Under the Stars - Arab Style

Chillin' on the roof.

View of Zarqa.

Bedtime!

So recently I went over to a friend's home with a couple of the other guys in the program to hang out for a while and spend the night. We all thought it was weird that he would ask us to spend the night, but it was really the only way to be able to really experience his neighborhood, which we aren't technically supposed to visit because it's kind of dangerous (Al-Zarqawi, a leader of Al-Qaeda, is from that neighborhood). Imagine the worst ghetto in the states but without guns and that's Zarqa (Al-Zarqawi's name comes from the name of the area). All of those things made me a bit nervous, but Spencer (our group leader) said it was OK for us to go as long as Ahmed was with us at all times.
Overall we had a lot of fun. I was really interested to see what Arabs do when they just hang out, and I must say that they're not too different from anyone else. We sat in their living room for a while to talk when we first arrived, during which members of his family slowly came in one or two at a time to introduce themselves. We mostly talked about where we were from, what life is like there, Islam, you know, the normal stuff.
After that, it was time to hit the town. Ahmed took us to a pool club, which he described as scandalous, so I was a bit worried. Luckily, Arab scandalous turns out to be pretty G-rated by our standards. The most scandalous thing in there was the cigarettes, but they're everywhere. They even stopped the music for the Athan (the call to prayer).
Our trip around town then brought us to a dessert shop, where you would have thought that we were celebrities the way people gathered and stared, and the waiter treated us like we were the president's personal entourage when he found out we were American. This leads me to an interesting thought. Zarqa is supposed to be scary. It's supposed to be dangerous. It's true that the only white people there are the ones with a certain skin condition, but I felt more welcome and safe walking the streets of Zarqa that anywhere in Amman. It was an interesting experience to have.
On the way home, we bought the traditional dinner foods (hummus, fool (beans), and falafel). It's worth noting that we bought enough for all 4 of us for 1 dinar ($1.50)! It was a great dinner, and then we slept out under the stars on Ahmed's family's roof, which doubles as a hang out area. All in all it was a great experience, and I actually had a lot of fun. I really wish that we could go back there again, but time will most likely prevent that.

Petra

I finally got to sit on a camel

The Treasury

Philip doing something silly

The start of the 800 steps to the Monastery

Well we are back from Petra (I can hear you all singing the Indiana Jones’ theme song). We started our hike at six in the morning which I thought was insane but as time went on, I was grateful that we were there early. I didn’t understand how Muslim women were walking around with their hijabs on and in their full overcoat. I was completely drenched wearing capris and a thin white tee shirt. We walked through a siq before we saw the Treasury which is the famous building that you see in all the pictures. It is also the one where Indiana Jones goes to find the Holy Grail. There are several buildings that are still in tact which is amazing in and of itself. We were feeling pretty brave so we decided to hike up to the Monastery which sits on top of a mountain. It takes over 800 steps to reach the top. About half way up, I was wishing that I had brought extra oxygen. Obese girls shouldn’t try hiking up a mountain (jk). It was well worth the trek though. We had a really good time walking around the park and looking at all the sites. I think that next time I will have to train for a day like that.

Here's the picture of us crazy "marrieds" (as the other students refer to us) covered in the famously healthy Dead Sea mud. I don't know if it's really healthy, but it was fun!

Brekke the big chicken

water days of summer

Philip and I floating

our group spelling out Dead Sea

Philip taking on the water

finally reaching the waterfall

So this past weekend Philip and I went to the Dead Sea and to Hike the gorge of Wadi Mujab. The Dead Sea was really cool. I have to admit that I wasn't expecting much because everyone that has already been there said that the salt was so strong that you burn the whole time that you are in the water- not the case but I would recommend that you keep it out of your eyes-OUCH! I am usually pretty bouyant in normal water but in the Dead Sea I couldn't even keep my legs in the water. It was so surreal to just sit in the water and not have to worry about keeping yourself afloat. We also decided to take advantage of the famous "Dead Sea Mud" that you can purchase in high rolling salons. We were covered in this "poopy" mud from head to toe but I think that my skin is a little softer. We have now been in the Dead Sea, Red Sea, Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean Sea. After our little spa treatment we went hiking through the gorge of Wadi Mujab. There were some amazing views of where the cliffs had given way to the persistant water. In the states, they would never let you climb up steep watery rocks with just a small rope. There were times that Philip had to push me up from the bottom. I am usually not afraid of heights but with slippery rocks and rushing water I admit that I was terrified. When we finally reached the end there was a beautiful waterfall. Like little children we all went running towards the waterfall hoping to be engulfed and see if we made it out again. That was definatley one of the funnest experiences that we have had on this trip. I will have to do that more often- if not to conquer my fear but for the workout benefits ( I am still a little sore 2 days later). Hopefully Philip will finally write his little shpeal on Israel soon. See you guys soon.(We only have 48 days left!)

The tiny streets inside the Old City

Philip and I in a wading pool in the middle of the desert.

One of the religious sects in the Holy Seplechure Church

Well we have made it back from Israel and Palestine. It was a once in a lifetime experience. I don’t even know where to start. One of the really interesting experiences that we had was listening to several different people come and talk to us about what life was like for them being Palestinian and Israeli. Now for those of you who don’t know the conflict that is going on among these to countries and cultures you really need to read up on your current events because I will not go into that. After listening to the speakers I wanted to write to my congressman(because that is the only thing that you can do) and tell them that we need to send aid to these people and we should be able to do something about this. I felt very lucky to be living in America. One of the coolest things that we saw was all the different religious sects that coexist with one another. Our first night that we were there we went to the Western Wall which is where they recovered the wall from King Herod's Temple (hopefully you guys know about biblical history). There were several members of the Jewish faith that were praying against the wall. Everyone was united and when the sun went down they all started dancing and singing together. They were all wearing their traditional clothing and it was just an amazing site to see. When walking down the tiny crowded streets of the old city you could see so many different cultures. There would be traditional Muslims intertwined with Russian Orthodox Catholics, Jews and then the European tourists who don’t know the meaning of the word modest. We walked in the traditional steps where Jesus walked. We were on the mount of olives then we were at the crucifixtion site followed by the garden tomb. It was so surreal that I still don’t feel like I was ever there. Have you ever read some crazy story in your history books and felt like it didn’t really happen? That is kind of what I felt – just in the sense that it all took place so long ago that there is no way that these artifacts would still be around today. I won’t go into a lot of detail about the trip because I know that Philip wants to write his own entry on Jerusalem but just know that we would highly recommend this adventure to all of you. There was so much to see and talk about. My only recommendation is that you make sure you go during winter. Summer out here is like a death trap. Love you all and see you soon- can you believe that we have been gone for around 2 months?

Aqaba

Ahmed, Meara, Patrick, Blonde Wonder, Big B, Josh, AshleyAqaba

Sunset over Israel

Outside a Restaurant

Well what can I tell you about Aqaba. We took a bus which reminded me of the El Paso Los Angeles Limosine that Philip and I used to take to see one another in high school. No one spoke any English and instead of taking breaks at some random house, we would stop in the middle of the desert to have cigarette breaks. Crazy!!! We even went through customs much like the border patrol. It only took us around 5 hours to get to the bottom of the country. The town was an interesting mix of European tourists, local farmers and us the awkward looking Americans (all 6 of us). We walked around and watched the sunset over the Red Sea. The next morning we took a bus to a private beach to go snorkeling. I was blown away at the amount of different coral that was just a few steps into the water from the beach. I have never seen so many bright colors. The fish were very approachable also. I think that I became an unofficial member to a school of angel fish. Philip had never been snorkeling before so I was trying to impress him with my experience (that’s not saying much). Unfortunately because I am a little chubby I swam out to water that was a little rough and couldn’t quite hold my own. My snorkel started taking on water and before I knew it I was in a shallow area and got some coral burn. Ouch! That will teach me to show off again. We had a great time looking for new reefs and lying on the beach. That evening we decided to go get some local seafood. Another couple went with us. One of our friends, Ashley, decided that she was going to get the Fisherman’s Basket. I will never forget her face when they brought out her meal and to her surprise her meal was looking back at her. She had to de-bone her fish and behead her shrimp. Luckily I got the calamari rings! Our trip was amazing although a little short. Hopefully we will be able to go back before we leave Jordan. We did take some of Aqaba with us though: nice third degree sunburns!!!!

So here we are finally starting to settle down here in Amman, Jordan. It was not at all what I had expected. I guess that I had this romantic notion of what the Middle East would look like. Contrary to popular belief, Amman is very modern. Of all places that I thought I could escape here in the Middle East there still is a Foot Locker. Ha – maybe I should see if I can get a job there!! The city is pretty clean and the bah-sheesh (tip) monster has disappeared. We actually had our first dinner with a Jordanian family. It was an interesting experience. We actually had to go to a part of town that we’re not really supposed to go to. Philip’s friend, Ahmed, came to take us to his familie’s house. I didn’t understand anything that was going on but Philip was having a really good time and I was able to get the gist of what everyone was talking about. We ate malubeh which is roasted chicken with wild rice, a pickled cucumber salad and a cheesy concoction which ranged between cottage cheese and buttermilk. It was extremely good. Afterwards we went to a local zoo there and mundane animals that we see all the time back home are considered exciting creatures in Jordan. We saw raccoons, dogs, quail and chickens. It was a very interesting experience. I am glad that we have made a friend. We also went to Wastel- Baled which is the center of town. There were some ancient Roman Ruins there. We were able to climb around everything and look at the whole city from that tallest point in town. Overall I think that I am going to like Jordan. There are still some kinks that I am trying to work out. There is a huge water shortage here and actually the first week that we lived here we had NO WATER for 5 days. Our apartment reaked of porta potties and 6 smelly adults. Yummy! Since then we have adopted the girls camp method of if it’s yellow leave it mellow etc and the husbands go and fill up water bottles when they go to school so we have a stock pile in case that situation should happen again. I am also learning to hand wash laundry (I think that by the end of the summer I will be a pro at this). I am also trying to learn how to entertain myself. I can’t go out without Philip or at least 3 women so it has been challenging to sit in the apartment all day watching Arabic tv and reading. I am hoping that once we get comfortable with everything here we will be able to find things for me to do and I will know what fun activities there are here. For now just know that we are doing well, our bowels have finally calmed down and we are enjoying learning and trying new things. We are going to the south this weekend because Jordan’s Independence Day is on Sunday so there are no classes. We will write again soon. We miss you all!!!

New Video For You

The Adventure Continues

Our recent adventures have truly let us feel how small we really are in this large world. As we got off the plane it felt like we were in a painting of some sort. There was desert everywhere and palm trees springing up here and there. I felt like I was in 1001 rabbit tales (dad you will know what I am talking about). We were driving around this crazy city nearly missing the cars in front of us when all of the sudden (small pause) there they were: THE PYRAMIDS!!!! It is truly a humbling experience to witness this magical feat that was put together thousands of years ago and is still standing today. They were gigunda sized. We felt like we had stepped back in time. It was pretty funny to see the occasional foreigner who obviously didn’t get the memo about dress standards among the camels and the Bedouin men(by this I mean women wearing shorts so small that they would get the double take by American standards, in a country where foreign women are already viewed as “easy” by Arab standards). We were able to see things that one only reads about in high school history books but never thinks actually exists. I have to tell you that the Sphinx was actually a lot smaller that you would guess. You could probably climb it if you wanted to.
One of things that Philip enjoyed the most was Karnak Temple. It was a huge temple built for the God Ammon-Ra which consisted of enormous pillars and some interesting ties to the Mormon religion. Can’t really tell you here but if you want to know more you can pay a small fee to the fund of Big B and The Blonde Wonder (jk). We also saw this huge temple built by the only woman to ever rule in Egypt. It was layered into a large rock overlooking Cairo. How can one comprehend all this, especially when it is packed into a few days?
Now I feel I can be sarcastic. Among all the beauty and wonder that is the Middle East, there were some things that we wish we were prepared for first. Here it goes:

BIG B’S LIST OF THINGS TO BE PREPARED FOR IF YOU EVER VISIT CAIRO

1) A lot of people will expect tips for everything meaning if you go across a street and someone says hello, they will expect a tip. I am exaggerating a little here but let me share some experiences with you. When we were at the train station waiting to go to Luxor, I, Big B, couldn’t even go to the bathroom without first tipping the woman blocking the door. I felt like a first grader trying to sneak past the cooler fifth grader who was blocking the bathroom door trying to steal your lunch money. One guy that was sweeping the street just doing his job asked for a tip or “ba’sheesh” as they call it, from people in our group. Things like this can be a real hassle when you are not prepared for it.
2) You and the local traffic are in an interesting game of chicken, and whoever chickens out first could wind up in a lot of hurt. There are no traffic signs, lights or even lanes and as a pedestrian you could wait at a curb until your golden anniversary. Eventually you learn that you just walk out into oncoming traffic (no you are not reading this wrong) and if you maintain a good pace and you have really good awareness you can successfully cross the street and still have all your working body parts (although the first time you do this you might lose your bladder). Cars are very aware of pedestrians and even though they tail one another closer than you would tail someone who just cut you off, we never saw any accidents.
3) Egyptians are some of the friendliest people that you will ever meet but if they start telling you that you can’t go that way or that those people over there are not nice to Americans, this just means that they want you to go visit their shop which is obviously not where you are going. The easiest way to avoid this is by placing your hand over your heart and saying thank you, no. At first I thought “wow this guy is so nice or thank you for giving us this vital information” but when we actually took someone’s advice and followed him to where our friends allegedly where we wound up in some crazy shop being asked to buy random stuff and needless to say our friends were not there. Just note that for later.
4) Do not be offended by the garbage that is EVERYWHERE! When I first saw the amount of garbage that was everywhere I felt like the naked Indian from Wayne’s World who cries when he sees how dirty the park has become after Waynestock. It is something that you have to overlook while you are out here. If you feel strongly enough though maybe you should invent a large broom or vacuum cleaner that can go through and tidy up the city. Write to your local governor and see what you can find out.

Well I think that I have said more than you wanted to read. Hopefully this entertained you as well as gave you some insight into Cairo. Don’t cash in your tickets to the Middle East just yet. These tips were simply meant to help you understand that you are not in Kansas anymore and maybe help you know what to expect when you come to a place like this. It is dirty and beautiful, busy and calming, old and new, scary and inviting, all at the same time!!! I would recommend the hasty voyage over here to see these things for yourself before the opportunity passes you by.

(Next week I will tell you about Amman!! Stay tuned)

First Blog Attempt

Hey Everyone,

This is our first experience with the blog world, so be patient with us. Our battery is almost dead now, so we've got to go. Expect Pics and other fun stuff soon!