Betra

Last weekend, my family went to Aqaba and left us in Amman with our host dad. Our mom, brother, and sisters were only gone for three nights, but my roommate and I still missed them. I guess it was good practice for when we say our goodbyes next week. I wish I could stay for longer. Of course I can't converse much in Arabic yet, but I'm finally getting more comfortable with at least practicing it with my family members. I also wish I could spend more time with my Jordanian family and friends here. This week will be packed with parties leading up to my host cousin’s wedding the night we leave. There was a moment last week that made me finally feel like part of the family. When I first met my host mom, we did one kiss on each cheek. During my time here, I've noticed that when greeting family and friends kiss each other once on the left cheek, and then two, pause a second, and then one more time on the right. When my family came back from Aqaba, this was the way my host mom greeted me! Last week was pretty calm. Sometimes we went out during the night to drink tea and sit outside in the beautiful weather, and once there was a birthday party with more music and dancing. Also, last Friday, my house cousins took us to Souk Jara, a popular market with good souvenirs. This weekend has been packed! We went to Petra and the next day we went to Madaba and looked at old churches as well as Mt. Nebo, overlooking the Holy Land. I'll have to write more about it later. I have two final projects due and no free time!