I have now been to 3 countries!!! After a good 2 hours of border crossing and security checks, we finally made it to Jordan! This country was not at all what I was expecting. It was much cleaner as a whole than Jerusalem. There were street sweepers EVERYWHERE in the cities. I loved not having trash all over the place! However, their capital was definitely smaller and not quite as nice as Jerusalem. This could just be because I've gotten so used to the beautiful limestone everywhere that now everything looks shabby in comparison.
Jordan was actually really amazing to me. In the last few years, their population has doubled. Doubled!!! Imagine if the population of America doubled in just a few short years. Most of these immigrants are fleeing from persecution and seeking refuge here. The majority of these are living in refugee camps throughout the country. Only about 1/2 of the current population is actually considered to be of Jordanian descent. The rest are refugees from various countries.
Here are some of my first sights in Jordan
This town had a lot of buildings with rubble laying around them. There was definitely a feel of destruction close to the border.
Pretty average market/street shops
I couldn't get a great picture but there were a lot more women fully veiled over here. Jordan is definitely a more conservative country. I also forgot to get a picture but they have pictures of their King everywhere. Cars, billboards, shop windows, street corners, you name it and there was a picture of King Abdullah or King Hussein.
The faculty told us over and over how we should not expect to be in nice hotels. They were very adamant about us not getting our hopes up. I don't know what they consider nice, but I thought our rooms were amazing! The first night, we walked into our rooms to find swan towels and chocolates on our beds. Maybe I have low standards but that's good enough for me!
Our hotel the first night
Once we got to Amman, our hotel situation got even better! Me and my roommates got the Prince Suite. We were pretty much in heaven.
We were on the 10th floor with this amazing view of Amman
Jordan has a really high population of Bedouins. As we drove around the country, we saw many Bedouin camps off to the side of the road. This is not the best picture but they are temporary settlements all throughout the lowlands of Jordan. Their shelters were made of anything from fabric (almost like sheets or blankets) to tin. They herd sheep and goats so they have to be able to move quickly and often.
I learned a lot of really valuable lessons in Jordan. First, you should never assume that a bathroom would have toilet paper. I don't just mean that they run out often. No. You are expected to provide your own. Often, they also don't allow you to put it in the toilet either. They have nice little trashes for you to put it in. Yes, it is as disgusting as it sounds. If they do provide toilet paper, you shouldn't assume it is free. Most rest stops required you to pay for the restroom. Basically, the bathrooms were an eye opening experience and we tried to use them as little as possible.
On a more serious note though, I am so grateful for my way of life. I am so thankful that I have a father with a steady job who provided for me so that I could attend school and get an education. I am so grateful that I have never had to live off of selling $1 souvenirs. I am so grateful that I had a permanent house. I didn't have to move around and live in less than a shack. Instead I got a bedroom to myself and a backyard with a swing set. Most of all, I am so glad that I have the opportunity to realistically hope to improve my way of life. I knew that I took my blessings for granted but I think seeing the way these people lived (and knew they would always live) really made it sink in just how lucky I really am. What are you grateful for?
Until my next adventure,
Lindy
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