Jetlag Reflections

It is 2:00 a.m. and I am wide-awake. This is jetlag. An exhausted person who cannot sleep! I got out of bed and tried to not make too much noise so I would not awaken Nancy, whose bedroom is next to ours. It is a challenge to be quiet in these buildings. At night, every sound echoes against the stone walls. Sneeze and the walls sneeze with you! The handles on the heavy metal doors creek and squeak when turned and the light switches make a loud “click” sound.

I like the quiet here on the verandah. It is a good time for reflection. More than miles now separate us from America. The language, the humor, the culture, the smells, the green lights of mosques glowing in the darkness, the dryness in the air…these all serve to remind me that, in spite of the Western-style Taj Mall that we visited Thursday night, I am not in America. These people do not think like Americans, talk like Americans, socialize like Americans, or drive like Americans! Yes, it is different, but I love it. This is Jordan, the place we will call “home” for at least six months.