Monday, May 31, 2010

Weekend travels with only weekend friends





PETRA..............WADI RUM.................AL AQABA!
All very big destinations with reputations for awe inspiring sights. Last week, our program directors Ralph Brown and Malcolm Botto came into town to see Amman and check to see how all is going with our individual internships. So far, things have been going very well. I have been working in the MoSD headquarters, writing proposals, reading various documents, and just trying to figure things out. Some moments, I feel overwhelmed but after a task I always feel a sense of relief, accomplishment, and knowledge instilled. Good thing I think the work I am doing in the office is so meaningful because I will be at MoSD headquarters for at least two more weeks. The time is just flying by and the three day weekend helped with that.

Hitting up three amazing places in just three days could have been difficult but i think all was seen and all was done that could have been seen and done. Petra was ancient. The weather breezy. The souvenirs expensive. i have been instructed by fidaa to buy no more things with out her. She says that I always pay too much. I am grateful to have someone who always watches out for me.

Wadi Rum was a big night party. We ate lots of funny foods that could have been mistaken for American food but the hummus and pita made it all pretty Arab. There was a great big sitting area with pillows, a dance floor, and places for people's hookahs. Rule #1: Never leave your home without packing up your hookah(agila) with all of its accessories and tasty fruit-flavored tobacco. the night time was appreciatively cool and the air was filled with the smells of fruity smoke and bad techno Arabic music. A bunch of us went out to climb the giant sand dunes before bed. The dunes were cool and the wild dogs we ran into a little scary but Wadi Rum's greatest feature was its breathtaking views.

The Red Sea was the hottest but was the best place to see. We stayed in a very snazzy hotel that was situated well in the hot spots of the city. Aqaba was a hip beachy town with all the American treats one could ask for. The Seven Eleven had no Big Gulps but the McDonald's had Chokolat sundaes. The last hour we were in Aqaba a bunch of the guys and me went snorkeling. It felt so good to swim and to be out on a boat. It reminded me of being at Lake Powell with the family.

I spent the majority of my weekend palling around with a large group of boys. It was nice to have some American friend time and to enjoy the beauties of the ruins, desert, and sea.


4 comments:

  1. dear girl,
    this all sounds gloriously fun. keep telling me about your adventures, please. love tif.

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  2. ah baby. You read my blahg? i thought only my mom did that haha. Thanks for following. love ya lots.

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  3. Who was that handsomely mustached Indiana Jones look alike you were standing next to? He could probably make next month's cover of GQ.

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  4. ha Reb. He is very cute but likes to proselytize too much!

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