Shoo fly
I had the best morning yet with Mama Amal today. Oh, before I even get there, my whole morning was wonderful. I woke up at six to walk to the gym. It was beautiful. Quiet, not a soul around, and best...
View ArticleWhere there’s smoke…
… there’s fire. Yesterday, we had both. I was taking a short nap with my three-year-old host-nephew when I had this horrible dream. I heard the crackling roll of fire and smelled its acrid, blinding...
View ArticleBata, bata, whizz!
I finally got into a Jordanian orphanage! It was a community service day trip with my program, so of course it felt more like a ‘show the foreigners the poor children’ field trip than a ‘down and...
View ArticleHappiness lives at the Dead Sea
I’d been in Jordan for months without having visited the Dead Sea. So last weekend I packed my bag and headed out on my own. I was determined to get there the Jordanian way rather than calling a...
View ArticleThanksgiving in Amman
As of five o’clock Thanksgiving day, I had no plans. I waited for the bus home somewhat dejectedly, sad that I wouldn’t be having any turkey this Thanksgiving. Later that night, however, I got a...
View ArticleBorder skirmish
Getting into Israel is fairly easy … if you’re a blond American. They even obliged my request to stamp the visa onto a temporary page rather than my passport. (An Israeli stamp is a quick way to make...
View ArticleMiss list
The countdown is on. As of today, Dec. 7, I have 11 days left in country. Which is crazy! Of course my time here ran the normal course; it gets to feel too long and you start counting down the days,...
View ArticleWedding crashers
On the way from Ramallah to Saffa, we befriended our taxi driver, Zuheir. We chatted amicably and by the end of the ride knew all about each other’s families and backgrounds. Before he dropped us off...
View ArticleHospitality
Before we crashed the weddings, we were temporarily adopted by different family. We asked directions on the street in Bil’in, which turned into ‘Yes, but first come meet my mother,’ which turned into...
View ArticleJordan in 2013
While classes resume in Lewisburg tomorrow morning, I will be throwing together the last items on my packing checklist in preparation for my departure to Amman, Jordan, this coming Friday. As an...
View Article
