So tomorrow we’ll be driving over 3hrs east (towards the Iraqi border) to visit an Iraqi refugee camp out in the middle of the eastern desert. I suspect that this one will be quite a different experience from the 1948 Palestinian refugee camp that we visited a few weeks ago.

I’m so excited because I’ve finally made REAL Jordanian friends. I know a few times now I’ve said “yah! I have Jordanian friends” .. but this time its even cooler. Last week during our 30min break in the morning I had decided to try and ask to sit with some locals (which is challenging because there are like 100 international students to choose from). Its like a self-imposed segregation. Its really weird. I know on campuses in the states you often see the internationals all grouped together – well theres a reason! and I finally understand why … you just don’t feel capable or welcomed enough to get outta the comfort zone.

Anyways I did it .. not for the first time .. but this time it really paid off. I ended up meeting two girls: Maram and Eman – freshmen at the university – if I understand correctly (through the mix of Arabic/English) they’re studying to be teachers for the mentally challenged.

So I had talked with them and found them to be really cool – people I could def see myself being good friends with .. and then the break ended and we went our separate ways, without each others mobile #s. I’d been looking for them every day but had just about given up (the campus is like a mini version of Tokyo – its INSANELY crowded and its almost useless trying to find anyone).. when today I got a tap on my shoulder! They introduced me to their other friend and I sat with them all during break talking. They told me how they’d missed me and I explained that I had felt the same way. Wendy came over and I introduced her to the group .. and we all decided to meet for lunch.

Despite the fact that Wendy and I refused over and over .. they forced their way into buying us lunch (which I felt so terrible about – but was very important to them). We all sat together for an hour before having to return to class .. and I found out that Eman lives in the same section of town I do so she’s going to come for a visit soon. I invited them all to come to aftur next week sometime (breaking of the fast during Ramadan: which begins either Fri or Sat depending when the crescent moon is spotted).

I’m just really happy because I can see us all being close friends – especially since we have the same schedule and in the same building. We’re all going to meet for lunch tomorrow – which I figure will end up being a fairly regular occurance.

So basically once again “yay! I made more friends”