First Impressions…
This will probably be an ongoing list of observations, at least
for a little while, but after my first day here in Tierra Seca, here are
a few things I’ve noticed:
1. All the buildings are the same beige color. It certainly looks
like I imagined the Middle East would.
2. Most of the women I’ve seen so far here are dressed pretty
conservatively, with the headscarf and everything.
3. It’s pretty chilly- there’s leftover snow on the ground, and I
can see my breath in my bedroom!
4. I’ve been enjoying seeing Arabic everywhere. I’m trying to take
a picture of every brand I recognize written in Arabic…just today I’ve already seen 12
5. I’m staying at the highest point in the city, and it’s a hike to
get from here to anywhere…I’ll burn off all those Christmas desserts pretty
quickly
6. The call to pr@yer went off around 4:50 this morning and at
first I thought it was a weird dream, then I thought it was my roommates
listening to music before I realized what it was!
7. I had my first chance to speak Arabic today…and I froze! I couldn’t
remember the words I needed at the moment. Better luck next time.
The journey here was long- 20 hours, Atlanta to London, to
here…and I lost about 7 hours in the process (that’s how many hours we’re
ahead, at least for now- in case they change their mind about daylight savings
again). I’m glad to finally make it- it’s actually been a journey of many years
to get to this point, so I am ready to begin! Or at least as ready as I can be!
