You know how people say that on the mission days feel like weeks and weeks feel like days? Apparently study abroad schtuff feel like that too, except here days feel like weeks and weeks feel like months. Yup yup. Also, shout out to these here fruit stands, they are the greatest thing ever. So fresh and so cheap!
Anywho, we got to see a bit of Amman on Saturday, visited the University of Jordan and some fancy lil Byzantine ruins (I was waiting for someone to step on something so I could gasp and tell them they ruined it, but the opportunity never appropriately arose). Aaaand then we had lunch all together downtown. 49 peeps in one lil street مطعم (restaurant) is quite the experience, lemme tell ya.
Also, Zach was super tired on the bus, poor lil guy. (He's the youngest person in the program, just turned 18 this summer, and will be getting his mission papers soon. Super smart and super sassy and definitely my little brother figure out here.) I'm just really impressed he can sleep like that. #skills
Sunday, we started classes and oh my wow I absolutely LOVE my Jordanian teachers! They are so cute and obviously speak so well and I'm getting corrected a lot which means I'ma get a lot better. Yay for progress. Sunday night, Sydney, Greg, Zach, and I went to sample Mansaf, the official dish of Jordan, with Hasan, Zach's friend from Hello Talk. (It's an app people can use to practice speaking with natives and helping people learn English.) I'm honestly not a huge fan of lamb, but everyone else loved it and boy is it heavy! We slept real good that night.
Also, this sign looks like they're serving baby dinosaur heads. (The lil red dot mid right is the eyeball and it's eating the greens in the middle if that helps.)
Sydney and I had bought a box of brownie mix at a Western store and Monday we baked 'em up and took some upstairs to meet our neighbors. Oh my goodness it seriously felt like I was right back on the mission and THEY'RE FROM IRAQ aka my favorite group of humans ever كتثر و . We got to know them and asked lots of questions and they've got 2 daughters my age so basically we've got ourselves some new Arab friends to take around! Boom. We left after about an hour on cloud 9 I swear. THESE ARE MY PEOPLE AND OH MY WOW. Cue song from Annie; "I THINK I'M GOOONNA LIKE IT HEEEERE!" Life is good.
We made another brownie run on Tuesday to some more neighbors, ALSO from Iraq, and like talk about a crazy cute family and the highlight of our day! I just love sitting and talking to these amazing people and don't feel more at home anywhere else than on an Arab's couch. They are so so kind and hospitable and just the purest souls. #iraqin'emin
So like I know I'm not a full time missionary anymore and I don't get to send out lots of scriptures and insights and such but like there's no rules that say you can't share stuff from your personal study on your blog so I'ma take the liberty to do so.
In April Conference, President M. Russell Ballard quoted John 20:21 which states (followed by his own words): "'Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.' Notice a twofold action-God sends His Son. The Son sends His servants-mortal men and women-to accomplish Their work." We can and should be their hands wherever we are in the world, and even though I'm only a toddler in the language, I am praying to be a force for good in the lives of at least a few people here.
NOOOOOOO!!! I was just gonna do a "Sydney and Greg highlights" segment, but like Sydney definitely just beat me to it and now I don't look original at all. sydslivro.wordpress.com Gosh dang it Sydney.
Oh well. Basically, they were stuck with me all day ery day during spring and summer classes and as a reward for putting up with me so well back in Provo, Kirk decided to make Sydney my roommate out here. MWAHAHAHA! She is probably the coolest female I've ever met, and like I've met myself quite a few times, so that's saying something. ;) She's super down to earth, positive, smart, funny, easy going, talkative, outdoorsy, crafty, way good at picking up languages, and just a fun person to be around. She made me breakfast yesterday cuz we got back from running a lil late and I had an early appointment and oh my wow she's just so good to me! Also very entertaining.
I've started a pretty solid collection of pictures and videos documenting the life of Sydney Francis: Jordan Part 1, but she'd literally kill me if I posted those...
And then there's Greg. He says he's not really a people person and what not, but like literally every human he meets wants to be his best friend cuz he's hilarious and super real, very personable and self aware, a big tease, and way better than everyone at basically everything. He and Sydney became pretty great friends over the summer and like they're way too cool for me, but also I think I rightfully earned my spot as at least a tag-along after Greg made me jump out of an airplane, so it's fine. Long story short, they're stuck with me in a foreign country and talk about hitting the jackpot cuz I get to go on this adventure with the two coolest humans in the whole wide world. Sometimes we're really good at being focused and getting homework done, and sometimes I just really need one of these signs on my back:
Our cute little church building up north is about an hour away from where we're at in Amman. There will be 6 of us attending that branch while we're here, and we'll be helping with ministering and teaching etc. The members are so sweet and one of the lessons was just what I needed today.
Everyone passed out on the way home from church
Basically, it feels like we've been here way longer than a week, classes are great, the people are wonderful, Arabic is flippin hard, but God is good and if He can free the Israelites, part the Red Sea, and rain manna, He can help me learn this language!!
NOOOOOOO!!! I was just gonna do a "Sydney and Greg highlights" segment, but like Sydney definitely just beat me to it and now I don't look original at all. sydslivro.wordpress.com Gosh dang it Sydney.
I've started a pretty solid collection of pictures and videos documenting the life of Sydney Francis: Jordan Part 1, but she'd literally kill me if I posted those...
We decided to share a hunting shirt we found this week...that's all you get haha
And then there's Greg. He says he's not really a people person and what not, but like literally every human he meets wants to be his best friend cuz he's hilarious and super real, very personable and self aware, a big tease, and way better than everyone at basically everything. He and Sydney became pretty great friends over the summer and like they're way too cool for me, but also I think I rightfully earned my spot as at least a tag-along after Greg made me jump out of an airplane, so it's fine. Long story short, they're stuck with me in a foreign country and talk about hitting the jackpot cuz I get to go on this adventure with the two coolest humans in the whole wide world. Sometimes we're really good at being focused and getting homework done, and sometimes I just really need one of these signs on my back:
True story. They're great though and I love them a whole lot!
Proof that everyone follows Greg cuz he's the coolest.
Post morning run in sports city
We're just always laughing. And it's the best. Love you guys!
Our cute little church building up north is about an hour away from where we're at in Amman. There will be 6 of us attending that branch while we're here, and we'll be helping with ministering and teaching etc. The members are so sweet and one of the lessons was just what I needed today.
Everyone passed out on the way home from church
ALSO, see those mountains right there?! THAT'S SYRIA! We were way close to the border today on the way to Irbid. #syriasly
Arabic word of the week: كرم generosity. If there's one word that encapsulates Arabic culture, it's كرم. Sydney pointed out earlier this week how different these families of strangers are taking us in and treating us versus the way most Americans might treat two random Arabic girls on a similar study abroad back home. I definitely want to do what I can to incorporate the hospitality they exemplify in my own life. I just love them.
Mosiah 7:19
Your spirits just fly in speech off the page! Keep it up!
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