learning how life works in Irbid

I have now been in Irbid for about three weeks and I’m learning something that I’ve always known, and something that I’ve even experienced at different points in my life: communicating cross-cultures, cross-languages is very, very difficult. Culture is defined by anthropologists in a number of ways. It is the attitude and behavior characteristics of a particular nation, people, or other social group. Culture includes obvious, surface characteristics such as the way people dress, to beneath the surface values like the importance of family and the definition of success. Since moving to Irbid, I’ve quickly discovered how deeply ingrained American culture is in my thinking and, when I become uncomfortable, how quick I am to compare the way I would do something or how I view a situation to the way of life and thinking here in Irbid. I am slowly starting to feel settled living here.

The first week here was very, very difficult. The combination of feeling homesick and moving into a community where I have limited interaction with non-Jordanians caused me to spend many moments in the bathroom crying, questioning everything about this experience. But after an EXTREMELY life-giving retreat outside Amman with MCC [each Fall MCC has an regional retreat for IIJP…Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine], I was able to return to Irbid with a bit of a reality check and a ton of encouragement.

Over the past two and a half weeks, I have become more settled in my host family and with my German roommate, Samira, who is also here for a year volunteering through a German organization similar to MCC. We share a wonderful flat, which is actually the first floor of a house. Upstairs is where our host family lives: Fowze and Elham [our host mom & dad] are a wonderful older couple who have gone out of their way to make us feel comfortable here. They have four older children, three of whom are married and who have children themselves. Although they all no longer live at home, three of them spend at least a few days out of each week living here, [partly because their spouses work away from the home, so they come for the company throughout the week, and partly to help their parents around the house]. My host father, Fowze, has Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, which makes it difficult for my host mother, Elham, to spend much time away from the home. Their youngest son, Eyad is 25 and is currently between jobs…so he is spending the time living at home and helping his mom care for the home and for Fowze.

Here's my room...MCC posters and photos on the wall.

As women, Samira and I are not really allowed to be out of the home in the evenings. It would not be culturally acceptable, and would draw a TON of attention, if we went to the mall or to University Street [a popular street for young people to hang out] by ourselves. It has been great having Eyad living at home because we can go run errands or explore Irbid with him. It’s also great to be friends with a Jordanian similar to my age to talk about life and ask him questions about life in Jordan.

Samira and I are learning to live together, much like learning to live with a college roommate. We have each enjoyed having someone else to navigate the city with and to have moral support when Elham continues to feed us too much food. J She is very sweet, and I’m enjoying learning a bit about Germany along with Jordan.

Samira and I

There are still some mornings I wake up and the first thought is “I can’t believe I won’t be home for another 9 ½ months!” But I don’t even let myself get out of bed those mornings without praying, asking Jesus to give me JOY throughout the day and to make my heart content being here. He is always faithful.

A daily ritual is learning to trust these words:

“Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. […] But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.” [Psalm 73: 23-28]

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.” [Psalm 139:1-4]