Fold Up The Map

[foldupthemap]

New Blog Home

With blogging, I sort of assume I’m just shouting into the internet void 90% of the time, but in case there are a few people out there listening, I’ve moved (most of) my blog here: http://foldupthemap.com

I’ve got a few travel posts up now, but I’ll continue posting my field notes from life in Jordan, as it were. It might be a little harder to follow along than on Tumblr, but it looks much pretteir, and I think there are ways to subscribe if you’re into that.

Cheers!

[foldupthemap]

No New Clothes: Jan-Mar 2018

One of my big goals this year is to not buy any clothes (or unnecessary home decor/trinkets) for at least six months. Right now, the only thing I can think of that I might need is a water-repellent/windbreaker jacket for working in the field and frequent travel. Realistically, I could probably go a year or more without new clothes; I’ve purged a lot and could probably get rid of more.

But, not wanting to get rid of a whole lot more just yet, I’ve pulled about half of my clothes out of circulation and put them in storage, so I have about 35 items in my wardrobe to wear currently, and I’m going to try hard not to add anything (even from existing clothes) to that until the end of March (unless summer arrives freakishly early, in which case, we’re all screwed). Yes, I am three years behind this trend, but this is me writing about a capsule wardrobe. 

I think I’m missing a couple shirts, and I generally don’t count scarves, shoes or handbags in my capsule (since I feel like they all have a distinct purpose), but this is pretty much what I’m wearing these days. After editing my clothes, I’ve noticed they disproportionately come from a few places:

Uniqlo: 8 items (3 pairs of pants, 5 blouses). I think I’d be content if I only shopped there, but we don’t have them in Amman.

American Eagle: Much as I derisively looked down on “preppy” girls in high school who shopped there, I’ve gone there a few times in recent years when they’re having a sale and stocked up on ALL THE SOFT THINGS. So far, their clothes seem to last a while for me.

I also have more sweaters than a Gap sale. And I painstakingly parted with quite a few a few months ago.

Other favorites:

Zara black and white striped shirt: I’ve had this shirt for about 6 years and it’s still going strong

CK black and white cowl neck sweater: cozy, yet still tailored-looking enough for an office

Ann Taylor coatigan: heather grey heavy cardigan with a lovely straight silhouette. Good for lounging in pajamas or wearing to work.

Tommy Hilfiger grey blazer that my husband talked me into buying last year

Indigo scarf from the Bangkok airport

Black sneakers. Amman streets chew up all my nice shoes, so these are my go-to things for walking that still look cute.

There are a few reasons behind this decision:

A desire to choose higher-quality, ethical, eco-friendly brands when I do need to buy something. Yes, most of the stuff in here currently fits in the “fast fashion” category. I’m working on it. Right now the goal is to not buy anything.

A need to save money (and time spent browsing in shops)

Clothes in Amman are ridiculously overpriced

I wear the same 10 things all the time anyway

Making my life easier when I pack for trips or eventually move again

Breaking the psychological pattern of browsing for things I don’t need, so that I don’t even want anything new

Coming to terms with the fact that I will always be uncomfortable in the summer in Amman, and I will get harassed no matter what I wear

When starting new jobs, or moving someplace new, I’ve always found myself buying things I think I need for that situation: three pairs of nice trousers for an office job, when in reality, it’s fine to wear jeans to work. Outdoorsy clothes made for hiking when I moved to the Middle East, when in reality it just made me feel frumpy. Dresses that I only get to wear once every two years in Amman. Fabrics that require me to wear another layer over or underneath, making me even more uncomfortable in the summer heat.

I don’t think of myself as someone who spends a lot of energy thinking about clothing, but similar to personal finances and data analysis, I can become interested if there’s a visual component.

Enter the Smart Closet app. I started using this when I was trying to figure out what to get rid of. You add pictures of your clothes (or similar things), use the calendar feature to track what you wear each day, and after three months you can see what stuff you wore every week, and what you never wore at all. 

For me, this also goes back to learning how to value my time better. When I was younger, I used to shop at thrift shops (I still don’t have anything against buying used stuff) and would wind up with “cheap” clothes that never fit me quite right. I would end up buying more and more of these “cheap” things until I finally broke down and bought something good that fit right. And ultimately that adds up to hours and hours spent in shops, and hours of time working to pay for these things, that could be used for something more productive or enjoyable.

I’ve also been purging clutter more generally in my house, and I think once you go through the process of getting rid of so much stuff, you never want to have to do it again - and that helps a lot with the urge to buy things.

Good luck to anyone else trying similar experiments!

[foldupthemap]

2017: Year in Review

This New Year’s Eve was spent almost exactly the same as the previous year: me and Layth on the couch, under blankets, watching movies until we dozed off. Since he’s recovering from a cold, that means he was snoring by 8 pm.

But this time last year we were bracing ourselves for him moving to Saudi Arabia for work, which meant I’d be more or less on my own in Jordan. We dated long distance for a long time, but after a year or so when we hadn’t spent more than a few days apart, the distance was daunting. But we both knew it was the best thing to do. At first, I cried a lot and kept making coffee for two people in the morning instead of one, and cried over the wasted coffee.

But family invited me for lunches and sent me home with tupperwares of leftovers to make sure I wouldn’t starve, I still had my job and friends, and in mid-January, I brought a pet rabbit home to keep me company. Said rabbit is now best friends with my mother in law’s cat, and they hang out on the regular.

2017 took me to Jordan, Turkey (twice), the United States, Malaysia, the Netherlands, and Germany.

This year I managed to tackle:

I ran a half marathon in Antalya, Turkey, and the 10km in the Full Moon Desert Marathon in Wadi Rum, Jordan.

I left my job. It had long felt like the wrong work environment for me, the pay was low, but I stayed as long as I did because it allowed me to work remotely to do freelance work on top of a full-time job and travel. But things changed, and by the time I was ready to hand in my resignation, the stress had transformed into a two week-long migraine. I immediately felt better once it was over. I hope I never let a toxic situation get to me like that again.

I got into grad school and traveled to Germany for my first session of classes, and it was everything I hoped it would be.

I was able to go home to the US for a few weeks to be with my mom while she had surgery.

In my underemployment over the summer, I was able to focus on doing video and photo projects that were important to me personally, and I think helped me get new freelance clients.

In late June I adopted another rescue rabbit, who, I have determined, is part lap cat, part flying squirrel, part jackrabbit.

Layth and I took a great vacation in Malaysia, where Layth put up with me sobbing about leeches stuck to my ankles after a 2-day trek through the muddy jungle.

I started a new consultancy gig and started working with great new clients.

It’s taken me three years in the Middle East, but I’m no longer really worried about where my next job is coming from as a freelancer. Between full-time work, freelance work and grad school, it still feels like burning the candle at both ends, but I think the most important thing I learned this year was how to value my time better (more on that later). The most frustrating thing was realizing that I could earn my monthly salary at my old job in two or three days of freelancing. But those few days of work were never guaranteed, the thought of sitting at home with nothing to do was scary, and the job market here in Amman is even scarier. I’m thankful now to be feeling stable enough to not worry about the fact that one of my contracts is up in the air and I’m not sure if I should even report for work tomorrow. I don’t mind working hard, but I want to be smart about it.

I recently updated my resume on a jobs site I hadn’t looked at in over a year, and that also made me realize how much I’ve learned and how much I grew professionally (at least I look a lot better on paper).

Goals for 2017

Go back to being vegetarian at least 90% of the time. I won’t turn down a bit of meat if someone is serving it to me, and I might occasionally buy salmon, but I don’t want to purchase/order meat dishes for myself.

Buy no clothes for six months. Exceptions might be a water-resistant jacket - I ordered one for someone to bring me from the US, but it was never delivered, so I may buy one next time I’m in Germany. I want to work on being more mindful spending in general (choosing ethical, eco-friendly brands), and maybe work toward having a capsule wardrobe.

Stop using TV to fall asleep

Run another half marathon - somewhere.

Keep up-to-date with my beautiful Excel income/expenses sheet that I made

Spend the next holiday season with my family in the US.

[foldupthemap]

How to spend the day in Amsterdam

In November, I visited Amsterdam for the first time - I had two nights there before heading to Münster for grad school, so I had a full day and some change to see the city.

First of all, I’m not big on trying to hit every attraction a city has to offer. I plan travel around meals, and a lot of times, whatever errands I need to run, like shopping for things I can’t find in Amman. I also like to walk. A lot. Especially in a city like Amsterdam. Basically, my favorite thing is when I can experience a city as though I live there, so I was admittedly pleased with myself when I left a hair salon that morning and someone stopped to ask me directions in Dutch.

The train from Schipol airport to Amsterdam Centraal station takes barely 20 minutes, and trains run pretty often. My strategy, when I don’t have a lot of time, is to find a hotel close to the station, so that I’m not struggling with luggage. Unfortunately in Amsterdam, a lot of hotels right next to the station were way out of my price range, so I still ended up walking about 20 minutes in the cold wind and rain to get to my hotel.

But luckily, a very cozy place awaited me - I stayed at Pension Homeland, which offers modest, yet comfortable and warm rooms in a historic building, built on top of a brewery. They also have a nice restaurant and bar with a tasty menu and two of their own beers. Did I mention the hotel is above a brewery?

The view from Pension Homeland. Along this area by the water were a few other interesting looking restaurants, but I didn’t make it there.

Thanks to the time difference, I woke up before dawn both days, which gave me a chance to get some work done in my room before restaurants opened for breakfast. So around 9 am, I trundled off towards Bakers and Roasters, which I mainly picked because it was open and only a 10 minute walk away, but I was not disappointed.

These might be the prettiest eggs I’ve ever eaten.

After that, I walked over to Oxococo salon for a haircut (I’d made an appointment online in advance), and then made my way towards the museum district, passing some markets along the way. The one touristy thing I did was go to the Van Gogh Museum (again, I bought my ticket in advance online). It was an impressive museum, and Van Gogh isn’t the only artist in there - they have a large collection of work by his friends and contemporaries - but by noon or so when I got there it was CROWDED. The rooms were packed and a lot of times it was hard to get close to the art. If you can make it work with your schedule, get there early.

In search of athletic shoes I needed to buy, I headed off towards the shopping district around de Bijenkorf, close to the National Monument and De Oude Kerk. Along Nieuwendijk street is a hectic, but well-stocked shopping area (I found my shoes). I stopped for a waffle, then, as it was starting to get dark, I made my way to Haarlemmerstraat, which is known for its boutiques. I didn’t buy anything, but I did ogle some fancy pastries and a shop that was literally called Cheese Land.

I ate a simple dinner of a salad I’d bought at a grocery store, went down to the bar to read and enjoy one more beer at Pension Homeland, and then got ready to catch my train to Germany the following morning.

There are lots of other museums you could visit, more restaurants, Vondelpark, historic churches - but this wasn’t a bad way to spend the day.

[foldupthemap]

Packing for two weeks in winter with only a carry-on

I’m not the kind of person who travels 80% of the time for work, but living in Jordan and doing a master’s program in Germany, I do travel internationally several times a year. It’s great, but costs add up (which I know now, since I made a grown up budget in Excel today) - and one way to save yourself time and money and general frustration is to pack light. Says the girl who almost never succeeds at this.

This is pretty much exactly what I ended up packing for two weeks in northern Germany (plus two days in Amsterdam) in November. I ended up bringing black boots instead of the brown ones here, but the only thing in here that was really unnecessary was my sunglasses. Living in Amman, I forget that other parts of the world are sunless, grey places this time of year. Believe it or not, I actually did use the workout clothes for running a few times and for yoga at night (when I wasn’t busy consuming delicious German beers and pizza). I probably will skip it on the next trip though, as I’ll only be gone for a week.

The only thing I wish I’d done differently is to pack more colorful accessories. Because I was in class with the same 20 people 9 hours a day for 14 days straight, I was pretty conscious of the fact that I was wearing the same grey cardigan and black coat every day. If I’d just been traveling around, not with the same people all the time, this wouldn’t have bothered me as much. This time around I might bring two scarves (neutral and something more colorful) and two cardigans (a more lightweight grey one and a newly-acquired wine-colored cardigan). Neutral colors are good to mix and match, but without a little variety, and if your outer layer always looks the same, you can start to feel limited. The amount of clothes itself was fine - I did laundry in the bathroom sink once or twice in my Air BnB.

By the end of the trip, my suitcase did not look anywhere near this nice, mostly because I came home with a lot of stuff: new black tennis shoes for walking, running shoes, a Brita pitcher and 6 months’ worth of filters, a video monopod and head, a blanket and sweater for Layth’s grandfather, a shirt for Layth, a scarf and shirt for me, and some other smaller gifts for family in Amman. I made it all fit in this suitcase and the Le Sportsac duffel bag I have folded up in there, but it was ready to burst. Thankfully, I don’t anticipate doing much shopping when I go again in February.

I don’t have packing cubes. I don’t have travel-sized designer cosmetics, but I am really good at researching and knowing exactly where I can get a tube of toothpaste or a hairbrush at 11 pm in a new city. I don’t have a trendy, brand-name suitcase. In fact, this suitcase was a panic purchase when I was leaving my mom’s house in Las Vegas - I packed a carry-on shoulder bag WAY too heavy and had no choice but to buy the only suitcase for sale in the terminal. Actually I think my other choice was a pink leopard print roller board bag. Even worse, I’ve realized this fits US carry-on standards, but not international. Oops.

Luckily I actually really like packing - by the time I’m done with my master’s, I should be a pro.

[yesterdaysprint]

The Leavenworth Post, Kansas, June 9, 1918

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Malaysia!

So, it’s been a while, and I’m not very good at blogging unless momentous life changes are taking place, or if travel is on the horizon - and both are true at the moment.

More on the life events later, but in less than three weeks me, Layth, and our friend Mohammed will be off to Malaysia for 10 days of city sightseeing, jungle trekking, beach time, and eating all the food. And we’ll all be coming in from different places: Amman, Riyadh, and Singapore.

So naturally, my backpack is nearly ready to go already - but this isn’t totally ridiculous given the amount of shooting and editing work I have to wrap up before I jet off and leave my laptop at home. And actually, since we did make our plans a bit last minute, we just barely made the cutoff to sign up for our trekking tour.

Ta da! The lightest I have ever packed - I get to automatically shed 20 pounds just by not carrying my computer and camera gear. I also have an awesome, giant purple Osprey Aura 65L pack, but I think I am gonna go with my smaller 40L backpack from REI. This one is solidly carry-on size, will keep me from bringing too much there, and will be easier to lug around for the hiking portions.

The list:

Windbreaker jacket (will wear on the plane) Black cardigan (for cooler weather in the highlands/ covering up for mosques and temples) 2 pair cotton pants 1 pair Columbia pants for hiking (quick dry) 1 black knee-length dress (might wear with leggings) 1 pair cotton shorts 1 pair athletic shorts (not pictured; for sleeping and/or getting wet) 2 cotton t-shirts 1 athletic shirt (quick dry) 2 tank tops 1 scarf (for covering up in mosques and temples) 1 swimsuit (not pictured) 1 Turkish hamam towel (Layth decidedly does not believe in towels, so I’m not packing one for him) 1 REI quick dry travel towel 2 Buffs (one for me, one for Layth) 1 headlamp Bandages & basic first aid supplies Glasses & Sunglasses (don’t want to deal with the extra liquid involved in carrying contact solution, keeping them sanitary, etc) Umbrella (not pictured, stowed in the water bottle holder of the backpack) 4 pair socks underthings 1 pair Merrell Tough Mudder trail running shoes (for hiking and such) 1 pair Crocs sandals (surprisingly comfy and lightweight - may look around for other sandals in KL) Kindle Paperwhite Fujifilm X20 camera + charger and extra battery Small crossbody purse Toiletries bag Canvas tote - extra space for souvenirs on the way home (yay Trader Joe’s)

Even looking at this now, there are more odds and ends I need to bring, which might push the bag to the limit, or force me to ditch a pair of pants or the cardigan or something. Then there’s all the toiletries (planning to pick up shampoo and soap there), migraine medicine, Cipro and water purifying tablets just in case...

But considering at any given time I’ll be wearing one of these pairs of pants, a shirt, and shoes, I think this’ll be ok.

So. Excited.

[foldupthemap]

My close friends have heard me talking about grad school for the last 2 or 3 years - and today I found out that I was accepted at University of Münster's Visual Anthropology, Media and Documentary Practices MA program. I got the email while sitting outside at a cafe waiting for a friend, and while I sat there I just kept thinking "I want to remember how perfect my life is right now." The program, for me, is the best of both worlds, combining #filmmaking with a solid social science background. I do 90% of the coursework online, which means my research and film projects can be done in #Jordan, and twice a year I travel to Germany for seminars. Last year I was accepted to a MA program and my potential adviser told me I had one of the strongest applications, yet I still would've come out with at least $60,000 more in student debt - and would've had to move back to the US. The fact that I can study this field I love without uprooting my life and career in #Amman (and sabotaging my marriage) and without taking on more debt feels too good to be true. I can't wait to meet my cohort this fall, but right now I just feel incredibly #thankful for everything that brought me here, especially for Layth and his unending love and support. Now to pay tuition! #gradschool #whowantstoteachmegerman (at Amman, Jordan)

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Me trying to get dressed for 30 C weather in Jordan:

Oh, it’s going to be warm today, let me put on this light blouse and pants. Oh damn, shirt is kind of thin, let me put on another shirt underneath it. Oh wait, guess I should put on a cardigan to cover my bum and arms. Too hard to walk in flats/sandals, so let me put on tennis shoes. Better add a scarf while I’m at it.

Hooray for being drenched in sweat by the time I make it to work.

Aaaand still got harassed twice walking from the office to get lunch.

[npr]

In Sweden, Hundreds Of Refugee Children Gave Up On Life

An article in this week's New Yorker writes about youngsters who fell into a comalike state in reaction to the news that their family may be deported. We interview the author.

The Swedish word uppgivenhetssyndrom sounds like what it is: a syndrome in which kids have given up on life. That’s what several hundred children and adolescents have done — literally checked out of the world for months or years, unable to move, eat, drink, speak or respond. All of the victims of the disorder, sometimes called resignation syndrome, have been youngsters seeking asylum after a traumatic migration, mostly from former Soviet and Yugoslav states. And all of them live in Sweden.

[foldupthemap]

Click here to support Maria's photo gear lost in fire by Lindsey Léger

Our dear journalist colleague and friend Maria de la Guardia tragically lost most of her photography equipment during a fire at her home in Kabul, Afghanistan. Like many freelance journalists, Maria was already struggling financially, and the loss of her lenses, hard drives, audio recording equi...

Earlier today my colleague and friend lost most of her photo gear in a fire at her home in Kabul. Please consider sharing and donating to help her get back to work.

[foldupthemap]

Visiting neighborhoods like Hashemi Shmali in East Amman is like looking down all the layers of history in the last century. First there were Circassians and Armenians, then Palestinians, then Iraqis after the US invasion, and now Syrians. And even within the latest wave of Iraqis and Syrians to flee to Jordan, I'm always astounded at the #diversity - there are Sunni Muslims, Kurds, Armenian Syrians, Assyrian and Orthodox Christians. Jordan is a tiny country with few resources, but I like to think with each wave of #displaced people, they managed to take the best from each - in traditions, in music, in food, in kindness. For my part, I plan to continue covering the refugee community and lend whatever humanity and compassion I can to this issue. #refugeeswelcome #refugeeban #children #humanrights #everydayjordan #everydaymiddleeast #everydayrefugees #everydaymigration

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Father Dimitrius Samawi, the priest of the Orthodox Church in Mafraq, Jordan, saw #Syrian kids going without decent schooling and decided to start up some after school programs - teaching reading and writing, math and science - for any children who wanted to attend, Muslim or Christian. Most of the Syrian refugees who came to this area were Muslim, he said, but that didn't stop him from opening the doors of his #church to anyone. #refugeeswelcome #refugeeban #everydayjordan #everydaymiddleeast #everydayrefugees #everydaymigration #religion #humanrights

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If you think the #refugeeban will protect #Christians, here's what an actual Christian did when his town in Jordan saw a huge influx of refugees. Father Dimitrius Samawi, the priest of the Orthodox Church in Mafraq, Jordan, saw #Syrian kids going without decent schooling and decided to start up some after school programs - teaching reading and writing, math and science - for any children who wanted to attend, Muslim or Christian. And if the kids happened to be Christian, then they were welcome to join Bible study with his Jordanian Christian parishioners. Asked where his motivation came from, he said he felt like it was his Christian duty to take care of his neighbors. #refugeeswelcome #refugeeban #muslimban #everydayjordan #everydaymiddleeast #everydayrefugees #everydaymigration

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For what it's worth, not all refugee families want to be resettled in Western countries. With the Jansis family, originally from #Aleppo, Um Mohammed worked as an English teacher; here in Jordan, both parents work odd jobs to provide for their son Hamzah and his elderly grandmother. Life is tough for so many refugees in #Jordan, but here they say, at least we understand the culture and language, and we can be with our families. #refugeeswelcome #dontbanrefugees #everydayrefugees #everydaymigration #everydayjordan #humanrights

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This little girl's dad told me he had fled #Iraq to Jordan more than 10 years ago after facing threats - he's Kurdish and Muslim. When I last saw them he was expecting his visa to the US to be approved in the coming months and planned to start over there with his family. #refugeeswelcome #dontbanrefugees #everydayrefugees #everydaymigration #everydayjordan #humanrights (at Amman, Jordan)

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Iraqi #refugees pack up their notebooks after attending an English class at Collateral Repair Project's community center in #Amman, Jordan. Many of them are waiting to be resettled in English-speaking countries, so even though they know they have possibly a two-year wait before they're approved, they want to work on their language skills so they're prepared to start their lives over in a new country. Today I'm posting just a handful of #refugeestories I've witnessed in the Middle East, as US President #Trump signed an executive order banning refugees on Holocaust Remembrance Day. #refugeeswelcome #dontbanrefugees #muslimban #everydayrefugees #everydaymigration #everydayjordan #humanrights (at Amman, Jordan)