Between Iraq and a Hard Place

After two days of orientation, I'm definitely feeling oriented.  Maybe a little over-oriented.  Today we got to sit through hours of presentation on safety and security in Jordan.  Don't get carried away, though, apparently there's a vastly greater chance that I get hit by a car while walking in Amman than any of the other sinister things people associate with the region.  This morning we all took the Arabic placement exam that will determine which Arabic class we take for the semester and after shaking off a summer's worth of cobwebs, I felt pretty good about both the written test and my oral interview.

Yesterday was fantastic.  Our group was bussed out to the dead sea for a brief cultural orientation followed by an afternoon of bobbing in the super-buoyant salt water.  I also covered myself in the (supposedly) restorative mud that is dredged up from the bottom of the sea.  For those of you who don't know, the dead sea is the lowest point on earth and is so salty that you can float on top of the water without moving at all.  You float so well that it's actually rather difficult to swim regularly.  Check that one off the bucket list.

Speaking of security, for those of you who read a lot of news or watch State Dept. travel warnings, yes we are aware of the warning issued about travel to Aqaba, and no, no one was planning on going this weekend anyway.

We don't have any more orientation tonight, thankfully, but I'll probably be heading out with other people who will inevitably want to explore.  Also, tomorrow we meet our host families and move to where we will stay for the rest of the semester.  Thanks to those of you who have kept me in your prayers and don't hesitate to email me if you want to know more about what I'm doing!