My First "Ticket"

I feel like I should commemorate this moment. I got pulled over for the first time today, making an illegal left from Collings Ave onto 130 on the way home from PATCO. *Sigh*. I'm actually surprised by how well I held it together, my heart was beating kind of fast but I didn't lose all feeling in my arms and legs like I did when a cop flashed me out of the fast lane on 295 one time. Lucky for me, it's the middle of the month and the cop was a sweetheart about it. I did the slightly pathetic but not overdone puppy-dog eyes and called him "sir" and everything, and he commended my good driving record and let me off with a warning. Other than my run-in with the antique Camaro's bumper in high school (which did not result in a run-in with the po-po, thank God), I've managed to avoid police attention on the road for 3 and half years, which isn't too bad. And I didn't get a ticket this time, so as far as I'm concerned it still doesn't count :P

Going to the Big M.E

Less than one year from now, I will be flying to Amman, Jordan. Completely alone.

After a long and intense deliberation, I've decided to risk being "sex-trafficked" and put my trust in a small volunteer organization called Geovisions. They promise to place me in a safe and stable Jordanian home where I will live for one month while tutoring locals in English and improving my Arabic, Insha'Allah. It's an incredible opportunity. I'll be able to visit some of the most important biblical sites, not to mention Jerusalem itself. I told Andy that if I die there I'll probably go straight to heaven. He didn't think that was funny.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll have a lot more interesting things to write about when all this comes to pass! I'm leaving on May 17, 2011 and returning on June 17. For now, all I can do is wait for Geovisions to contact me when they've found a family to take me in, and pay off the fee to the program (which is modest in comparison to most of its kind). Jordan is supposed to be one of the most hospitable nations on Earth, and I can't wait to soak it all in, from the people to the language to the food. After the GRE, I need to work very hard on my spoken Arabic up until my departure day, so that I can get the most out of the short time that I'm there. Fun Fact: Amman was (one of) the original Philadelphia's of Ancient Rome. It's meant to be :-)