There’s only about a week and a half remaining before classes start at Ayn Al Basha, and I can tell that they’re going to be ridiculously busy. Since Sunday, Wajih has had me going onsite every day to help oversee the final stages of the construction, and he’s put me in charge of designing, purchasing, and installing the entire computer networking system on the campus. It’s not like it’s a very BIG campus, but there’s going to be some 350 meters of Category 5 ethernet cable strung out through the rafters and in below-ground piping systems. Wajih just wants me to wait until the electrical is laid out, and then I can get started.

When I first went out to Ayn Al Basha, our stonemason Najeeb (who is also Ahmad’s brother in law) proudly led me to a dim room in the corner and show me the site’s most recent addition: a shaggy-furred black and white Nubian goat, who stared at us curiously as we entered the room. At first I asked Najeeb why there was a goat in a training center, but then I recalled that the important ‘Great Feast’ of Eid ul-Adha was coming up in early December. Najeeb happily drew his thumb across his throat and rubbed his belly. That went a long way to confirming my suspicions that the goat (which I’ve named “Mazie” since the Arabic word for goat is mahweez) will eventually be gracing our dinner plates.

Sorry that I'm going to be eating you eventually, Mazie.

A few days ago, Haitham celebrated his 23rd birthday, and invited me to Zarqa for the festivities, and some extremely tasty birthday cake and cookies that his mother had made. I felt extremely privileged that I was allowed into the inner rooms of the house; usually outsiders are only allowed to see the specialized meeting rooms, like in the case of the Sheikh a couple months ago. We all gathered around the table and sang “Happy Birthday” to him, in English. I asked him why there wasn’t an Arabic birthday song we could sing for him, and he shrugged and told me that he didn’t really care about his birthday, that it was more of his mother’s idea than anything else. “Muslims are not supposed to have any other Eid’s besides the two festivals to God, so I don’t really care about celebrating my birthday. It’s something that was brought over by the West, which is why the song is in English.” Regardless, the food was delicious, and Haitham’s mother, like the Sheikh and every other house I’ve been to, did her best to cajole me to eat every bit of food on the table, while smiling at me fondly.

Haitham and his well-lit (and very tasty) cake.

There’s still a lot of work to be done at Ayn Al Basha, so that trip to Zarqa will probably be the last fun trip I’ll be able to have for awhile. Aaron, Jeff, Wajih, and myself are now constantly in discussion about pricing of electronics, room layouts, and lesson syllabi. I have barely even seen Philip for the last week, because Kahlil has been coming to pick me up at 7:30 in the morning, which for me is extremely early. Thankfully, the classes are going to be from 9:30 to 4, so at least I won’t have to get up much earlier than what I’m used to. With the syllabus I’ve written out, there won’t be much “homework” for my students for Ahmad and I to grade (a blessing for both the students and us).

In other news, I accidentally voted today. Although I view Obama with a general disinterested apathy due to his likely inability to create actual positive change for America, he’s still obviously better than his doddering alternative. Aaron was going to the American Embassy to drop off his ballot, so I decided that since he was going, I’d tag along. After being scanned, searched, and having all my electronics taken away from me (which took awhile) we were admitted into the bland-looking building in the Abdoun district of Amman. I had to throw away the ballot that Wisconsin had emailed to me, and fill out a new Federal one, but at least they paid the postage for it to be sent home – Fedex’s “Express Your Vote” campaign for overseas citizens was charging $24 to send a few sheets of paper back home. Thanks but no thanks, Fedex. Guess now that I’ve done my “patriotic duty” and participated in the farce that is the general election, not much to do but sit back and watch the fireworks show.