The 50 Yard Line

I'm not sure why I'm using an American Football reference for this post, but it somehow seemed to fit the occasion. Today marked the final day of my week long mid-term break and tomorrow we jump right back into classes until the end of the semester. I'm currently recovering from a pretty nasty cold that just wants to plague me a while longer (in sha'allah- hopefully). Although this put a slight damper on my week, I still had a lovely trip to the Red Sea and a relaxing recovery alone in my apartment.

While other students in my program took off for Tel-Aviv, Istanbul, and even New York City, I shared a lovely evening with another student, our RA, and our academic director, giving the latter tips on what brands of lotions and creams and other good smelling things she should buy on her upcoming trip to the US. We feasted on kanafeh (a delicious Middle Eastern dessert) and watched The Princess Bride (but don't tell anyone since English is forbidden!).

The following day I headed off to the city of Aqaba, in the south of Jordan, for an adventure to the Red Sea with the other three students who had stayed in the country. There isn't a whole lot to say about Aqaba-- the city is gorgeous, the seafood is excellent, and no one on the street cat called us even once. We spent a few days relaxing on the beach, just enjoying our break in a traditional Jordanian fashion. We also had the opportunity to snorkel the reefs in the Red Sea which are absolutely sublime. It's like another world under the sea with coral that has been transplanted from Saudi Arabia and biodiversity beyond belief (including eels and sea snakes which aren't exactly a few of my favorite things). Our hostel was beautiful and we met some fantastic Brits while sharing experiences on the terrace overlooking the sea. Fun Fact: Looking across the sea you can see both Israel and Egypt and glancing a little ways down the coast lies Saudi Arabia.

View from the hostel

Aqaba Fort

Sunset Swim

After my days on the beach, I was entirely ready for the days in my bed, recovering from illness and catching up on my American television. It was a much needed break after hectic midterm exams and I feel prepared to begin again tomorrow with classes from 10AM-6PM without much break. Ayyayaya. I can't believe I have less than two months left here and I am confident that many more exciting experiences lie in store!

Meandering Through Jordan

A little over a week ago I returned from an absolutely incredible trip to some of the major sights in Jordan. All thirteen students in my program, plus our academic director, resident director, RA, and some roommates and language partners set off on the Yarmouk University bus on a three-day excursion.

Our first stop was The Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth at 400m below sea level. With an almost 40% salt content (the world's oceans have a salt content somewhere around 3.5%) one cannot really swim in the Dead Sea but rather float without effort on top of the water's surface. As I first entered the water I didn't think much of it, it didn't feel particularly different, there was nothing special about it. Once I reached the point where I could no longer touch the sand below I felt my body instantly float up. I must say, it was an absolutely bizarre experience. In my attempt to orient my body to comfortably float on my back I splashed some water in my face and could feel the sharp stinging in my eyes to the point that I had to get out of the water and flush them with fresh water. To add to that, the taste lingered in my mouth for the longest time. We had mud fights and covered our bodies with mud from head to toe partly because the mud helps to nourish skin and partly because we are all children inside. Sadly the life of this world wonder is limited and the Dead Sea could disappear completely in 50-100 years. I'd say hurry up and get there fast!

Our second stop was Karak Castle, originally built by the Crusaders and later captured by Saladin's Muslim forces. I don't know a whole lot about the history of the castle beyond this, but I could really only describe as a giant playground for big kids. We decided it would make for one amazing game of hide and seek. The whole castle complex is fair game for climbing and the many underground tunnels stretch for a long time. There are so many nooks and crannies to explore and many hidden gems await anyone who looks for them. Sadly we only were able to spend a little over an hour here and I wish I had more time to adventure in the castle.

Next our journey took us to the famed city of Petra. Petra, wow. I don't even know where to begin. Which is sad since I probably only saw about 10% of Petra. It's incredible to think that some of the villages in and around Petra were carved into the hillside as early as 7000 BC, although Petra itself had its heyday around 10BC and then after suffering some earthquakes it fell into obscurity for nearly a thousand years. I hope that I will have the opportunity to return to the ancient city in the next two months because there is so much more I want to see. The main attraction is the Treasury, an elaborately carved facade that welcomes visitors into a new world. This is only the first thing you see though! I decided to take my day and climb to the High Place of Sacrifice, followed by a slow descent past the Lion Fountain and the Garden Tombs, ending my day at the Royal Tombs and the Theatre. It wasn't until after we had packed up the bus and headed on our way that I realized I hadn't even seen Petra City Center. This place is just a plethora of wonders and again, I just hope that I am fortunate enough to return and maybe make the 1,000 stair climb to The End of the World.

Our final destination on this trip was Wadi Rum, an expansive desert reserve in the south of Jordan where we spent our night in a Bedouin camp. Upon arriving in the wadi we divided into four different trucks and piled in the flatbed to venture into the sandy landscape of Wadi Rum. Our driver was absolutely insane. We were whipping through the sandy paths at insanely fast speeds and he decides that its a good idea to open the driver's side door and stand outside the truck while he drives. To add to that our resident director decided to do the same on the passenger's side, much to the dismay of our frightened academic director who grasped tightly to my arm as we went over the sandy bumps. Our evening was spent in the camp where there where we were treated to lamb and chicken cooked in the ground, traditional music, and great conversation under the stars. The stars were unbelievable, you could see the Milky Way and everything was so peaceful as we lay in the sand in the middle of the desert, allowing ourselves to become part of Jordan, if only for a moment.