Every day seems to get a little better. I knew coming into this that there would be an adjustment period yet it still caught me off guard.

There is a girl from my program that lives below me and she wanted to get together today and meet some people downtown to go see the Roman Amphitheater. When I woke up my host dad and sister were already gone for the day and my host mom was about to leave for the gym----the maid and I got locked inside the apartment...literally. The difference between the maid and me is that I actually get a key. I was given specific instructions to make sure I lock the door every time I leave. I was told this was so Shanti, the maid can't let strangers into the house, but I'm pretty sure its also so she can't leave.

Once my host mom came back I left with betsy and walked down to the mall that is literally right behind our apartment building where we met up with another girl from my program. We caught a taxi there and went downtown. The Roman Amphitheater is right smack dab in the middle of modern buildings in downtown Amman. Its a breathtaking feature which towers over the nearby street. We met some other students there and climbed to the top to survey the surrounding area. We checked out the cultural and historical museum that is located below the amphitheater. Afterwards, we walked in a big obvious group throughout downtown looking for a tasty falafeel sandwhich shop that many of us had heard about. Only one of us (out of about 8) knew enough Arabic to ask people questions so she took the lead and stopped every now and again to ask someone if we were going in the right direction. Finally, we found it and for only about 40 piastres each, had tasty pitas stuffed with falafeel, french fries, tomatoes, peppers, and sauce. Sure beats McDonalds! At this point some of us split off (some had to go home early or wanted to meet other groups of people)----the rest of us wandered downtown, haggled with the street shop owners and had a really good time. You can find ANYTHING downtown, from universal remotes and hookahs, to fresh fruit, loose tea and coffee as well as clothes and shoes. The jewelry is amazing and I've been having a hard time not buying things yet. I have refused to buy any souvanirs until well into my stay here in Jordan. Its been very hard seeing as there are LOTS of pretty, shiny, and unique items to buy. It really makes me feel like a tourist!

Tomorrow is my first day of class----from 8am until 12pm I have Arabic and from 2-4pm I have my area studies classes. Its going to be interesting to finally get into the habit of going to school again. I keep forgetting that I'm not on vacation---I'm actually here for school!