going places...

Yes, that's me. I am going places. Well, more in the literal sense than anything. This past Thursday a group of us packed our bags and headed down to Aqaba, the resort city on the Red Sea, for the weekend. A four hour bus ride later and we were relaxing like the best of them, strolling the streets surrounded by expats and Saudis.

All right, so Aqaba may not be the typical Jordanian vacation spot (hence why it is geared almost exclusively toward Americans and Europeans), but it's a great place for us Americans to get away from Amman for a weekend and relax on the beach. Which is exactly what I did the entire weekend. Well, I was only there for a day, but a day spent laying out on the beach staring at the opposite shore -- depending on the direction you're looking at could either be Egypt or Israel -- is definitely a day well spent.

Well, a little breakdown of how that trip went. Arrived in Aqaba, grabbed in a room at probably the cheapest hotel in the city (5 dinars per bed or ~$7), grabbed some grub, hung out at a cafe. At about 1am, a few of us wanted to walk along the beach before heading back to the hotel. We tried asking directions from a taxi driver, who attempted to rip us off of all our money. Fortunately we were saved by a local scuba instructor, who took us out to the local beach and treated us to some nargileh (that's hookah for you folks back in the states). Well, 2am rolls around, and most of our group decides to head back to the hotel. My friend and I (along with our scuba instructor), decide to wait it out and try to catch the sunrise on the beach. In case you were wondering, Aqaba is really not as interesting at 3am in the morning. But, we did get the sunrise over the Red Sea, which was really nice.

The next morning (well, i guess it technically was morning by this time...but after 2 hours of sleep I should say), our group split up with most people going off scuba diving in the Red Sea. As much as I wanted to go, the lure of sitting out on the beach and doing absolutely nothing all day won out in the end. And ...that's exactly what I did. We went to a private beach (all beaches are private...sucks that you have to pay, but it means it's actually clean as opposed to the ones back in California), and I proceeded to get 3rd degree burns on my back. Yes, thanks to horrible application of suntan lotion and a 30 minute nap in the sun, I know have red map on the United States burnt into my back. The beach was beautiful, the Red Sea was awesome to swim in, and the Saudis with whom we hitch-hiked back to our hotel were really nice. Overall, a pretty sweet day. That night, I headed back to Amman because I had a trip organized through my program the next day.

The trip was a tour of the major Roman ruins in Jordan. Truly a spectacular set of sights. Its amazing to walk the streets of cities that were built over 2000 years ago and were still intact today. We went first to Um Qais, a set of ruins in the far north of the country, an ancient city overlooking the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights of Israel. It turns out, over 75% of the city is still unearthed, meaning that there is a treasure trove of wealth buried beneath. What struck me the most about this city was the amount of green EVERYWHERE. I'm used to living in Amman, where trees are coveted sites. This place had rolling hills of grass and flowers.

After that, we went to the most coveted ruins in Jordan: Jerash. This city is just as old as Um Qais, but far more extensive and intact. Walking around and seeing the beauty of lore and history, it was hard not to be overwhelmed with the history and age of the city. Granted, I can only take seeing old stone buildings for so long, but it really was fascinating to see the old temples and churches, theaters and roads, that still cling to the past.

Yes, that was my extensive weekend. I'd love to tell you all about the week, and if anything actually happens, you'll be the first to know. School continues on. Midterms this week. Teachers forgetting to tell us that class is canceled. When in Jordan...

One new thing: I've begun volunteering at girl's school in Al-Baqa'a Camp, the largest Palestinian Refugee Camp in Jordan... over 150,000 people. Located about 15 minutes outside of Amman, this camp holds over 150,000 refugees. I haven't seen anything of the camp, nor been able to really talk with many of the people about their experiences, but from what I've seen from volunteering, it definitely is a struggle for these people. The school I am at is a government funded school, but they can only offer so many resources. I was able to talk to the school's principal for a few moments, who told us about her experiences seeing the camp grow from a few tents to a more formalized city...or something like it. I've only been once -- they want us to come and converse with the girls to help practice their English -- but I plan on continuing.

It's funny, the hardest question I was asked (both at the camp and in general), "Why are you studying Arabic?" I've been asked that a few times now here, and I still draw a blank before I can try to answer. Because I want world peace? Because I want to understand the culture and history of the Middle East? I guess those answers work, but it doesn't seem like enough. Or maybe it is...

The view of Aqaba coming in from the North. Reminded me of the the view of the Bay from Bart coming back from San Fran.

Oh Aqaba, how I love thee. How could you not love it when you can sit by this beach all day. The opposite shore: either Egypt or Israel, not sure.

Um Qais. Lots of green...really unnatural for Jordan.

The East Gate of Jerash. Look at that architecture!

The ruins of Jerash with the modern city in the background.