Day 5

It was a cool, overcast, rainy day.  It is the first day Jordan has had rain in 8 months.  You can tell by the roads that is has not rained in a while.  It looks like there is a thin sheet of ice on the roads.  It was hard getting up hills because the roads were so slick from being wet. 

My day started with mint tea, man I love that shit.  I could have 20 glasses a day.  Went in the field to observe taps being installed on water mains near pump stations and reservoirs.  The crews shut of the supply valve for water, weld a hole into the pipe, weld in a threaded tap that contains a check valve, come back later and install devices used to measure flow. 

We were working in old Amman.  In an area where the poverty stricken live.  If you can picture using whatever material you can get to build your home, this is what it looked like.  Anything from used sheet metal, to used blocks and mud to fill voids.  I saw many buildings with tarps held down with bricks to keep out the water when it rains.  I will get photos of these dwellings, it is really something to look at.  It is just like you see on National Geographic, or the news.  Barefoot kids running around pestering our workers. 

I had a Jordanian food call a Filaphia, all vowels are soft.  It is basically a beef or chicken rolled into pita style bread.  It resembles a chicken or beef soft taco.  It is served with different stuff, like cucumbers, olives, some sort or mayonnaise, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.  I did also hear that the pita types of bread here are subsidized by the government.  You can get 5 kg of bread for 1 JD, or $1.40.  If you figure there is 2.2 lbs in 1 kg, that amounts to a great deal of bread for very cheap.  That helps out the very poor people.

I was talking to a local.  He saw a picture of our two dogs Molly and Titan.  He commented that he had two German Shepherds and some sort of English lapdog.  The Muslim religion requires that dogs must stay separate from the praying area of the home.  So, no dogs are allowed in the house.  He told me that if a dog licks your hands or face, that you must wash your hands and your face 7 times before you eat, drink, or pray.  WOW.  My dogs lick the shit out of me, and they also live in the house.  I will wash my hands once before eating, and after using the restroom, but I don't wash my face.  Unless of course it's a wet, slobbery kiss.  All dog owners know that type of kiss, the one that catches you by surprise. 

FYI, it is 5:30 PM here, and it is dark already.