. This was when I really started to worry because I was expecting to see all the players either running their drills together or at least standing in a circle and stretching together. Instead, I saw the majority of the players simply standing on one side of the field while a group of four or five players were running up down the sidelines. I say "running" but I really mean to say that they were simply moving at different paces, just some more quickly than others. Indeed, I didn't see any clear team unity and there were only about seven spectators, including myself, who had shone up. But just about five minutes before the game, those same five or six spectators left the field and walked up the gym. Before I could panic, however, I saw them on the horizon again, only this time with benches in hand and a mob of students behind them. Now, it looked like I was going to see some school spirit but what could I expect to see from a soccer team consisting mostly of students who were fasting during the day, playing just before sunset?! When five minutes had passed after the official starting time the school nurse sitting next to me asked me when the game was going to start. When I turned from her to check the status of the players I was shocked!! Just a few minutes before I seen the players just loitering on the field in no specific arrangement. But now I saw all the players on both side in position, each with a look of focus and determination on his face. And with that the game began. Now, I had never really seen a live game of soccer before so I really didn't know what to expect. But within minutes of the game starting I was starting to think that soccer might just be the most amazing game to watch, though in truth this was partly because the JV game was using a smaller field that condensed the action of the game as a result. But nevertheless I was truly amazed by what I was seeing. The King's academy offense charging against the opposing team, all the while exhibiting great hustle, ball handling, and team work. The team work was what really impressed me. With only about a week and half of real practice behind them (soccer cuts had only been finalized by that point), I was expecting each player to try to make a name for himself and try to run the ball from one side of the field to another. Instead, I saw some of the best passing that I have ever seen, though as I said before I haven't really seen many soccer games in my life. But I really do mean when I say that the passing was excellent. Unfortunately, I really don’t think I know enough about soccer lingo to describe much more than that. However, I will say the game ended in a tie with a score of 4:4. Despite the fact that each team had players who were fasting, there was high energy throughout the entire match. A little more on school spirit though. The spectators at the JV boy's game were in fact spirited but they really only yelled or applauded when a goal was scored. The school spirit at the Varsity boy's game at 8:30, however, was a different story completely. Under stadium lights and refreshed by the day's Iftar (meal at sunset) the students were absolutely ecstatic. Clapping and cheering on the sideline, with one student playing some sort of a rhythmic tribal beat on his bongo thingamagig. So in the end the athletic matches of the day had everything I had expected and more. Unfortunately I'm on duty tonight so I won't be able to see the first cross country meet of the year but I'm sure I can't wait to see more games this year.

On Arabic lessons

Yesterday, on Monday, September 15th , the junior fellows gathered for our first Arabic class. Classes will meet four times and week and will meet in the mornings for about an hour. Out teacher informs us that, for the first three weeks, he would like the first half of class to be used to learn the alphabet and the second half to be used to learn conversational speech. While all the junior fellows are glad to see the class finally start, there are a few concerns. For instance, some of the junior fellows already have a slight foundation in Arabic and thus feel that the current lesson plan is inadequate. And nearly all the junior fellows are concerned that a class size of 17 is simply too large. Unfortunately, we cannot split into two groups because our teacher only works with the school part time because he already has a teaching position with a school in Amman. We'll just have to wait and see how effective this class will be. I hear, though, that the junior fellows last year didn't start their classes until the middle of the year and that they still learned a fair amount by the end of the year. While I plan to start our Arabic class with an open mind, what I'm really looking forward to is the "Junior Fellow Seminar" that I believe will focus on Middle Eastern history and Islamic theology.

On my new "internship"

So far I really don't like the term "internship". The reason I don't like the term is that the term can mean absolutely anything and is used as a title for too wide a range of work positions. For example, there are medical and law interns who assist real doctors and lawyers with their daily tasks. But then there are museum interns who could be doing anything from assembling welcome brochures to cataloguing art collections. And then of course there's me, who until last week was a library intern but who now is an intern in the college advising office. In two weeks I've gone from labeling the first season of Gilligan's island for the library to doing research and compiling information for the college advising office. How can anyone have a clear idea of what an intern is supposed to be with so many people labeling so many different job descriptions with this term? This all being said, I think I'll talk about my new internship with the college advising office. Even though the school doesn't have a graduating senior class, there are still plenty of juniors (and sometimes even sophomores) who are looking to make sure that there doing everything they need to in order to gain admission to their preferred schools. Often times I have to make two or three trips to the office because so many students need to talk with Ms. Hala (my boss) about college-related matters. But Ms. Hala assures me, however, that, while she has plenty of work to keep me busy, there is still plenty of time prepare for next year. My work for the past week and a half has just been to the admission requirements of schools in the UK and in Canada, specifically how these schools AP's, SAT's, and an American style diploma awarded in a country besides the US. After I'm finished with this, however, Ms. Hala says that I might be able to assist her in compiling academic transcripts of students who spend their freshman year at another secondary school. Overall, the work is busy work but it's also work that’s helping an office that didn't exist last year to establish itself. I therefore feel that I'm involved in a something that's really helping the school.

On Morning Meetings

To help give its students the right start to their mornings, the school holds an all-school meeting at 7:55 everyday before first period classes. Not only do the meetings allow students to slowly settle into the rhythm of the school day but they also make the choice to eat breakfast a lot easier. Students have to wake up early for all-school meetings and therefore might as well sit down for a quick breakfast. The only down side to this is, of course, that students don't have many opportunities to sleep in on weekday mornings. In fact, the only weekday on which they can possibly sleep in is Tuesday, when the all-school meeting is held in the afternoon instead of the morning. Now, an all-school meeting usually begins with either the headmaster or the dean of students talking about an event or issue from the day before. For example, the dean or headmaster might thank a group of students for having helped with a task the day before. While the dean of students and other faculty members sits in the back or front of the auditorium, the headmaster sits right on stage with a microphone conducting the meeting. He first calls on faculty who would like to make announcements and then moves on to students. The meeting finally ends at about 8:15 when Dr. Eric usually gives the school a thought for the day.

My Weekend and More On Life

At 3:30 on Thursday afternoon I witnessed what has been called the weekly "mass exodus" of weekday boarders. Within minutes the campus had lost 200 students and had officially shifted into weekend mode. During the weekdays the school feels like any other boarding school I've visited. But when the weekend arrives the pace and feeling of the school change completely. Students no longer move from one place to another with the same deliberation. Instead, I see one or two students casually meander to the dining hall for a late breakfast or a group of twenty assemble in front of the administration building for the school's only source of entertainment on the weekends: off campus trips. Indeed, for now it seems like the off campus are providing a kind of social life support for the students here. Without Friday night dances (When are those starting?) or a town to walk to they're providing the only form of entertainment. But for being the only form of entertainment, the off-campus trips sure do deliver (Corny pun?). Not only does the school provide trips to malls, ice cream parlors, and restaurants but also trips to go paint balling, bowling, and camping. However, since it's still Ramadan and only the second week of school, I've only seen bowling and paint balling trips so far. Since some students are fasting, the school isn't planning any camping/hiking trips yet. I can't wait for these trips to start though. All off-campus trips, not just camping/hiking trips, are open to anyone-student, faculty, or junior fellow- and provide free transportation. An extra advantage for faculty/junior fellows, as well as an incentive to be more involved in suggesting activities for students, is the school's agreement to reimburse faculty/junior fellows assigned to an activity. As long as the faculty/junior fellow brings back his/her receipt for the activity to which he/she was assigned, that faculty is completely reimbursed and gets to enjoy the activity for free. I am therefore keeping a lookout for any signs of a school trip to Petra so that I can either enjoy the free transportation, the free tour if I am assigned, or both.
This weekend, however, there weren't any off-campus trips that particularly interested me. It was only on Thursday night, at the last minute, that I decided to take advantage of an off-campus trip and go paint balling. Now there are several reasons why I made this decision. The first reason was that I wanted to see if paint balling in Jordan was at all similar to paint balling in the U.S. The second was that I wanted to meet more students and bond with them over our mutually inflicted pain. On the weekend activity sign-up sheet paint balling was scheduled to start at 2:30 and finish at 3:30. However, students always have to remember departing transportation time is always included in the time frames. We therefore left campus 2:30 and, after a trip to the northern outskirts of Amman, arrived at 4:00. At first, I couldn't believe that the school had arranged a trip to a paint balling range an hour and a half away. But when I saw the range for myself I realized that the reason the school had chosen this range, despite being so far from school, was that it was probably the only paint balling range in the area to meet the school's standards. The range was actually only a single facility at the "Mountain Breeze Country Club". I couldn't tell if it was a country club in my sense of the term, but it certainly was just as nice as any country club I've ever visited. The club, looking more like an outdoor day-spa in the south of France than a country club, boasted an archery range, an arboretum, a terrace overlooking the valley, as well as a first class paint balling range. We didn't start shooting, however, until about a half hour after we had arrived. We first needed to pay, register, and suit up. The club provided us with camo pants, camo shirts, gloves, facemasks, neck protectors, and torso pads. Then, finally, at around 4:45 we entered the war zone. Now all I'm going to say about paint balling is that it's a great sport but that I'm just not athletic enough for it. To do paint balling right one needs both agility to make quick sprints and strength to run with both protective layers and a gun in one hand. After two fifteen-minute games, we all left the war zone for the last time and returned our gear to the club. Then, after the assigned faculty member had collected enough money from the students, we left the club at 5:30 exactly. This means that in a activity that was scheduled as running from 2:30-5:30 we spent about half an hour actually paint balling. Still, it was a fun trip and I think all the students enjoyed themselves. On a final note, I think I'll share a new rule of Ramadan that one of the swimming coaches here told me. It turns out that the girls on the swim team who are fasting cannot swim in the pool at all because that would run the risk of swallowing small amounts of water. And so since fasting students cannot consume anything during daylight hours, this swimming coach just has to improvise and organize alternative practices. I would ask what these practices consist but I think I'll wait until after Ramadan because I still don't want to think about how the coaches here are running their practices right now. All I know is that the students in fitness either occupy themselves completely with some sort of fitness activity or they at least try for twenty minutes and then politely ask to be excused early. Somehow we're already entering our third week of school with a great start to the year.

Progress

While I love my room here at school and everything that came with it, I couldn't help but wish I had a few room hold amenities to make it perfect. For example, some room decorations would give my room some color, and a towel hook would be convenient for a number of reasons. I can manage without these however. What I really needed for my room was a mirror. But then just the other day, while I was sitting in my room after my day at the library, three school employees with an assortment of power tools knocked on my door and asked me if I needed a mirror. Now, Wendy had told us before that she had arranged for us to have mirrors installed in our rooms,; but I wasn't really expecting to see these mirrors anytime soon, if at all. Now as soon as I had told the three men that I did indeed need a mirror they asked me where I wanted it drilled in. After three tries, I finally decided on the perfect place for my mirror, and, within ten minutes, one of the three men drilled it into my wall while the other two sat and observed my Glass House visitor cards. Now I can comb my hair in the privacy of my own room and not feel like an outsider for needing sunscreen.
Not only is my room making progress here but also the school's community service program. The other day at school meeting a student announced that the school would be having a coin drive to raise money for the King Hussein Cancer Foundation. Coin boxes have been placed all over campus and are already starting to fill up. Then, a few days later, Tiffany Norman also made an announcement at morning meeting. She asked the school if anyone had ever heard about an organization called Locks of Love. Many members of the audience raised their hands and one student, when asked by Ms. Tiffany, gave a basic description of the organization. Ms. Tiffany then went on to tell us that, while Locks of Love requires a minimum donation of about twelve inches, another organization, affiliated with Panteen shampoo, only asks for eight. Ms. Tiffany asked that students with eight inches of hair seriously consider making a donation. But to inspire the student body, she announced that she was going to make a donation right then and there in front of the entire school. After asking a student to come onto the stage to assist her, we had both inspiration and entertainment. Hopefully helping to encourage the students are the daily complements that Ms. Tiffany is getting for her new haircut.
But of course the greatest progress I've seen is in my internship. After a week of working in the library, I decided that the work I was doing just wasn't right for me. While I was perfectly happy labeling the first season of Gilligan's Island with stickers and bar codes, I just didn't feel like I was helping the school. With some encouragement from Rehema and a little research on my part, I found what will hopefully be my permanent home in the Office of College Advising. Today was my first day, and my first assignments are 1. to compare and contrast the Common Application and the Universal Application and 2. To research schools in the UK that accept AP's from their applicants. I think I'll be happy with College Advising because I'll really know that my work is helping the school.
There are still a few matters to be resolved, however, The junior fellows are still waiting for our classes to start, and I still need to finish The Three Musketeers. But for the most part things are looking up.

General Update on Life at School

As of today we are now in the fourth day of Ramadan. While I'd prefer to learn more about Ramadan and Islam in my Arab Civilizations class I've picked up a few facts that I didn't know before. I guess I'll just start with the fasting part. As the daylight hours come to an end, the school community, including both those fasting and those not, begin to think about dinner, or as we are calling it, "Iftar". Iftar is the evening meal for which Muslims traditionally break their fast. I'm pretty sure that "Iftar" is a meal and not a time, unlike the word English word, "dinner" which is used as both. Now Iftars, from what I've seen in the dining hall, are no different from normal dinners, except of course that we have some traditional desserts offered such as dried figs and apricots, dates, and honey, pistachio pastries. After dinner (or the "Iftar") fasting students can pick up their "Sahoor", or breakfast meal. Because fasting students cannot eat during daylight hours they wake up with the 4:30 am call to prayer to enjoy their meal. Incidentally, while the 4:30 woke me during my first few nights, I am now sleeping though them soundly. This partly explains why nobody in my hall needed a wake up call Wednesday morning and why I found some students showering at 6:30. These students had simply woken up two hours before and decided not to go all the way back to sleep.
This is what I've observed of Ramadan at school. The other day, however, when I was in Amman walking through a normally bustling outdoor shopping strip I was shocked to see the entire place deserted. I thought this was odd at first because it was about already 6:00 pm. Then I remembered of course that it was Ramadan and that of course the shops, cafees, and restaurants wouldn't be open. But that didn't make complete sense to me because just up the street I found furniture shops, drug stores, and this incredible bakery full of people. The bakery was especially busy such that I had trouble finding a place to stand and inspect the piles and piles of freshly baked breads and pastries. So, from it looks like, I guess that fasting Muslims have the choice to open their shops and that, even though fasting Muslims might not be able to eat, smoke, or drink during daylight ours, they can at least shop for their provisions.
This brings me to the bits of gossip that I've heard about Ramadan. Supposedly, during the month of Ramadan the Muslims in Jordan who normally sell alcohol in their shops (Jordan doesn't have any laws against alcohol and there are plenty of people of here who choose to drink) simply refuse to serve it. How I actually learned this was that, when I was out with some of the other gap year students at a café, our waiter wouldn't serve a bottle of wine. Then one of us among the group told us that many of the Muslims in Jordan, who normally drink during the year, give alcohol up completely during Ramadan, during the day and night. I guess this means that the Quran does in fact forbid the consumption of alcohol and that there are many Muslims who use observe this.
But the most interesting bits of gossip about Ramadan that I've heard came from a student presentation from morning meaning. This student said that the gates of heaven are open and the gate of hell are closed during Ramadan. He also said that Muslims fast during Ramadan because this is when the prophet first received his revelations. Then he said that Muslims can cleanse themselves of their sins by fasting and that good deeds done during Ramadan are somehow worth more in heavenly rewards.
I've written a lot already so I think I'll end this post by mentioning that, the other day during school meeting, Dr. Eric told us that the king had asked him to choose two boys to accompany him to Mecca for his trip (I don't know what kind of trip exactly). Dr. Eric than announced the names of the boys he had chosen to accompany the king. The students leave tonight and come back on Sunday. The king didn't ask for girls because women apparently aren't allowed into the inner courtyard surrounding the Ka'ba

First Weekend with the Students

Well, at the moment nothing much has changed. The students are all settled and the year is off to a good start. I've only been here 2 ½ weeks but already it feels like a month. My library "internship" isn't all that fulfilling at the moment so I'm trying to find some work with another department. On top of that, our Arabic and Arab Civilizations classes haven't started yet, although we hear that they'll start next week. I'm not even sure if I'll enjoy or even benefit from these classes, but I just wish they would start. This weekend is the school's first normal weekend and also my first weekend on duty. Tonight I'm checking in students for curfew at 10:00 and tomorrow I'm co-supervising two trips: one to Mecca Mall in Amman and another to a bowling alley in Amman (Bowling in Jordan?).