The first post

Days until departure: 46.

This does not seem like very long at all. With Italy a few years ago, I kept thinking "oh, it's forever away- not completely real, even" until the night before I left. This resulted in mad packing at the last minute, my bags barely under the weight limit. I have much the same sentiment regarding Jordan (it's still forever away, really!). I am wildly excited. Daydreams once filled (and ultimately more than fulfilled) with cappuccini and the Colosseum have been replaced by thoughts of kibbe and Petra. However, there is so much left to be done. To obtain: luggage, visa, Jordan-appropriate wardrobe, everyone's address, basic grasp of Jordanian Arabic. I do already have a plane ticket, so at least that much is settled.

I visited an excellent Middle Eastern restaurant in Adams-Morgan last week, wherein I ordered Arabic coffee (about to go swing dancing, this seemed like a good idea). However, much to the astonishment of my friends and me, the coffee was very strong and in fact grainy. At the bottom of the clear, glass mug was a sludge (coffee grounds, we assumed). Needless to say, not even multiple Splenda packets made a dent in the bitter, almost unpalatable taste. It was the sort of thing that elicits an involuntary scrunching of the face and swift search for a glass of water. The coffee was eventually communally finished, though I had no more than a couple sips. If all Arabic coffee is like this, I am not sure where I'll get the daily caffeine fix.

ma9i ssalaame!