Woo Hoo Wireless!

Yesterday (the 20th-21st) we were on a flight with lots of babies. The Royal Jordanian Airline flight staff were wonderful. Food was good, but we arrived thirsty.

On the road from the airport to Amman Training Center, passed Bedouin Tents and sheep, camels, and followed a Prius.

We are staying at the Amman Training Center, a vocaltional school established and run by the UN Relief and Works Program, for Palestinian refugees. Our room is normally a dorm where 16 girls stay. (Ken posting)

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The air smells like cedar here I think! (Justin posting) I’m not supposed to sleep during the day but I failed my task of staying awake and passed out on my parents’ bunks. Last night I woke up at around two in the morning and stayed awake until everyone else got up. I’m super terrible with jet lag, and I detest the feeling of being constantly sleepy. The cool thing is it is Graeme’s birthday today and he is seventeen! He is still a pubey little pubert, but he is more ripe now and more equipped for manhood. As his sister, I have it as my duty to protect him from the continuous stream of naysayers, bullies, and overly enthusiastic female puberts, but this past year he didn’t need my help as much, and took some initiative by “texting” other “girls” and standing up for himself in the face of vicious enemies. I am so proud to call him my brother, in private that is, and I am so glad we’re on this trip together or I would only have myself to rely on for a decent sense of humor. Yippee!

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Happy Birthday, Graeme! (Reb posting) Because of your special day we had ice cream for supper and now celebrate internet connection. Thanks for helping the techies do their thing!

Logging on to blog was tricky; the prompts appear in Arabic. Like Justin, my struggle to stay awake has had mixed results. I feel a bit woozie and am thankful that the major tasks of the day involved little brain work. We prepared tags for excavated objects/pottery and helped organize some of the plastic crates that square supervisors need once we start digging.

Almost all the group members have arrived. Interesting, friendly people – some veterans, many, like us, rookies – foster a collegiate atmosphere. I think we're gonna like it here.

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