I have fabulous friends

On Friday afternoon after Church, I ate mansaf for the first time with my student's family. Mansaf is the traditional Jordanian dish comprised of rice, meat, and yogurt. Check this out if you're interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mansaf

And it was really delicious. We talked in Arabic most of the time, an event I wish happened with more frequency here. I don't speak well at all, but I can get by. Afterward I had turkish coffee and cake and gave a theory lesson.

After coming home (and several hours of good conversation later), I skyped with E.j. for the first time in about 3 weeks. Ya habibi, we shouldn't go this long without talking because it seems we have to make lists of all the things we have to say. This is the downside to living 9,500 miles away from your best friend. Around 8:30 or so, Ramez came and picked me up, and we went to a restaurant in First Circle called Magana - the place with the MOST amazing shi-sha in Amman. No contest. I smoked lemon-mint, and Ramez ordered two-apples. We talked for hours about politics, religion, sex, sexuality, dating in different cultures, spiritual experiences, our previous relationships, and everything in between. It's been SO long since I've sat down and hashed out a conversation as lovely as this one was. After coming home, I talked to my Dad for about an hour. A beautiful day of relaxing.

Yesterday I had a full day of teaching - beginning at 9:00 AM. As was predicted for me, my day was good, but relatively uneventful. I practiced for about 3 hours, taught 5 lessons (about an hour a piece), drank tea, and sat through a 2-hour orchestra rehearsal. Afterward, I was really sleepy but not exactly in the mood to go home. Fadi and Munia suggested that I come with them to their house - we tried inviting others but everyone had plans - and we hung out until about 1:30 AM. Again, I partook of delicious Arabic food and good conversation. We listened to Arabic music and Classical music, and shared our favorite instrumentalists and singers with each other (via Youtube). I forgot exactly how much I love opera. I need to stop doing this to myself and just listen more regularly! It's wonderful.

Today I'm planning to teach a lesson at 1 PM. What's amazing right now is that the college-level students are on a break. This means that I don't have any college-level classes (Ear-Training, Theory, Form) to teach right now. I will have a relatively relaxing afternoon and then an epic orchestra rehearsal tonight. We're playing music - Bartered Bride Overture, Mozart Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major, and Tchaik 4 - that is too hard for us, but I must admit that I'm enjoying it.