Classes last week were nice. I went walking with my friend Sara on Monday, and I met two of her friends in a coffee shop; we all had tea and talked about life here in Jordan and life in America. Last week flew by because on Thursday I had a very important meeting planned. I luckily managed to schedule a meeting with the creator and president of Questscope, Dr. Curt Rhodes. Before I could meet with Dr. Rhodes, I had to get to Amman. Gideon, another classmate/friend, and I went to the bus station in Irbid and jumped on the first Hijazi bus going to Amman. My meeting was scheduled for 4pm, and I made it to the Questscope heaquarters with 30 minutes to spare.
The Questscope building in Amman has four stories and is in a quiet neighborhood just around the corner of the Paris Circle. I waited on the first floor for my appointment to begin, and spoke with some of the workers in Questscope. They were curious about what I was doing there, and why I was meeting with Dr. Rhodes. Questscope is a company that is "dedicated to transforming the future of vulnerable youth and communities in the Middle East––by equipping them with the resources and hope they need to become compassionate and productive citizens." The company is located in several countries in the Middle East, and uses many trained volunteers to work within each city.
My meeting with Dr. Rhodes began right on time. We spoke in a board room on the fourth floor of the building. Dr. Rhodes walked in and shook my hand with great enthusiasm. He is an older American man with white hair and blue eyes, and has been living in the Middle East for about 30 years. Our conversation began with introductions. I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Rhodes on the phone in February, so we both knew a little bit about each other. I told Dr. Rhodes about my studies here in Irbid and at Ole Miss. He seemed very interested in them. We spoke about history and where certain political ideals have came about. I then asked Dr. Rhodes to just give me some advice on life here in the Middle East and a little bit about human rights. Dr. Rhodes said to look at "the dark side of the moon". As outsiders we have to ask what other people know and work from there. What others perspective on life is and how they live. He emphasized this point by explaining how Questscope works with underprivileged youth who have dropped out of high school and do not seem to have a postitive future. Before anything, Questscope sits down with an individual and asks them what their daily life is like. From there they help the individual get some education and/or obtain a trade so that he may work. The main goal is to teach the individual how to utilize their strengths in a positive and productive manner, and to teach them how to think for themselves. It is a very interesting process, which is also explained more on their website: www.questscope.org The meeting was very inspiring for me. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to meet with such a remarkable and interesting man!
Once the meeting was over, Gideon and I checked into the hostel that we were staying in, Abbassi Palace Hotel, located in downtown Amman near the Roman Ampitheatre. Our hostel was worth the money that we paid for one night. Gideon and I ate near our hostel called "Cairo Restaurant." It did not serve Egyptian food, but instead had common Jordanian food such as makbula and mansaf (Jordan's national dish). I had an interesting rice dish with chicken, it tasted amazing! Gideon and I took a taxi to another part of Amman that seemed like a comletely different world than downtown. The streets were cleaner and the buildings newer, and the restaurants seemed to be more expensive. I loved being in the city, everything was new and exciting for me. From my experience, taxi drivers usually ask Gideon if I am his wife or sister as if I am not present; so we decided that if anyone asked, we were siblings. It's very interesting for me to be in a taxi because the driver usually completely ignores me and only talks to the person in the front seat (a male classmate). Gideon was good at trying to keep me involved in the conversation, but I usually just listen. One taxi driver started talking about religion and said that God does not have a son, that was a first. Other cab drivers just ask where we are studying and what we think about Jordan. Most of them are very friendly and curious.
Friday morning, Gideon and I headed out to Rainbow Street. On Fridays there is a big market where you can buy anything from carpets to fresh made pickles; there are jewelry, coins, and paintings. While on the street looking for souvenirs, security men brushed by me and I turned around to see an important couple most likely from Europe. I'm not sure why those people were famous or important, but they had a lot of security, making sure that their visit was safe. The rest of the day was spent wandering around downtown Amman. There are stores for anything imaginable. Especially, souvenirs. The day was warm, but the walk was nice. Not all businesses were open of course because it was Friday, when most things are closed. Downtown is dirtier and livlier than other parts of Amman. The streets always seem to be busy with people trying to sell their goods. It felt like I was walking through a huge flea market; I could buy anything from souvenirs to clothes and fruit.
The bus ride back to Irbid seemed to go by quickly. Once back in Irbid, I relaxed so that I would be ready to study on Saturday. Saturday morning I did homework and studied for the LSAT with Iskander which went well. Though it is still the beginning of the week, class is starting to get busier. We have another round of tests on Wednesday, which will hopefully go well. It is hard to believe that next week will be our last full week taking classes at Yarmouk. Sometimes I'm not sure where the summer has gone!
The Questscope building in Amman has four stories and is in a quiet neighborhood just around the corner of the Paris Circle. I waited on the first floor for my appointment to begin, and spoke with some of the workers in Questscope. They were curious about what I was doing there, and why I was meeting with Dr. Rhodes. Questscope is a company that is "dedicated to transforming the future of vulnerable youth and communities in the Middle East––by equipping them with the resources and hope they need to become compassionate and productive citizens." The company is located in several countries in the Middle East, and uses many trained volunteers to work within each city.
My meeting with Dr. Rhodes began right on time. We spoke in a board room on the fourth floor of the building. Dr. Rhodes walked in and shook my hand with great enthusiasm. He is an older American man with white hair and blue eyes, and has been living in the Middle East for about 30 years. Our conversation began with introductions. I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Rhodes on the phone in February, so we both knew a little bit about each other. I told Dr. Rhodes about my studies here in Irbid and at Ole Miss. He seemed very interested in them. We spoke about history and where certain political ideals have came about. I then asked Dr. Rhodes to just give me some advice on life here in the Middle East and a little bit about human rights. Dr. Rhodes said to look at "the dark side of the moon". As outsiders we have to ask what other people know and work from there. What others perspective on life is and how they live. He emphasized this point by explaining how Questscope works with underprivileged youth who have dropped out of high school and do not seem to have a postitive future. Before anything, Questscope sits down with an individual and asks them what their daily life is like. From there they help the individual get some education and/or obtain a trade so that he may work. The main goal is to teach the individual how to utilize their strengths in a positive and productive manner, and to teach them how to think for themselves. It is a very interesting process, which is also explained more on their website: www.questscope.org The meeting was very inspiring for me. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to meet with such a remarkable and interesting man!
Once the meeting was over, Gideon and I checked into the hostel that we were staying in, Abbassi Palace Hotel, located in downtown Amman near the Roman Ampitheatre. Our hostel was worth the money that we paid for one night. Gideon and I ate near our hostel called "Cairo Restaurant." It did not serve Egyptian food, but instead had common Jordanian food such as makbula and mansaf (Jordan's national dish). I had an interesting rice dish with chicken, it tasted amazing! Gideon and I took a taxi to another part of Amman that seemed like a comletely different world than downtown. The streets were cleaner and the buildings newer, and the restaurants seemed to be more expensive. I loved being in the city, everything was new and exciting for me. From my experience, taxi drivers usually ask Gideon if I am his wife or sister as if I am not present; so we decided that if anyone asked, we were siblings. It's very interesting for me to be in a taxi because the driver usually completely ignores me and only talks to the person in the front seat (a male classmate). Gideon was good at trying to keep me involved in the conversation, but I usually just listen. One taxi driver started talking about religion and said that God does not have a son, that was a first. Other cab drivers just ask where we are studying and what we think about Jordan. Most of them are very friendly and curious.
Friday morning, Gideon and I headed out to Rainbow Street. On Fridays there is a big market where you can buy anything from carpets to fresh made pickles; there are jewelry, coins, and paintings. While on the street looking for souvenirs, security men brushed by me and I turned around to see an important couple most likely from Europe. I'm not sure why those people were famous or important, but they had a lot of security, making sure that their visit was safe. The rest of the day was spent wandering around downtown Amman. There are stores for anything imaginable. Especially, souvenirs. The day was warm, but the walk was nice. Not all businesses were open of course because it was Friday, when most things are closed. Downtown is dirtier and livlier than other parts of Amman. The streets always seem to be busy with people trying to sell their goods. It felt like I was walking through a huge flea market; I could buy anything from souvenirs to clothes and fruit.
The bus ride back to Irbid seemed to go by quickly. Once back in Irbid, I relaxed so that I would be ready to study on Saturday. Saturday morning I did homework and studied for the LSAT with Iskander which went well. Though it is still the beginning of the week, class is starting to get busier. We have another round of tests on Wednesday, which will hopefully go well. It is hard to believe that next week will be our last full week taking classes at Yarmouk. Sometimes I'm not sure where the summer has gone!
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