And Here We Go!

Well, it's the night before I begin my long journey to the Middle East (emphasis on the long, it's 27 hours total, with two 6-7 hour layovers in JFK and Frankfurt....not that I'm looking for pity or anything haha).

My one big suitcase is all packed and just a couple of pounds short of the maximum (yessss!), my carry on is stocked with a weeks worth of clothes, just in case, and my backpack is filled with entertainment.

All of this points to the undeniable fact that, I am indeed getting on a place tomorrow and jetsetting to Jordan for four months. And yet, it is still unreal to me.

I'm not stranger to traveling....as most of you know, I took a gap year between high school and college, to live in Germany for a year, a year that I loved and have never regretted. I do recall a similar feeling on the eve of my trip to Germany, of it not sinking in. It didn't sink in until I got off that plane and all of the signs were in German first, English second. It became real the next morning when I woke up in a bed that wasn't mine, to the sounds of German conversation.

I expect it will be about the same for this journey too. However, there are so many differences between when I went to Germany and what Jordan will be like...I say this because I probably won't be mentioning Germany as a comparison too much after this post. For starters:
1) I was 18 and traveling by myself to Germany.....For Jordan, I am 21 (going on 22) and going with dozens of other American students, some of who I know and am friends with (Shout out to Sabreen!!!)
2) German vocabulary---pretty much English with a heavy accent. Arabic vocabulary---not so much.
3) As my mom says, in Germany, no one would have guessed that I wasn't a native German....just look through my pictures as proof. Blonde, blue eyed, fair skinned....my German heritage is pretty obvious. Now I am going to the Middle East, where I know light skin and blue eyes do exist, but I will be in the minority.
For these reasons, I want to try to separate my experiences in Germany from my upcoming experiences in Jordan.

Don't get me wrong. I am so excited for this challenge....I look forward to the day when I can just glance at an Arabic word or sentence and inherently know what it says without sounding it out. I look forward to meeting the people, befriending Jordanians, getting to know the other program participants, bonding with my host family, and seeing the sights that the area has to offer.

I am excited!!!!!!

But I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. Sometimes even terrified. Most of the time, these emotions have to do with the culture shock I will be facing and the uncertainty of how I will be treated as a woman. I know that cat calls and flirtation will occur, and probably nothing more serious than that. I've pretty much come to terms with this. But it's still nerve wracking, to know that this is a very patriarchal society. It will be a huge adjustment for me and my fairly outspoken feministy ways. But it's part of the challenge. So I look forward to everything I mentioned above, but I especially look forward to seeing how I grow as a woman and a feminist. What new perspectives I will gain.  

But enough with the heavy musings! I hope you all will enjoy this blog, as I document my new life in the Arab world.  Now, wish me luck to be able to sleep at least a little on these upcoming plane rides!