June is coming to a close, and with it my first month in Jordan. In Safawi, work remains mostly the same. Talal and I will continue to work on updating/revamping the website, as well as some other small projects. Apparently, I work much quicker than was expected, and so I will be able to start working on my independent project researching ecotourism techniques, much sooner than expected. Also, because we are working on such a good time schedule there is talk that this week Dr. Mustafa will take Talal and I with him on a "field excursion" out in the Badia. I really hope this happens, as I would love to see the ruins and water projects that I have been researching and hearing about. In particular, there is a lone oak tree that stands in the middle of the Badia known as the Bqeaweyah Tree, where supposedly Muhammad sat and meditated during the time in which Islam was being formed. Very cool.
This past weekend got off to a bit of a bumpy start, but then ended up working out fine. I once again stayed in Balad, which was great, except for when the hostel lost my booking request for a tour of Madaba, Mt. Nebo and the Baptism Site and of course the tour was full. Luckily, I met Muhammad, a tour guide from another hotel who was able to take me to the sites. First we went to Madaba, which I would guess is about 30-40km outside of Amman, and is famous for the mosaics that are collected there. St. George's Church and the Archaeological Park were both incredible, and many of the mosaics are in pristine condition. One mosaic at the Archaeological Park was the oldest in all of Jordan. After exploring the town, Muhammad and I continued on to Mt. Nebo, which with its panoramic view and connection to Moses was quite an experience. It is possible to look out on the Jordan Valley, the Jordan River, the Dead Sea, Amman's 6th Circle, and the mountains of the West Bank. Finally, we went to the Baptism Site, which I believe was my favorite part of the day. I met up with some other Americans, including a student my year studying at Columbia and spending the summer working in Amman because his father lives here. First, with the tour group, we went to what is believed to be the Baptism Site of Jesus. Now, the Israelis maintain that the Baptism Site is on their side of the Jordan River, but historical evidence gives more support to the Jordanian side. Right beside the Site are the remnants of three churches that were built to commemorate the site. Next, it was off to the actual river. Again, this was quite an experience, and it took a while to digest that the small, green line of water in front of me was the river so important to so many believers, and the land directly across the way was the West Bank. After the river, our part of the group snuck off on the advice of an American couple who had visited before, and because we separated from the group we got to see John the Baptist's Spring, and the caves where monks would stay as they made their pilgrimage to the Jordan River.
Finally, on Saturday Sam and I partook in some necessary grooming (we both needed haircuts) and later in the day went to Dubliners to watch the U.S./Ghana game with some of Noor and Sam's friends from ABS, Aysha and Leen (Yasir missed out as he is currently in Turkey on a family vacation). While a good game, Sam and I walked away disappointed, especially Sam who leaves on Friday night for South Africa and was hoping that he would get to see Team U.S.A. play.Also, in between the haircuts and the game, I finally got to meet with Father Kevin, the priest at St. Mary's Church in Swefieh. It was very interesting to attend Mass at St. Mary's. I witnessed a baptism, and noted that quite an interesting agglomeration of Arab Christians, expats and Filipinos. All in all though, it was another great week of work and travel. Next week I think that I am going to skip going to Amman and instead take Talal up on his offer and go with him to his hometown that is less than a kilometer from the Syrian border in Northern Jordan. We shall see.
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