The Beginning

February 7, 2010

All of Team Jordan have arrived in Amman, three late and without suitcases, another on time but with a damaged suitcase. We are a group of 13 Canadians ranging in age from 19 to 65 plus. Led by David and Jennifer Coates from Vancouver Island, other team members are Aaron Hildebrant and Jill Newby from BC, Sonya White, Bruce Braine and his daughter Elizabeth, Suzanne Shum, Jack and Diane Jackson, and Penny Jensen from Ontario, and Lesley Fletcher and Brad Kouri from Montreal. After a buffet breakfast and orientation with local Habitat for Humanity reps, most of us had our first real glimpse of Jordan as we headed southward to our build location, Ghor al Safi. Shutters were clicking as we rolled past the dramatic sculptured hills and valleys outside Amman. We travelled along the Dead Sea and saw Palestine off in the distance.

Our housing in Ghor al Safi is a guest house with separate men’s and women’s sleeping rooms with sleeping mats on the floor. It’s a bit like a sleepover or camping and builds intimacy in a flash. Snoring is common, although I suspect the loudest comes from the men’s quarters! There are separate private men’s and women’s washrooms, something rather difficult for North Americans to observe in a private house with lots of guests but limited bathroom facilities.

We only have a relatively short number of build days in Jordan compared to most other Global Village assignments, but our enthusiasm and commitment to our build here is boundless. Soon after our arrival in the community we were all issued a leather work belt complete with hammer, tape measure and trowel, then met briefly with Sheik Suleyman of Habitat Jordan’s local partner Jamaia. Then off to the site we headed, where we were shown how to mix cement and lay blocks for the walls of a two-room addition to a small block house with an expanding family. In short order we were in a dance line passing blocks “right hand up, left under” while local women, some fully veiled, observed us from afar. The local children were initially shy, but oh so curious, and keeping them safely away from a busy work zone proved to be quite a challenge. Jill