Always Looking Forward

Monday September 22, 2014 Currently sitting at my dining room table

I can’t even believe how much has happened since my last post. Life in Amman has really gotten going in a good way! :) While I have had some mishaps, I have now gotten a good taste of a complete study abroad experience here – not only have I actually had to study [I had my first exam on the history of Jordan today] but I also have been on several fun trips out of the city – thank goodness or else I would have gone crazy here! Also sorry in advance because this post will be a bit long!

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This is the lookout point before entering the ancient city of Petra

I mentioned in my last post that I was feeling “Amman blues”. I have since gotten used to the city, but if you are wondering why I am not a fan of Amman itself here are my reasons:

  1. Sexual harassment - Looking like a foreigner/Westerner at all seems to invite Jordanian men to act in ways that would never be appropriate under any context! Besides cat calling and honking from every passing car, I also have to deal with taxi drivers who propose to me if I am riding alone. It is hard to feel comfortable with this kind of attention even though I am appropriately covered up. In addition I have had some extreme things happen to me in this department: 1) the attack on the street that I mentioned in my last post, 2) I stopped running at the Sport City running trails because some man was jerking off around a curve that he knew I was going to pass, and 3) most recently I had to explain to a taxi driver why it is not appropriate to assume that all people in America sleep with each other – and I had to do so in my limited Arabic! These frustrating events stay with you for awhile. Also I could not imagine living here for an extended period of time because I would be limited to dating expats due to these attitudes among Jordanian men.

  2. Not a walking or bike-friendly city - Taking cabs everywhere gets to be annoying. I hate depending on cabs, especially because I still can’t get around on my own so they can easily cheat and take a long way to get more money out of you! Also they overcharge at night, which hurts if you have to take it home alone! And the aforementioned taxi driver proposals/asking for your phone number are just straight up uncomfortable. Also, I just want more exercise in general but it is hard to if you actually have to drive everywhere and the remainder of your time is spent sitting in class/work…. Also the sidewalks are impossible to walk on anyway [there are usually cars parked on them or trees planted in the middle] and I can never imagine trying to ride a bike in this city - the cars would kill you first!

  3. Lack of color - The city is supposed to look like the desert apparently: everything is the color of sand. While many of the buildings are actually quite beautiful in design, the lack of color gets to me. I try to live my life with so much! Besides that, since we are in a desert, there is not much in the way of trees/greenery to make up for the buildings! I consider Amman pretty ugly for this reason, although many may disagree.

Okay now that I am past my rant about Amman, here are some of the adventurous activities I have been up to in the past few weeks! [check out my photos on FB if you want to see more!]

Hiking/Repeling down waterfalls at Wadi Al-Karak
Wow what an incredible experience! This was my first trip out of Amman, and man was it worth it! Me and several friends went through the company Tropical Desert Trips - they were super cool and they have a special twice a month that it is 50% off for women.
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This is me repeling down a waterfall!

We got to repel down 5 waterfalls, then soak in waterfalls, then hike for a bit more!
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Group photos soaking in the falls!

…and our bus broke down on the way home! We chilled on the side of the road and took photos - it was actually a great time to take photos with the light of the setting sun.
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Me and S. climbed to the top of some rocks because we were bored when the bus broke down.

Wadi Rum and Petra
I was not sure what to expect with the CIEE-planned trip to Petra and Wadi Rum – but it literally blew my mind away to feel so relaxed and almost dead from the heat at the same time!

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At Petra, the group looks toward the ruins as our guide pointed out nuances

We spent one day and night in Wadi Rum which involved running around on dunes, riding camels, dancing debkah, a delicious dinner and stargazing on some very tall rock formations in the middle of the night.

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My friends G. and H. looking out on the scene below

The peace I felt there was so incredible. It was something to do with the fact that I was nasty and sweaty, had no access to wifi, almost passing out from the heat and at the same time seeing the beauty of the desert.

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The beautiful (and bestiest) M. as we overlooked the desert and the camels that carried us there

Also, OMG camels!!! I named mine Bella - she was small but feisty and adorable <3

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I’m in the corner!

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Me and M. chilling on the desert sand in Wadi Rum

The next day we bussed out to Petra and got the full tour! It was pretty awesome to see the famed Treasury and I also climbed the 800 steps up to see the Monastery. Literally dying by the end of the day though - the heat was pretty intense!
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This is the Monastery. Lots of sweat went into the making of this photo

The Dead Sea AKA the lowest point on earth!
Well I can check floating in the Dead Sea off of my list!

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This was a lovely day-trip: me and my buddies headed there on Jett Bus in the morning and we were picked up at 5pm to head back home. We went to Amman Beach which cost 20JD to get in.

There was salt rocks on the shore and on the ocean floor that cracked under your feet when you walked on the edges of them. If you aren’t careful not to splash, you have to run back to shore to clean out your mouth or eyes with clean drinking water! That happened to me unfortunately. Otherwise, I really enjoyed floating around with my friends until every part of my body started burning from the salt.

We spent a lot of time after that chilling by the pool, messing around in the pool, taking silly photos… Gosh I love these guys! <3
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This coming weekend, I am headed to Aqaba to chill at the beach again!! I have got to fit in a few workouts to be bikini-ready(; I just downloaded a yoga app that I am excited to try out despite my lack of yoga mat…

Basically, all is “safi wafi” here now that I have gotten over my initial culture shocks. I am really happy with my friends, and I am always meeting new people through the other CIEE programs and even just randomly on the street (this has literally happened to me twice now!!). I am learning a lot in my classes and I am so grateful for my internship with Injaz Al-Arab. I am not homesick despite the challenges I have faced here because I always have some beautiful new development to look forward to - a new trip, a new friendship, a new realization in my life. I am taking the time to appreciate my fulfilling life here and looking forward to more adventures!

 
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