This week was the last week of summer camp before we transition into summer leagues. The main difference between camp and leagues is that camp happens every day at each site with all of the girls ages 6-18. Leagues are only 2x/week at each site with one day for the younger girls and one day for the older girls. I am excited to see a new format of programming, but sad that camp is over because it was so much fun.
It also marks the halfway point of my time here in Jordan! I have been really loving living here and feel like I am finally adjusting to the heat and the schedule. Our work schedule is a bit untraditional -- we arrive at the office around 11:30am and return to our apartment after camp around 8-9pm. I'm happy to have begun to settle into a routine that I can continue with over the next month.
Last week, we were finally allowed to use the new turf field installed in one of the East Amman camp sites. For the previous week and a half or so, we had only been able to use a small area of concrete and a small indoor gym. This made it hard to organize a large variety of games and made camp feel extremely cramped, especially for the older girls. Having access to the turf allowed us to play soccer matches and spread out across the school property to give the girls more space to play.
Outside of a camp and office setting, we faced the task of renewing our visas as Jordanian visas for many foreigners (including Americans) last for 30 days with the option for an extension for up to 60 days. With our visas' expiration dates looming, we all went to a local police station to process the renewal. In the end, it took trips to three different police stations across two days, which put us all a bit behind on our office work.
This week, I'm hoping to make more progress on the projects I've been working on in the office. Most of my work so far has been assigned by the Executive Director who was in town a few weeks ago, but since then I've hit a few obstacles on those projects and have had to put them on pause. She is holding office hours this week, so I'm looking forward to getting some more guidance and being able to close out those projects in the coming weeks.
Hello! My name is Maggie Lehman and I'm a senior at Georgetown University. I am an International Politics major in the School of Foreign Service and I am originally from Boston, MA.
Last summer, I researched the intersectionality of feminism and grassroots peacebuilding in Israel/Palestine. I explored the impacts of the inclusion of women in peacebuilding (or the lack thereof) and the importance of including women in these spaces.
This summer, I was in Amman, Jordan, working with Reclaim Childhood, an NGO that empowers girls and women through sport. At RC, I worked in the office and learned how an NGO functions. In the evenings, I had the chance to go to RC's flagship programming, sports camp, and work on the field with the coaches and girls.
I look forward to connecting with you all -- please don't hesitate to reach out if you'd like to chat!
Please sign in
If you are a registered user on Laidlaw Scholars Network, please sign in