Home Sweet Home

After two months spent traveling the high seas, my "Household Effects" shipment arrived today.  

A team of Jordanian helpers brought the four crates holding my earthly possessions and got to work.  One guy was responsible for opening boxes (despite speaking no English, he managed to school me whenever I tried to open boxes on my own, denying him an opportunity to use his exact-o knife).  A second guy carried boxes and paper out of the apartment.  The final two guys moved the boxes to their designated rooms and unpacked and placed the furniture I brought.


Opening the boxes was like greeting old friends.  "The wii!" "My spices!", "DVD's!", "pillows!" "toilet paper!", "More Toilet Paper!!", "still MORE toilet paper!", and "HOW MUCH TOILET PAPER DID I BUY?!?" (apparently a lot - it was stuffed into 11 different boxes).

However, it was also a little disheartening.  An obsessively recycler, by the end of the day I was convinced the Lorax was looking on, broken-hearted at the many forests of trees killed to pack up my boxes.  You are looking at thirteen jars and cans of various jams, teas, and sauces - all I was able to find in that huge pile of paper and large box.

So much waste.

By 3:00 p.m., we were all exhausted and my apartment looked like a giant bomb had exploded, raining miscellany down on the helpless inhabitants below.

I only have 13 boxes left to unpack.  All of them are labeled "decorations".  Let's hope that one of those "decorations" boxes actually contains shoes.  Otherwise, there will be some soft sobbing into my pillow later this week.

The remaining boxes.  I am hoping they will unpack themselves magically while I'm sleeping.

The Dead Sea

I took a little drive down to the Dead Sea today (literally down - my ears actually popped during the ascent in elevation).

To avoid offending the sensibilities of the conservative patrons at the public beach, as I was planning on wearing (*gasp!*) a bathing suit to go into the water, instead of a long-sleeved shirt and leggings, I availed myself of a day pass to the private Movenpick Resort, where Western attire is acceptable.*

Although the delicious fresh-squeezed mint-lemonade was wonderful and the afternoon spent alternating between reading and napping in the sun a welcome respite after a long week, the real treat was lounging in the Dead Sea. The buoyancy is just incredible - I sat, reclined, stood upright, and stretched out flat on my back, all without the slightest bit of effort expended. Floating in the Dead Sea is as close as I will ever come to what I imagine zero gravity must feel like (damn my poor eyesight for ruining my astronautic aspirations).

I finished the visit off by ordering some delicious Swiss ice cream and watching the sun as it set over the Judaean desert and hills. Not bad for a first week.

*Funnily enough, I ended up winning the prize for "most modest" today - lots of old men in speedos and old ladies in bikinis - yikes!

Jordan!

After a year of anticipation, two months of preparation, a week of frantic packing, and 17 "grueling" hours of being pampered in business class cabins and lounges, I finally arrived in Amman.

I cleared customs and was driven, along with my two heavy suitcases and three heavier carry-ons, to my new apartment where this terrifying creature was waiting to greet me:

Boogedah-boogedah. I have named him Grimsby and try not to walk past him after dark. Can you imagine what he will look like with flames coming out of his mouth?

I am unpacked, settled in, and very much looking forward to two years in the Hashemite Kingdom. I promise to post more regularly, sharing fascinating tales of my weekly adventures (example: Today I bought a kilo of corn stalch and had a cupcake at Suger Daddy's! (no, those are not typos)). These will primarily be a ruse to lure you all out for a visit. Hope it works!