First Day of School
I went and hung out at the university ALL DAY today. It was pretty neat. First, at 9:30, I went to Omar's English class. That was quite an experience. It was a "102" level course, which is like intermediate English. They were talking about different pronunciations of words, depending on whether it is a noun or verb. For example, I will present you with a present tomorrow. So, they were just mostly going over the workbook exercises, with the class responding with the correct pronunciation. It is funny, because in America we wouldn't even think about the distinction, we just do it naturally based on the context or the sentance, but it is easy to understand how it would be difficult for a non-native speaker.
Throughout the lesson, the professor took the opportunity to let me talk a little bit, if none of the other students could get it, but generally he was really good about not making me talk that much. Some of the words are different, anyways, because they have learned a mostly Brittish form of English. But then the class was done with the lesson about 15 minutes early, so he had me come up to the front of the room and introduce myself and tell the class what I was doing here, etc. and then let them ask me a few questions. It was funny because about the only questions came from the girls in the front... lol. But they were just curious about "how I find Jordan" (i.e. if I like it), and what my home in the US is like and a little bit about my perceptions of Arabs. I tried to convey to them that there are many different points of view in the US, especially about the middle east, but that I found Arabs to be extremely generous and that I respect them very much.
After the class, I got to meet some of the students, mostly English majors, which was cool. They were very easy to talk to, especially the girls, and they seemed really excited to be speaking English with me. Of course, it is pretty rare for anyone besides Jordanians to come to Mu'tah University... So, then, after going to get something to eat with Omar, I hung out and talked with a few of the guys from the English department for like 2 hours. They were really nice and we had some good conversations. They were intersted to hear my opinions on things. We talked about politics and religion and all kinds of stuff. Then, we went back out to the restaurant area right outside the university gates and got drinks, before going back to the "quad" area and hanging out some more.
It was quite overwhelming! I met like a zillion people, and I don't remember anyone's names. They wanted to go and do more stuff (like go and play pool or table tennis) but I was just beat, so I said that I had to go home. Its part of Jordanian culture to be really hospitable and to offer everything, so its hard to find ways to turn people down. They're really good at pressure and guilt trips. If you go to a cafe with some people there is NO WAY that you'll get out of there without them buying you a sandwich or a drink. So all of this in addition to meeting so many people and seeing all new things and drinking a shitload of caffeine (coffee) and sugar (coffee and juice) I'm exausted. Total sensory overload. And Omar wants to go out again tonight to play more Snooker... We'll see.
Throughout the lesson, the professor took the opportunity to let me talk a little bit, if none of the other students could get it, but generally he was really good about not making me talk that much. Some of the words are different, anyways, because they have learned a mostly Brittish form of English. But then the class was done with the lesson about 15 minutes early, so he had me come up to the front of the room and introduce myself and tell the class what I was doing here, etc. and then let them ask me a few questions. It was funny because about the only questions came from the girls in the front... lol. But they were just curious about "how I find Jordan" (i.e. if I like it), and what my home in the US is like and a little bit about my perceptions of Arabs. I tried to convey to them that there are many different points of view in the US, especially about the middle east, but that I found Arabs to be extremely generous and that I respect them very much.
After the class, I got to meet some of the students, mostly English majors, which was cool. They were very easy to talk to, especially the girls, and they seemed really excited to be speaking English with me. Of course, it is pretty rare for anyone besides Jordanians to come to Mu'tah University... So, then, after going to get something to eat with Omar, I hung out and talked with a few of the guys from the English department for like 2 hours. They were really nice and we had some good conversations. They were intersted to hear my opinions on things. We talked about politics and religion and all kinds of stuff. Then, we went back out to the restaurant area right outside the university gates and got drinks, before going back to the "quad" area and hanging out some more.
It was quite overwhelming! I met like a zillion people, and I don't remember anyone's names. They wanted to go and do more stuff (like go and play pool or table tennis) but I was just beat, so I said that I had to go home. Its part of Jordanian culture to be really hospitable and to offer everything, so its hard to find ways to turn people down. They're really good at pressure and guilt trips. If you go to a cafe with some people there is NO WAY that you'll get out of there without them buying you a sandwich or a drink. So all of this in addition to meeting so many people and seeing all new things and drinking a shitload of caffeine (coffee) and sugar (coffee and juice) I'm exausted. Total sensory overload. And Omar wants to go out again tonight to play more Snooker... We'll see.
posted by Aaron Berdanier at 5:12 PM Permalink
