Hey gang! I know I'm a little late for this first update, but here it finally is! This past week has been a load of fun (and a little nerve-wracking at times).

Hope you'll forgive that I've never done a newsletter before and have no idea what I'm doing...

Travelling

Leaving Home

The adventure started off strong with my cousing wrecking his van on a deer about 5 miles from home. We returned to pick up our backup vehicle and made it to the airport without a hitch.

12 Hours of airtime

In the Chicago airport, it occurred to me that I brought about 15 beef sticks and I wasn't sure how traveling internationally with food works. Turns out, meat is heavily regulated (learned via google), so I had to get rid of my contraband quickly (I ate them all). It was a rough mission, but I got it done (and still ate every in-flight meal).

Final Boss: Landing at my destination

I had some rather embarrassing visa trouble in the Jordan airport, none of my cards worked and I packed 3 JOD short of what I needed to get in. Luckily, after several hours of troubleshooting and making 'friends', some nice Americans gave me some money and a local friend helped me get a cab into the city.

Finally Settled

Meeting Old Friends

I've been blessed to see friends I met a year ago, and most of them remember me too! Everyone is very kind and helpful, and super excited to help me with my arabic. Yesterday I visited the homes of a few friends (some old some new), and each had a cup of coffee waiting for me.

Shopping Shock

Now that I'm in Jordan and settled in my apartment, things are going great! There's only a few cultural things I'm getting used to. For instance, today I bought salty milk in the hopes of making cereal. Luckily, I tried it before I poured it on. I then took a gamble and bought shelf-stable milk. I don't know what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised that it just tastes like milk! Finally, cereal time.

• the cereal kind of tastes like plain pasta

I'm realizing I'm bad at remembering to take pictures, so here's a selfie with my ultra-water bottle named 'Tala':

Thanks for all your support! I'll be starting my Arabic classes next week and I'm super excited for these next few monthsBestTrystan Bennett