Mmm Booza...

Day 4

Today was a good one.

Seeking some culture, I grabbed a taxi downtown to check out the weekend suq (open-air market) and just get off campus for a little while. Most Jordanians in Irbid speak a few words of English, but my cab driver almost none. It turned out pretty well though, as before the end of the fare I found out where he was from and who he knew in American (which, like most Jordanians will tell you, he loves); and he learned about all about the summer program.

The suq itself was crowded, with the kind of noisy vendors, fresh food, good smells, and trinkets that make up your average depiction of a bazaar.



Before long, I ran into a booza (ice cream) vendor who quickly struck up a conversation with me. The usual opening salvo asks if I'm German (family heritage spot on?), then English, and I usually have to throw out American--which contrary to popular belief in the U.S. is not a bad response here. Most people in Irbid know an expatriate friend or family member in America, or at the very least have been bombarded by its culture. We chatted, with some difficulty between my knowledge of 'ammiyyah (spoken) Arabic--which is getting better day by day actually--and his of English. By the end of our 30 min. coversation, covering topics from violence/crime in America, to business, to places to see in Jordan, he invited me to his brother's wedding on Tuesday.

Sweeeeet.