As you can see from the title, today's been super nice. But before we get to that, let me catch you up on this week so far...
Tuesday was fun but busy. In the morning I met at the nearby park with Rebecca, with whom we had a playdate last week. Then in the afternoon I caught up a little with Emily, who takes Arabic with me and Laura. We meant to have a study session, but Laura got held up so the two of us just chatted for a while, which was nice. After dinner I went to book club, which is always a blast. I was nervous driving at night, but thankfully I sort-of knew where I was going, and made it without incident.
We read "What Happened to Sophie Wilder", which was interesting. I think we all agreed that we would need to read it again, and it was helpful to discuss with other people. One thing I dislike in fiction is when the main character is a writer. In this book both the title character and the protagonist are writers, and it just annoys me. I get the old adage to write what you know, but it's a little navel-gazing and pedantic. The beginning of the book especially was a little literary-snobbish. We get it, you like the Beats. Congratulations. Anyway, dismounting the soapbox. Next up, we're reading "Gone Girl", which sounds fun.
Wednesday I had Arabic class, then ate lunch with Thomas. We ran into Kristin and family, and decided to do an impromptu nails session that afternoon. I ran into the co-op and bought a turkey and some other stuff for Thanksgiving. Still in search of evaporated milk, though. They carry condensed, of which I already have two cans. For pumpkin pie you need evaporated, so I'm going to check around to see if any local grocery stores carry it. Fingers crossed!
I dropped the groceries at home and made sure Emy could stay a little longer, since the nails appointment was later than I normally make. I ran to the nails place and got started early, then Kristin came and we got to talk while getting all fancy. They're leaving next week, so it was great to get one last mani/pedi in before they skip town. Sniff. I was a little late getting home, and I felt terrible because Emy had to call her sponsor to say she would be a little late getting to their house. (She works for them in the afternoon after she leaves us.) She said it was fine, but I hate being late for anything. I am very much my father's daughter in that regard.
Thursday (today) was a holiday, it's Islamic New Year. Emy came over this afternoon and Thomas and I got to see "Skyfall", the new Bond movie. It was fantastic! I really loved "Casino Royale", I hadn't been a big Bond person before but that totally hooked me. And then "Quantum of Solace" was so dumb, I can't even remember the plot. This, from the person who had the entirety of "So I Married an Axe Murderer" memorized. I had heard good things about this installment, and it didn't disappoint. We came home and ate dinner, then I headed out again with Kristin to a Turkish bath.
I'd never been to a Turkish bath before, and it was a bit of an indulgence at 40JD. But man, it was fantastic. First you soak in a hot tub with a bottle of water, then you sit in the steam room and they bring you an icy, fruity drink. I had to bail on the steam early, I felt like I couldn't breathe after a while. Then they lay you out on a heated marble table and scrub you with a loofah, then a soapy pillowcase gets dropped on you and they cover you with suds. There's a massage, and then a lady uses body scrub on you. At the end, you're completely relaxed and soft like butter. There's a little room where you can get hot tea and sweets at the end, but sadly they were out of sweets tonight. It was still fun to just sit and talk, though.
It was so fun to go, and helpful that Kristin had been before and knew the ropes. Now I'm prepared to take any female friends that might be interested! I'm not sure I could do it very often, although there are some cheaper options without the body scrub part. And you get to keep the loofahs that they use, which is fun. But there were packages ranging up to 160JD, and I can't even imagine what you get for that amount of money. (The descriptions were all in Arabic. Maybe in two years I can read it.)
So that's the news for the week, it's great to have another long weekend and be able to chill out. I'm grateful that Emy has been available to babysit. I'd love to see another movie next weekend, we'll just have to see. If "Looper" is still out, that looks pretty cool. I know a bunch of fun stuff usually comes out in the fall. Oh and I really want to see "Argo" too. And naturally, the latest "Twilight" movie. But that will most likely be a girls-only event. :-)
Oh and yes, there are protests and things happening in Jordan over the removal of fuel subsidies. Please pray for peace and that things won't turn violent. Or more violent then they already have. Thankfully everything seemed pretty normal at the mall today, but we want to be prepared for any eventuality. I'm trying to trust that God is in control, but I also need to have a game plan for what we'd do if things get worse. Hoping to work on that a little this weekend. I really want to see more of Amman, but I get nervous about leaving our little enclave of Western-friendly neighborhoods. I don't want to be ruled by fear, but I don't want to put us in any danger by being reckless or stupid. Pray for wisdom for us, and safety.
Signing off,
Rachel
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