Welcome 1st Graders!

Elmo and I are so excited you are going to join me on my trip! I hope that I can write something everyday and share pictures with you too.
I miss you already!

Mrs. Sallmann and Elmo!

The Acropolis

Christy and I went to the Acropolis today, and then did some shopping.  Lots of shopping.  I will post pictures when I return home.

But....guess what? 

Elmo was kicked out of the Acropolis!!  Well, not really, (that is a bit of an exaggeration), but I was told to put my "toy" away!  Yep.  Put my "TOY" away.....Elmo is NOT a toy, don't they know that?

How terrible is that??  I know you all want to protest the tourism board of Greece in Elmo's honor, but he is feeling ok since he did go on a boat at the island.  He enjoyed the wind in his fur.

Unfortunately, I didn't find him a captain's hat, so he may have to borrow Steve's hat when Elmo comes to Florida with me.  Especially if we visit Captain Dan, right, Steve?

Last night away from home.  Thanks to everyone for reading my blog while I was away.  It helped me stay connected.  I will share with you my projects when they are finished (???) and share with you in person all the wonderful things I have learned from this experience.

السلام عليكم

Ειρήνη είναι με σας

Peace be with you.

I'm in Athens!

On my way to sightsee.  We just got back from the island of Mykonos - it was wonderful!  I got a bit of a sunburn, but I will survive! :)

Our hotel! :)

Elmo on the boat to the other beach!

Christy is supporting Jed's 40th birthday!

Gotta go! My tour guide is sitting here waiting to take me away! 

Wrapping it up is bittersweet.

Rana Husseini invited us to see the Jordan women's soccer team practice.  It was great to see the women in a different element.  They were laughing, joking with each other and practicing a sport they love.  As you can see in the picture, some are covered, while others are not.  This is just the way of life here, and I love that about Jordan.

On Wednesday, I met with a former first grade teacher, Joana, who gave me wonderful ideas for the classroom AND a teacher connection at her school for this next school year!  I can't wait to start an international relationship with first graders here and my new class of first graders in WI.  How exciting!

We went to the King Abdullah Mosque on Wednesday morning too.  On the way there, our taxi driver pointed out this traffic officer who is 75 years old and has been entertaining this corner for years.  He was dancing around and swinging his arms like he was on stage.  The taxi driver got his attention for me to take a picture, and he ended up standing at attention for me:

It was a very large mosque with one big room for the men and a smaller room for the women.  I would have LOVED to see it during prayer because I am sure it is simply amazing to see.

Elmo was very respectful.  He took his shoes off at the door and was very quiet.

I had to wear a robe and cover my head. 

Today was another great day.  We had breakfast with our language instructor, we met with the Institute of Diplomacy and had a nice light political chat, and we had a lovely group dinner.

Oh yeah.  One more thing...we got PEDICURES!  Joana gave us the number to a great place.  We were so ready to sit back and relax.  They scrubbed 30 days of dirt, desert, car oil, rocks, sand, stone, and walking off my feet today.  I must say, they look delicious!  I am ready for the island!

Heidi, Aurora and I.

These are some happy feet!

Tomorrow we pack.  We have a few markets we want to hit too.  Then I say goodbye to this wonderful country.

Tuesday

I was told by someone they have tried to post comments, but I haven't seen them.  I haven't seen any comments in a while, so if you have commented, I am sorry I haven't responded!

We met with an amazing woman today - make that two amazing women today.  Our time here is so limited, but we are so lucky with the people we are meeting. 

One woman is going to connect a group of kids from Amman with my first grade classroom.  She was the first person who was truly excited about a project like this.  I am so very excited to have my students learn about the Middle East and its enriching culture through the eyes of children just like them!

The second woman invited us to her home and we had a wonderful meal and mighty good dessert (I will be making AS SOON as I get back - to all who know me well....it is made with DIGESTIVES!!!).  We had a deep, meaningful conversation on perceptions and stereotypes and how to help change people's way of thinking about other cultures, with an emphasis on the Muslim culture.   Again, great things I will bring into my teaching and into my own life experiences.

Now we relax and decide what to do tonight.  We will be visiting the King Abdullah mosque tomorrow.  Elmo can't wait.

Peace and love.

Saturday and Sunday

We went to the Citadel and the Roman Theatre on Saturday morning to beat the heat of the day.  The Citadel is on top of Jebel al-Qala'a, the highest hill in Amman (and the breeziest!).  This is the site of ancient Rabbath-Ammon.  Artifacts found date back to the Bronze Age.  The hill was a fortress or an open space for politics.  The pillars you can see for miles in Amman are the remaining pillars of the Roman Temple of Hercules.

There was a museum at the Citadel called the National Archaeological Museum which has a great collection of artifacts ranging from 6,000 years old skull to the Dead Sea Scrolls found in 1952.  It was cool to be able to view the Dead Sea Scrolls so close up and really, all by ourselves.

From the top of the Jebel al-Qala'a, we had a great view of the Roman Theatre.  It is a remnant from Roman Philadelphia.  It was built somewhere around 2nd century AD.

Notice the old and new.

We had to walk down the hill to the theatre itself through a winding path that led us behind homes and onto streets. 

Once down near the theatre, it was more obvious how it is in the middle of the city.  You can hear the cars honking and see the smoke from the trucks while inside this incredible theatre that once entertained the Roman people.

There are two museums at the theatre, one is the museum of popular traditions - which contained costumes, jewelery, face masks and mosaics.  It had beautiful items and clothing.  The other is called the folklore museum, but unfortunately, that one wasn't open.

After the theatre, we walked back into downtown near the souq (market place) and ate lunch at Hashem.  This is a restaurant known for their falafel - which is one of my favorites here. Then to Habiba - the sweet shop known for their kunafa. 

This is not from Habiba, but this is what kunafa looks like in the sweet shops.

This sweet is Jolanda's favorite.  I prefer other delicious goodies.

Saturday night was a few of us together in my hotel room drinking some purchases from Madaba and having snacks.  While we were sitting around, we heard another wedding party arrive.  There were drums playing and the sound of a flute or bag-pipe.  All the guests clapped for about 15 minutes before the bride and groom exited the car.  We opened my window and watched.  This is the only shot I could get:

Beautiful bride and such a warm reception by the guests!

On Sunday we had Arabic class where we are beginning to talk in sentences....well some of us.  I am still trying to process it all. :)

We swam a little bit before we needed to head down to Rainbow Street for the night.  We wanted to do some more shopping at the handcraft places.  We had to meet the author, Rana Husseini, at 7:30 at Books@Cafe. (not a link)

Rana was wonderful!  She explained a lot of her book (Murder in the Name of Honor) and answered all of our questions.  She has written some amazing articles that push the envelope here in Jordan, and has brought a lot of attention to some very important women's issues. 

And she is human!  She talked about her fear of taking the U.S. GRE for grad school.  We assured her with a book on her resume, she should be just fine getting into a school in the U.S.  She is also involved with the women's soccer (football) team here, and invited us to come watch practice tonight!  I am definitely going because it amazes me to know they have a soccer team for young women.  Physical activity isn't promoted much after a certain age in Jordan.  And boys and girls are usually separated from any sport activities after about age 11 or 12.  Knowing that they are pushing for a national women's soccer team peaked my interest in this area!

Here we are with Rana:

And then "you know who" wanted to meet her and he did!

Thanks to Rana for being a great sport!

So today is Monday - our last Monday here.  It is getting so close to the end, but we still have a lot to accomplish this week.  I have been working on my projects today.  I have a few ideas to get underway also.  We have meetings every day this week with some wonderful people.  I want to soak up as much as I can before Saturday.

I am off to shop, the soccer practice and a meeting with a man who will be explaining Islam to us (I am VERY excited for this meeting!).  I must pack my headscarf, as I will be wearing it during this meeting. 

I hope all are well and those of you in Wisconsin, I hope you are dry too!

TA-Day (that's for your dad, Mandy!)

First, yesterday was a very productive shopping day for Jolanda and I.  We hit many Jordanian handicraft places and saw beautiful linens and things.  We had a few hours after class before the screening of the movie, Captain Abu Raed.

Captain Abu Raed.  Wow.  I am speechless about the film, so I am taking this quote from the website - "Captain Abu Raed is the story of everyday people intersecting across social boundaries. It is a story of dreams, friendship, forgiveness, and sacrifice." 

We got to see the movie at the Royal Film Commission, WITH an actor from the movie!  His name is Ali Maher and he plays a father in the movie. 

For anyone interested, I will be hosting a "screening" of the movie at my house!  Details to come....

Today was a trip to some biblical sites.  First stop was the baptism site of Jesus (heard of him?).  One of the interesting things about this site was that it was originally thought to be on the West Bank of the Jordan River, only to be found on the East Bank by an archaeologist.  The site in Jordan opened in 2000 for the public to view.  We were literally standing 20 feet away from Israel (with a small river between us).

Jolanda, Elmo and I on the river.  See how close Israel is?

My hand in the river where Jesus was baptized.

The Jordan River is pretty polluted, so the many people who want to be baptized at this site often do it from a small pool that is filled with fresh water everyday.  Now, my buddy, Elmo wanted to experience this too, but I didn't want him to fall in the river...so here he is:

You can see he is becoming part of the Jordanian culture

and is now wearing the KEFFIYEH.

Second stop of the day was Mt. Nebo where Moses stood and pointed out the promise land.  Many believe his tomb is somewhere on the mountain.  The church is being restored, so we didn't have a chance to see the actual mosaic that was kept well preserved.  However, up at the top of the mountain, you can see (through the heat haze), many cities:

The cross at the top, called the Serpentine Cross, is symbolic of Jesus and Moses.

This area of Jordan is known for its mosaics, and it was unfortunate we couldn't see the one in the church.  But there were a few they were cleaning.  Here is part of one:

And before heading into Madaba, we stopped at a mosaic workshop where some men were creating beautifully skilled pieces.  Here are a few at work:

Cutting the stone pieces (stone from all around Jordan)

Carefully glueing the pieces into place.

A finished piece.

Being told there was free shipping to anywhere was tempting, but a piece like the one above as a table was about 1500 JD ($2000) depending on the size of the stones.  Smaller stones, bigger price.  However, knowing now what it takes to make one, I would pay that (if I had it) to get one!

Madaba is a city in Jordan that is 50% Muslim and 50% Christian.  It is also the city that contains St. George's Church and the ancient mosaic map of Jerusalem.

The outside.

The inside.

The mosaic.

We had a wonderful Madaba meal.  I can't remember what it is called - but it was delicious!  It was chicken and meat with sweet onions.  This is how it is cooked and served right at the table:

Yum!

Now we are gathering in David's suite for a little party.  We only have one week left!  We have lots of touring of Amman to do tomorrow, so stay tuned....