Sally and Fadi

I'm up with the prayers again here (4:30 a.m.)--enough already!

Yesterday, Friday, Sally took me through greater Amman, in a taxi and with map in hand, pointing out the major landmarks and the various areas that I'll likely want to utilize. It was very helpful. I ended up going to a wholesale market and got tea flasks, stuff to make tea (so that I can bring a lot w/ me to the interviews, fruit--amazing dates!, etc.). Today she is taking me, along with three of her friends, to the Dead Sea where we will go to a spa and swim in the sea. One of her friends from her embassy work is in from Egypt and has never been to the Dead Sea. She requested going to it, so we are all off. Sally has worked in public health here for 6 or 7 years; this last sumer she got a job at the American Embasy. So she seems to know everyone and has many connections.

Fridays are like our Sundays here, Saturdays are like our Sundays, and Sundays are like Mondays--does that make any sense? So to tomorrow, Sunday (our Monday/beginning of the work week)) I am going to interview Sally and Fadi (my other translator who is from Iraq). I thought that their perspectives on the refugees might be interesting as they see many refugees from their work in the health field. Sally said that the biggest health problems with Iraqi women is domestic violence.

Apparently I had a distorted impression of the refugees situation (of course). I had understood that many of the refugees where middle and upper-middle class people who were well educated--the very people who had the ways and the means to leave Iraq (and who if they stayed in Iraq could actually rebuild the social infrastructure). And while some are in that situation, many have spent all of their money getting out of Iraq, and/or they cannot work for pay here, so their financial situation is very bad. In addition, they are in a very vulnerable position, socially and financially, and are often taken advantage of. So the majority are in very dire straights. Large families and/or extended families--of up to a dozen people--will live together in very small apartments, sometimes only one room, in the poorer part of town (the east side, which I have not yet visited). Sally says that the women and children do not get to go out during the day. One can imagine that in such a restrained environment, with the terrible pressures of poverty, boredom, little hope for things changing, and stress, violence could easily erupt.

Sally, Fadi and I have decided jointly to rent a car. We will divide the costs in three. We each live in different parts of the city, and pay separate taxies to meet up. Then we take a joint taxi to meet the women refugees. But this way, Sally & Fadi will have a car for their own needs to & from their work, and we will all three travel together when we are doing interviews, and I can take the car when I have the need (which I don't see being often as most of my needs can be met within walking distance, and I will either go to the historical sites with people from ACOR, or take the local buses which I am now comfortable taking). We'll each be putting in about $100.00 JDs/month. It should save us all money and time in the long run. And time is very important for them as in addition to their work w/ me, they both work full time (although Faid works two 20 hours shifts a week in the hospital, and two 8 hours shifts, for a total of over sixty hours a week). Fadi seems to be a bit obsessive-complusive. He wants to two or three interviews a day. I would rather get one extensive, careful good interview a day.

I really like Sally and Fadi. They are both 28 years old--one year older than Blake would be. . . . I will try to see if I can talk them into giving me their first born after they marry. Or at the least be their child's American godmother. . . .