Happy Happy Joy Joy
[Posted from March 24, 2009]
Jes. Things are lovely here. I am a very happy Shirley. There are so many thing attributing to my happiness. I think from a contextual perspective, I think one thing that feels really special is that this is my first time in a new country where I didn’t have some “role”… where nearly NO ONE treats me a bit differently because of my job title. I don’t mean to sound presumptuous, but really, in the context of the last 3 years, this is a refreshing gift – not because I was miserable the last years because of it, but its just a new fresh found freedom. Then there is the fact that I am not working, after having learned very truly, that work is wonderful, valuable, exciting, but in the end, I do not live for work. It is just one dimension of my sense of self. This is a nice shift for me, given my previous work experience and cultural context, w.r.t. the role of work in US culture / American’s sense of self/worth, and even Chinese culture. So those are a few amongst some more macro level reasons I’m peaceful happies.
Then, really, AIESEC Jordan rocks my socks. There is this GREAT, friendly, intense energy from the members both as a group and individually. And this stems from the broader context of INCREDIBLE hospitality of Jordanians. It is a dream. People seem so selfless as hosts and ambassadors of the Middle East in my life. From my airport pickup, to my full day tour of Jordan with my intern buddy Ahmad and his brother, to my very sweet reception party, to the birthday party for Francis, one of the interns, that I just got home from… its really a thrill and pleasure to meet with these great people. And speaking of interns, there is a really lovely intern / CEED / intl MC community in Amman right now. This dynamic will surely ebb and flow during the year, its own system that is changing, but its really lovely people. I feel quite blessed to meet the people that are here. Especially wonderful have been Ahmad and Deborah, who check up on my constantly to see if I’m well, and are always willing to help me when I need anything, although really, everyone is generous and great. Gah.
Being in Jordan is in and of itself another pleasure and huge contributor to the bliss I feel. Yes, as the theory goes, overall, I am in the honey moon period of being in a new country… but sod it. That’s part of the experience. Live up the bliss and live up the pain. So right now, I’d rather just be happy I’m happy than worry about possible downturns. Its good enough I know that its possible. Oh dear, I digress. So Jordan. Gah! Wonderful, beautiful, yay. I am in Amman, and have yet much to explore here, but was lucky enough to see the Roman amphitheatre, citadel, and a great archaeological museum, eat at some of the classic places here (Jafra, Hashim), and generally drive through lots of different areas. And last weekend I was in Qaraq walking through a FLIPPING MASSIVE brilliant castle. It was sick. You could be walking down a corridor and there’d just be a dark staircase leading off to who knows what and you could see whatever you wanted. No, I wasn’t that adventurous, but just the fact that we (me, Cecilia, and Sasha) COULD have gone adventuring is badass enough, thanks.
Other fun things about Jordan so far (yay for many months of learning yet to come) include… the FOOD. Some people still guffaw at the fact I don’t eat meat, but its seriously so much easier to go meatless here. That’s one thing. Also, um yes, yum. Not to mention cheap. For those of you relying on Trader Joe’s for hommus, imagine getting that normal size tub, about an inch tall, for $.50… but wait... what’s more – its fresh and damn yummier. The hommus that has been in my fridge for the last 3 days is JUST starting to taste like what it tastes like when I get it in the US. Haha. And yay for falafel. And yay for yoghurt. And yay for brilliant breakfast foods like zitar… purr. And yay for sickly cheap veggies for cooking.
Other stuff I’ve experienced so far, that I just enjoy and find interesting, is the fact that you have a weekly allowance of water, and if you exceed that, then deal with it (for your apartment – shower/kitchen sink/etc). A coffee café (Gloria Jean’s) bigger than any I’ve ever been to before – its like its own library but just tables and people, wtf. Its normal to leave home with just $15 cash for the day, nothing else, no extra credit cards, etc. (This took a few days for my risk aversity to adjust to). Its flipping cold here – it’s not all hot and deserty nonstop like the stereotype… And I figured that, but I was shocked that it is like SICK cold! Jes… that’s some of it.
About work: Its been lovely thus far. The office is quite pretty and fresh and in a lovely area in Amman, dangerously close to a massive Zara and Mango. (and by the way, yes, don’t worry, there is a quite large Calvin Klein underwear opening, so I’m all set). The people are all smart, friendly, and pleasant. Most notably Barbara, who was also an intern, is really helpful in my transition. I never feel too overwhelmed or underworked. She’s great. And there is a really freaking nice guy, Mohammad, who picks me up and drops me off from work since he lives near me. It’s such a blessing. Besides Barbara and Darin, the people I work with are Jordanian, so yes, all the same things apply that I mentioned before about being really friendly and hospitable and thoughtful. Thus far the projects I’m working on are interesting and I enjoy the work itself. I guess I feel a bit weird disclosing specific stuff about work since this is a public blog… so jes.
Um, random other happy stuffs is my apartment. Its been a bit of a gong show actually, but OVERALL, I like it a lot. Its just for a month for now, as I’m supposed to be moving into a new flat with 2 new folks who are arriving in a few weeks, but I’m enjoying it. It’s a studio, and the furniture and overall set up is quite nice. At first I didn’t have hot water and a fridge and stove, but it was actually manageable since the first week I ate out a lot to stay social, and there is an intern/ational flat nearby that I could walk to in 5minutes to shower. So anyways, all those things are sorted out, and so this weekend I was able to do massive grocery shopping, so I’m also on cloud nine from finally cooking a proper meal today. Yes, it was spaghetti, which isn’t the most complicated dish, but the sauce was just to my liking with shredded carrots and red pepper, garlic, onions, tomato, tomato paste, quite great basil and oregano and parsley, olive oil, and my latest happy marinara ingredient – hot peppers. Yummmmmmmm! Its always nice to have a meal just how you wanted, and its nice for me to feel comfortable cooking in my kitchen after 2 weeks of relying on eating out.
Alright. That’s a “snapshot” of the happy happy joy joy in my life. Although I’m not sure this qualifies as a snapshot… since its long, and not brief, and not a photo… ;p Jes. Sleepy now. Nights.
Jes. Things are lovely here. I am a very happy Shirley. There are so many thing attributing to my happiness. I think from a contextual perspective, I think one thing that feels really special is that this is my first time in a new country where I didn’t have some “role”… where nearly NO ONE treats me a bit differently because of my job title. I don’t mean to sound presumptuous, but really, in the context of the last 3 years, this is a refreshing gift – not because I was miserable the last years because of it, but its just a new fresh found freedom. Then there is the fact that I am not working, after having learned very truly, that work is wonderful, valuable, exciting, but in the end, I do not live for work. It is just one dimension of my sense of self. This is a nice shift for me, given my previous work experience and cultural context, w.r.t. the role of work in US culture / American’s sense of self/worth, and even Chinese culture. So those are a few amongst some more macro level reasons I’m peaceful happies.
Then, really, AIESEC Jordan rocks my socks. There is this GREAT, friendly, intense energy from the members both as a group and individually. And this stems from the broader context of INCREDIBLE hospitality of Jordanians. It is a dream. People seem so selfless as hosts and ambassadors of the Middle East in my life. From my airport pickup, to my full day tour of Jordan with my intern buddy Ahmad and his brother, to my very sweet reception party, to the birthday party for Francis, one of the interns, that I just got home from… its really a thrill and pleasure to meet with these great people. And speaking of interns, there is a really lovely intern / CEED / intl MC community in Amman right now. This dynamic will surely ebb and flow during the year, its own system that is changing, but its really lovely people. I feel quite blessed to meet the people that are here. Especially wonderful have been Ahmad and Deborah, who check up on my constantly to see if I’m well, and are always willing to help me when I need anything, although really, everyone is generous and great. Gah.
Being in Jordan is in and of itself another pleasure and huge contributor to the bliss I feel. Yes, as the theory goes, overall, I am in the honey moon period of being in a new country… but sod it. That’s part of the experience. Live up the bliss and live up the pain. So right now, I’d rather just be happy I’m happy than worry about possible downturns. Its good enough I know that its possible. Oh dear, I digress. So Jordan. Gah! Wonderful, beautiful, yay. I am in Amman, and have yet much to explore here, but was lucky enough to see the Roman amphitheatre, citadel, and a great archaeological museum, eat at some of the classic places here (Jafra, Hashim), and generally drive through lots of different areas. And last weekend I was in Qaraq walking through a FLIPPING MASSIVE brilliant castle. It was sick. You could be walking down a corridor and there’d just be a dark staircase leading off to who knows what and you could see whatever you wanted. No, I wasn’t that adventurous, but just the fact that we (me, Cecilia, and Sasha) COULD have gone adventuring is badass enough, thanks.
Other fun things about Jordan so far (yay for many months of learning yet to come) include… the FOOD. Some people still guffaw at the fact I don’t eat meat, but its seriously so much easier to go meatless here. That’s one thing. Also, um yes, yum. Not to mention cheap. For those of you relying on Trader Joe’s for hommus, imagine getting that normal size tub, about an inch tall, for $.50… but wait... what’s more – its fresh and damn yummier. The hommus that has been in my fridge for the last 3 days is JUST starting to taste like what it tastes like when I get it in the US. Haha. And yay for falafel. And yay for yoghurt. And yay for brilliant breakfast foods like zitar… purr. And yay for sickly cheap veggies for cooking.
Other stuff I’ve experienced so far, that I just enjoy and find interesting, is the fact that you have a weekly allowance of water, and if you exceed that, then deal with it (for your apartment – shower/kitchen sink/etc). A coffee café (Gloria Jean’s) bigger than any I’ve ever been to before – its like its own library but just tables and people, wtf. Its normal to leave home with just $15 cash for the day, nothing else, no extra credit cards, etc. (This took a few days for my risk aversity to adjust to). Its flipping cold here – it’s not all hot and deserty nonstop like the stereotype… And I figured that, but I was shocked that it is like SICK cold! Jes… that’s some of it.
About work: Its been lovely thus far. The office is quite pretty and fresh and in a lovely area in Amman, dangerously close to a massive Zara and Mango. (and by the way, yes, don’t worry, there is a quite large Calvin Klein underwear opening, so I’m all set). The people are all smart, friendly, and pleasant. Most notably Barbara, who was also an intern, is really helpful in my transition. I never feel too overwhelmed or underworked. She’s great. And there is a really freaking nice guy, Mohammad, who picks me up and drops me off from work since he lives near me. It’s such a blessing. Besides Barbara and Darin, the people I work with are Jordanian, so yes, all the same things apply that I mentioned before about being really friendly and hospitable and thoughtful. Thus far the projects I’m working on are interesting and I enjoy the work itself. I guess I feel a bit weird disclosing specific stuff about work since this is a public blog… so jes.
Um, random other happy stuffs is my apartment. Its been a bit of a gong show actually, but OVERALL, I like it a lot. Its just for a month for now, as I’m supposed to be moving into a new flat with 2 new folks who are arriving in a few weeks, but I’m enjoying it. It’s a studio, and the furniture and overall set up is quite nice. At first I didn’t have hot water and a fridge and stove, but it was actually manageable since the first week I ate out a lot to stay social, and there is an intern/ational flat nearby that I could walk to in 5minutes to shower. So anyways, all those things are sorted out, and so this weekend I was able to do massive grocery shopping, so I’m also on cloud nine from finally cooking a proper meal today. Yes, it was spaghetti, which isn’t the most complicated dish, but the sauce was just to my liking with shredded carrots and red pepper, garlic, onions, tomato, tomato paste, quite great basil and oregano and parsley, olive oil, and my latest happy marinara ingredient – hot peppers. Yummmmmmmm! Its always nice to have a meal just how you wanted, and its nice for me to feel comfortable cooking in my kitchen after 2 weeks of relying on eating out.
Alright. That’s a “snapshot” of the happy happy joy joy in my life. Although I’m not sure this qualifies as a snapshot… since its long, and not brief, and not a photo… ;p Jes. Sleepy now. Nights.
posted by shirley at 6:32 AM
1 Comments:
Awwww, this makes me nostalgic and feel all warm and fuzzy. Jordan is a wonderful place indeed and I'm so glad you're enjoying it. If you're ever in search of things to do, just ask. Andddd, Spring in Jordan is absolutely lovely. You must go out and see the wild flowers. Hugs from bahrain...
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