Valentines & UUs
Who says arts & crafts are only for little kids?
Lovely UUs and their lovely Valentines.
Though AU is technically a Methodist-affiliated university, there is a huge range of religious diversity on campus, ranging from Hillel to Catholics to Muslims. Even my tiny denomination, Unitarian Universalism, is represented. As a born and raised UU, I’ve always been grateful for the AU UU campus ministry group. We meet every other Sunday afternoon at the Kay Spiritual Life Center to simply light a chalice, check in with each other, and have a discussion. Occasionally we choose a Sunday to attend a service together at All Souls, a UU church in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood. Our meetings give me a welcome break from studying and the opportunity to step back, reflect, and re-prioritize what is truly important in my life.
A couple of weeks ago, our group dispensed with the normal philosophical discussion and delved into our artistic sides instead. Our lay chaplain, Charlotte, raided the stash of art supplies at her church and we went to town making glitter-covered Valentine’s for various friends and family. It’s amazing how much a little creative expression can do for one’s well-being!
A Picnic in February?!
As this month’s featured blogger, I’ve decided to make it my mission to bring you a taste of the “every day” American University. So what does a typical AU student do on an unseasonably warm February day? Have a picnic on the quad, of course!
No leaves on the trees, but a beautiful day nonetheless.
Om nom, eating a delicious Tavern lunch on the quad!
Night & Day in Jordan
This spring I’m studying abroad in Amman, Jordan. I’m an international studies major and an Arabic language minor, so I’m super excited to be spending the semester immersing myself in Jordanian language and culture. Through the CIEE Arabic Language & Culture program, I’m living in a homestay and taking classes at the University of Jordan with students from all across the US, including six other AU students.
This weekend, while my nights were spent slogging away at a god-awful paper instead of sleeping, I spent my glorious daylight hours gallivanting around the northern part of Jordan. On Friday, my Islam and the Modern Context class went on a field trip to visit a number of holy sites in Salt (Jordan’s oldest continuously inhabited city) and the Jordan Valley. While it was kind of cool to see shrines for various prophets and companions of Muhammed, the best part of the day was chatting with our professor, Dr. Samira. In class, she comes off as very knowledgeable and as sweet as can be, but talking with her in an informal setting was truly a phenomenal experience. She studied in Britain (and has two PhD’s!) but is a fairly conservative Muslim, so she has a very interesting perspective on the world. I feel like I could sit and chat with her for hours and learn something new every single moment. Also, she made us maklouba for lunch… mmmmmm.
Mosque housing a shrine for one of the Prophet's companions in the Jordan Valley.
I don't normally cover my hair, but you have to if you want to enter a mosque. (We even got yelled at once by a sheik's son!)
After we got back to Amman, we stopped by the King Hussein Mosque. It is brand new (just finished in 2006) and easily one of the most beautiful locations I have ever seen in real life. We were there right at sunset and it could not have been more perfect. At one point, the muezzin (the guy who does the call to prayer) stopped to talk to us. He went on a short rant about how important it is for Americans to learn about the real Islam (translated via our professor) and he said, “We honor women. I am only 29 and I have two wives!” It was awkward and he looked kind of like Professor Snape, but it was all worth if after he left and our professor whispered to us, “I do not think he meant he honors women, I think he meant that he loves them!” This from an adorable, 70-year-old woman in a hijab.
Sunset at the King Hussein Mosque.
Then, on Saturday, I went on a trip to Ajloun, another city north of Amman. We went hiking in the Dana Nature Reserve, were welcomed into the home of a random family in a random village in the valley for lunch, and then visited Ajloun Castle (a crusader castle like Karak, only much better preserved).
Wild strawberry tree in the Dana Nature Reserve.
Ajloun Castle!
Chillin' on a castle, no big deal.
نهاية الاسبوع الجميلة (a beautiful weekend), indeed.
Want to learn more about what I’ve been up to in Jordan? Check out my study abroad blog where this entry was originally posted!
Rocking it out in the Middle East!
This spring I’m studying abroad in Amman, Jordan. I’m an international studies major and an Arabic language minor, so I’m super excited to be spending the semester immersing myself in Jordanian language and culture. Through the CIEE Arabic Language & Culture program, I’m living in a homestay and taking classes at the University of Jordan with students from all across the US, including six other AU students. It has certainly been an exciting time to be living in the Middle East!
Yesterday I had the day off from classes for the Prophet’s Birthday, so some friends and I took a day trip to Jerash–a city of Roman ruins about half an hour north of Amman. It was my first time outside of the city since I got here nearly three weeks ago and I was amazed by how beautiful the countryside is. Exploring the ruins in Jerash was like nothing else I’ve ever experienced because (1) they let you climb all over everything and (2) it was an amazing mix of cultures and times and peoples. The sounds of the call to prayer wafted over us while we walked amidst crumbling ancient buildings with views of the modern city in the background, little kids playing a game of soccer in a field next door, and groups of other tourists speaking numerous languages passing through. All of this combined with a delicious lunch of Lebanese food and perfect weather made for an absolutely amazing day. And now, photos!
View from the taxi on the way to Jerash.
The group with modern Jerash in the background.
John and I repping AU!
Jerash from the top of the Temple of Zeus.
Lemonade with mint and free dessert at the Lebanese House restaurant (the king has eaten there)!
Want to learn more about what I’ve been up to in Jordan? Check out my study abroad blog where this entry was originally posted!
The Rally to Restore Sanity!
Yesterday a group of my friends and I headed down to the National Mall for Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s Rally to Restore Fear and/or Sanity. One of the things I love most about living in DC is that we’re right here for all of the awesome events that happen on the Mall. My freshman year, I got to go to Obama’s Inauguration; last year, I participated in the National Equality March; and this year, I got to chill with my favorite fake newscasters. Because a ton more people showed up than the rally’s organizers expected, we couldn’t really get close enough to hear or see very much, but the crowd itself was thoroughly entertaining. A lot of people (including several of my friends!) came in costume in honor of Halloween.
My friend Phil trying to keep fear alive. So many strangers took photos of him!
The coolest part of the rally was when a reporter wanted to talk to us! He interviewed a couple of my friends and Phil (the Tetris block) was even quoted in the story. Read it at http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/10/30/102916/comics-gather-horde-on-the-mall.html.
Reporter interviewing my friend Brian.
The other awesome thing about crowd-watching were the hilarious signs that people were carrying, such as “Why wasn’t this rally catered?!” and “Some words here.” This is one of my favorites:
Dinosaurs are people too.
Overall, it was a great day. It definitely reminded me why I love living in Washington, DC. Happy Halloween!
-Meredith
AU Fights AIDS!
Did you know that 1 in 20 adults in DC has HIV, an infection rate comparable to that of Uganda? When I first heard that statistic, it stopped me dead in my tracks. So last Saturday I joined thousands of other people in the 24th annual AIDS Walk Washington. The AIDS Walk is a 5K fundraising walk that benefits Whitman-Walker Clinic, a nonprofit, community-based clinic that provides health services to people in the Washington metropolitan area.
For the fifth year running, AU’s team “AU Fights AIDS!” was the largest in the event with 438 team members. Altogether, AU Fights AIDS! raised over $12,000 for the Whitman-Walker Clinic. One of my roommates, Julia, is involved with the HIV/AIDS Taskforce in a group on-campus called Women’s Initiative, so she helped coordinate the AU Team this year.
AU Fights AIDS!
Bright and early on Saturday morning, my roommates and I tumbled out of bed and went down to the Letts-Anderson Quad, where Student Government provided free breakfast for all of the walkers (most notably, there was Capri Sun, yum!). Then all of the AU team members proceeded en mass downtown to the walk. There were TONS of walkers and it was amazing to see that so many people of all ages cared enough about DC’s HIV epidemic to get up early on the weekend and do something about it.
My roommates! Me, Jeremy, Julia, and Kara
It was a gorgeous fall day and we got to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol, where there was some sort of Chinese cultural festival going on and we got to see some of the preparations for the One Nation Rally that happened later that day. This was my third year doing the AIDS Walk in DC (I participated in AIDS Walk Wisconsin all though high school) and, as always, when the walk was over, I hopped on the Metro feeling proud of my friends, my school, and my adopted city for doing something good with our Saturday morning. 🙂
-Meredith
AU Ambassadors 