J14 PCV Site Visit and J15 Official PCV Site Announcement

I realize I just finished describing a typical weekly schedule in my previous post, but I also want to emphasize that our life here as J15 PCT’s is anything but monotonous. With events such as Eid Al-Adha (The Festival of the Sacrifice), weekly weddings or engagement parties, regular births of new babies (60% of Jordanians are under the age of 22), World Cup 2014 Qualifier Soccer matches, and friends and family just stopping by to visit there is always something exciting happening in the lives of Jordanians.

In addition to all these events, the J15 PCT’s have just completed two very important steps this week towards our progress in becoming PCV’s: the current PCV Site Visit and the Official J15 PCV Site Announcement. For the Site Visit all J15 PCT’s were split into (gender segregated) pairs and sent off on our own for the first time to visit a currently serving PCV at his or her site.

I went with another PCT to visit Mike who is a volunteer serving as an English teacher in the village of Gadisiyah in the governorate of Tafilah. Mike could not have been a more welcoming and gracious host for the two of us and I had a fabulous time visiting him. His village has one of the highest elevations in all of Jordan and sits at 1650 meters (5400 feet) above sea level. Not only this, but his house rests on a cliff with spectacular views over-looking Wadi Dana Nature Reserve, a 1000 meter deep canyon cut out of the mountain by the Great Rift Valley which contains the Sea of Galilee, the River Jordan, the Dead Sea, the Red Sea, and the Great Lakes of Africa. As I was only in Gadisiyah for a day and a half, we didn’t have time to go hiking or exploring in the Wadi, but I was lucky enough to make it half way down into the canyon (where there are lots of trees!) and play soccer for three hours with the teachers from Mike’s school.

Upon our return from the PCV Site Visits, the J15’s stood outside in the freezing cold around a huge map of Jordan in the parking lot of the university. On this map 38 villages were labeled throughout the country. One by one the Peace Corps Jordan staff called out our names and the names of our villages where each of us will spend the next two years beginning on January 4th, 2012. The J15 Site Announcement Ceremony concluded with a serving of cake and all 38 of us spread out across the map of Jordan in the location of our permanent sites as of January 4th.

I was lucky to discover that my site is in the same governorate (Mafraq) as my training village and only 3km from Mafraq City. This means that, while my village has a population of only 8000 people, I will be only a 10-15 bus ride from the urban center and market, and I’ll be less than hour on public transit from my wonderful home-stay family and Jordanian friends in my training village.

Now I still have not yet been to my future village, nor do I have much knowledge of it, but I do have a one page information sheet provided to me from Peace Corps from which I would like to share some information with you. Firstly, however, I need to explain that the job title that Peace Corps Washington offered me and which I explained to many of you before I left (English Teacher Trainer) is not a job that exists in Peace Corps Jordan. I honestly do not understand how this happened, but there are about five J15 Trainees who thought they were here as English Teacher Trainer Volunteers, but are being forced to work as a Teacher of English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Volunteer. I will admit that I was pretty frustrated upon my arrival in Amman to discover that I will not be doing the job that I had been preparing myself for over the past 10 months. I had several conversations with Peace Corps Jordan staff (including the Country Director, the Director of Programming and Training, and the TEFL Coordinator), about my frustrations over this grave miscommunication. By now, however, I have accepted my role as a TEFL Volunteer and really do enjoy the interactions I have had so far with Jordanian (male) students, but I did emphasize pretty strongly to Peace Corps Jordan staff that I do not believe it is appropriate in the future for Peace Corps Washington to offer English Teacher Trainer positions in Peace Corps Jordan.

All that being said, I am quite excited to be a TEFL Volunteer in my new village in January and have actually had the opportunity to help out with the training of the other J15 TEFL Volunteers: I helped facilitate technical sessions on both classroom management and assessment. Several other Trainees came up to me after the sessions to tell me they appreciated my demonstration, so I am happy to be helping out with the training in that sense. Additionally, all TEFL Volunteers in Jordan are required to teach 100% of their English classes with a Jordanian counterpart and, hopefully, my counterpart(s) and I will be able to learn teaching strategies and techniques from each other.

Furthermore, I would like to continue sharing information about my permanent site: The school has 273 (male) students and 27 (male) teachers from grades 2-12. In Jordan all students take English from 1st grade through 12th grade and there are 3 English teachers who share these 11 grades at my future school. The average class size is about 27 students, though the average classroom is about 35% the size of classrooms in the US.

Something that I am particularly excited about is the fact that I am the first Peace Corps Volunteer ever to work in my village. On the negative side, this may mean that many of the people I work will never have been exposed to Americans or American teaching styles and consequently I may have a difficult time at first feeling effective and successful in my work. On the positive side, my school and principal and counterparts are eagerly awaiting my arrival, I may have a greater opportunity to encourage positive change in the school and community, and I will be able to have more freedom and autonomy in my work as I will not have to face constant comparisons with previous PCV’s.

Other information about my site includes the fact that many of the men in the village work as soldiers, bureaucrats, farmers, or businessmen. In addition, there are about six other J15 (and several J14) Volunteers working in Mafraq City and the surrounding villages providing ample opportunities for collaboration within my village as well as in other villages, Mafraq City, and even at the university.

Additionally, I am scheduled to visit my site in about 3 weeks and I intend to take a few pictures and share more information with you about my village at that point.

Finally, I really do appreciate you taking the time to read this and showing an interest in my life and work here in Jordan. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and wish you a happy holiday season. (!كل عم و إنت بخير)

Mid-PST Check-In

This week marks the mid-way point of Pre-Service Training (PST) for my cohort of Trainees, collectively known as the J15’s as we are the 15th group of Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV’s) in Jordan. By now most of the J15’s have settled into our PST routine, which I will describe in detail below.

We all typically spend every Sunday and Monday together at the university where we have training sessions in Arabic Language, Safety and Security, Health and Wellness, Diversity, and Jordanian Culture, as well Technical and Job-Specific training related to our particular assignment as a PCV in Jordan.

The middle of the week, Tuesday through Thursday, is spent in our particular training villages. In my training village there is one other male Trainee (John), who is my roommate in my home-stay family, as well as three female Trainees. In the mornings, John and I go to the boys’ school while the women head off to the girls’ school. At the school we spend time observing English classes, drinking tea with other teachers and the principal, staving off throngs of children who apparently only know how to say “Whass yer naame?” in English, and co-teaching about one lesson per day with a Jordanian English teacher.

After school on Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s, and Thursday’s we come together with the girls to have Arabic class which is taught by our Language and Culture Facilitator (LCF). We typically have 4-6 hours of Arabic Language and Jordanian Culture instruction and practice on each of these three days as well as on Saturday’s.

Friday is considered to be the holiest day of the week when most shops are closed, public transportation is quite limited, and everyone spends time with their family. For the Trainees this means that we get a relaxing day with our family, really good food, and lots of tea with friends and extended family members. Saturday is also considered to be part of the weekend, but more services are open and available and our LCF comes back to the village for a full day of language and culture class.

This will continue to be my schedule for the next three weeks or so at which point final preparations for my transfer from being a Peace Corps Trainee (PCT) to becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) will begin. PST officially ends on January 3rd, 2012 with the Swearing-In Ceremony for all J15’s; January 4th, 2012 marks my first official day as a PCV when I will move to new my village where I will spend the next two years.

MPI Video

Check out this cool video from Manna Project International (MPI):  a non-profit organization that I have worked with at Vanderbilt, in Ecuador, and in Guatemala.

Pictures from PST

Hi there,
I don't have much to say right now other than things are going really well, I'm settling into life in my training village, and my host family could not be any more welcoming and fun.
What I do have is some pictures from my training village.  You'll see what my town looks like, what my apartment looks like, and some of the fun times I have been having with my host family.

Additionally, I have a video from before the Jordan-Singapore FIFA World Cup Qualifier Match in Amman on Friday:

A Quick Update from Pre-Service Training (PST)

Hello all,

I hope this message finds you well i would really like to provide pictures soon, but my Internet access is still quite sporadic and getting pictures from my camera to my computer to the Internet is a task that is just a little too overwhelming for me right now. In the meantime, however, I did want you all to know that my life in Jordan is wonderful.

As a Pre-Service Volunteer (PSV) I spend 2 days a week at the Training Center at a university in Mafraq. I spend the other 5 days each week in a home stay with a Jordanian family in a village in between Mafraq and Syria. In fact, I can see Syria across the desert from my bedroom window.

The family I live with is incredibly warm, welcoming, and fun to be around. The food, also, is fabulous. For meals, we always separate by gender, sit on the floor, hide our feet, and eat only with our right hand (and usually without silverware), but I love it.

In the village, we have small-group Arabic language instruction 4 hours per day in addition to 3 hours of practicum with local English teachers in (gender segregated) schools. I don't have much yet to say about these as this schedule does not start until November 1st.

I know this message has been quite abbreviated, but I should have some more interesting and detailed stories to tell in the coming weeks.

Finally, I would like to assure you that I am very happy here in Jordan and to leave you with a couple links to related reading. This first link describes how Manna Project International - Ecuador continues to subscribe to an Assets-Based Community Development model, which is a framework that heavily guides my philosophy and actions in my work. This second link is an Economist article detailing some of the current political situation here in Jordan.

Philadelphia, PA

And So It Begins...

After spending the past couple months with family and friends in Oregon, including one disastrous Beaver loss to Sacramento State, one exciting Duck win over Arizona State, and lots of games of Settlers and Tick, I have now begun my journey to the Middle East. I spent today flying from PDX to PHX to PHL. Tomorrow I have Peace Corps Orientation here in Philadelphia. Wednesday night I have a red-eye flight to Frankfort followed by an 11 hour layover and a second red-eye flight Thursday night to Amman, arriving early Friday morning. Who knows how much Internet access I'll have upon my arrival in Jordan, or when I'll be able to post again, but once I get settled I'll do my best to give a brief update of my first few days of Peace Corps Orientation and Training.

Ban Ki-moon's Five Global Imperatives

On the occasion of the Earth's human population reaching 7 billion people (Earth only had a human population of 2.5 billion in 1945, the year the United Nations was founded), UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has outlined his Five Global Imperatives.  He defines them as "five generational opportunities to shape the world of tomorrow by the decisions we make today":

1. Sustainable Development
2. Prevention as a Framework for International Cooperation
3. Building a Safer and More Secure World
4. Supporting Countries in Transition
5. Working With and For Women and Young People

Reflecting on these Five Global Imperatives, I am struck by the amount of impact and change they may potentially bring about in the area of the world that I am about to enter.  I believe that the realization of these five will bring about more change in the Arab world than anywhere else on Earth.  The following are a few of my immediate (and likely still naive and ill-informed) thoughts in reverse order:

There is little doubt or debate that Arab women have fewer rights and opportunities than women in other parts of world, as highlighted by recent events in Saudia Arabia.  While there have always been Arabs speaking up for the rights of women under the argument that a nation can not fulfill its potential when 50% of its population is subjugated, the majority of Arabs (both male and female) would prefer to see the maintenance of the status quo rather than the progress described by Ban Ki-moon.

I'd also like to comment that a common misconception among Westerners (and some Arabs) is that this Arab subjugation of women is religiously based in the Qur'an, when it fact it appears that the Qur'an has very little to say on this issue and this tradition is actually a holdover from pre-Islamic times.

Again, there is little denying the fact that the Arab world currently has a surplus of countries in transition.  One can name countries like Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, which have all been successfully "liberated" and are now in the process of rebuilding from the destruction brought about by the rebellion and creating a new government that hopes to better serve the people than the one which has been disposed.  One can also name countries like Syria and Yemen, where people are dying everyday as popular uprisings look to topple militarily-backed regimes.

When discussing countries in transition, one cannot forget the country of Israel and the Palestinian Territories and their ever flickering hopes for peace.  In Ban Ki-moon's statement he specifically addresses this very issue.  He states:

• We must be courageous in standing up for democracy, human rights, and peace...In the Middle East, we must break the stalemate.  Palestinians deserve a state.  Israel needs security.  Both want peace.

While many in the Arab world would deny that Israel wants peace, I for one appreciate Ban Ki-moon and the UN for specifically singling out the resolution of this decades-long conflict as a Global Imperative.

One often tried (though not necessarily true) method used throughout the Arab world and in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is that of mediation.  Ban Ki-moon ask us to "think what we could save by avoiding conflicts - by deploying mediation missions, for example, rather than troops".  Negotiation and mediation are a must for there ever to be hope for peace in the Middle East.  President Obama recently chided Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for seeking statehood through the UN Security Council, claiming their unilateral actions to be an affront to the peace process and to Israel.  Many Arabs, however, argue that the traditional method of "American-Israeli-dominated" negotiation and mediation have not resulted in peace and thus a new method must be attempted.  As Rami G. Khouri writes, with Abbas' bid for statehood at the UN the "Palestinians stopped acting like helpless victims of history and global politics and started acting like a self-interested party that has not only rights to demand, but also political agency and the capacity to act".

Finally, and firstly for the Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon discusses sustainable development.  This is a topic that I have been passionate about ever since my first trip to Peru in 2003.  I truly believe that the undertaking of any development work which is not sustainable is at best a waste of energy and at worst a destruction to the community.  "Sustainable Development" is a term that I personally would like to see replace the term "Charity".  I do not believe that well-intentioned money alone can solve problems.  Outsider funds are not sustainable.  Rather, at best, they are merely a bandage.  In order for a community to grow and develop to its full potential the capacities and connections of the individuals, organizations, and institutions must be formed and strengthened in a culturally appropriate manner that corresponds to the desires of the members of the community.

West Coast Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs)

The following link provides my official announcement of selection as a Jordan Peace Corps Volunteer:

http://nextpcvs.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/csmith/

From that website you can also find announcements and bios of other recently arrived and incoming PCVs from throughout the West Coast.

Vote for Manna Project International

This post does not concern my work in Jordan or with the Peace Corps, but it does represent a very important opportunity for another organization that I have been deeply involved with:  Manna Project International.

As most of you know, in 2007-2008 I spent 13 months in Ecuador as a founding Program Director on Manna Project International's second international site in Quito, Ecuador to go along with the original site in Nicaragua.  Due to our successful expansion of Manna Project into Ecuador, Manna has since expanded again to Guatemala in July of 2010, a site where I spent a month last summer supporting the new founding Program Directors get their feet on the ground and flesh out their community development philosophy.

The reason for which I am currently discussing Manna Project International is because Chase (Bank) Community Giving is currently holding their "American Giving Awards".  Five charities in each of five categories (Educators & Mentors, Champions of Health & Wellness, Heroes & Leaders, Community Builders, and Youth Developers) have been nominated for the chance to win up to $1,000,000.  Chase will be giving awards of $125,000 to the organizations that garner the most votes on Facebook in each of the five categories.  You are allowed one vote in each category and I encourage you to vote for Manna Project International in the Youth Developers category.

Furthermore, the last time that Chase Community Giving held an online vote, Manna Project International earned enough votes to qualify for a $25,000 prize, and thus has now been honored with an invitation from Chase Community Giving to participate in this year's "American Giving Awards".  Please vote soon, however, as voting ends October 5th, 2011.

A link to the voting page on Chase Community Giving's Facebook page is available here.  Please click on it, "Like" Chase Community Giving, and vote for Manna Project International in the Youth Developers category.

marHaba! (!مرحبا)

Hello and welcome [marHaba (مرحبا)] to my Peace Corps Jordan blog.  From here I'll be posting updates, stories, and pictures from my work and adventures in Jordan and the Middle East.  Please feel free to subscribe, follow, and/or share with anyone else who might be interested to receive regular updates.

For those of you who do not know, I will be arriving in Jordan on October 21, 2011 to begin my service as a Peace Corps Trainee (PCT).  During my first 2.5 months I will receive job-specific, technical, linguistic, cross-cultural, health, and safety and security training.  Also during my time as a PCT, I will be living in a home-stay somewhere near the city of Al Mafraq.  Upon my successful completion of Pre-Service Training, I will be sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) right around the New Year.

Starting in January I will begin my work as PCV as an English Teacher Trainer.  This basically means that I will be working with current teachers of English to Jordanian children to support these teachers in their teaching as well as their English skills so that they may serve their students as effectively as possible.

Some of you may have been wondering why the title of this post has a capital "H" in the middle of marHaba.  This is because when Western, English-speaking linguists decided to transliterate Arabic script into Roman script they discovered that spoken and written Arabic has 2 distinct letters which, to Western ears, sound just like the letter "h".  For this reason, one of those letters is transliterated as "h" whereas the other, used in this case, is transliterated as "H".

Unfortunately for me, this not only happens with the letter "h", but also with each of the following letters:  "s", "t", "d", and "k".  Furthermore, Arabic has 3 different sounds that Americans equate with the "th" sound.  This all may sound plenty difficult, but I cannot forget that in addition to all these couplets there are at least 4 more letters/sounds in Arabic that do not exist in American English.

Suffice it to say I've got my work cut out for me, not to mention the fact that I am moving to a culture that is so foreign to Westerners in so many ways.  I will have to learn to make considerable adjustments in my lifestyle, all the while attempting to communicate in one of the world's most difficult languages to learn for an English speaker.

Nevertheless, I couldn't be more excited and intrigued for this next step in my life.  I am utterly grateful for all the support that so many of you have provided to me throughout the years.  Although I go to Jordan looking to forge new relationships with new people in a new culture, I will always remember and hold a special place in my heart for the people I've met and the relationships that I have developed over the years across the United States and throughout the Americas.  Finally, I have to thank my family for always supporting me and encouraging me to live my life.