An update from that great Woman of the World Leslie:

"Hello Everyone- I have made it through the first half of PC [Peace Corps] training. I have to say that life here in Jordan is pretty nice. As I have said many times there is so much infrastructure it is shocking. It is so different than I ever expected. Come to think of it I am not sure what I expected or if I really thought much about what life would be like here. I know though that I never expected PC to go to such a developed place. My home stay life is really interesting. Since I am living with a Christian family I have a lot more freedom than most people. (I can talk to boys and go to parties where they serve alcohol—this is the envy of my fellow PCv’s) I am glad that I am able to see the Christian side of things since it is rarely discussed, and it is a completely different life. There perspective on things is slightly different than Muslims. Though Christians and Muslims bind together to dislike Israel with in Jordan they do not mix, they dislike each other. The only exception is in the upper class where if you have enough Wasta (term for power/influence) anything is possible except for inter maraige.

All in all my life is pretty relaxed. Arabic is good, it is slowly coming along, I can now begin to form sentences. I am the first person in the group to get Amebobas (SP). Yes I have recovered and you do not really want to know what that is. Things are getting better in training we are actually beginning to learn some things we may use later. On Thursday we found out where we will be working for the next two years. I am going to be living and working in Aqaba (on the Red Sea) as a Business Advisor for the Jordanian Royal Ecological Diving Society......yah the Diving Society! I will be working to save the coral reef through projects and grants and will help to create educational programs to teach school children about the importance of the reef, among many things. I think it sounds really good. I will be able to use my Political and Biological skills to maintain a vital ecological and economic area. It will also be interesting to see how the area changes with the evolving economy in the region and the recent opening of a Free Trade Zone. A lot will be happening in the next two years, I am glad that I will be here to see it.

So all in all life is really good here. No complaints, though I do miss sourdough bread. Hope everything is well with all of you. Take care. Love, Leslie."