Greetings from Jordan! Where to begin? Well, the plane ride was intense. We left the ground in NYC at 11:11 p.m. and hit the runway in Jordan at 3:33 p.m. (Jordanian time). I was able to sleep for about five hours of the flight. I was off and on from 1-7 a.m. U.S. time. The plane was very uncomfortable, there were crying babies, and I was dying from heat exhaustion (not literally but the plane was very warm).

On the descent to the Queen Alia airport I peaked out my window and got my first look at the Middle East. It was as I had imagined, sand, and sand dunes, and more sand... and then I saw a camel ranch! (Note: Don't hit a camel with your car in Jordan, if you do it costs 800 JD (over 1,000 US bucks) to replace it.)
 
When we arrived this afternoon, the USA team was greeted by a group of photographers and there were signs announcing our arrival all over the airport!  We were placed on a coach bus and were escorted from the airport by a police car. We traveled to the city of Amman, and arrived at our hotel safe and sound.

Rules for the hotel include: no drinking the water, no using the weight room when you want (due to gender specific hours) and no using the pool today (because it's guys only day, tomorrow it's our day). 

The junior team met in the lobby for a quick run through Amman. My dad, Steve Spence (the head cross country coach at Shippensburg) and one of the other girls' dad came along as “protection.”

As soon as we exited the hotel we heard what sounded like gun shots, we sort of freaked out until we realized they were just fireworks! 

On the run I noticed several things. First, there is nothing flat about Amman. It was hilly, the sidewalks have steps in them, and the roads have tons of potholes. It was also getting dark, which didn't help me and my lack of dexterity.

We rounded a bend and in front of us was a tank with armed men in it, which took me by surprise and made me a little uncomfortable. That is definitely something you don't see everyday in the US!

Our rooms are small, but quaint.  The electricity only works if you place your room key in the slot provided by the light switch. There are no sprinkler systems within the hotel, so if it catches on fire, we just have to get out and watch it burn.

We had a team meeting tonight, and we have a great group of United States of America Track and Field Association (USATF) people who are working hard to keep us safe and healthy. I am very tired from the flight, so off to bed for me now. It is currently 9:40 p.m. Jordanian time, and only 3:40 p.m. US time.

The time change will switch from six to seven hours on Thursday, when Jordan has their daylight savings time adjustment. 

I will keep you informed as to the happenings here in Amman, Jordan when I write next about our plans for the week.

- Neely