World Cup and Pan-Arabism

This afternoon is the World Cup match between Algeria and the US. Being American, I know nothing about soccer (or "football"), and care even less. But the conversations I've had as the match approaches shed interesting light on the always fun issue of pan-Arab relations.

My conversations with a few cabbies can hardly be representative of 6.5 million Jordanians, or 300+ million Arabs, but it's all I have to go on for now. But Algeria, as the only Arab country with a team in the World Cup, commands the loyalties of many of the Jordanian's I've spoken to about the ongoing tournament. My driver today was taking the afternoon off to watch the match, and didn't mind dissing the American team in front of a passenger who had already identified himself as American.

But head over to Egypt, and the situation is different. Egypt and Algeria fought a very nasty qualifying tournament last fall, causing not only bad blood, but also a minor international incident. The Egyptian government, in a "bread and circuses" move, exploited historical tensions with Algeria during the qualifiers to distract the population from the more pressing failures of Egypt's leadership. Riots broke out, Egypt recalled its ambassador from the Algerian capital, and the Arab League had to get involved to try to patch things up. I'm really not sure where many Egyptians would come down on an Algeria-Israel matchup. So, while I'm not in Cairo to watch the game, I'd expect to see more American flags than Algerian over there tonight.

Then, there are the outliers, like the cab driver who told me yesterday that he's rooting for the Argentinean team. Go figure.

I'm Famous

My story was just published on the Qasid Summer blog. I noticed a few minor changes and embellishments - "forest" was changed to "pristine forest," for example, but I think it stays pretty faithful to the genius of the original.

Ajloun, and placement

We traveled to Ajloun, north of Amman, today. I was asked to write a blurb about it for the Qasid website, so rather than describing the same event twice, I'll just copy it below (I'll link to the website if/when it ever gets posted).

Got placed in level 3, the lower of the two options. Class from 8AM-12PM every day, starting early tomorrow.

Ajloun:

            Yesterday was everyone’s last free day before diving into intensive Arabic classes for nine weeks. Qasid staff took that opportunity to arrange a day trip to the Jordanian towns of Ajloun and Jerash for sightseeing, lunch, and pre-class bonding.

            After a twenty-minute search for a taxi, I finally arrived at Qasid in time to catch one of the buses. We hit the road and headed north. I landed in Amman only three days ago, so this trip for me was actually my first glimpse of the Jordanian countryside. The dense urban landscape I had grown used to began to fade away. Within just a few kilometers of the city, I started to see farms, trees, and – to my surprise – vast stretches of greenery and forest. My impression of Jordan as an expanse of unbroken desert was cruelly shattered.

            After riding on some of the steepest, most winding roads I have ever traveled, we finally arrived at Ajloun. The town’s most famous site is the 800-year old castle perched atop one of its mountains, built by a nephew of Salah ad-Din in the time of the crusaders. We were treated to a guided tour of the site. Though I didn’t take notes, the history went something like this: originally the site of a Byzantine church, the hilltop was fortified against the crusaders in 1184. It passed hands several times, including to the Mamluks, who used the building as a medical college. Ottoman garrisons were also stationed here, until earthquakes in the early 20^thcentury left the castle in ruins. Jordanian authorities were actively working to repair and restore the site.

            The damage to the castle almost made it more interesting to an architecture buff like myself. Collapsed sections of roof exposed the underlying vaulted arches and made visible the various additions and expansions made over time. The damage did not prevent us from scaling to the very top of the castle and enjoying the spectacular views. Though we suffered from hazy weather, we could still make out the Jordan River and the Golan Heights in the distance – our guide assured us that, on a clear day, the Dome of the Rock was visible from the top of Ajloun Castle.

            After Ajloun, we retraced the winding mountain roads back to Jerash for lunch. We had all been briefly introduced to Jerash by the reading passage of the Arabic placement exam, and so knew something of its Roman heritage. We saw the ruins of the gate and hippodrome before sitting down to a lunch of bread, hummus, babaganoush, and a great pepper-meat-potato dish that I had never tried before. After lunch, it was back on the bus and back to Amman to enjoy our last few hours of freedom before the start of class at 8AM the next day!

Orientation, and Al Marshallan

My first taste of the Qasid Institute came during our orientation session this morning. We took a 2-hour placement exam, got an intro to Amman and to the language program, and had a brief oral interview. I feel fine about the tests - I didn't get everything, but since it's a diagnostic, I guess that's only natural. I get my final placement tomorrow.

According to Qasid's descriptions, I'm right between class levels. Either I skip about three chapters to jump ahead to Book 3, or I fall back four chapters and spend some time reviewing. At this point, I'd prefer the latter; I could really use the review, and I'd worry that such a big jump forward would require tons of homework and extra tutoring on the side. If I pick the lower class, I'll have a few lighter weeks at the start... not totally objectionable during the summer. Maybe use the extra time to hit the Dead Sea again?

While I have yet to try the instruction, I continue to be very impressed with Qasid itself. Their publicity materials were polished from the start, and pre-arrival communication was great. I got several packets of information at various stages of my application and travel, all of which were thoughtful, helpful, and showed that someone is clearly thinking these issues through. Qasid can help to find housing, rent you a cell phone, put you up for a couple of days if you need housing when you get in... they really have had their sh*t together from day one (especially compared to some other academic programs I have tried in this part of the world...)

This continued today. Exam questions were clear and weren't just taken straight from the textbook. The facilities themselves are attractive, clean, and organized. We met the director of the program and the student affairs coordinator, both of whom gave brief, funny, and helpful introduction sessions. It's also right across the street from a really good and cheap falafel place. That last fact is perhaps the most pertinent. Again, hard to judge a place on day one, without having experienced the teaching. But I like what I see so far.

Another interesting development - I met another student named Marshall in the program. For the first time in my life, I have to deal with another kid named Marshall in my classes. I have to introduce myself as "one of two" Marshalls, and be sure to give my last name. I turn around every time someone calls for his attention instead of mine. Calling out "Hey, Marshall!" to someone else is a weird experience. Arabic has a specific form for the dual - add "an" or "ein" to the end of a word - so I guess that makes the two of us "Al Marshallan" for the summer...

Tomorrow is a day trip to Ajloun. No idea what or where this is - people tell me it is the site of a castle built by Saladin about an hour north of the city. Sounds like a fun way to spend a couple of hours. It'll be our last bit of fun before classes start on Wednesday.

Arrival

Got into Amman at 2:30 this morning, on a much delayed flight. My ride from the airport was also significantly delayed, so I didn't get to my apartment until 6AM or so. The time change was killer, but with half a bottle of Tylenol PM, I should be over it soon.

Still getting my bearings in this city. The drive to my apartment wasn't a great orientation. I am staying between 5th and 6th circles, very close to the American embassy (to the delight of my mother), on a street that has no name. I'm renting a room in a beautiful house, which is quite a step up from my accommodations at AUC in Cairo. Seems like a very ritzy area - lots of Mercedeses and BMWs parked in driveways, all of the houses have big gates and grand facades. I can't believe I'm paying as little as I am to be in this area. It requires a cab ride to and from school, but even with that factored in each day, I'm saving a bundle over the apartments that Qasid rents.

After sleeping for a few hours, I unpacked and showered before heading into the city to explore. Seisei, the woman who is renting me my place, gave me a brief overview and sent me on my way. I hopped a cab to the first circle (closest to downtown) and walked around a bit, grabbed a meal in a local cafe, and walked along some main streets before hiking up to the Citadel.

Already, the city has made a good impression on me. When I compare it to Cairo, the only other Arab city where I've lived for a considerable period of time, the contrast is certainly a positive one. I'm staying in a ritzy area, but even downtown, things were cleaner and in better repair. Taxis are metered (and cheap!), and the cars themselves were in much better condition. Traffic was light (though it is the weekend), especially compared to the chronic congestion all over Cairo. Stop lights work and are respected. Street signs are prominent. If one compares the Cairo and Amman Citadels, the latter seems far better maintained. Signs are accurate, entrances and guardhouses are new and clean, and I wasn't harassed by anyone looking to sell me tourist crap. Cairo definitely beats Amman when it comes to the views at its Citadel, with the pyramids in the distance and the Muhammad Ali Mosque. But Amman, though blessed with a less architecturally inspiring site, certainly seems to take better care of what it has. These are, of course, impressions from a single afternoon of wandering. By next week, I may have changed my views completely.

Overall, I'm getting a very strong Jerusalem vibe from this place. It's very hilly, just like Jerusalem, and much of the building stock is boxy/rectangular and covered with the same beige stone. People leave you alone when you walk down the street. Omnipresent pictures of the King don't let me forget where I am for too long, though.

With regard to Arabic, I haven't gotten much practice. I asked several times in Arabic for specific directions to "Jebel Al-Qalaa," the Citadel, and everyone answered in English. I guess I'm pretty obviously a tourist. Considering that my speaking skills are my weakest linguistic link, I'm hoping this changes - I need the practice speaking!

I still need to stay up another hour before going to bed, so I deal with the time change correctly. Orientation for the Qasid program starts tomorrow - time to get busy!

First Post

Leaving for Jordan in less than 24 hours. I will spend nine weeks at the Qasid Institute in Amman, studying Arabic language. My last foray into the Arab world (Cairo, Jan-June '08) was catalogued with mass emails; instead of spamming dozens of inboxes again, I figured this time I would post things online and let interested parties check up on my news when they felt like it.

I'll be a bit more verbose in my next few postings - I just wanted to get this thing started now before I got too lazy/busy to start things up.