"Maybe it's a tick." "Wait... seriously?"

We survived our first two days of survey.
Work which I happen to enjoy a lot.
We're almost directly on the Jordan/Syria border, with land mine fields close enough to be explained as "across the street".
Sometimes we have soldiers from the watch towers come visit us and see what we're doing, make sure we're doing doing illegal stuff... sometimes though, I think they just want to visit with us.
I'm sure watch tower work gets lonely.

Survey work is fun and easy, I can't complain about it.
Our team is good- we work fast and efficiently.

The other team, it seems, is flabbergasted at the fact that we can move upwards around 15 and 16 parcels(fields, or sections of ground) a day. (Our days are 5-6 hours long.)
I also hear that several of the other team don't really care about their work, and lollygag around, complaining that it's boring, too hot, horrible, etc.
I'm glad I'm on my team now...

I was chosen to go with a Jordanian architect and his grad student to measure buildings and create architectural maps... But I opted out.
There HAS to be someone better suited for measuring, and math and maps. Because I'm honest to God, terrible at all three of those.
I would just feel uncomfortable, I think.
SO. I'm working with my team- and I like it a lot.
Our leadership is wonderful.

However.
If I could've hopped a plane and come home last night, I would have done it.
Some of our team came back from going out (I guess?), since one of our guys had a beer can in his hand, talking to some of the Jordanian guys in the hallway right outside my door.
I had been asleep for a while- maybe one or two hours, and loud talking/shouting outside my door was not what I wanted to hear.
So, I opened the door, and said "Go away." and closed the door again.
I heard my teammate mention to the Jordanian guys "Bitch".
So, I opened the door again and said as much as I could in about 15 seconds, because I was in my glasses, retainers and pajamas.. and slammed the door in his face.
I basically made mentioned of the fact that I couldn't believe he would think it was okay to call me, or anyone else a bitch, in front of Jordanian men who have NO idea how to respect American women in the first place.
(I may or may not have simply said something like "ASSHOLE. Do you seriously think that's okay? Seriously?" But I had been awake for like, 30 seconds... so I think I added "shut the fuck up" while he yelled back at me, and before I slammed the door in his face... basically- I don't remember what he said after I yelled at him.)
But I probably will say something to him today- I don't give a shit if you're drunk, there's no excuse. I've been drunk, I'm aware of the sensation.
If you can't control yourself- don't fucking drink.
And furthermore, if you KNOW we're not supposed to drink here in Irbid, don't drink in Irbid.

That's my two cents.
I was SO mad last night, I would've hopped a plane and came home immediately.

I am ready for my one bedroom apartment, with a roommate who meows instead of talks, and doesn't wake me up earlier than I'd like to be awake. (Sorry, girls who are reading this.)
Or, I have the choice to be around people or not. I can have Me Time.
I can use my phone without huge charges.
I can drink tap water.
I can go and do whatever I want, whenever I want and not want a chaperone.

And you know.. that's another reason why last night made me so furious.
I am an American woman in a country where I need a male escort so groups of boys don't crowd around the window where we're eating/watching soccer and our waiter has to shoo them away... Where I need an escort so men won't follow us on the sidewalk, make lewd noises, hiss at us, whistle, honk their horns....
And the fact that one of our American boys totally broke my trust last night in the presence of Jordanian men, makes me feel all the more unsafe here.
And that sucks a lot.
A lot.

I would still be willing to hop a plane.
Too bad I'm not a quitter... (GAH thanks mom and dad for raising me correctly!)
Because I care about this work and I care about helping Dr Walker meet her quotas and finding the information she needs for the project.
I don't care about any of the other shit.
I just don't.

I want to come home.
I want to take a hot shower.
I want to hang out with Nate.
I want to drive a car.
I want to walk on the sidewalk without being honked at.
I'd like to, at very least, recycle these plastic bottles from our drinking water.

And... furthermore, I'd like to stop whining now.

<3