4 out of 5 Taxi drivers recommend Barack Obama!

I was riding in a taxi the other day (I have a feeling many of my stories will begin this way). Trying to make conversation with taxi drivers is usually hit or miss. It greatly depends on the time of day as to whether or not they will make an effort to communicate back.

(As a side note, I was riding in a taxi the other night around 10 PM or so, and the ENTIRE time the driver was singing made up nonsense. He would ask me a question and then I would respond, after which he would begin singing either the question or the answer. I'm not entirely sure he wasn't under the influence of some illicit substance... It was funny, yet a bit uncomfortable.)

This particular morning taxi ride across town found me with a somewhat fluent driver. His English was alright so I began to talk to him. Everything was going good, I was asking him to help me with my Arabic, etc. He suddenly asks about whether or not the US Congress has Israeli congressmen. Befuddled, I answer that no, only American citizens can hold US congressional office. He agrees that this is good, and then turns the conversation to the upcoming election. I was wary to say anything since we're supposed to remain politically neutral. However, it seemed like he just wanted to talk, so I carefully continued forward.

He asks me who I support, and I ask him who he likes. McCain or Obama? His answer is a resounding OBAMA! I am utterly curious as to why he likes Obama so much, so I probe him further with a thought provoking "Why?" His answer was simply, "I like the way he looks," and then he motions to his face, "I like his face." I ask him if he knows anything about what Obama stands for, and he just repeats, "I like how he looks. He is black, yes?"

So now I'm intrigued: Does the rest of the world view American politicians based upon what they look like? Probably. Too bad for McCain that the rest of the world probably just sees an old, crotchety white guy.

Purposefully Getting Lost

So last week I made a point to get myself lost. I decided that this would be the best way for me to accomplish a few things:

1. Get to know my neighborhood first hand.
2. Test my knowledge of the area by seeing if I could find my way home.
3. Appreciate the complex simplicity of daily life for the locals.

Thus, I set off on my journey. I took my camera (surprise, surprise) and got what I thought were some interesting pictures. Not wanting to bore you with details of how my afternoon consisted of mainly walking and looking, I am hoping that these pictures will give a better story.
This was a view from my neighborhood before I descended further down into the city. There are a plethora of interesting looking buildings in this city, and this is but one of them.

This was some wall graffiti I saw while walking down a side street. I was enthralled by the fact that someone had spent such time putting detail into drawing on a cracked wall. This picture only shows a small amount of the total "flock" drawn. In total, there were probably 200+ birds drawn over a 40 ft span. If this is what graffiti usually consisted of, I'd probably like it more. Just neat.

These two boys were running around about the neighborhood. They weren't really playing any specific game other than "tag." I had fun getting out of their way several times.
The city was under Roman rule for some time and the effects of such are still visible. This happens to show the Roman Amphitheater that was left behind which is now surrounded by a large residential area.
These boys were so funny. After noticing that I was taking pictures, they made sure that they were suitable subjects. They are clearly cooler than I can ever hope to be. And I think they know that.I have yet to be anywhere near this mosque, but even just seeing it from afar, I think this is the coolest mosque in the city.
This is another of the Roman ruins left in the city. This is an ancient Citadel built on an extremely high hill that overlooks most of the city.
These guys followed me for like 3 blocks and kept saying the same English phrases over and over again. I tried to talk to them but they seemed more interested in following and laughing. I finally took a picture of them and they cheered. After checking out the picture, they then trotted along.
Big Flagpole. That's right.
Another one of the city's many cool buildings. This is overlooking a poorer part of town.

On the walk I went to an art type place. I hesitate to call it a museum, but it was interesting. Hopefully I can post some of those pictures in another post later this week.

Taxis and Food

So I've been taking the taxi by myself for a few days now. This city is quite big, but I've managed to get around alright. I know specific landmarks and place names to say so I can usually get myself within short walking distance of the places I need to go. I'm slowly grasping the layout of the city and am now recognizing things as we pass by them. What I'm saying is, my mental map is coming along well, and this makes the city less intimidating.

Tonight on the way home I got in a cab that didn't have a meter (or at least it was cleverly hidden). I knew right off the bat this was trouble, but I was too tired to care. So I make conversation as much as I can without actually knowing any substantive Arabic, and the driver knowing little English. We get to my neighborhood and I have him pull over about a block from my house. I know that where I came from to my house usually runs about 2.5 dinars, so I figure I'll be nice and just give him 3 and not ask for change. I hand him three and he looks at me and demands more.

I say, "Three is good!"

He points to the clock and says "Late."

I'm thinking to myself, "Is he really trying to tell me that there's some late night taxi tax??" (By the way, it was only like 9 PM; not late at all.)

I laugh and say, "Okay. Two good?" and go to reach for one of the dinars back.

At this point he decides that three is indeed good, and says "Salaamu" meaning "peace" and he was out of there.

I just want it to be clear that most taxi drivers that I've dealt with are very nice and honest people. I almost gave one guy a 10 dinar note instead of a 1 and he gave it back and informed me of my error. Tonight was the first instance of someone trying to take advantage of me.

I got to eat my first authentic sit down Arabic meal the other night. It was wonderful. I especially enjoyed the hummus which was topped with meat and pine nuts; as well as the chicken (picture of the whole meal above). Afterward, we had some tea; it too was great (See below picture). The food so far has been superb. We've had the chance to get little things from street side restaurant shops as well. Today we had a falafel sandwich; SO good! It's mushed up falafels inside some of the Arabic flat bread, which is chewy and delicious, as well as hummus all rolled up with some other sauce sprinkled on top. Another of my favorites has been Shawarma. Wikipedia probably does a better job of explaining this that I would do, so you can look it up if you like. My stomach has been strong and I've not had a single instance of it having to "adjust" to the new food so far. Admittedly, the food here isn't really all that different than home, but I still thought I'd have to go through an adjustment period.

These first few days have gone really great. I've no reason to believe it won't continue in the same fashion. I'm probably gonna be heading out and doing some more exploring tomorrow in a new part of town. This is so great, I still can't believe I'm really here.

Flights and First Impressions

So, everything ended up perfectly, but the road getting there was a rough one. I arrived in Chicago nearly 4.5 hours later than planned and had to try to board another plane going to London. After much waiting and hoping, I was the pleasant recipient of one business class ticket to London. I've never flown anything other than the basic seating; after the quite stressful day, it was a nice treat. I even had one of those seats that laid down completely flat. Awesome. Even so, I couldn't sleep. But I was relaxed and comfortable, which are two words I've never used in conjunction with the word "flying."

I was afraid that my baggage wouldn't make it to my final destination simply because of all the delays and rebooking mess I had to go through to get here. But even that worked out nicely; everything showed up, and in one piece! I was met at the airport and taken to my new home. I crashed into bed soon thereafter.

This morning I got up and have been strangely rested. Little to no jet lag, and I feel fine physically. This isn't usual for me when traveling internationally. But it's a more than welcome change.
I've had the opportunity to meet with some people in a home today and then I went walking around my neighborhood with my new roommate. We walked by a really big mosque and then we headed towards a market. The walk was great. I've been nothing but amazed by the city so far. It's gorgeous here, the weather is wonderful right now. Cool at night and pleasant during the day. Though from what I understand, it's soon to be getting cold. The air is surprisingly clean. Just slightly dusty, but nothing like Africa was. And pollution isn't noticeable at all; I thought it'd be more like India. The driving is calm, and far less "honky" than expected. There seems to be an air of order so that's very welcome. The cultural adjustment isn't going to be as big as it would be for some other places. So far, it's great.

My room in my house is spacious and comfortable with a generously sized bed. I even had a hot shower this morning, albeit a short lived one. I haven't really had a full on Mid Eastern meal yet, but I'll be sure to take pictures when I have my first one. The city is really gorgeous; I live at a house that's close to the top of a hill. The city is generally very hilly and my neighborhood is one of those hilly parts. It allows for a great view. This picture is taken from about 50 yards from my door. Incredible huh?
This is gonna be amazing.

My life in a few bags

Over the past couple of days I've had the pleasure of deciding what to take with me overseas. THEN, I had the pleasure of packing that up in nice, neat little bags. Bless my mother who helped me do all this. This is what the living room looked like before I finished organizing it all and packing it up. I almost feel like I packed too much... but maybe after I've been there for a few years, I'll be glad I took what I did.

This is what my entire life fit into. They weighed plenty. While checking in at the airport, for a few minutes I didn't think they were gonna let me take it all. Apparently the guy we were working with had never seen such a large baggage allowance for non-military personnel. I was getting anxious and preparing myself to leave one of my bags behind. Thankfully, it all got sorted out and he figured out that my ticket allowed me to check everything, with no charge! I then breathed a sigh of relief. I said goodbye to my family and went through security only to find that I got extra security! Hurray! They even opened up my guitar case to make sure that it, which was stuffed with socks, contained nothing bad.
Now I am sitting in the airport, waiting for my delayed plane. I'm so excited to get over there and meet everyone. I'm sure I'll have at least a few good stories that I can post this weekend: Initial impressions, personal blunders, and other crazy traveling stories.

The time has come...

I decided that it was finally time that I get down to business and get this blog up and running. I've been messing around with the layout and look for like a month; at this point I suppose it'll just have to do. I'm afraid that I wrote the Arabic incorrectly, so I might have to change that when I become more fluent in the language. Regardless, here it is. I hope you like it.

I don't harbor some grand delusion that I'm a spectacular writer of any sort, however, I do promise to attempt to make this blog an interesting read. My promise to you, the faithful blog reader, is to update at least twice a week (more if I'm feeling inspired) with meaningful, interesting posts. I promise not to write simply about "how I'm feeling." No need to get all emo. My goal ultimately is to give you a window into how my life is going while I'm living overseas. I know that many of you would love to be there right along side of me, so I'm hoping this affords you at least a semblance of a connection.

All the pictures I post on this blog are my own, unless I indicate otherwise. I'll try and include information about when and where they were taken. Clock was taken in Tyler, TX at a boathouse, and the tree was taken in Richmond Virginia around sunset time.

Okay, with all that out of the way... I now have less than a week in the US before I leave. It's been a busy few months. Orientation was great. I met alot of really awesome people, one person in particular, but I'll save that for another occassion haha. I've not really gotten much rest since I came back to SA, but hopefully the next few days will allow me to recuperate. There are many of you I wanted to see but I just ran out of time. Hopefully the future will allow us to connect again. I would love to hear from you about your life as well, so keep me informed on how you all are doing as well.

I leave next Wednesday, so if you think about it, remember me that day. Thanks for all the support!

-Andrew