Summer of Jordan

Week 3: June 12 - June 18 Tuesday, June 12: This morning I went to work but there was little to do because we had finished distribution for the week so I enjoyed spending time chatting with the women in the office and as usual, sitting down around 11am to share bread, labneh, cheese, veggies, tomatoes, Za3tar and more! Bread = خبز, Cheese = جبن After work I went to Ahlan for my Amiyé (dialect class) and I met Ahmed who is in charge of organizing student events, and he is hilarious. After class, I went with my friend, Kinda, who is a volunteer at the Mercy Kitchen and her sister to go get our nails done for only 10JD for a manicure pedicure. I loved catching up with her because I hadn’t seen her in so long! Unfortunately, it took a long time so I had to rush home because the wonderful Martin, my roommate, offered to make dinner for Areen, my other roommate, and her boyfriend. He cooked Blanquette and it was amazing. I’d never had it before but it was delicious. After dinner,...

Tuesday, June 5: Today we set out again to distribute ATM cards, but this time was even more fun because we had more Caritas workers with us in the car and it turned into a two-hour fun road trip! We went to the center and distributed cards after a training to about 70 refugees. A part of the day that was a little strange was: while we were distributing ATM cards, visitors on behalf of Catholic Relief Services came in to talk to us. There were Americans and Europeans, and it was different to be a part of something rather than visiting. This was a nice moment because it helped me solidify that I am part of Caritas now. On the way home, we stopped several times to buy tomatoes, a plant used for making hummus, and even apricots from a man’s tree. It was hilarious how much food we had accumulated, but it was so much fun! I rested for a bit when I got home then headed out to the Latin School to teach the third and fourth grades. I taught them a game called “Follow the Leader” and they...

Week 1: May 29-June 4 Tuesday, May 29: Having only arrived to the volunteer house last night/ this morning at 2am, waking up at 6:30am was a little difficult. I’ll be honest, I was a little nervous to meet everyone at the office because I had not talked substantially with anyone before arriving. But upon meeting one of my roommates the night I arrived meeting the other in the morning, I was confident that I had great roommates! I went to the Caritas Volunteer Center to meet my boss and everyone else, then my boss informed me that I would be working at the Restaurant of Mercy today preparing iftar ( إفطار ), the meal at sunset that Muslims eat when fasting during the month of Ramadan. I arrived at the restaurant not knowing anyone and noticing that few people spoke English, but thanks to the incredible Fatima, I felt included because she took me under her wing. Her family is originally from Iraq, but she has lived in different countries seeking refuge. She is here in ...