Yesterday the classes went more smoothly for all of us. I told Luke that teaching is a relationship, so the better you get to know your class, the smoother it will run. It is fun watching the relationships develop before class and during break. Jordanians are eager to learn English, so many show up early for class and hang out at the coffee shop. Kim and I have talked the last two days with a man and his neice. They are Orthodox Christians. The young lady is getting engaged in a few weeks and will move to the US soon. Kim has also talked with an other woman who has a doctorate in pyschology and works with the disabled. She invited Kim to come and live with her, but Kim did not take up her offer. I'm thankful for that! ;^) The culture here is very friendly and hospitible. I know Jackson also was invited to someone's place this weekend.
All of the classes used Family Relationships as the theme yesterday. We certainly came up with some BIG cultural differences between Jordanian/Arabic families and families in the US. In my class, Luke and I split the class into two groups after the break for discussion. My group, as it turned out, consisted of 9 batchelors! They range from a mid-twenties restaurant worker to a late thirties manager. The first and last discussion question was "How do families in Jordan differ from families in the US?" The group immediately agreed that families in Jordan are much closer than US families. I pointed out that in the US we value independence and privacy much more than in Jordan. A lot of the discussion was on older parents. I described my own parents transition from owning a house, to renting a house in an independent community with meals, to an apartment in the community. They asked why my parents weren't living with me or one of my sisters. I told them that my parents don't want to live with us. They value their independence and privacy.
Next I describe independent living facilities and nursing homes. They were surprised and said in Jordan it would be a horrible shame on the whole family if an elderly parent lived in a nursing home. They would never put a parent in such a facility. It would bring shame on the family. They said it is common for a parent to die at home surrounded by family. At this point I got very emotional as I said "In your country people grow old and die surrounded by family, but in the US people often die alone in a hospital." These men were very sympathetic and comforting to me. It was very bonding for our group.
By the way, the Oasis Coffee Shop is running now. Claire drew up the menu on a blackboard. I've included picture of it.
After class we had a typical late night dinner at Hashem's, the "best hole-in-the-wall restaurant" according to one of our hosts. Some of us took a taxi and the rest rode with Akif. We all loved the food: hummus, falafel & pita with babaganoush and fuul an the side. If you want to try it, grab a taxi and tell them "seventh circle McDonalds." You can either cross the street from there or point for the taxi driver. It is a half block up the busy side street on the right with the red neon lighting around the windows.
Thanks for remembering us in your prayers!
Michael
