Week 7: Petra, Yasir's Birthday, Noor's Return, Bedouin Field Excursion, and Independent Projects.

This weekend held the big kahuna of tourism in Jordan: Petra.Now, everyone recognizes The Treasury from Indiana Jones, and Petra had been dubbed on of the new seven wonders of the world. However, NOTHING can prepare you for the experience that is Petra. Not only is The Treasury only the very beginning of an entire complex that takes at least an entire day to explore, but the chasms that are the walkway to the city are incredible. It was most definitely my favorite part of Jordan thus far, as the upwards of 200 pictures I took attest to. The only downsides of the entire day was the very early bus (6:30 AM) and the fact that I was sunburned through my t-shirt. One of my "you know you're very pale when...." moments. The rest of the weekend proved fun too, as Noor FINALLY returned from her European tour (as I have decided to call it). Also, Yasir's 19th birthday was the 19th, so we duly celebrated with excellent Italian fare and red velvet cake. Coincidentally, the 16th was also Ravyn's 20th birthday, and we are now in that awkward five day stage where we are the same age. So, of course, I had to giver her a shout from the Middle East. Also, the evening following my day at Petra concluded with a party at Noor's friend Basil's house. Upon arrival, Sam and I were informed that Basil's next door neighbor is none other than Saddam Hussein's daughter. Interesting, and a bit weird. Now, our little troupe is planning out next weekend's activities, as it is my turn at a birthday weekend.

Upon arriving back in the desert, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I was going to accompany Talal and the BRDC's newest researcher Kathryn, an ethno-musicologist from UCLA (who funnily enough taught at Pomona for a semester in 2005). I got to meet several Bedouin families, get up close and personal with a herd of camels and also share a watermelon in the shade of an oak tree next to an oasis in the Norther Badia Desert that stands alone, and legend has it was happened upon by the Prophet Muhammad and used as a meditation site.

Now, coming into my last weeks, I am beginning work on my independent project. I am considering writing a grant focusing on microfinancing in the Badia, kind of going along with the theme of using economic diversification and development as a way to help along sustainable rural development. We shall see how it goes in the weeks to come.

Week 6: Salt and Grant Proposals

This weekend was a bit less tourist-y than usual. Originally I was going to go with Talal to meet his family, but that fell through because of a last minute conference that Talal had to attend in Amman and prepare for. So, I trucked back to Amman without any plans, and a nonetheless eventful weekend ensued. My first stop was to satisfy my week long craving for a cheeseburger and fries (I know, I know), and so we (Yasir, Aysha, Leen and I) went to Whispers, a very good restaurant in Abdoun. The next day, Aysha invited us out to her family's farm in Salt for lunch, which was quite an impressive gathering. The food, as always, was delicious, and the view was spectacular. Unfortunately, as I did the time I went to the Haddad farm (also in Salt) I forgot my camera and was unable to document my surroundings. Rats. It was a great afternoon though. The rest of the evening was startling similar to my nights in Waverly, with Leen and I renting a movie and staying in. Then, the not so fun part of my weekend started. I have no idea how, but I came down with a slight case of food poisoning that lasted Saturday and Sunday. Now, compared to the food poisoning stories that I have heard I have NOTHING to complain about, I just remained in bed for a day and a half and was fine.

Now back at Safawi, the challenge has been to somehow evade the penetrating 115-120 degree heat. Not quite possible, but a noble goal all the same. Talal and I are finalizing our grant proposal surrounding gender equality in the Badia, with our final draft to be completed next week. A sure sign that time is slipping away from me, we have also begun discussing my travel arrangements for when I leave Safawi and head for Israel and Palestine. Only two weeks left!

The remaining weekends in Jordan are shaping up to be the most memorable. Noor is back in town (FINALLY), I am going to Petra this coming weekend, Beirut the next and Aqaba/Wadi Rum the following.

Week 5: Jerash, Azraq Wetlands and Women in Jordan Grant Proposal

It's July. Wow. As for work, Talal and I have moved on to an interesting new project, writing a proposal for a competitive grant that gives the recipient 30,000 JD ($45,000) for projects related to "The Learning Enhancement of Jordan's Women." As of right now, we are creating a proposal that incorporates the work already in place by the BCEE to include the local community of Umm il-Quattyn in the running of the ecological center, including a community workshop where traditional wears and handicrafts are created and then sold. We will see how it goes; the proposal is due at the end of the month. During the past week, a group of American students studying in Jordan through SIT for the summer visited Safawi, and I was lucky enough to accompany them to the Azraq Wetland Reserve. For centuries, the oasis has been a stopping point for travels moving between Africa, Asia and Europe, but unfortunately the water of the oasis has been irrigated away to the point that only 10% of the original wetlands remain. Now, they are protected but the damage has been done. Still, it was nice to see the remains of the area, and it was the largest amount of green I have seen in quite a while.

World Cup fever in Jordan has reached epic proportions. At the end of each game, the supporters of the victorious side will joy ride through Amman, honking and proudly waving the flag of their team. This is how I found out the results of both the Germany-Argentina game and the Holland-Brazil match. To make matters even more interesting, Sam left on Friday for South Africa to see a quarter-final, semi-final and the final game with his dad. Of course, this caused for due celebration (like we really needed another excuse to go out), and so Sam, Leen, Dana, Aysha and I went to dinner at a hotel that served food from the two restaurants found inside, one Japanese and one Italian. An interesting combination. My original plans for the next day were to go on a tour of Jerash, Umm Qais and Ajloun Castle, but unfortunately my tour was canceled due to lack of attendance. Luckily for me, Dana and Leen hadn't been to Jerash in quite some time, so we made plans to see the Roman ruins on Saturday. Having an entirely free Friday, Aysha, Leen, Sam and I tooled around Amman. Having my phone lost/stolen in a cab on the way to Leen's, I had to pick up a new one (luckily my number and credit transferred) and then the four of us cruised Amman in Aysha's convertible Peugeot. Tiniest. Car. Ever. But fun nonetheless. I also had the best sticky toffee pudding of my life, and saw Toy Story 3.

Despite the incredible heat at Jerash, we felt like we were cooking, the Roman ruins were ridiculously impressive. After taking in a reenactment of Roman battle formations, gladiator battles and a chariot race, Leen, Dana and I walked among the endless rows of pillars, incidentally patterned much like the scene from Hercules in which Hercules destroys the ancient Greek town (yes that's my point of reference). We eventually reached a Roman amphitheater used by the local Roman Senate that has acoustics that magnify all that is spoken on the stage. Pretty amazing. Later that day, I was able to attend Mass at St. Mary's and then interview Father Kevin, who gave me quite an interesting insight into life as a Catholic in Amman. Then, in my final hours in Amman I was treated to the best shawarma in the city, and boy was it delicious. Now, back at Safawi, I find myself planning my coming week once again. I think that I will try and attend church at the Anglican parish that is active in Amman to get another perspective of life as a Christian in Amman. We shall see.