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!!!