I leave for Jordan in less than a week. I’ve been studying, planning, and dreaming about going for months now, but reality still hasn’t set in. I can only imagine so much. When I land, I expect that most of my assumptions will have been wrong, my hypotheses rejected, and my expectations exceeded. I have little to write about other than my half-baked notions of what life might be like 7,500 miles from home.
I imagine myself waking up at 6:30 in the morning to do my morning routine, grabbing a quick bite of breakfast in my city-center apartment, and walking 15 minutes to class. At Qasid Institute, I can picture a long morning session of classes that invites me to be bold in my practice of the Arabic language. Then, I think that I’ll have a bit of a break for lunch when I might walk across the street and around the corner to sit down for a few. I’ll head back to Qasid for my afternoon classes. When I’m done with my instruction for the day, I see myself going to a coffee shop to get my assignments done. After this, I might walk back to my apartment where I work out for an hour, then shower and make myself dinner. Then I plan to study and read (this time, in English) for an hour or two before bed.
On the weekends, I truly don’t know what I’ll do. Hopefully, I can make some friends at a Church nearby, spend time with my extended family, and play some pickup soccer. My early imagination of what life will be like in Amman will almost surely be replaced by a reality that has smells, feelings, and stories to bring home. But until then, I’ll keep imagining.