Week 6: Salt and Grant Proposals

This weekend was a bit less tourist-y than usual. Originally I was going to go with Talal to meet his family, but that fell through because of a last minute conference that Talal had to attend in Amman and prepare for. So, I trucked back to Amman without any plans, and a nonetheless eventful weekend ensued. My first stop was to satisfy my week long craving for a cheeseburger and fries (I know, I know), and so we (Yasir, Aysha, Leen and I) went to Whispers, a very good restaurant in Abdoun. The next day, Aysha invited us out to her family's farm in Salt for lunch, which was quite an impressive gathering. The food, as always, was delicious, and the view was spectacular. Unfortunately, as I did the time I went to the Haddad farm (also in Salt) I forgot my camera and was unable to document my surroundings. Rats. It was a great afternoon though. The rest of the evening was startling similar to my nights in Waverly, with Leen and I renting a movie and staying in. Then, the not so fun part of my weekend started. I have no idea how, but I came down with a slight case of food poisoning that lasted Saturday and Sunday. Now, compared to the food poisoning stories that I have heard I have NOTHING to complain about, I just remained in bed for a day and a half and was fine.

Now back at Safawi, the challenge has been to somehow evade the penetrating 115-120 degree heat. Not quite possible, but a noble goal all the same. Talal and I are finalizing our grant proposal surrounding gender equality in the Badia, with our final draft to be completed next week. A sure sign that time is slipping away from me, we have also begun discussing my travel arrangements for when I leave Safawi and head for Israel and Palestine. Only two weeks left!

The remaining weekends in Jordan are shaping up to be the most memorable. Noor is back in town (FINALLY), I am going to Petra this coming weekend, Beirut the next and Aqaba/Wadi Rum the following.