My first week as an 8-year-old expat in Amman, Jordan :)

Well I, Hailee Nelson truly think Jordan is magnificent!

I met a nice new friend from Palestine on the plane. She's a girl and has two little sister. We spent over 10 hours on the plane with her. At least there was a touch tv. Then we had to say our goodbyes.

We went to Madaba Greek Orthodox Church. There were little tiny rocks put into big pretty pictures. They were amazing. I got to go to a great fancy restaurant. By the first round you were full.

Compared to Red Hill my school is way bigger. There's a swimming pool, a track, a gym, foosball table, tennis, volleyball, & soccer. It's amazing! My uniforms are brown and blue. We've got different clothes from PE. I met my teacher and he has a cool accent.

My neighbor told me the royal family will be at my school. One of the princes graduated. So there's 3 more that haven't. I wonder if one of the princesses is in my grade. There's 2 princesses & 1 prince in the whole school.

Jordan is amazing! I love it so much.

First day of work in Amman!

Today was my first official day at work.  Yep, I know it's a Saturday.  The normal work week here in Amman is Sunday through Thursday, and new staff reported a day before returning staff.  It was an orientation day, so my day was filled with learning about Jordan, the school- IAA (International Academy-Amman),and other housekeeping items such as arranging a driver. It was a pretty low key day, but much different than what I'm used to. Instead of just going over school procedures and policies or curriculum, we were also briefed on the country and culture. I am very excited about working with IAA. I miss my Eagle County colleagues dearly, but am excited to work with some of the wonderful people I've met over the last few days.  Because international teachers typically sign 2 year contracts and move on to a new school in a new country, I'm not sure as an international teacher I will ever get that sense of family I had at GCMS. But, there are other great things that are brought to the table.  One of which is the many nationalities I work with. I love the varying accents of my colleagues, as well as learning about their home countries- New Zealand, Great Britain, of course the great US of A, Ireland, Australia, and the list continues.  I'm also excited to learn more about the school and the MYP and IB curriculum. We took a tour of the school and it is fabulous! One of my favorite parts of the school is the sport's complex.  State-of-the-art track, swimming pool, basketball court, cardio room for teachers, etc. I can't wait to use the facilities!

Bill and the girls walked to the mall today.  Their stories of their interactions with the locals make me smile.  Jordanian people are so welcoming, it really is quite wonderful. The checker at the grocery store put out her hands for Bill to hand her Charlee so that she could give her a hug. Charlee, being the sweet girl she is, kissed her on the cheek.

Hailee has become very excited about learning Arabic, so she can better communicate with the locals.  I had a sheet of local phrases and she's been practicing them since I've been home.

Tomorrow the family will go to work with me in the morning. During my morning meeting they will be entertained, and then we will all head off sight to take some necessary steps to obtain our visas and set-up our bank accounts.  After that we will get a tour of Amman, and then dropped off back at the apartment.  Hailee should also get her school uniform tomorrow, which she is excited about. Only one more week until she starts school!

Madaba

Yesterday the school took the family to Madaba. Madaba is home to St. George's church, which houses beautiful mosaics from between 500 and 800 AD.  The most famous is a map of Jerusalem and the holy land.  It was truly amazing to look at a mosaic map from the 6th century with so much biblical history.  We took some pictures, but they really do not do these mosaics justice. 

We also enjoyed our first traditional Jordanian meal at Haret Jdouna. Oh my goodness!!  It was fabulous!  I wish I would've taken pictures.  The appetizers really could have been the meal. We were so full! Bill and I talked about how we will definitely make or way back to this amazing restaurant. We also enjoyed some great company during the meal. We ate with some of the administrators and the other newbies. All the conversation was great, but it was particularly nice to meet some of the other families that had also come with children.

Lack of sleep was really catching up to us, so the whole family took a long nap after we returned to the apartment.  We still managed to sleep through most of the night, for the first time since our arrival.. yay! It's a good thing because today is my first day of work! I know it's a Saturday.  We start a day earlier than returning staff, and the work week here is Sunday through Thursday.  It's going to be a long week, but I'm looking forward to it!

First day in Amman

We are in Amman!

We arrived in Amman early afternoon on the 22nd. After a full day of travel with 2 children, we were beyond exhausted.  We are told it'll take a few days to shake this jet lag, so hopefully in the next day or so.  Despite being incredibly tired, we woke up at 2:30am, unable to go back to sleep.  We tried to 'nap' after that, but by the time our bodies felt like it was time to sleep, it was time to get up and prepare for the day. 

After we got off the plane, we had to first purchase a tourist visa (which will become a resident visa later) and go through customs.  Customs went pretty smooth, thanks to the assistance we received from airport employees who took our bags (bike box included) through customs for us. Smoothest trip through customs ever! Once we made it through customs, we were greeted by one of the principals from the school.  Then it was off to see our new home!  On the way, Hailee got her wish to see a camel.  The airport is outside of the city, and as we passed through the outlying areas, men were selling camel's milk (ewww) alongside the road.

We were greeted at our apartment by another administrator, Christine, from IAA.  She actually lives across the hall from us with her 15 year old daughter.  Christine, our landlord, and 2 other men helped us get all of our luggage up to our apartment.  Everyone has been so polite and welcoming.  They all love the girls, and wave to them or strike up a conversation every time they see us.  Our apartment is great! We are quite happy with it.  What we were most surprised by is almost everything is brand new and still in the packages- pots and pans, utensils, towels, pillows, sheets, etc. We still need to finish unpacking and make it ours, but it's happening slowly but surely.

Later that evening, Christine and another neighbor, Regina, walked us to a market just around the corner so we could pick up some things for dinner. We love the little market and how close it is to the house.  We've visited it a couple more times since. On the way back we stopped to check out the view on the hillside near our apartment building. Absolutely beautiful. We feel so incredibly lucky to be here, and having this experience.  Who would of thought that the Nelsons would one day live in Amman, Jordan?  Crazy where life takes us.

After an interesting night's sleep, we got up and prepared for the day.  A bus from the school would be picking us, along with the other newbies, up at 10 am to head to the Taj mall. The Taj Mall is like a one stop shop. While at the mall, we bought Charlee a stroller (the Chariot is not always easy to take along), bought cell phones, purchased a wireless Internet router, and did our grocery shopping at Spinney's. We also had lunch in the food court,which was very similar to the states.  Bill and the girl's had McDonald's and I had Chinese.  I know, I know.. we are going to get out and enjoy some Jordanian cuisine soon!  But, here's the crazy thing.  Fast food here isn't quite as fast..b/c they cooked it when we ordered it!  It was a 10 minute wait for our food, but it came out hot and fresh. I tasted the girl's McDonald's and let me tell you... McDonald's never tasted so good!

After the bus brought us back to the apartment, we all fell asleep except for Daddy.  Our router ended up being bad, so he went on a walk back to the mall, where he was sent up to their other store by the American Embassy.  He really enjoyed his walk and the people he encountered along the way.  The girls and I got out for another walk up to the market. After the sun went down we went outside to check out the building that changes color! The girls love watching it! Every few seconds the building changes color.  It's absolutely beautiful!

Lots of other interesting things to share, but it's getting late and we have another trip planned in the morning. We will be joining some of the administrators and the other newbies on a trip to Madaba.  Madaba is considered to be one of the most memorable places in the holy land. It is best known for its spectacular Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics, and is home to the famous 6^th century Mosaic Map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. We can't wait!!

LAX

As the ticker on our blog says, today is the day!!  It's crazy to think that in less than 24 hours we will be in our new apartment in Amman, Jordan!

One of my biggest worries was just getting to the gate.  We had our Chariot stroller, Bill's road bike in a hard case, and 8 suitcases to check.  Although the first attendant we encountered at curb side wasn't thrilled about helping us, he did.  He had a big cart that we were able to load almost everything onto, and he transported us to ticketing. We had a few hangups at ticketing while checking our baggage, but we expected it. Charlee wasn't in the mood to just stand there, running through the airport is so much more fun :)  The limit for our bags is 50 lbs.  Bill and I were up until after midnight last night, once again weighing and moving stuff around to make them all under 50. We expected we would have to move stuff around at the airport and we were right... that was loads of fun. BUT, we were lucky.. we only had 1 heavy suitcase. Bill's road bike posed a bit of confusion with the attendants, but they figured it out and we paid the $175 to check it. Then the real fun began (don't you love all the sarcasm in this post, lol).. with no cart and no further assistance, we had to transport all those checked items to TSA. I had to contain Charlee and watch all our items, so Hailee had to help daddy. Daddy headed over to TSA and Hailee rolled him the suitcases one at a time. We seriously couldn't of done it without her!  Bill's bike had to be taken to over sized baggage, and that was the last of our checked items.  Let me tell you, never have I been so happy to say goodbye to luggage.  We are very happy we don't have to see any of them again until we arrive in Jordan.

Next it was off to security-  girl's both have mini backpacks, 1 laptop backpack, mommy's purse, 2 stuffed animals, and 3 carry-on bags.  Security wasn't too bad. Mommy learned today that anytime you wear a long skirt, you have to submit to a pat down. It's usually my belt or my jeans or something similar, and although I wasn't expecting to be patted down, I'm used to it.  One of our carry-ons had to be searched b/c of baby wipes??? I'm just going to be thankful that they are so thorough and not question that one too much.

We are now sitting at the gate.. got to the gate with 2 hours to spare.  Although, I questioned Bill's desire to leave so dang early, it is nice that the few hangups we had were not so stressful because we knew we had plenty of time.   The girls are watching movies and reading, and mommy was able to type a whole blog. Daddy is doing what he does best- people watching.

I hope to do a short blog when we arrive in New York, but no guarantee.  Our layover is just under 2 hours, and not having ever flown into JFK, I don't know what to expect.

We'll post updates as often as we can, and will blog about our last days in the state as soon as we have the Internet.  About an hour until boarding...

Thank you Colt & Syd for putting up with us and getting us here this morning. We love you guys!

Are you nervous?

Three days. Actually, since today is almost over, we have 2 days until we will be boarding a plane for Amman.  As we chat with friends and family about our upcoming adventure, probably the question we are most frequently asked is- "Are you nervous?"

Of course we have some nervous feelings. We are after all, human. BUT, we are so excited about the adventure, the feelings of being nervous are overshadowed.  What I'm most nervous about is getting to Amman- a connection in New York, a 5 1/2 hour leg, a 12 1/2 hour leg, 8 suitcases, a road bike in a cargo case, a Chariot stroller, a backpack, an 8 year old, and a 2 year old.  Any ideas why I'm slightly nervous about our travels?

We have talked to so many people that are currently expats in Amman (both colleagues and from other professions), have visited Amman, or formerly lived in Amman. All of who, are excited for us and our upcoming adventure. This past weekend, I was able to chat with the other Special Educations Needs teacher I will be working with.  Joseph and I have conversed multiple times by email, but he is visiting family here in the states, so we were finally able to chat by phone.  It was great to talk with him, and we both already feel we will make a great team. It was great to discuss both the school we will be working at, as well as living in Amman. He answered a few of our lingering questions, shared that he is excited to get out on some rides with my husband, and increased our excitement for our move.

We are ready for the next chapter of our lives. I am sure there are going to be times of frustration (likely the first of which will be in the airport), and times of missing home.  But, the opportunities that await us will be worth it.  We will be world travelers. We already have plans to travel to Rome for our 10 year anniversary in December, and travel Europe for a month summer 2013. Our girls will be cultured and well-round.  We are, after all, giving them the world.  We will see and experience things that we thought would only ever be dreams.  AND best of all, we get to see and experience them together as a family.

We.are.ready.

Day Trip to the beach!

This Cali girl loves the beach, so when the chance arose to take a break from moving preparations and get the heck out of the heat- I was more than ready!

The girls and I headed over to Pismo with one of my best friends, Jennifer, and her son, Carson. The kids had a great time playing in the ocean and digging in the sand, while their mommies were able to relax, read, and just enjoy the beautiful weather. HAHA! Anyone who knows Charlee knows that's not even a possibility. It's what I envisioned before we left, but once again, rambunctious Charlee had other plans for mommy. AND.. maybe, just maybe.. I liked her plans better than my own. I mean, who doesn't love splashing through the ocean while giggling like a child? ;-)

Jenn and I had a great day playing with our kiddos at the beach. We're some pretty lucky ladies who love being moms. We often chat about our journeys as mothers, and how difficult but rewarding it is. The way I see it, we must be doing something right. Despite the trying and challenging times, we have some pretty amazing kids.. and how lucky are we that they have bonded just like their mommies!

-blog from my iPhone

More family time!

If you also blog, you know there is nothing more frustrating than typing up an entire post, and then for whatever reason, you lose the post!  Yep, that just happened.  For that reason, this post will be short and sweet.

With only 5 days left, things have been getting kind of crazy around here! There is so much to do before we leave- spend time with family and friends, pack, paperwork, shopping, etc.  It seems like everytime we get something off the to do list, we add a couple more.  But, it'll all come together and we couldn't be more excited!  Plus, we are doing a pretty good job of balancing fun with the move preparations.  This past weekend we were able to head up to northern Cali and spend some time with my brother and his family.  The pictures pretty much tell the story, but while up there we were able to go on a hike and because it was so hot, we all ended up in the river.  It was a lot of fun!  Oh, and my brother can BBQ with the best of them!  We had a great visit with them, but the weekend flew by entirely too quickly.  We also were able to spend some time visiting with Danielle and Jay this week.  She cooked up a delicious dinner, and we were able to spend some time visiting while the kids played.  Last night we went to Buffalo Wild Wings w/ Colt and Syd.  Try not to be ashamed that we've lived a mile away all summer, and this was our first time enjoying their famous wings!  While there, we also ran into Adrien, Jenn, & Carson.  Great food and great company!

This Sunday we are planning to BBQ with friends and family.  Monday we have a lot to do, and Tuesday we depart.  BBq'n will allow us to see as many people as possible before we depart. 

Today we are taking a break fom the headache that is packing and preparing to leave the states.  The girls and I are headed over to the beach with some friends.  One more fun day on the beach before the real craziness begins!



Charlee slept for the first part of the hike

time to cool off in the river

Bill diving in!




cousins saying goodbye <3

Zayne, Charlee, Hailee, and Shayla



Charlee napping w/ her new backpack



Dinner @ Buffalo Wild Wings

Visiting w/ friends

1 week and 5 days!

We've had a great time visiting with friends this last week.  We were able to go to a great friend Krystal's (aka K-dawg's) birthday party.  We all had a blast, despite the electricity going out for a couple hours.  Remember, it's over 100 degrees here, so that also meant no air conditioning.  Thank goodness it came back on before it got too hot.  When Krystal told us that AJ and her daughter Carrie should be there soon, both my husband and I were ecstatic!  We hadn't seen them in years, so it was great to get to hang out.  We hope to see them all again at our BBQ next weekend.

On Monday I was able to hang out with one of childhood best friends, Charisse.  Charisse and I were so close as kids, but haven't seen each other much since high school.  We reconnected via Facebook (thank you social media!), and made plans to meet up while I was in town.  It was so great to meet her daughter, and for her to meet my 2 girls.  Steph was also able to meet us for a bit, but I forgot again to take a picture.  Next time!

The next day we headed over to the Cramer's to see Nick before he left town.  We had a great visit and enjoyed some pool time.  Even mom got in!  I had no intentions of swimming, but I couldn't resist relaxing on the raft. 

Yesterday, the girls went up and stayed the night with my sister.  I got to get my hair done (and boy did it need it), and spend the day shopping with one of my besties- Jennifer.  I am learning to have a fashion sense, thanks to my amazing friend who ALWAYS looks fabulous.  Afterwards, we met up with our men for dinner... great day!  

AND... although they are miles away, I can't forget about my Colorado peeps!  I got to facetime with some of my favorite ladies at the end of the night.  I miss them so much, but I am so incredibly thankful that I can attend girl's night via Facetime or Skype (although with the time difference, in Jordan it'll be the next morning for me, but as the girls suggested I can join them with a Mimosa, lol).

I can't say it enough, we are blessed to have such amazing people in our lifes.  Love to you all.







Happy birthday Krystal!



 

Carrie & I

Hailee, Bill, & AJ

Carrie, Krystal, & I

Visiting w/ Charisse & Irie

Relaxing at the Cramer's

Date night <3



@ BJ's w/ the Bakers

 

Facetiming w/ my girls!!