So it has been a busy week. Somehow I thought that ISP period would be way easier than normal classes, that i could just work at my own pace at something i am interested in. Instead, this whole unstructured time thing is harder than i thought. Jordanian hospitality, that turns even a simple introductory visit into a tea/coffee drinking extended conversation about just about anything turns what in the US could be a straight to the point interview into a 3 hour visit. While in the US we admire being to the point and going straight at an issue, here things are very different. First, if you want to get anything useful, it is important to develop a personal relationship and knowledge about the other person, in order to build trust. Hence, before i can get to my actual research subject, i usually know if the interviewee is married, if he has children, what tribe he is from, (or of palestinian descent) and vice versa. To go immediately to the topic would be the height of rudeness, and would get me nowhere. Another issue is that the Jordanian bureaucracy is incredibly cumberous. For example, I need a approval letter from the ministry of Social Development before i go on a trip north to speak with a couple Islamic Charities near Mafraq and in Irbid. It seems like a simple request, but at the earliest i will have the letter approved on Sunday, meaning something that was initially supposed to be taken care of with one quick visit has taken a week, which will be less time eventually to compile and analyze. So sorry, I'm done complaining. And all that aside, it is exciting to be working independently and setting up meetings and interviews, occasionally with very important people, some of whom have had a real impact on the course of this countries history.