Home again, home again?

September 1, 2007

Against a steep incline on a hill overlooking the Jordan University lays a boxy concrete villa surrounded by olive trees, grape terraces, and fig. My initial impression of dread and nervousness cloaked all beauty in a hazy rumble of my stomach. My given description of the family was only somewhat accurate:

Name Birth Sex Speaks English Occupation
Issa 1937 Male Yes Retired
Nawal 1947 Female Little Housewife
Carol 1977 Female Yes UN officer
Sylvie --- Female No Maid/housekeeper

Religion: Roman Catholic
Family name: Alam-Salman

Equipped with this meager knowledge I was expecting to be greeted by an elderly slow moving small household…. However, when I arrived the building was bursting with persons. The 5 children of Issa and Nawal lived within mere blocks… one even lives on the bottom floor of the villa. All have kids, all the cousins live close enough to visit every few weeks, and so I found myself with a typical Arab family – loud, noisy and full of love.

My first day was rather dull, but my second was disastrously dramatic. I awoke that morning to a cup of Turkish coffee. Moments later my stomach rumbled. Minutes after that, I excused myself to lie down. Within an hour I had Montezuma’s revenge, could not hold down any food without throwing up, and was dizzy with a 102-degree fever.
They called my coordinator and rushed me to the hospital. They diagnosed me with the vague but accurate “tourist bug” and stabbed my arm into an IV. For the past day and a half I have been battling that. Heavy drugs make me sleepy and yet I feel only nominally better… The fever has passed, as had the vom.
Tonight I’m to meet my cousins. Their relation to me is somewhat distant. They are my father’s first cousins children and family. I hope everything will work out and I desperately hope I will not feel sick when they come to pick me up.
Hope everything is well with everyone!! I have Internet from Sunday to Thursday sporadically. Feel free to send e-mails and such. If you begin the thread, I’ll respond. Much love.