So I feel it is important to devote at least one entire entry to the outstanding food that I have been blessed with having here. I expected to find food here that I love and to enjoy home cooked meals. I don't think anything would have prepared me for what I've actually been experiencing though. My taste buds are having the time of their life right now.

First, let it be said that I was told my host mom would be an amazing cook. That seems to be a fairly common title here though. Everyone says their moms cook amazing food. Maybe its true. I feel confident in saying that my host mom cooks the BEST food :) Every meal looks and tastes like something I would be paying $20-50 a plate. Her food is FANTASTIC. Whether its something she whipped up in 5 minutes or took all day to cook, it all tastes amazing. I bet you're all interested in what she actually cooks then. Well here's just a small glimpse...

For breakfast I'm usually on my on. But if my host mom wakes up early, she'll come out and make me a scrumptious breakfast. It usually consists of at least some vegetables. Yes, vegetables are an important part of breakfast here. It can be something like a sliced up tomato with some salt or (like today) a crisp green hot pepper. She makes these homemade cheese curds (at least I think thats what they are...). They sit in a jar of olive oil in the refrigerator and she'll spoon them out onto a plate with some of the oil. This is then eaten with bread (they use bread for a LOT of food here----usually as a scoop) and sometimes zatar. Zatar consists of dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, salt, and toasted sesame seeds. She usually tries to give me something sweet for breakfast, my favorite being dried figs that have been soaking in a sugary syrup that she makes. The end result is a plump juicy fig that tastes a little like heaven. Dates are often included in this breakfast as well. And of course, tea with lots of sugar is a morning MUST.

Lunch and dinner are usually very similar to one another, the difference being that lunch is larger and has a lot more fresh vegetables. I have come to love and crave a simple salad of sliced tomatos and cucumbers with either a little bit of lemon juice, olive oil, or salt. Theres no way of generalizing the types of food we eat for lunch. One of the MANY things I love about my host moms food is the variety she can cook. I've had beef stroganoff (on rice), salmon soup, manseff, pasta, BBQ, and the list goes on. Today, I had roast chicken with potatoes, roasted tomatoes and onions, and a large tomato/pepper salad.

And don't even get me started on dessert. Luckily she hasn't made as many sweet things (good for my taste buds, BAD for my body :D). She makes these delicious little dough balls that she deep frys and sticks in a sugary syrup sauce. These are to DIE for when they are fresh and warm still. She also makes a honey cake which is literally dripping in the sweet syrup. My least favorite of any food she makes (only because of personal tastes) is a sweet milk/rice pudding that she makes. Its good but I'm not a fan of milk.


I'm not really sure what I'm going to do when I come back home. I don't think anything can really compare to the food my host mom makes. The closest craving I've had for food back home is peanut butter, and really---I would gladly give it up forever if I could eat like this all the time.

It will however be nice to get away from only in the sense that I won't want to eat as much :) My host mom likes to serve LARGE portions, no matter how much you ask her not to give you so much. So if I'm not in there before things actually get served, I'm out of luck and have to down a huge plate full (not that I entirely mind).

Oh, Uurdon. Why do you have to be so wonderful ?

Today, we were talking about the Islamic perspective on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. How does Islam view the conflict of the Palestinians? To them, Israel is occupying the "native lands" of the Palestinians. Is this true? In 1948 alone, over 750,000 Palestinians fled from their homes during the war that ensued between Israel and Arab countries once the British left. After the war, they weren't allowed to return to their homes, thus becoming refugees in other countries. Fast forward to the present and there are now over 4 million Palestinian refugees, including the descendants of those that originally left Palestine. I think it is really easy for us to forget what it actually means to be a "refugee". These are people who fled their lands out of fear. And now they aren't being allowed back to the very homes they left.


Can you imagine what that would be like? Take your home now. What if you had to leave or were forced to leave, for fear of your life? What if you wanted to return but weren't allowed to? Would you accept that? Or would you fight for the right to return to your land? I know I would fight for it.

The Islamic perspective of the Palestinians plight, is that they have the right to resist. They have the right to defend their dignity. Is that really just an Islamic perspective? Or is that all of ours? This makes me think of something a little more familiar to Americans...
What about the Native Americans? Was that right what we did to them? We forcefully took their lands from them for one reason or another and in return gave them next to nothing. Just because this was many years ago, doesn't make it right. So what about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict?

I have heard the religious argument that it is Gods chosen land for the Jewish people. This may be so, from a religious perspective. But even as a Christian, is it right to let something happen that is wrong simply because they are Gods "chosen people"?

I have heard the religious argument that suicide bombers have the right to blow themselves up and become martyrs as long as they are only targeting military personnel (it is considered un-Islamic to target and harm either physically or mentally a civilian).

This kind of reasoning has always boggled my mind. How can a God of love approve of decisions that so obviously hurt so many people? I don't buy it.
My God gave me free will. And with my free will, I choose to try and prevent the abuse of people, whether they are God's chosen people or not.


This doesn't mean I believe that Palestinians should lob rockets at Israelis or that Israelis should have to completely leave Palestine.

One thing I am really tired of is people that somehow can't see what is really happening to the Palestinians. Regardless of how the Palestinians are handling the situation, they are STILL in a very tough position. They want their land back. Just like the Native Americans. The difference being, now they have modern weapons to help them achieve this goal. Can we blame them for trying? Can we blame them, especially if we are the ones that helped put them in the current position they are in?


Just some food for thought.

I can't believe that I'm already nearly half way through my stay here in Jordan. The time sure does fly!!!

I have to say, despite the ups and downs I wouldn't trade this experience for the world! Honestly, nothing has even really been that bad. At times, there are moments where I feel like I would rather be home but then something amazing happens and I realize how truly lucky and happy I am to be here.

I went to Um Qais and Jerash last weekend, two sites of Roman ruins in North Western Jordan.
This country is all about surprises.
Imagine a warm spring day, clear blue skies, ancient stone columns, and a sea of wildflowers and green. This is Um Qais and Jerash. Breathtaking!

I can't imagine going and visiting these sites at any other time of the year. Being able to see the ruins amid the yellow, red, purple, and white wildflowers is really something else. The ruins by themselves are impressive enough, but to see them surrounded by such natural beauty? Who could ask for more?

Really, its hard for me to grasp what I'm experiencing. Sometimes, it feels so ordinary to see all of this history around me. I've seen the Roman amphitheater enough times that its just part of "downtown"---nothing out of the ordinary. Yet other times it really hits me----"Wow! This has been here longer than I can even fathom!"

I try to imagine what these things looked like before the urban sprawl, the wildflowers, and the erosion.
Oh, and finally...some pictures!!! The first one is the desert sunset in Wadi Rum----second is a Bedouin who obviously cares a lot about his camels----and the third is part of Jerash. Sorry the pictures are so small! They took about 20 minutes to load as it is....blame the internet!














Things are set for spring break. We are definitely headed to Palestine for a few days including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, and Bethlehem.
I definitely had a reality check the other day at Um Qais. Here I am, thinking that I'm going off on this "big adventure" in Palestine which is faaaar faaaar away and then the guide says: "And over there you can see the Sea of Galilee, the Golan Heights, and Syria". An hour and a half from Amman and I'm seeing (maybe a few miles out) the very place that I'll be visiting. Its crazy how close everything is here. It amazes me how many people haven't traveled ANYWHERE here. Everything is so close! Its literally a stones throw away and they haven't been there! Of course, there are multiple reasons for why this might be...but still.

So yes, even though I feel like I'm going to the famed "holy land" which in my mind is "far far away" I'm really only going to be at most 2 hours from Amman. Crazy, huh?

Round-trip plane ticket to the middle east: $1600
Tuition to study abroad in a foreign country: $$$Expensive!!!
Hard to find travel guide: $23.12

Seeing the Holy Land for the first time: PRICELESS

One of the things I love most about Jordan is how everyday seems to be an adventure. There are always surprises ready to jump out from every corner.

Spring break plans have suddenly changed. Instead of Egypt, we are now headed to Palestine. In order to organize our trip better a friend and I decided to seek out a travel agency to help us.
I love how fun it is to try to figure out how to get somewhere. I almost feel like its a puzzle. We had to go to the travel agency. We had a street name but that was it. In Jordan, taxi drivers (or anyone else for that matter) do NOT know street names. Apparently, street names are a recent addition to the city and most taxi drivers still go by landmarks (such as near the Marriot or near the University, etc). Well, we didn't know what the landmark was for the area we were trying to go to. We took a bus halfway there (also an adventure, seeing as we didn't know the arabic name for the place we were trying to go to) and got stuck. We tried a few taxis to see if they might understand where we were going with no luck. So we called the travel agency and had them talk to the taxi driver on the phone. He drops us off in front of a few buildings and we are still unsure where to go. Apparently we looked lost because of nowhere a man wearing a gown and the biggest cross I've ever seen comes walking across the street at us. He was extremely friendly but didn't understand much English. He motioned for us to follow him and he took us in to a liquor store. He seemed to be friends with the liquor store owner who smoke fluent english and was able to tell us where we needed to go. My friend and I had a good laugh over this: ultra-religious looking man (probably some sort of Greek Orthodox clergy) taking us to a liquor store (in a country where alcohol is generally frowned upon by the majority of the population). The travel agency we found was very nice and helpful and if all things go as planned, we are going to have an amazing vacation in Palestine!

I got into the cab this morning.
I said "Jameeah Al Uurdonia". University of Jordan.

My taxi drivers response: "Inshallah." God willing.
God willing, we would make it to the University. For some reason I found that very funny at 7 in the morning.


Wadi Rum was this past weekend. I firmly believe that my entire trip to Jordan was worth it JUST for two days in Wadi Rum.
It took 4 hours to drive down there (while that will take you across the state of Washington, 4 hours will take you to the edge of the country here). Awaiting us were a dozen or so older trucks with benches in the truck beds. Six people to a truck bed. This was our transportation through the desert. Our driver was a stuck somewhere between being a teenager and a man with a very boyish looking face, wearing one of the traditional white arab gowns, and a jean jacket. He was very polite and for once, this initial politeness didn't turn into creepy-awkward staring or comments. He was genuinely a "nice guy" (something I've found hard to find when it comes to strange men). We spent the next 4 hours 4x4ing through the desert and stopping at various rock formations to hike around and enjoy the view. Near the end of our little 4x4ing adventure, we parked ourself near a large rock formation where we watched the sun set. Beautiful.
Our very nice, polite driver surprised us all by straying from our truck caravan and speeding through the desert. He took a shortcut through a small little village and drove out onto the high way where he sped towards cars coming the opposite direction until we finally made it to our camp for the night. Things are so much different here. So much more fun. So easy to forget what "safety" really is. We thanked our driver for the adrenaline filled finale. He just smiled bashfully and said "afwan". Your welcome.
The camp was something else. It combined traditional bedouin living with 4 star hotel accomadations. On your right are goat hair tents and the makings of a bonfire while on your left are bathrooms complete with western toilets and showers. I'm not sure this is what I was expecting when they said we were camping in the desert.
The night was filled with agrila, tea, dates, food, and belly dancing (yes, I saw a MALE BELLYDANCER). I passed out around midnight thinking I would get a really good nights sleep. Boy, was I wrong. It probably took less than an hour before I awoke to the wind outside. Instead of wooden poles that most bedouin tents are made from, ours were made from metal. The wind kept making the screech so loudly that it woke most people up. I fell back to sleep only to awake once again to something touching my face. Part of our tent had collapsed and fallen on me. I pushed it to the side and tried to fall back asleep but the wind made it a little too cold for that. Finally around 4am I got up and went and sat on a rock with some other students to watch the sun rise. Once again, amazing.

I spent the morning reading on the rock and watching as the camels came in. We had most of the students in our program on the trip. That equals a LOT of camels.
The day consisted of a 3 hour camel ride through wadi rum with a few stops including some ancient rock paintings and a carving of Lawrence of Arabia from the early 20th century. I do not suggest riding a camel for 3 hours straight. While camels are interesting and fun creatures, they aren't the most comfortable. Needless to say, I was happy when we made it to the visitors center and left the camels behind. We watched a short little video that was pretty pointless and then had lunch. I soaked up as much of the desert sun as I could before getting onthe buses to return home.


Someone described this little adventure perfectly: Its like a rehab center in the middle of the desert. Rehab from all of the culture shock and stress from school. A place to just completely relax, away from the world. That is Wadi Rum.

Sorry I haven't been updating as much. Now that I've gotten into my school routine, it doesn't feel like there is as much to write about. Plus, I was sick most of last week and staying in bed resting isn't exactly an exciting story. It is interesting though how my host mom keeps trying to get me to take antibiotics....for a common cold. I am now into my "residual cough" stage, something which always happens after I get a cold and she is convinced it is chronic bronchitis and that I should be taking antibiotics. With the way they use antibiotics here, the next super-resistant strain will most surely come from the very doorstop of my host-mom

So some friends and I had plans to go to Madaba and the dead sea this weekend, but they unfortunately fell through. Instead, I went to the Citadel here with one of my friends. The citadel, like the Roman Amphitheater, is situated in downtown Amman. Its located at the top of a hill and has an AMAZING view. I met my friend there and we walked around the citadel, trying to find the entrance. We ended up walking up the hill, completely around and found that had we gone left instead of right, we would have found the entrance just around the corner versus walking for half an hour up hill the other direction :) It was a nice walk though. The weather is finally starting to get really warm (I would say it was at least 70 degrees). Instead of paying the 2JD for admission as non-Jordanians we only payed 15 piasters because of our residency cards. We didn't really pay attention to the history behind the citadel because I will be going back there on one of my program trips and wanted to save some new information for that trip. There is a tiny little Ummayad palace atop which I found very disappointing. When I heard of the Ummayad palace, I pictured a large, impressive structure which instead ended up looking like a small domed building (we mistook it for a small mosque). Really, the most interesting thing was the view. I LOVE the sprawling view of the buildings in Amman----the uniformity is amazing!!! Everything is made from the same white stone. We also had a great view of a giant Jordanian flag situated in the city. In the little archaeological museum, we saw a few of the dead sea scrolls which in my opinion, are much more interesting to read about than to actually see them. Other than that, the only other event of interest was our encounter with one of the MANY stray cats with a very large lizard that it was about to eat. Yum!


On Monday, we have the day off for the Prophets Birthday which was just announced last week. It is interesting because they don't announce the day as an official holiday until right before the actual holiday. Many were hoping it would be on Sunday so we could have a long weekend. Oh well, a day off is a day off in my opinion :)


It is official: my friend and I are planning our trip to Egypt for Spring Break. It will be just the two of us. At first, I wanted more people to go but this is actually going to be really nice. We'll have the flexibility of changing our plans and it will be easier to find a place to stay. We're going to try and visit Alexandria, Cairo, Luxor, and maybe Aswan. So far, I'm having a lot of fun planning the trip and I can't wait until we actually go!