Life in Amman

Jumping up to present time for a rare post,  I'm a week into program 2 in Amman, Jordan.  Here I'm only taking one legal course, since I just finished 6 credits in Jerusalem-

ISLAMIC JURISPRUDENCE (2 credits)

This course will introduce the students to the history, sources and methodology of Islamic Law and Jurisprudence (The Shari'ah). The course will use a historical perspective, tracing the development of the Islamic science of jurisprudence and the four "Schools of Law" from the time of the Prophet Muhammad down tot he present day. Topics include: independent legal reasoning; ancient and modern practices of Islamic tribunals and legislatures; the role of the legal treatise in the Islamic legal system; and contemporary issues, including modern banking transactions, freedom of expression, and problems involving Islamic states.

Our courses are being held at the Columbia University Middle East Research Center, which is truly a stunning facility!  

Additionally, I am so excited to have the opportunity to have started Arabic classes.  We have a wonderful tutor and there are 6 students, so I can't believe how quickly we are already learning!  I finished class 2 yesterday, and know (most of) the alphabet, and have learned how to read, how to create sentences, and a few vocabulary words.  I was so excited to walk down the street after our first class and be able to read some words correctly on signs.  It feels like cracking a code or a glimpse into another secret world.  It also makes me feel like a four year old; sounding out two syllable words D-d-d-d-d...a..a.... :)  It's so pleasing and frustrating at the same time, I wonder if it felt the same way when I was first learning to read in English!

 I love this photo- my "mualima" (teacher), Jamila- and classmate Eddie  is writing "Carlie is crazy" on the board.  We are all laughing the entire class due to our constant language faux pas!

Because this is the first year of the Amman program (which I just learned), we had some important visitors this week- the deans of Seton Hall and an inspector from the American Bar Association.

Our program faculty wanted to wine and dine them, so it was fun to do that and have the opportunity to network with them as well as a few members of the bar in Jordan. 

Our lodging is also very upscale as well compared to the places I've been staying all summer.  The hotel has been especially great because it is part of a hospitality business school, so we've befriended several interesting Jordanian students our age who are employed there.

 Among the countries in this region, Jordan seems the most businesslike and definitely displays quite a lot of wealth and hospitality.

In a few hours we are departing on a weekend trip to Petra!! So, you can look forward to learning about that in maybe a few weeks. :)