Hello to everyone out there! Summer has sure flown by hasn't it? Today we woke up to partial clouds for the first time since May, they didn't last long but it was somewhat nice to see a change. That coming from the ultimate sun worshiper- me! The weather here has really been amazing though, unbelievably it hasn't been HOT at all like we expected. We usually only turn the air on at night. There are many things I don't love about Amman but I have to give it thumbs up weather wise!
It's been awhile since I last checked in so let me recap, we returned from our long summer trip exhausted only to leave for Damascus two days later. The Damascus trip was supposed to be a "fun" shopping trip but to be honest, I just wasn't up to it. Overall, we had a good weekend though, bought some fun things for the house (who knows where we will ever put them!!) and J ordered the Syrian furniture he wanted. The Syrian furniture is very (very!) ornate, I don't love it myself but it definitely can't be found in too many places. Now our only problem is figuring out how to get a visa to get back into Syria to pick it up! K and I spent most of the time chilling at the hotel while J was out and about... the only really crazy thing is both nights there they had parties (wedding I assume) and the bands started playing at about 12:30am and didn't stop until 3am. The music was SO loud that had we turned on the TV we would have needed to blast it just to hear it over the music. I will never understand how these Arab hotels get away with allowing parties that keep every other guest awake. Just a cultural thing I know, but it still drives me nuts.
When we returned from Dam, we had two days before J left on a five-day trip to Bahrain. He met a friend there and had a great time seeing the little island. My question to him is always the same when he gets back, could we live there? Thankfully, he said Bahrain is a place that I would approve of so maybe the list of would live vs. would hate to live won't be quite so uneven! Ha! While J was away, we had visitors come to stay with us. Friends of friends, friends actually who moved to Amman to learn Arabic for two years. We had exchanged a few emails prior but they were pretty much strangers when they showed up on our doorstep at 4am. They ended up staying with us for a couple of weeks while they waited to move into their apartment. We had a great time! I forgot how much fun girls in their early 20's were! We watched movies, played cards, they did my hair... it was the girl retreat I've been needing! The house is definitely too quiet now that they've moved out.
Other than that, K's been growing like a weed. J says she's 35 1/2 inches tall now- he swears she's on her way to being 6 feet one day. We let her watch the Olympic volleyball matches just to inspire her! She is reading some words, counting and talking all of the time. LOVES the park so I try to take her everyday to get out of the house. I just started planning for birthday #2, I thought an Elmo theme would be appropriate this year. I started swimming again after 9 mos. off and I forgot how much I love being in the water! Makes things feel slightly normal again but I know that won't last long... we're already beginning to prepare for the next big move. Time flies! J has applied to Georgetown, Boston U, U of South Carolina and Princeton so come October-ish we should have a better idea of where we'll be living next Jan. We still have a few more trips this fall and we're also looking forward to J's brother’s visit in Oct. Next week we head to Aquaba on the Red Sea for a few days to relax and then right after that, back to Israel for 13 days. More to come on that trip! Ramadan starts Sept. 1 so I’m not looking forward to the month of Sept. at all- later I’ll fill you in on what Ramadan is like for a non-Muslim. :)
Well, I think that's our Aug. in a nutshell! Love hearing from all of you! I am really (really!) excited to get back to the States again in Dec. Lately, we keep saying how much we miss random things like Costco and our DVR. More than anything, we miss our family and pals back there! It will be great to live on the East Coast again. Hope you all enjoy what’s left of the summer! Eat a Brat for me!
OH, almost forgot. We have a NEW address now. It is still the same as mailing within in the States though.
UNIT 6050 Box 077
DPO, AE 09892-0077
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