Well kids, it looks like I live at one of the seven wonders of the world. The night that the results were announced I was in Wadi Musa (the town outside Petra) and it was a madhouse with people waiting for the results. There were dance lines in the street and music blaring from every storefront. Cars painted like Jordanian flags with pictures of the king and ten guys hanging out the windows cruised around honking and yelling and occasionally running into each other due to the paint on all the windows. But there were no hurt feelings cuz this was the night of the big announcement. I cant imagine how sad it would have been if that party was cut short by a loss. Hopefully this will give jordan’s tourism a little boost. Also, while people are here they can see just how the cinematic genius of American Beauty was made. Think of that scene with that beautiful plastic bag just dancing on the wind. But this is even better because it is 20 or 30 plastic bags flying through the air doing their tornado dance of joy. And more is always better. And, the people can even feel like they are part of that joy dance when a bag comes and slaps them in the face and stays until the wind brushes it away again. Magical.
I hope you all had a great fourth of july. I went to a party at the embassy on the fifth. Apparently the big wigs have a special party on the fourth itself. It was fun. there was swimming and a cover band and dodgeball. However, the fireworks were conspicuously absent. The best part about the embassy party last year were the big, huge American fireworks. Jordanian fireworks are a bit like the kind you might buy in a shack on the side of the road. Pretty to look at, but not quite as impressive as you might like. But this year there were no fireworks. Apparently last year those big bad fireworks came dangerously close to burning things down.
The day after the party was our yearly softball game with the Japanese volunteers. I think we had an unfair advantage and won. But they were really the big winners. They were so nice and happy and fun the whole time. And we were, well, less so. Not to say that we were total crab asses, but they just seemed like such nice people. Apparently video was taken of the game and will at some point be available here: http://www.ammansoftball.blogspot.com
I am taking a big risk by posting that. Who knows what kind of stupid thing I might be shown doing. But at least I know it wont be me wearing a left handed glove. It was fun, but I am horrified by how out of shape I am. A little bit of batting and running and I am still sore days later.
The rest of my life these days is taken up by English classes, packing my house and people threatening to come to exercise classes. I don’t know that I could move to save my life right now…
So, that is the update for now, or at least all I have in me to give. I hope you are all staying out of the summer heat (or cold as the case may be for a select few of you). Put me in your thoughts on Friday. Steel Magnolias is on and I have already stocked up on tissues for it.