Ya habibi...

As promised, there will be a lot of photos this entry since not all of you have myspace and can look at the ones I put there.


In reference to the list I posted last, the desert and camel stuff was all in Wadi Rum, in the south of Jordan. It was a fabulous trip. The first day we went on a crazy Jeep ride through the desert- flying over sand dunes and everything. There were 60 of us on the trip, so I imagine we looked like the Mujihadeen tooling through the desert while standing in the beds of the jeeps screaming and wearing kuffiyehs. This when many of us got to experience a real, huge sand dune for the first time; thus making it a "legitimate" desert in my opinion. Sand dunes are one of the funnest things ever. We were running, diving, jumping and rolling down it and it was a blast. We also got to watch the sunset from the top of it and it was an amazing sight with all of the red sand and mountains in view.

Wadi Rum

Sand duuuuune!

Sunset from the top of the dune

After that, we went to our desert Bedouin camp. It was a really cool set up- a big fire in the middle with a guy serving tea and argeelah, with low benches and tables set up around it in a circle. The tents were set up in rows behind this seating area, and the paths they cleared in the sand were lit by small lanterns sitting on the ground. The food was wonderful- lots of fresh vegetables and salad and really nice kebabs. There was music and dancing to keep people entertained. Bedouin tents are really neat. They are a system of poles and really thick tarp-like rugs that they weave out of goat fur. The point is to make it as easy as possible to transport, since they are nomadic. They were rather big inside and they put beds directly on the sand. It was fun, but so cold in the evening. After we ate and sat around for a bit, a few of us decided to take a walk through the desert in the night with no flashlight (unfortunately the moon wasn't bright the night we were there). Probably pretty dumb, but it was fun. We attempted to make a fire from twigs and camel dung but were unsuccessful. The desert is so beautiful at night. The stars are very clear and bright, and we all saw many shooting stars. The next day was full of camel riding desert adventuring.

Clare and Rose at the Bedouin camp

Camel caravan

The following weekend, some friends and I took an informal trip to Irbid and Umm Qais in northern Jordan, near the Syrian border. Umm Qais is an old Roman town with lots of ruins and nice fields to walk through. It was unbelievably relaxing to climb around on old columns and olive trees while looking at Palestine and the Sea of Galilee in the distance.

Crazy bent trees of doom ftw <3

Olive trees in Umm Qais

Palestine!

Ruins at Umm Qais

Amphitheater at Umm Qais

The next day, our group went to Wadi Mujib, a valley near the Dead Sea. We went on a 7 hour hike through the canyons; most of which was spent floating and walking through the river. At one point we had to rappell down a 60 ft. waterfall. It was fun, but one of the scariest things I've ever done. I'm not sure if I would ever do it again. I love being in the water, so it was a great trip. I didn't take my camera, however, because it totally would have gotten ruined... but here are some pictures I stole from google.

The waterfall at which I almost met my maker...

That week was not so great. Either something I ate or something in Wadi Mujib made me and several other students really sick. I was vomiting and experiencing some other nasty physical side effects for a few days. I got a bad fever almost out of nowhere and my host mom had to take me to the hospital to get some shot. It was worth it because my fever went away soon after, even if I couldn't sit comfortably for awhile. Thank heavens for my host mom! She took excellent care of me. Making me eat, drink and take my medication on time. I'm lucky that I have her here. But, I felt better by the end of the week and was able to have a good weekend. Friday I randomly decided to get my hair done with my host mom... and Grandma, you will be pleased with the results! :P



On Saturday, some friends and I spent the whole day at the Dead Sea- perhaps the most interesting body of water of all time. It is so weird how you float in it. We went out really far where you can no longer touch the bottom and were floating in positions as if there was an invisible chair there. I was also floating with my body perfectly straight, not touching the ground at all. It was the weirdest thing.... but very relaxing and fun. Because there is so much salt in it, the water feels really oily and has a very glossy appearance on top. It is very serene because you can just lay there and float and there are no waves or maritime creatures lurking in seaweed to attack your feet. Of course we went all out like true tourists and covered ourselves with that glorious black Dead Sea mud for a skin treatment. We looked like Kenyans for a few hours, baking in the sun with the mud on. It really is good for your skin, though. After washing it off, my skin was so soft and clean looking. And if that wasn't enough zany shenanigans, we were then entertained by a group of 40 or so old Italian people who were yelling, floating in the sea and just being awesome in general. At one point, a group of men from the group were all floating side by side, linking arms and singing songs in Italian at the top of their lungs. They totally made my day.

Hijabis have fun, too! :P

Katrina and I floating along...

Dead Sea mud

Today was an interesting day at good old JU. Some friends and I came back from lunch and noticed there was a big commotion at the main gate of the university. There was an ambulance, people everyone and rocks all over the ground. We found out from another student a bit later that there was a fight between two tribes over a girl (which happens all the time at the university). This was a really big fight, though.... and a rock fight, nonetheless (hence why there were rocks all over the ground). It was premeditated because there aren't any rocks around the main gate- it is all paved. It's kind of sad, but you have to laugh a little. A massive rock fight between two huge groups of people? Come on... I'm laughing right now as I write this. I wish I could have seen it all going down. My friend said there were people climbing on this massive fence and throwing rocks.

Today was the Orthodox Palm Sunday, which means this coming weekend is Easter! I'm excited to see what is involved with this. We were invited to a relative's house on Sunday for dinner, so it should be fun... especially since I have become an excellent fake Catholic :)

Also, we have a new member of the family. Her name is Sasha and she is a husky puppy. Here she is doing what she does best, attacking feet and biting everything.

"Rawwwwr!"

Well, my time here is winding down and I will be back in America in about a month. Time has gone fast and there are people and things I will miss, but in general, I can't wait to come back. I don't want to stop traveling and doing weird things, but 4 1/2 months is PLENTY of time here. It is getting frustrating and stifling... and there is a lot that I dont' write here because I don't know who is reading and I don't want anyone to worry. Maybe the truth will come out in the next entry. Perhaps I shouldn't judge an alien culture through my own cultural lense, but I think this is just innate to human nature in helping to find one's place in a confusing environment. Though being completely out of my element more than once has been very illuminating, I don't anticipate ever returning for purposes other than vacation or tourism. This isn't an environment where I can thrive, be and develop myself. It's just not my "place." But, nonetheless, I'm glad I did this.