So as per requested, here is a rough description of what most days are like for me. The first three hours of school from 9 to 12 are Arabic class, with the first hour and a half in Aamiya (colloquial) Arabic, and the second half in Fusha (pronounced Fus-ha) which is the formal written Arabic used in books, academia, and media. Needless to say, I am usually ready to crash at the end, given the amount and intensity of concentration needed to keep up and stay on top of what is going on. After that there is the lunch break of an hour and a half, followed by a lecture, often from a prominent academic, politician, or activist, depending on what the focus of the week is. For example, the week before last was focused on women in Jordan, and on Tuesday (I think) we had a lecturer who is a female member of parliament in the Islamic Action Front party. She is a member of the Shura council of the IAF, which is the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. Despite the fact that her views contrasted sharply with many of ours, she was one of the most charismatic and interesting speakers we have had. After lecture, there is usually a period of hanging out at SIT, chatting, and mostly making use of the internet there. While home here is certainly nice, I usually like to go somewhere after class, such as downtown or various other sights, after which I head home and do some homework. Right now, and for a few more days, it is Ramadan here, meaning that most people go all day without consuming anything, even water. Iftar, meaning to break fast, is the main event of the day, and takes place around 6:30, as soon as the sun sets. The meals are always delicious, and are usually some combination of rice and chicken, though the first two days of this week was homemade french bread Pizza. Perrhaps the most interesting aspect is just before sunset. We all load up our plates, pour drinks, then sit looking at it, longing for it, until the muezzin’s calls of Allahu Akbar (God is Great) ring out from the mosques (or in our family’s case, the TV set). At that moment, virtually everyone across the entire city digs in simultaneously with the relish of a people who haven’t eaten since the morning meal of Suhour, which happened at 430 am or so. In my family, Iftar is followed by some Arabic coffee and relaxed tv watching. Often, we take Iftar at the Aunts house, in which case we spend the time afterwards sitting around playing cards, smoking argileh, trading English and Arabic words, and talking about almost anything. Its also an excellent time to do homework, since the whole extended family delights in pitching in and correcting whatever I am writing, then arguing with each other over semantics of some translation or piece of formal Arabic grammar. After that, it’s back home to finish any work, and perhaps another cup of Arabic coffee and a bit of TV, usually either an American sitcom or Al Jazeera before bed.