Bugs, Those Thugs

Question: How do you kill a line of ants crawling from your bedroom window to your kitchen, all without bug spray? Answer: You stomp them out! Jason and I had quite a time on waking up this morning, trying to kill all the little critters. It required a quick foot and some furniture moving, but we got the job done. Ellie was upset at all the noise and commotion, until Jason made a tap dance routine out of it. She found that hilarious.

An update on sending us packages. We have heard word that sending packages to Jordan from the US is a little pricey. Honestly, there is nothing we really need right now, so no one really needs to send us any packages. But, for those who insist, here is some advice. United States Postal Service (regular mail) is apparently cheaper than UPS, DhL, etc. Don't send us diapers or wipes, they weigh too much and it is better for us to just buy them here, even with the extra price difference. It just costs too much to ship them. Also, books can be heavy, so don't worry about those. There are books at the Fulbright office that I borrow and read, and we found a sesame street website with online books on it that Ellie likes. We revised our "wish list" to things that are lighter and more wanted.

DVD's ( Jason requests any TV show seasons, like Lost or 24. Ellie is really into Elmo right now)
Hidden Valley ranch packets
Chili packets
pasta sauce packets
Instant grits packets
Oatmeal (for baking)
Plain cheerios
Cream of wheat, malt o meal
Pictures of you, Ellie loves to look at them and point out everyone (Nikki is now Kikki)

Any food can just be put into ziplock bags or something to make them lighter. Also, we don't have a lot of room to bring things back to us, so keep that in mind. Most of Ellie's clothes and toys will be donated somewhere when we leave.

Our little girl

Everything here is going well. Jason his placement test today and tomorrow he'll find out what level class he'll be in. He starts class on Sunday. Guess what? I'm taking Arabic classes also. Mine start Sunday night and they are at a cultural center in Amman. The difference in ours, other than I'm a beginner and he is not, is that my classes will be the spoken Jordanian dialect of Arabic and his is Modern Standard (or written). I am excited to start.

Ellie is really growing up fast. I counted today and she knows over 100 words! Some words, like drink, she only says the last syllable of, but most words, like backpack, she says perfectly. She also says quite a few phrases, like "Ellie do it" and "climb up." Yesterday our friends Alex and Kendra Thompson came over and Ellie kept telling Kendra "sit down" because she wanted Kendra to read her a book. Gram, you said you miss reading to her, boy we wish you were here to take our place! Her hunger for knowledge is insatiable. She points to EVERYTHING and says "that" (what's that?). She will not stop saying it until you tell her the name of whatever she is pointing at. She also is officially weaned, having not nursed at all for 4 days. That didn't stop her, however, from grabbing my chest and saying "Milk" over and over in front of our friends. She really enjoys her mattress bed, especially since she can just walk right out of her room whenever she feels like it. That is very annoying when we are trying to put her to bed, but very cute when she walks out after her nap, or when she walks into our bedroom in the morning.

We love and miss everyone; thanks for all the emails and comments!

Today we had a couple of unexpected and uninvited guests to our apartment. This morning I was opening the curtains in our bedroom when something fell from above me and landed on the windowsill. I always wondered if I would be one of those screaming girls when a mouse ran across the floor, or if I would calmly take care of it. Now I know. I didn't so much scream as squeal and jump onto the bed. Jason came running and I was so startled that I couldn't even explain what was wrong. Finally I was able to tell him that a lizard had fallen onto the windowsill. Of course he was unphased by it, actually a little excited because it was a gecko. Immediately after I had seen what it was I laughed at myself, but it is just a little frightening to have something alive fall from above.

Tonight as I was fixing Ellie's bed, I found another visitor. Since we opted not to bring our heavy and awkward playpen, Ellie sleeps on a full size mattress on the floor of her room, with many blankets around the edges to keep her from rolling away. I picked up one of those blankets and a centipede crawled under the rug. I yelled for Jason (our knight in shining armor once again) and he shooed us out of the room while he dealt with the beast. Thanks to all of you who are praying for our safety, because Ellie very easily could have been bitten last night or even tonight, and you all know how dangerous they can been for babies. I've been hunting for mosquitos in our rooms every night before bedtime, now I know to check the ground as well for other creepy-crawlies.

Ellie is enjoying learning to dress herself. She walks around the house with mismatched shoes, or even just one shoe, and lately she has taken to putting on my underwear (clean ones of course). Here is a picture of her latest

Hooray!!

Jason's suitcase finally showed up! We were beginning to think it had disappeared completely. We can't pick it up until Sunday (it's the weekend now), but at least we know it is back. Jason will be glad to have his comfy tennies, clean socks, and more than three shirts.

So, a lot of people have asked about sending care packages, so we've thought of some things that could be sent.

Ellie: goldfish ("doldish") crackers, cheerios, books (any children's books, she loves to read them....over, and over, and over), diapers size 4, wipes

Jason: "can't think of anything" too bad, guess he's missing out

Kirsten: fiction books, sauce mixes (like alfredo sauce, taco seasoning, etc.), granola bars

That's all we can think of for now. Keep the comments coming, we like to hear from everyone!

Pictures

Left - Our place in Amman. Our apartment is on the right downstairs. You can't see our door, it's under the stairs.

Below - The view from outside our front yard

Home Sweet Home

I wanted to share the things about living here that are different than in America. Just different, not necessarily bad or good. People who have traveled to foreign countries can probably relate to a lot of these.

- the apartment doesn't have air conditioning, but the weather is nice enough that opening windows in the morning and evening does the trick.

- We have no idea what the name of the street we live on is (neither does anyone else), we have to give directions by nearby landmarks

- We can't throw toilet paper into the toilet, there is a wastebasket nearby for that

- We turn on the hot water for about an hour a day to take showers, wash dishes, etc.

- We live right behind the neighborhood mosque, so the call to prayer sounds like it is coming from our living room. It's not bad really except at 4:45am, but we'll get used to it.

- our stove runs off of a gas cylinder that has to be changed when it runs out. A truck blaring tinkling music drives by every day (kind of like the ice cream truck) that you can buy new ones from.

Those are the ones I can think of for now. We all are still getting adjusted, Ellie is starting to sleep better, in longer stretches. Jason's suitcase STILL hasn't arrived yet, so that is very difficult on him. I am okay, cooking meals is my challenge right now. I tried to make my semi-famous homemade spaghetti sauce last night and it turned out more like chili (different ingredients here). Oh well, it was good if not a little weird on pasta. Jason and Ellie gobbled it up still. I'll just have to learn to make new dishes :)

Getting Settled

Before I go into details, just let me tell everyone who has heard about the shooting in Amman, we are fine. We heard that a man just started shooting random people downtown and one person has died, others injured. It was just a random crazy guy, so no one get worried (okay, mom?).

On to better news. We found an apartment! It is near the university where Jason will be studying, though not within easy walking distance. It is two bedrooms and very spacious. We are just happy to have one so soon. The Fulbright office had a bunch of apartments researched, and they've been taking us around to see them the past couple days. Without them it would have been much more difficult!

Back to not so good news. I forgot to mention that one of our suitcases, Jason's to be exact, was lost on our way over. We have not received it yet, but supposedly it should be coming. He has been living on two pairs of clothing, and luckily his toiletries were in another suitcase. Also, Ellie is not adjusting as well as our trip to Egypt. It has been a lot harder to get her sleep schedule back to normal, which makes her cranky during the day. Hopefully in our apartment she will adjust.

For those who requested it, here is our address. It is not the one to our apartment because we can't receive mail here, but this is to the Fulbright office where we will be contacted if we receive any.

PO Box 850215
Amman 11185, Jordan

If anyone sends through a courier, like UPS, FedEx, etc., use this address:

19, Al-Mahdi Bin Barakah Street
Shmeisani
Amman 11185, Jordan

We're Here!

After long hours of traveling, we have arrived in Amman. We are staying at a nice hotel; it is a Howard Johnson. Amman looks nicer than Cairo so far, and the Fulbright office said they have an apartment in mind for us. So, on Sunday we'll start orientation and learn everything we need to know :) Some exciting news for us is that a couple that we know from U of A and Glorietta will also be in Amman while we're here. They are also studying Arabic at the same university as Jason. We'll have friends! I'll update more when we get a chance.

We're in Tucson!

We just arrived in Tucson last night, to see family/friends and get winter clothes out of storage. Kyle's first birthday party was this morning, and it was a lot of fun. Ellie's face lit up when she first saw Kyle, and it was neat to see him walking around. I won the "guess how many cheerios are in the bottle" game. :) Jason and I just went to our storage unit to get clothes and various other things out. Since it is jam-packed with stuff, we ended up just grabbing what we could get at, so not everything we wanted was obtainable. Luckily a lot of our clothes were in the front. We'll just have to buy whatever else we need.

We'll be here until Tuesday, and hopefully we can see everyone!

Trip to Tucson

Plans have changed, we will be coming up to Tucson the weekend of the 26th instead. Which means, we can go to Kyle's first birthday party! Also, we are flying out of Phoenix, so it means less driving for us, since we will not be returning to Havasu. So, we hope to see everyone then :)

Disneyland pics

Ellie with her Mickey Mouse glasses
Bryson (What a smile!)
Cousins on the carousel

Pictures from Egypt!!

Us at the pyramids
Ellie eating an ice cream cone ON the ice cream cart
Our friends from the drink store next to the hotel

The Happiest Place on Earth

We arrived in Phoenix safely on Saturday; only to leave on Sunday to go to Disneyland. What a culture change!! Although exhausting (hello jet lag!), it was a lot of fun. It was quality family time, especially with the Porters; Jason finally met our nephew Bryson (or Isis as Ellie calls him). We'll be in Arizona for 3 weeks more!

Here We Come!

We leave in the morning to fly back to Arizona. The last week has really flown by. The hotel staff is really sad to see Ellie go (they don't really care about Jason and I). This place has become like our home and although we are very ready to return to the US, we are a little sad to leave. Our life here has been very relaxed, no real responsibilities, besides Jason showing up for class. Jason and I play cards together every night since we don't have a television, and that has been a nice change. But, we are ready to see our friends and family.

We are planning on coming to Tucson around August 19th (so Nichole, don't come to Havasu that weekend). Hopefully we can see everyone then. Email me or post a comment if you want to be included in the tour :)

The top 10 ways you know you are in Cairo

10. Everyone else in the restaurant is smoking, but no one is drinking alcohal

9. You enter a shop to buy a pair of shoes, and you end up sitting and drinking their cup of tea

8. You start hording small bills as you need them for taxi fares ("Sorry, no change. I'll just take your 20.")

7. Your teacher tells you that a favorite sport in Cairo is "Chasing after the bus"

6. Every taxi that comes across you walking down the street stops and honks until you wave them away

5. Every building has about 25 satelite dishes on the roof

4. People follow you down the street trying to sell you cherries/mint/limes/kleenex/flowers

3. Crossing the street is like a game of frogger

2. You tell time by the calls to prayer (oh, there he goes... time for Ellie to go to bed!)

1. It is almost 100 degrees out and everyone is wearing long sleeves and pants!

A Little Parrot

I forgot how much toddlers really soak in so quickly. And how they repeat EVERYTHING they hear. Ellie repeats almost everything we say to her. Sometimes it will be right on the money, like "mouse" and "Bible." Other times it will be totally off the wall, like saying "myrefsh" for "camel." The coolest word she can say now is "spiky," which she learned from one of the hotel staff since her hair sticks straight up when she wakes up. Yesterday she dropped a book off the bed and Jason said "I'll get it," and she repeated clearly "I'll get it." Amazing!

Yesterday afternoon we had lunch with several of Jason's classmates from U of A. It was really fun to be with a bunch of Americans for a while. It seems that all of them are world travelers, so we learned a bit about a lot of places. I guess students in area studies are able to travel for school a lot more. It's neat for me to be able to travel to all these places as well, but not have to take the classes!

We have only two weeks left here. Things are winding down and we are doing things "one last time." I am trying to find Christmas gifts here, but since I already got everyone the typical Egyptian souvenirs, I have to be a little more inventive. If anyone knows what they want, let me know. We can get just about anything here, probably cheaper than in the US.

All we want for Christmas

We have just really realized the full ramifications of being in another country during Christmas. We had been so looking forward to seeing Ellie and her cousin Bryson tearing through the wrapping paper together this year. And although thinking about Christmas in July is a bit odd, we will probably have to leave all our presents for others in Arizona when we leave for Jordan, so we are thinking about shopping now. So, if anyone knows what they would like, feel free to let us know. By the way, if anyone would like to get us an early Christmas present of a nice luggage set, that would be highly appreciated :)

Last night we found the best restaurant. It is called La Bodega, and easily within walking distance of our place. We were surprised to see that it is a really fancy-looking restaurant, with a great selection on the menu. The best part is they have what they call a "set menu." There are three dinner options you can choose from, and for each course there are about 3 options. If that doesn't make sense, let me break it down. We ordered a 4 course "set menu" meal. For starters, we chose tomato soup, then a calamari appetizer, grilled fish w/potatoes in lemon butter for the main course, and finally chocolate mousse for dessert. This was meant for only one person, but we shared it. The lightly battered calamari was the best I have ever had, and everything else was amazing as well. The best part? All of that, not including a drink, but including tax and tip was 65 Egyptian pounds, or less than $12. A four course meal!!! Isn't that amazing? We are definitely spoiling ourselves, because we will not be able to eat like this in the states. We are very sorry Gram that we didn't find this place before you came :(

It seems like we have just settled in here, and already we are making plans for future travel. Jason's Fulbright stuff all has to be in very soon. We are leaving for Jordan in less than 2 months!! We have already decided that no matter how much it costs, we are definitely finding somewhere to live that is more than just one room. 3 people, especially including a rambunctious toddler, in one room is way too much. Ellie and I go to the grocery store maybe twice a day just to escape the four walls.

It may seem that all I talk (or write) about is Ellie, but really all I do every day is spend time with her. I see Jason for lunch and then about 4 hours at night, but we usually watch a movie at night while Ellie's sleeping, so that doesn't leave much time for talking. Plus, the same thing happens every day for Jason and I, but Ellie learns and experiences new things every day. So, if any one is sick of hearing about Ellie, sorry.

Here are all the new words she has learned here. Mommy (instead of mama), cookie, socks, okay (which she says to everything, all the time), Gram (which she says as Meem), and then various animal noises (including for bee, horse, owl). She has also learned some new signs for frog, elephant, and alligator, and she blows kisses. She also runs pretty fast, dances, spins in circles, and walks backwards. And, although I know she can say Mimi, because she makes that sound for Mommy and Gram, she insists on making her sign (sticking out her lower teeth). Sorry mom.

Jason and I have discovered that we aren't really in love with the authentic Egyptian food here, as a lot of it is greasy and fatty, but we love the fact that we can go to a restaurant with good American-type food and eat for less than it costs for McDonalds in the states. Oh, and I bought a pair of pink sneakers the other day, which I wouldn't have bought normally but they are cute and only cost the equivilent of $11. Nichole, you want some for your birthday?

I received pictures today of my nephew Bryson who is over 4 months old. He is adorable, and we are very excited to see him in August (and Tara and Zane of course). Almost every day I have Ellie say the names of everyone in our family, and when she says Bryson, she smiles really big and yesterday she did the sign for baby. So, she knows who he is and is also excited to see him.

The Whirlwind Is Over

Sorry if I have worried anyone with a lack of communication. Jason's grandmother came to visit us here and we have had a whirlwind of adventure for the past week and a half. We visited all of the normal tourist attractions, including mosques, churches, pyramids, restaurants, and a felucca (sailboat) ride on the Nile. Yesterday we even went to Alexandria! Ellie sat and splashed in the Mediterranean Sea. There were only mild waves, but it was kind of scary because a crowd of older kids came over and were all splashing and grabbing at her, like she was a baby doll to play with.

Ellie's burn is pretty much healed. It was pretty bad, with some nasty blisters turning into scabs, but there is only a small pink area left where the scabs came off. Luckily, no infection, even though it is very difficult to keep things clean here, especially toddler hands.

One thing we were worried about with Ellie was her fear of scarf-covered heads of women in the US. Surprisingly, she has done just fine with most of the women here. However, we recently discovered that she is terrified of the women wearing the full covering with only their eyes showing. Jason pointed out that it isn't too weird of a fear, since they kind of look like ninjas. :) Some young girls were trying to talk to Ellie and she screamed, even after they pulled their face coverings off.

Jason's classes are going well, with him adapting to speaking Arabic 5 hours a day. Only five weeks left!