Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Egyptian Adventures Part I


So as you may or may not know I was in Egypt this past week.  I left Amman Tuesday night (Oct. 23) and returned EARLY Monday morning (Oct. 29). There is so much to tell and Im not sure how to organize it so I will just start at the beginning.

Airport- Amman
            I had some trouble getting to the airport because some of my plans of transportation fell through and then I found out it would be a 20 JD taxi ride by myself and I didn’t want to do that.  I finally met up with some of the boys that live in the neighborhood near me, there were five of us in all so the four guys sat in the back and I had to sit in the front (against cultural norms).  Arriving at the airport we had to go through security before the ticket counter, collect our ticket, go through exit immigration and head to our gate.  The gate was behind another set of security and didn’t open until it was time for our plane to board. I grabbed some KFC for dinner before we went to our gate.
            Once we were through  the second level of security we waited at the gate for about 30 minutes before they told us the plane would be 45 minutes late.  After that 45 minutes they informed us that our plan would be another hour and at a different gate. We gathered up our stuff and stopped by the Pizza Hut to get our free beverage due to our delay.  Once on the plane we found that all six of us along with two others from our program were seated together. We were served dinner on the plane.

Cairo-Alexandria
            Stepping out of customs in the airport in Cairo we were immediately bombarded with offers from taxi drivers to take us to wherever we needed to go.  Since our plane was late we missed our train to Alexandria and we had decided to try to take a bus instead. Once we decided on a taxi and were headed to the bus station we decided to just see how much it would cost for that taxi to drive us all the way to Alexandria.  The driver called his boss and actually helped us to figure out the best price for the van.  He kept telling us to go lower and lower. 
            This guy was so great.  He let us stop on the way and use the bathroom as well as buy snacks.  I think it took about 3.5 hours to get to Alexandria in the cab and we didn’t arrive until about 3:00am.  I was so thankful that we decided to hire the taxi because he drove us right to our hotel and we didn’t have to wander around the city in the wee hours of the morning. 
            We stayed at the Queen Hotel.  It was on the 7th floor and since one of our boys was on crutches I rode the scary elevator with him.  We had a suite.  Three rooms, two of which shared a bathroom and one which had its own.  We girls got the private bath.  The view from our room was amazing.  We stayed up and admired the coast line at night.  When we eventually retired to our own rooms we found the bedding was in a not so desirable condition but there was nothing we could do.  We crawled under the covers and went to sleep.  With the lights out we couldn’t tell we weren’t in the Ritz-Carlton.

Alexandria

            We woke up and were out and about by 10:30.  Our first stop was food.  We were all so hungry.  One of the guys in the group had a guide book that directed us to just about the best meal of our lives (probably because it was food and we needed it.)  From there we decided to wander the streets and do some exploring.  We actually wondered into the courthouse of Alexandria.  It was so interesting.  They had cages in the court room.  Im not quite sure what those were for but every courtroom we saw had them.  From there we caught a cab and went to Citadel of Qaitbay.  This is a fort that was built over the remains of the Great Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

            Two of the boys in our group had a connection in Alexandria at the new Library of Alexandria.  This was a professor of one of their professors from back home. She set us up with a tour of the Library.  I didn’t even realize that there was a library there and never dreamed it would be what we saw.  The best way I can describe it is like a modern Library of Congress but with an ancient-Egyptian tribute design.  I highly suggest going to their website and looking at the resources they have available for anyone to use as needed.

            Upon hearing out travel plans for the night, to take a train from Alexandria to Luxor, and learning that we didn’t have tickets yet she suggested we go and get them as soon as possible.  This lady loaned her driver and her car to two of the guys in the trip to get the tickets .  Turns out we were too late and there were no tickets left.  We headed toward the train station but needed to grab some food first.  I wasn’t planning on eating because the place we went to only had this pasta concoction. One of the boys had disappeared while we were waiting on the food.  He came back a little later holding a sandwich that he had bought for me knowing that I didn’t like pasta and wanting me to eat something. After we ate we bought some toilet paper just in case the food didn’t set well with one of us on the supposedly 12 hour train ride from Alexandria to Luxor. This brought us to probably our biggest adventure of the trip.

Alexandria-Luxor

            So we arrived at the train station and Hannah and I wanted to hit the bathroom once more before we boarded.  The bathroom was a uni-sex one, very surprising in an Arab country.  Most of the toilets were basically just holes in the ground but there were two with stools.  Past those stalls were the urinals…yes I accidentally wandered back there. One of the boys in our group was really good at making friends with people on the street.  He befriended a boy which helped us to get on the train, yes we didn’t have tickets, it was a cultural experience. 

            You cannot even imagine the chaos that occurred while trying to get on this train.  One man brought his own chair and started hitting people with it, people were fighting on the platform.  Basically I got on the train and ran to one of the boys and held tightly to him, I was pretty afraid. Since we didn’t have tickets we didn’t have a seat.  One of the guys who had a seat saw I was upset and gave up his seat for me.  Our group slowly started making friends with random people on the train. Before long half the train knew all of our names and our story about studying in Jordan and why we were studying.

            The other girl in our group eventually lost her seat so she moved back with me and sat in the seat while I sat on her lap.  As one person would kick us out of their seat another would give up their seat for us.  I was on her lap for about 10 hours.  We were given food and children to hold on this little trip.  It was total cultural immersion.  There is no way that I can recap everything that happened on this train.  I will say that our supposedly 12 hour train ride actually took 16.5 hours from start to finish.  It was an adventure that is for sure.

 

Okay that is enough for now.  Stay tuned for part 2, coming soon. Inshallah. 

 PS: Im going to start a youtube page because I have a lot of videos that I want to share but it takes too long to put them on the blog.  Ill keep you updated with that!

 


Saturday, October 20, 2012

Longing for the Midwest from the Middle East


     So this week is Midterms and Eid, aka fall break.  During our break I will be venturing to Egypt. My travel group consists of four boys and two girls. Egypt isn’t on the State Department's list of countries to avoid (every boarder country for Jordan is on that list) so I don’t expect any problems.  Our plans are to fly into Cairo late Tuesday night and then get on a train and head north to Alexandria.  We will spend the day in Alexandria and then venture south to Luxor where we will explore Luxor and the Valley of the Kings.  Our final stop will be back to Cairo to see the pyramids and museums and whatnot. We will return late Sunday night and get back very early Monday morning. I am so so so so so so so so so excited for this trip.  Midterms are the only thing standing between me and this dream trip.

     With that said I just wanted to give a little insight into my feelings right now:
My host brother just turned 11 I believe.  He had his reading text books on the kitchen table today and looked through it during breakfast this morning.  It was an English reading book with lots of American history stories in it.  One of the stories was about the travels of a pioneer family from Missouri who traveled into Kansas and Oklahoma before returning to a small town in Missouri.  I stupidly read this story which so beautifully described the Midwestern landscape.  I grew incredibly homesick.  

     I honestly never thought I would say this but I miss seeing farm land and old farm houses and creeks and cows and big trees and hay bales and grass.  These things are so unique to the Midwest and to me that is home.  Mom has promised me a trip to a cabin in the woods right after Christmas and I cannot wait to for that.  To have homemade pancakes and bacon and syrup and cold milk!
Don’t get me wrong, I am having a wonderful time here.  I am learning so much and adapting very quickly to the lifestyle here but there is just something about that Missouri fall breeze that I miss so incredibly much and cannot wait to feel it against my face once again.

Okay done with the pity party.  Here are some exciting things that I have done that I haven’t blogged about:
  • I went to this rap concert last week with CIEE.  It was very different from what I expected.  It was kind of like the beginning of American rap music where it spoke about political and social issues.
  • I voted in my first presidential election.  I thought I would get to email in my ballot because I am in a "Combat Zone, Hostile Fire or Imminent Danger area" but since I don’t work for the government I had to send it in snail mail.  WHICH postage here is so expensive! Had I procrastinated a few more days I would have been able to take it directly to the embassy and submit it there….
  • I'm taking two Arabic classes here.  Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and colloquial Arabic (ameia).  The same people are in both of the classes and there are only five of us in the class.  Four of us have gotten pretty close.  We always invite the fifth but he never wants to join us.  Well the other day it was one of the four's birthday so we had a impromptu party for him with McFlurrys from McDonalds.
  • The other day on campus there was some kind of fair.  I think I missed most of it but I DID get to see a bunch of people dancing to Gangnam Style which was hilarious  to witness
  • My friend James and I have seen each other every single day since the Chicago Airport.  I sat next to him in the terminal and never expected he would be one of my best friends on the trip.  We aren’t going to the same place for Eid so we are trying to continue our streak until that fateful day when we don’t see each other.
  • Yesterday I went to my "host cousin"'s house.  It was like an Ikea catalog.  It was so beautiful.  She was an architect and now she just has a gallery for her designs.  Everything in her house was designed by her.  It was fantastic.
  • I'm starting to develop a taste for Jordanian cuisine.  I love love love hummus and falafel now.  Ive also eaten eggplant, pastrami, lamb, more rice than I could ever imagine, various fruits….I have also tried fool and, well, let's just say I am not a fan.

That’s all for now.  My next post will probably be after I come back from Egypt.

#wordsIneverthoughIwouldsay


Sunday, October 14, 2012

Forgiven and Loved


Since I made the blog post about the trip previously I thought it would be better to do a video reflection of my time in "Biblical" Jordan.  I wish I had more time there to reflect and take in the significance of where I was but alas I had to make due withe other 100 people in the group being there and our tour guides shouting "YELLA" so we wouldnt get lost.

Despite these things I am really proud of this video.  I shot it and edited it on my phone so thats why it is a little rough but I feel like it captures my emotions and time at the Jordan River.

Friday, October 12, 2012

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up." - John 3:14


Tomorrow I will embark on a journey through "Biblical Jordan", organized by CIEE.  We will be visiting four sites tomorrow: the site of Jesus' baptism, Mount Nebo, St. George Church and Mukawer.  Growing up as a Christian I have heard the stories of these places my whole life.  I decided to write this post before I go so that I will have done some research for the journey and have a better appreciation and understanding for what I see. I have attached hyperlinks to the names of the places I will be visiting.  Those will give you much more information about what is at each place.  These are really good websites and I suggest skimming them at least because they have great information. Most of what I personally will write will transitions and biblical references when available for each location.

Our first stop is the baptism site. There are many biblical references to this area of the Jordan.  The most common is of course the location where Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist

"Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:13-17(ESV). 

Another story that occurred in this area of the Jordan was the ascension of the Elijah into heaven.

"Then Elijah said to him, "Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you." And Elisha said, "Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me." And he said, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so." And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it and he cried, "My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces." 2 Kings 2:6-12 (ESV)

Hopefully both of these sites will be visited tomorrow.

Our next stop on the trip is Mount Nebo.

"Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the Valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. And the LORD said to him, "This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, 'I will give it to your offspring.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there." So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD,  and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day." Deuteronomy 34:1-6 (ESV)

From what I have read it is no secret as to why God told Moses to look from Mount Nebo.  The view is supposed to be breath taking. There is apparently also a church at this location with some amazing mosaics on the floor.

Our third stop on the journey through Biblical Jordan takes us to St. George Church in Madaba .  Madaba is mentioned a few times in the Bible, in Numbers and Joshua specifically, but the most significant thing in this town is the mosaic map on the floor of St. George Church.

 "With two million pieces of colored stone, the map depicts hills and valleys, villages and towns in Palestine and the Nile Delta. The mosaic contains the earliest extant representation of Jerusalem, labeled the "Holy City" (Η ΑΓΙΑ ΠΟΛΙC). The map has been a major key in developing scholarly knowledge about the physical layout of Jerusalem after its destruction and rebuilding in 70 AD." (sacred-destinations.com)

This map was also used in helping identify the location of the baptism of Jesus.

Our final stop on the trip is Mukawer.  Honestly I could not find much on line about this location so there is no link for this.  Here is what I know about it though.  Mukawer was once the location of a palace of Herod. This is believed to be the location where John the Baptist met his final days. 

"For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. For when Herodias's daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you." And he vowed to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom." And she went out and said to her mother, "For what should I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist." And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter." And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb." Mark 6:14-29 (ESV)

From here we are to return to Amman. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this because I am very much looking forward to visiting these sites.

Salaam.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Im a big kid now!


As usual my train of thought in this post is a little scattered.  Im sure my mother cringes ever time she reads my posts.  Sorry mom, but here it goes-

I have become quite the cultured little squirrel while here in Amman.  The other night I went downtown with some friends to an art exhibit which also featured a movie about Gaza.  The movie was about the cinemas, or lack thereof in Gaza.  Apparently it was quite controversial and from what I have heard the film makers are not allowed back in Gaza.  It was an interesting evening.

Not quite sure how to phrase this so it makes sense but I have been trying to relate these two thoughts for the past hour or so:  Isnt it funny how when we experience something really good we tend to say "you cant write this stuff" and how all the best movies seem to be based on a true story?

Tonight I met up with some friends at our go-to-location of Rainbow Street, just off first circle, in Amman.  The Royal Film Commission (RFC) is just off Rainbow Street and this week they were hosting a European Film Festival.  Two European movies are being shown each day.  One at an indoor theater closer to first circle and the second at the outdoor theater at the RFC.  For those who are from Springfield and have been to the summer movies at Founders Park it is a similar set up.  Concrete steps which people pile on to and a screen.  The only difference is at the RFC it is totally free AND they provide water and tea.

The movie was a French movie titled "The Intouchables".  It was about a paraplegic man and his helper and the bond and friendship that they create.  As a result both are changed for the better.  It is one of my new favorite movies and when I get back to the states I will probably try to find it *if anyone is looking for a Christmas gift idea….HINT*. The movie was so funny and charming but also serious and moving.  It was based off a true story.

I guess the evening was so nice because I was with my best friends here in Jordan enjoying a wonderful movie.  The weather is starting to get a little cooler so it was a beautiful evening weather wise.  Also from where we were sitting I could see the Amman citadel, the roman ruins in Amman, lit up against the black sky. 

I can't express how much I have enjoyed the past few nights.  It's amazing what you can find when you literally have nothing to do…well other than homework of course but who wants to do that?!