Corrigenda ARSC

Various members of the Social Club have asked for the record to be straightened, so it is true that Rose and I appointed people to offices. However, Dino, Anya, Carrie, Mouna and Matt chose their own titles, with, I think it is reasonable to say, considerable flair.
I also neglected to illustrate an important, although short-term resident, Dr Peter Edwell, normally a lecturer at Macquarie University, but when in Amman, The Country Member:


This is a shot of Pete hugging the Roman fort of Qasr Bsheir. I'll blog on this later too, but while it isn't that common for grown men to go around hugging forts, I'm sure you'll understand when I tell you that Pete wrote his doctoral thesis on the Roman army in the east, and he's an ancient historian. Historians spend a lot of time in libraries, and archaeologists are always telling them they need to get out more. The modern ones do, like Peter, and it's pretty exciting for them.

OK. So we're a bunch of nerds. Nerdy, and proud. And emotional around forts.

ACOR Residents' Social Club

At the risk of sounding pretentious, I unilaterally declared myself the President of the newly formed, unconsitutional, completely unrepresentative, and pretty silly, ACOR Residents' Social Club. Rose offered to be Secretary, due to her several year's experience in administration. We then inducted other residents into the Club, allowing everyone to choose their own office.

Since both Rose and I will shortly be moving out of ACOR - she has a flat in Shmeisani, and will probably be there for months, as she has an offer with the ICMC working with Iraqi refugees, and I'll be moving around the corner to Bateel Serviced Apartments with the family when we get back from Damascus, before heading to Pella, I thought I should place on record the office holders of the ARSC (there is no Treasurer as we are an egalitarian outfit, each paying her or his own way):

Graciously agreeing to be our Patron, Dr Barbara Porter, Director, ACOR

Rose Espinola (MA student, International Law, University of Sydney) - Secretary

Brennan Roorda (West Point, (yes, that West Point) & Rotary Scholar) - Logistics Officer

Bill Zimmerle (PhD student, Archaeology, Uni Penn) - Thesis Infrastructure Officer
{currently enduring hardship in storerooms in Paris, Berlin or London, searching for incense burners}

Jo Verduci (PhD student, Archaeology, Uni Melbourne) - Events & Hospitality Manager

Anya Vodopyanov (Phd student, political/social science, Harvard) - Princess Royal

Konstantinos Politis (Director, Hellenic Society for Near Eastern Studies) -
External Relations
{and I'm really sorry, Dino, for this photo because everyone knows that Dino is a serious guy, who never normally jokes around}

Mouna Goode (PhD student, Early Islamic economic history, Uni Victoria) - Social Critic

and our newest members:

'Asam Adel al-Sabeh (PhD student Organic chemistry, Mosul University) - Iraqi Liaison Officer

Matt Gasperetti (PhD student Archaeology/Paleoanthropology, Cambridge Univesity, UK) -
Health and Safety Officer

And having left, but still in our hearts

Carrie Swan (PhD student, Archaeology, Brown University) - Member at Large

December in Amman

Well, I'm so behind with my blogging that I'm abandoning chronology as an organizing principle, and going for stream of consciousness. The last few days we've had very cold howling winds, bringing most of the dirt of Wadi Rum into my room - and my lungs. I snapped these shots on Saturday as I was going to the wonderful Dr Yang for my regular massage and acupuncture treatment. The sky looked like yellow fog from the dust.





Last night the rain and wind was so bad I put down the metal shutters on my window to try and keep the cold gusts out. This morning when I pulled up my shutters I saw, to my considerable delight:


View from my window


Me outside the Byzantine farmhouse across from ACOR (thank you Mr Guard for taking the photo)


Acor Terrace


This is how you write my name in Arabic


Brennan and Rose's snowman - but it has already started to go sludgy, so you can see the Rejal al-Thuraj (snow man in arabic) has lost his carrot arm.


View from the other side of ACOR, with locals playing in the snow