Wow-today has been great! Spent the day with some of the trainees from our first class and the staff of SAMS- the Syrian American Medical Services- these incredibly dedicated men and women are providing support for the Syrian refugees- and doing so while carrying their own grief, as many of them themselves are Syrian and are re-weaving their own life’s story. It was an honor to spend time with them, and I love, love, love talking about helping people! We return tomorrow to spend more time with them, and then our last day before the conference begins we will spend the day in the actual clinic. That should be interesting-the population they serve is seriously stressed-as I listen to them, I try to make connections with points of reference from my own life. That’s how I work in therapy, too, and it helps me conceptualize the story as well as the direction of my work. Well, as they talked, very matter-of-factly, about the conflict, leaving their homes, their lives, physical injury and torture survivors, it was almost surreal. There were some parallels I could draw: rioting and aggression, personal losses, life plans going totally off track and giving up on dreams, losing cherished items….even being fearful for my life….but not all at once. The sheer magnitude of their experiences at a single point in time….

Amman itself is a fascinating city- OLD, and, as in many OLD cities, the mix of old and bright-shiny-new comes as a visual treat. Lots and lots of construction going on…When we were on our way to the mall, we drove past what looked like an enormous quarry- right in the middle of town! And the traffic is amazing- street “lanes” seem to be more of a suggestion, and crossing the street is a wild adventure! We’ve been taking taxis to and from-today I at with my eyes closed, going around one of those”roundabouts” my Wisconsin family is so find of….all I can say is they’re not my favorite thing!

The people are warm and welcoming, and very willing to help. The food has been oh-so-good, and today one of the people we meet with brought in homemade cookies stuffed with dates…yummy! Yes, I’m so glad I came, and so glad that my husband didn’t hesitate to support mewhen we first talked about it!