Jordan

I started this blog awhile ago about our YAGM retreat in Jordan, but I never got around to finishing it, or blogging about it.  So here's Jordan.

We left our apartment in Bethlehem at 6am on Sunday morning, which was rough, but we saw a BEAUTIFUL sunrise over Bethlehem and Beit Sahour.  We drove to the Allenby/Al-Karameh/King Hussein Bridge (Israeli/Palestinian/Jordanian names), which stands as the only exit point for West Bank Palestinians into Jordan.  We had to get a taxi to cross over the "actual border", which dropped us at this bus station thing, where we went through customs.  Then, we took a bus from that terminal to another bus station thing, where we then got cabs to head to Amman.  It was a pain.  I think my favorite part was driving through the first "checkpoint," where the soldiers held mirrors on long poles (like dentists' mirrors) and scanned the bottom of every car for bombs...nice.  One soldier also poked his head in the window and very nonchalantly asked if we had any weapons.  I've been asked that a lot at checkpoints.  I wonder how useful that is, because if I seriously did have weapons that I was sneaking into another country, I wouldn't suddenly tell them.  "Why, yes, I do have loads of weapons.  I was planning on opening an attack on your country.  Is that cool with you?"  Anyway.  

It was a long trip and slightly irritating, but getting to Amman was awesome.  It's crazy to think what things stood out there, because I've become used to life with or without them.  

For instance:
Amman vs. Bethlehem

Minimal garbage......absurd amounts of garbage in the streets

Police officers that pull drivers over for speeding, etc.......police officers that do...?

Lots of construction vehicles/new buildings.......a bulldozer here or there

Massive billboards.......signs on the sides of buildings

Wide streets.......narrow streets

KFC, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, Hardee's, etc........no chain brands.  It's impossible to have chains in the West Bank

Feeling free and relaxed......feeling this insane tension that permeates through everyone

Etc, etc, etc.

Let me explain too, that this was Amman and not all of Jordan.  Some things were in all of Jordan, but mainly Amman.  The biggest difference for us though, was feeling like we were out of an occupied country.  People were much more relaxed.  It was crazy.

We spent the day in Amman, where we saw some Roman ruins, a Roman ampitheatre, King Abdullah Mosque, and some other cool sites.  We went to church at the Good Sheperd Lutheran Church, which is the only Lutheran church in Jordan.  It was cool to worship with a new congregation that we have no immediate connection to their members, but still in the synod.  Paster Samer also asked for a volunteer to read one of the lessons in English.  We all looked at each other for awhile, then I volunteered to read it.  It was cool.  I haven't read in church like that for probably six months or so, in an Arabic church, nonetheless.  We had burbarah after the service.  It's a Palestinian dish that is made for St. Barbara's Day.  Here's a blurb about it: "According to tradition, Burbara (Barbara in English) was the daughter of the pagan Dioscurus. On discovering that she became a Christian, her father tried to kill her, but she was miraculously transported out of his reach. Dioscurus denounced her to the authorities. Despite being tortured, she refused to denounce her faith. Her father killed her and was immediately struck by lightning and reduced to ashes. As a result of her father's fate, St. Barbara's prayers are especially sought as protection against thunderstorms and fire, and by an extension of this idea she became the patron saint of gunners, miners and firefighters. Palestinians Christians mark the occasion with a Burbara pudding made from shelled wheat. The Orthodox churches celebrated on 17 December St. Barbara's Day. The Protestant and Catholic churches celebrated it on 4 December. Some people believe this is in remembrance of a time she was locked up in a storeroom and only had these ingredients available to eat."  http://www.palestine-family.net/index.php?nav=6-23&cid=10&did=1028&pageflip=4  This website has some more Palestinian traditions and recipes, if you're interested.  

On Monday, we got up and spent the day at Petra.  It's this BEAUTIFUL ancient city that was basically carved into the sides of rock cliffs.  We got there by 10am and stayed until 5pm, walking all day, including an 850 step hike up to the monastery at the top.  It was insane.  I'll post pictures later.  That's the best way to describe it.

On Tuesday, we got up early and drove to Wadi Rum.  We spent the next two days camping out in the desert with Bedouin.  It was, AMAZING!  Our guide picked us up and we jeeped into the actual village of Wadi Rum.  We had some tea, then we started our camel trek into the desert.  It was so surreal.  My camel was actually the slow, angry one, so I was in the back...by like, 20 feet, for the majority of the trip.  I was able to watch the other girls on their camels though, riding into the sun on camelback, in this amazing site.  Again, I'll post pictures.  We were on camels for awhile, then we switched to jeep-trekking.  It was awesome.  The desert there is flat with massive mountains, so it made for some awesome views.  We hiked into a canyon that day and hiked a lot on Wednesday.  We hiked up this MASSIVE sand dune.  It was phenomenal!  The hike was so hard that we layed on top of the sand dune for awhile.  My one roommate hugged the dune.  We could see so much from the view.  

We spent the next few days there and returned home on Thursday.  It was an amazing trip and I loved it!!  

My pictures are not loading well on this page lately, so here are the pictures I've posted on Facebook.  I have tons more of the scenery shots, but here are some.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012374&l=fb5c4&id=175200680