First week in Amman...

Greetings from Amman, Jordan! So I have just completed my first week in Amman and so far so good. I thought I would share a little bit about the journey so far, minus photos, because of course I havent gotten that organized yet. So where do we start...how about at MSP...

On the 21 st I hauled my incredibly overweight and too many in number suitcases to the airport with my parents, we said our goodbyes and I headed off to check in. The gentleman working then informed me that it would be $400.00 extra for my luggage-ouch! I couldn't bring myself to pay that, so after going back and forth for a while he called a supervisor who agreed on $75.00, significant difference andone i could live with. So thankful I kept my cool with the agent as 4 hours later, after hanging out on the Tarmac waiting to get to Chicago and connect to royal Jordanian , I found myself in his line again having never left Msp and having my flight canceled. He was awesome and rerouted me for the next day through Paris and even put me in first class the whole way. Thankfully my friend Susie was available to bring me back to my house, that is after we indulged at fern's for a few hours:-) The following day I was at it again and actully left Msp to Paris with no problem and no neighbor in my first class area- wonderful and relaxing. Not sure if I can ever do coach again lol

I was met in Amman by embassy folks who got me to my new house. It's an apartment in a new building in a great neighborhood. I am the only person in the entire building right now which was a bit strange the first couple of nights. There are many new noises, like those horrible noises of wild street dogs and cats (wondering if I made the right decision on opting out of the rabies shot lol). I have some interesting neighbors, one imparticular is a little street boy who every time he sees me he makes the hand in the armpit fart noise at me, which then leads all his little buddies to go into laugh attacks- apparently farting is really funny in every country! Not sure if he likes me or he's being mean.

The city (what I've actually seen so far) is really amazing. I have not yet figured out where things are and hAve spent most of my time at the embassy getting acclimated to the work. I am not used to the sun-thurs. work week and i am always on the day or time- maybe after a month or so i'll know what day it is lol. In the short time I've been here,however, I have attended an event by the Embassy of Spain, at the King Hussein cultural center, of flamenco dancing. It was a wonderful venue and an incredible show. I also went on a trip to mount nebo where Moses died. I visited with a monk there and heard him tell the story of Moses. It was a beautiful and peaceful spot overlooking the dead sea.

Everything is coming along and i think I can do some incredible things here in the next 2 years. So here are a few things about my first week for you...

*every morning I've been eating yogurt and some granola. Turns out this yogurt is really pudding. Hmmm wonder why it has the sour flavor of yogurt?
*I've tripped over things in the sidewalk more times than I can count because in Amman there are huge trees in the middle of the sidewalks and curbs the size of cliffs. this apparently provides endless entertainment to all who witness, especially the neighborhood guards who think I'm crazy for walking already.
*the weather is as close to perfect as it can get. Warm to hot during the day and wonderfully cool at night- all with no humidity.
* the people are warm and kind, and appreciate all my attempts at communicating in Arabic, god only knows what I am saying, but when people break out in hysterics that can't be good.
*my car is not here yet, but that may be a good thing as the driving here is a bit insane. I feel like I need to take behind the wheel Amman.
*there are some amazing malls and a ton of shopping, enough to last for two years.
*for my fellow chili heads I went to the chilis here, very similar, but my margarita wasn't giving me my tequila fix, turns out it's a dry chilis and I was drinking a lime slurpy at $5-not happy and miss the presidente!

I have the embassy 4th of July event tonight which should be a great way to meet people and enjoy the holiday. Celebrating the 4th abroad and in the middle east gives me a real sense of pride in being American and recognizing the fortune we have in our freedom and stability. Enjoy the holiday and be safe!

I will follow this with some photos if my belongings make their way across the ocean and through customs o.k. Insh'allah!

Miss you all and wish you peace...

Massalama!
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Has it already been over a year...

...and am I the worst blogger ever? Rhetorical! Yes I am, I know, but thanks for your patience and for some- thanks for your smartass comments-your humor is appreciated ;-) I think my day to day/month to month reports from DC would have been a snoozefest for most of you. However, I will be much more vigilant about keeping the blog up to date once I depart from DC. However, I thought I would recap some favorite moments from the past year... perhaps a little bit out of order...

 Some incredible women- colleagues, diplomats, and also friends. Each has left for their own post around the world representing the United States in Columbia, Dili, Saudi, Belize, and Mexico.

The Kennedy Center from my kayak. Kayaking on the Potomac is an incredible way to see the monuments and spend a DC scorcher on the water with friends!

My parents and sister Cammy came for the swearing in ceremony. So wonderful to have them here and share this moment-it meant a lot to me. One highlight was definitely our Segway excursion- so fun and of course my Mom added a whole new level of adventure. I won't share publicly, but for those who know her just ask...

This photo was taken at a local pub after the Flag Day ceremony. Fun night celebrating our new destinations!

This was my 2nd 4th of July in DC so I had one of my brilliant ideas- pay way to much money to go on a boat on the Potomac- surprisingly it was worth it- the view was spectacular and the company was stellar!

Two of my favorite girls on our last hurrah weekend get away in Vegas. Not much to say because it's staying in Vegas. Although I did discover a new love- Grey Goose Pear Vodka- please tell me they like you in the Middle East!