A couple of random surprising things that I've found interesting:

- There's this word, "hashak" that you're supposed to say whenever you talk about something embarrassing like the bathroom or garbage, but you also have to say it every time you say the word "donkey."
- Our town doesn't have running water, so everyone bathes at public bathhouses. These are pretty surreal places - ridiculously hot and steamy and crowded with mostly-naked women scrubbing themselves and each other. We go every couple of days and it's definitely a social event too.
- Everyone wears these long hooded robes called "jalabas" everyday. We find them pretty hilarious - when we're walking around town at night, our shadows in the streetlights look like Death or the Grim Reaper or something. I just bought some nice warm fleece to get a winter coat jalaba made. I'm pretty excited about that.
- My Arabic name is Nora. I was named after Itzer's first Peace Corps volunteer. I think I like it.