i like the way jordanians celebrate

meet marhaba! it has been a while since i've posted anything, and today was quite a memorable day, so here goes:
well, firstly, here are some pictures that i think are past due:
here is the view from my window at home. i live in the tla'ali area of amman. there is some construction going on next door. it is annoying most of the time. but i have earplugs.





so tody was an exciting day in jordan because students got back the results of these huge exams they have to take. the quality of their marks determines whether or not they go to university. so for all those who got good grades, it was a time to celebrate. celebrating in jordan involves three things: leaning out of cars screaming and honking horns, shooting off guns into the air, and setting off fireworks. i like the way jordanians celebrate. a bunch of fireworks were being set off on my street, which was fun to watch from my bedroom window.

in more personal news, today i went with my host family to the dead sea!! we went with my host mom's sister (mona) and her family (8.5-months pregnant (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) safaa and her husband khaled, mohammad (14 yrs) and ahmed (10 yrs)) who i'd visited in their home in naour previously. safaa is the best, and she speaks english really well, so it was fun talking to her today. here is a picture of her and ahmed (who i'm obsessed with, he's hilarious) at the dead sea:






we had a picnic feast; there was more barbecued meat than i'd ever seen in my life. i'm so glad i decided to forgo vegetarianism here in amman. it would be difficult to have a balanced diet, plus i'd miss out on amazing meals like this:









and here is a picture of my host dad, mohammad, barbecueing and just being an all-around G:





dads of the world, please note what an excellent fashion move a t-shirt tucked into sweatpants can be.

all around, it was an excellent day, and i was just happy to feel warm for the first time in about a month; amman is surprisingly cold, and the dead sea is a good 15-20 degrees warmer than the city. i also couldn't help but be amazed that i could look across the sea to israel. it felt so close, and yet a million worlds away.







oh, and here is a picture of me, to appease family members and prove that i'm alive and unscathed. today khitam and safaa said i look like princess diana. i'm going to choose to believe this assertion, despite evidence to the contrary (i don't think princess di would ever go for 4 days without a shower). but you know what they say, all white people look the same.