Hands up, it's the weekend!

Thursday, November 28th

6:30 am. After a jog and a leisurely breakfast, I head to the last Tarabot workday for this week. Samer had announced an accessories workshop for today, but instead, we are in for a flashback: the same workshop that we started our first day here with. We stretch colorful strings over a board prepared with nails and create different designs. The theme, of course, is Christmas. These works will also be sold at the Christmas bazaar later. Sophia and I noticed that our Christmas tree and snowman from the first workshop have already been made ready for sale.

Today, Sophia is assigned a gift as her design, and I am assigned a "Ho Ho Ho" with a Santa hat. However, I'm not quite sure how common this classic Santa Claus is here - I have to explain to at least all of my Tarabot colleagues who look over my shoulder what these words mean. Lost in thought, I tell Sophia that I'm sure you can create really beautiful things with this nail-string technique, and I'm glad that it slips out in German. Our workshop leader decorates the boards at the end with red ribbons and some glitter, making all the boards look very pretty and festive on a table. However, since summer has returned to Amman this week, at least during the daytime, I'm not really in the Christmas spirit yet. Even though I know that Advent is just around the corner.

For the end of the week, we go to Abu Wahid one more time, where we have lunch with another customer today. When we're done, Abu Wahid suddenly stands next to us with a pack of tissues that we can help ourselves to. I wonder if he got the tissues especially for us. The last time we asked him for napkins, he was a bit disappointed that he could only offer us the paper he always uses as placemats. However, it's certain that he's only offering the tissues to us, which the other guest promptly complains about. The word "Etschnabi" comes up in his complaint, a word we know all too well. It means "foreigner," and we can hear it regularly when people (including many of the children at Tarabot) talk about us near us. The legitimate complaint is heard: the guest gets his tissue, and everyone can start the weekend satisfied.

Tonight, Sophia and I finally have Arabic class again with Rose. We skipped a week because of university stress, but it feels like eternity to me. It really makes me a little sad that my Arabic skills are not where I would like them to be. Our class is taking place at Manara tonight (Sophia noted that it's getting pretty cold in her apartment in the evenings and suggested changing the location. In fact, it's so cold there that both of her roommates will soon be moving to a better insulated apartment. The winter in Amman's houses is really no joke), and I notice that I keep seeing the same faces here. After a short chat with Gina's friend Anas, Bashar also joins us at the table, who gave us a tour of the MMAG Foundation back then, and listens a bit to our Arabic lesson. I really like the Amman family a lot.

On my way home later, good news from Rebecca: our neighbors have had water delivered by a private company and filled our tank as well. Washing and showering are guaranteed until the next water delivery from the government next week. That calls for a celebration! Together with Rebecca and Lea, I go to Uncle Sam's Pub, a small pub near the 3rd Circle, where we bury the stress of the past weeks on the dance floor. That was really necessary.