Standing out in the Crowd

I have never been a novelty in my life . . . until now. Suddenly, I have become an anomaly on several fronts. I have found that not many Americans come to this part of the world because everyone is very surprised to hear where I am from as opposed to the usual response of "oh, another Texan."
I am now traveling with a group of several Australians. They think my accent and vocabulary are so entertaining. They love to ask me questions about American politics (which I feel highly underqualified to answer), about what we eat and drink, about what we think on different issues. Do I live on a ranch and ride a horse? Is life in America like in the movies?
I have never thought of my life as that interesting - I'm pretty much you're average girl. But not anymore. And really it's quite entertaining because I feel the same way about them - their accent, slang and speech, their lifestyle.
Apart from this, I am also a novelty traveling in this part of the world. In case you didn't know, I have blonde hair. That in itself is enough to draw stares. And because staring is not considered impolite in this part of the world, they do it quite openly. I have tried to blend in - wear a scarf over my hair, learn the language, use appropriate mannerisms. But no matter what I do people stare ALL the time.
Well today I decided to rebel and give them a reason to stare. I went for a run. You would have thought I was running in the nude for all the attention I got (just to clarify, I was wearing culturally appropriate, baggy, covered ankles to elbows clothing). People honked, yelled, whistled. Children ran alongside me. Women smiled. Not in a demeaning or insulting way - I think they just honestly had never seen anyone go for a run before, much less a woman. People even moved out of my way on the sidewalk, probably because they didn't know what else to do.
So I have now done my part for the women's rights movement, at least here in Madaba, Jordan. But I figure if I'm going to stand out in the crowd, may as well do it with style.

Tomorrow I am crossing the border into Syria. Apparently facebook, blogs, you tube and things like that are all blocked throughout the country. I'm not sure how that works, but it should be interesting. Anyway, all that to say, you won't be hearing from me for the next week or so. I'll let you know when I make it to the other side. Until then, happy travels!