the pomo still tries to settle in

I know several emails have not made it to various people. I tried using my gmail account, but no one has responded to that either. Maybe Bush (or my nephew Kenny who works for the CIA) is intercepting my emails since I'm writing from a Middle East country . . . .

I think I'm getting mixed messages from people at the university, and I don't know what to think. For example, the chair, Dr. Hani, begged me to take another class--(I told you this), a novels class. And he said I should teach 3 novels, of my choice. So I decided to make the class a topics class, and the topic: "The individual and society." I chose "To Kill a Mocking Bird," "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest," and "Housekeeping" (a novel I always teach in my women's lit class--it's by Marilynne Robinson, who just won a pulitzer prize for her novel "Gilliad"). When I told Dr. Hani my novels, he said "well, you maybe ought to teach one Victorian novel--like Jane Austen. That way they get a small overview of different time periods." Well, why didn't he say so originally? In the mean time I had already told my class the 3 novels, but now I have to change them. So in keeping with my theme, I have chosen the Vict. novel "Heart of Darkness". I'm afraid to tell Hani what I chose, because Conrad is not, in fact, "like" Austen.

Then my students tell me that I need to take a copy of the books to a "bookstore" (read:copy shop) where copies will be made which they can purchase for a very nominal price. But Hani told me I shouldn't do that (rather he told all the faculty in our orientation). Well, my students insist that it's always done this way. There aren't many books stores around w/ novels in English, and those that are have a very small selection--so the students are likely tell the truth. So I let a student take me to the "bookstore," and I did leave my books thereto have copies made. I really don't know what I'm supposed to be doing. I expressed this to my student, and she said it's like that (one receives double messages) in everything here. Esp. (according to her) faculty will ask the students to write what they think, but the faculty really wants students to repeat what the faculty thinks. (I think a lot of the teaching style here is like that--you know, old school, rote memorization, etc.) Any advice? I'm thinking I should probably take on "the don't ask, don't tell policy. "

It was wild in class today--on the front row of my novels class (which I taught for the first time today) sat a woman in a full burka--not even a slit for her eye and she had gloves on her hands). (Mind you, all but the christian women--who wear very visible crosses--wear the hijaab, but only this one is in a burka). We were discussing the aspects and characteristics of postmodernism--it was the most absurd and yet authentically pomo moment I think I've ever experienced. . . .

I actually can and do make my students laugh, even though my brother Bill said they wouldn't think I'm funny. I told them I never voted for Bush, or his daddy, and they laguhed. One male student came up afterwards, telling me he's so happy I'm here. (But he couldn't understand why anyone in American would choose to come to Jordan when "It's a hundred times better in the US!") Then he told me that my comment about Bush likely did not have the effect I thought it would (i.e. make everyone like me). He said everyone in Jordan loves Bush--that if I went to the mosque and told them there that I didn't vote for Bush, they'd like me there, but not so at the university. He said many Jordanians consider Jordan the 51st US state. Who knew?

Ah, well--live and learn. I seem to be doing many things a bit off here. I just found out that the way I've been greeting the taxi drivers as I get in a cab--"ahlan wasahlan" which I thought was "hello" is actually "welcome." I thought it strange that they were all gave me funny looks, but I guess the looks were well deserved as I was tell them "welcome" to their own taxis.

The interviews with the refugees themselves are really challenging--very depressing in many ways . . . the infinite ways in which we humans can cause one another suffering. Sometimes I come home exhausted, think I'll take a small nap, and wake up 5 hours later, only to go to sleep for the night, two hours after that.