Moving Forward

Last night we received this email from our program, CIEE.  I think it does a good job summing up the current situation.  I will capitalize some of the more important parts as I see them.

 

First, there are some protests and marches going on tonight.  They are not only in the usual places, but are starting to pop up in more places...this is deliberate on the part of the many groups organizing these protest activities.  Everything remains relatively peaceful here in Amman, but things are still very tough in other cities and towns around Jordan.  As I noted on Facebook, this could go on for some time to come.
This week we're moving off campus.  Campuses here are very political places (and not in the American way).  Not only do we now have a war going on across the river, we have a huge, by all appearances very well-organized General Strike headed into another day tomorrow.  These issues are going to make their way onto campus.  We are not necessarily afraid that campus presents a physical danger; we are, rather, taking a precaution in the hopes of minimizing any further disruptions to our academic program, especially in light of the strike and how little of our semester remains.  Some universities will be closed tomorrow.  At other universities, students are organizing for the strike and the universities are trying to disabuse them of that notion. 

The General Strike is a big deal, and a lot of people are participating both in an individual and organized fashion.  Leading the vanguard is the Teachers' Association.  They are a very smart organization, highly organized, and last year staged a walkout in which they made their point and won their terms.  It had the effect of politicizing a lot of people who had previously been fairly a-political.  You should be paying attention to the role of labor in what's going on.  Coming from an American perspective, we don't tend to do very well contextualizing labor at moments like these.  Especially in American-style Political Science and IR, there's so much focus on words in scare-quotes, like "Islamists."  We often miss a bigger and more interesting picture.  That said, the teachers will march tomorrow while we are in class.  The General Strike may go on, may pick up momentum, or it may fizzle; we just don't know yet.  What it means practically is that things might be closed more so than usual, and transportation might be more annoying than usual.  Just be prepared.

In terms of advice for dealing with our current situation, it's important to keep in mind that we are safe.  We are ready to make important calls should we sense that that might change.  You should continue to do all of those things we've suggested you do all semester:  heed our advice, warnings, guidelines, and policies; have situational awareness; stay on top of current events; maintain a low profile; stay away from anything that looks to be a protest; report anything weird; talk to us if you have questions or concerns.

The Stateside coverage of what's been happening over the past several days is appallingly bad, and unlike that coverage, we actually do know what's going on and try very hard to convey an honest picture to you.

Today we received two more emails that specify a few more protests and marches that will be going on tonight and tomorrow. 

• Tonight in Rabieh at 6 p.m. there is a protest scheduled in front of the Israeli Embassy regarding Gaza, etc
• Also slated for tonight after 'asha prayer:  a protest at Dakhliyya and Jabal Hussein.
• Tomorrow at 1 p.m. there will be a march from in front of the Professional Associations' building in Shmeisani (across from Spinney's) to the Prime Ministry in 4th Circle.
• As of now it seems that the Teachers' Association is slated to take the strike into another day.

My current thoughts on the situation. 

1. I am so thankful to be back in classes.  It gives me a chance to not only do what I came here to do, study, but also get a feel for how others are doing and what they think about the situation.  I really cant wait to hear from my history professor tomorrow in class.  It should be a good day.
2. After a significant bit of reverse culture shock, as described in my last post, I am starting to have dreams that I am back in the states.  I miss home, that is for sure, but I am honestly enjoying the time I have here.  I have found a new love for this country in the past few days and I love being here and in this region as long as it is relatively safe.  It is an exciting place to be and to learn.
3. I am currently sitting about an hour or so east of Jerusalem.  The other night they had the bomb sirens going off because some bombs were falling near the city.  That is a bewildering thought for me, that a war is going on just over an hour from where I am sitting. 
4. Speaking of war, I encourage you all back home to stay updated on the situation in the region just to the west of me.  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, when doing research, look at both sides.  I am not defending either side but I think that more often than not, in the states, we only hear one side of the issue and forget about the other side.  There is more to the story and I encourage you to look into it.  A good site for international news, that isn’t biased on one US political side or the other, is Al Jazeera.  It is a fantastic site for up to date, honest journalism.  

That is all for now.  I am off my soapbox and I will keep you all updated, as usually, as I receive more information.