One Month In.

Today marks one month since I packed my bags and flew across the world to this foreign place that is beginning to feel like home. At some point recently, I reached the "oh yeah, this is where I live now" phase. Its good to feel more settled here, as I think the transition from "excitable tourist" to "normal person just living daily life" brings with it some important shifts in perspective.

I could write some serious thoughts about this, but I'm not sure I'm up for that right now. Honestly, its been a heavy week and I'm in need of a bit of an emotional break at the moment. So I think I'll keep it light and share with you a list of some unexpected things I have picked up over the last month...

1. A new name & nationality. Caitlin is a bit difficult to pronounce (as there isn't a great way to spell it in Arabic), so I have started to go by "Cait." This has gone pretty well so far, except for when people yell "Cait!" to get my attention and I don't respond for like five minutes, but I'm working on that. As for my nationality, basically everyone here assumes that I am German, so sometimes I just go along with it. Oh and apparently, by Palestine standards, I am also a blonde--leading to the nickname "Blondie" (not sure how I feel about this one).

2. A snobby attitude towards American hummus. Yeah, hummus in the states has officially been ruined for me forever... There is just no comparison. If you need a better understanding of this, you should probably watch this video: "All About That Paste"

Real hummus

3. Public transportation life lessons. Although this facet of my life here has resulted in some mildly traumatic experiences, I've gained some invaluable lessons along the way. I mean, when stranded in a foreign city with no money, phone credit, map, bus schedule, or contacts, you have got to learn to think on your feet. Roll with the punches. Hold back the tears. Be willing to ask for help. Make some mistakes and move on. And last but not least: look on the bright side of things. Hey, riding in seven different vehicles for three hours to travel a distance of ten miles provides plenty of opportunities to make new friends, right?

4. Hilarious attention from children. Unlike adults who are [usually] more discrete with their staring, kids are not as adept at hiding their curiosity towards the strange American/German. One night, I was at a restaurant sitting near a table of about eight young kids with their parents. I kept looking up to find them staring at me, then quickly turning away when they realized I noticed. After a little while, they got more bold and started "sneakily" walking past my table to get a closer look. One kid even hid behind the staircase nearby to peer around the corner in my direction. At this point, I figured I better wave a friendly hello and introduce myself. Once the ice was broken, I was literally swarmed by a mass of children asking me about forty questions in Arabic all at the same time with these huge grins on their faces. Definitely the highlight of my day :)

5. A newfound appreciation for postal service. Y'all, it is crazy that people in America can just click on something on Amazon and find it on their doorstep the next day. Mail is just not really a thing here. Perhaps that is because addresses are not really a thing here. One time I asked my host family for their home address, and they said, "Uhh, across from Al-Radi market, down the street from the shawarma place?" Somebody please try to send me a letter with that written on the envelope.

6. Creative reasons not to go to class. In addition to the excuse of sometimes legitimate weather hazards (ranging from intense dust storms to "its just too cold today"), students here sometimes call strikes against the administration and collectively boycott classes. Unfortunately, they sometimes forget to tell the foreigners about this... Needless to say, I was very confused by the empty campus that one morning and got reprimanded by the "student strike police." Oops.

I hope this gives you a picture of some of the ridiculous situations I find myself in just about every day. Nothing like a little comic relief :)