World Wonders and Dead Cameras

My second recent trip was to the ancient city of Petra, the desert of Wadi Rum, and the city of Aqaba in the south of Jordan.

First on the docket was Petra.  I have always heard – and seen, due to a little thing I like to call Indiana Jones – how beautiful Petra is, so I was, needless to say, excited to see this world wonder myself.  Normally the cost of seeing it is 45JD (roughly $65) for foreigners.  Because of my program’s partnership with the Ministry of Education though, we all got in for 1JD – the price for Jordanian citizens.  Why, you ask, is there such a dramatic rift in that price range?  Well, my good friends, it’s all thanks to the advice of the United States of America who told the Jordanian government that they should charge more for foreigners to bring in more revenue.  Gotta love the states – all about the money. 

Petra is in the middle of the desert so it’s naturally hotter than the surface of the sun.  Everything here is in Celsius, to which I refuse to acclimate, so I am oblivious to any real dimension of numerical temperature.  Entering the city, it’s easy to see how this place has become so famous.  The cliffs and rock faces are incredible, not to mention the architecture that has literally been carved into the rock.  At one point, you notice something so bright in the distance, and as you enter the clearing, it’s the famous treasury featured in Indiana Jones.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  To me, the most fun was climbing through various parts of the city and seeing the caves that were quite likely people’s homes even if they have become more like your average city dump today. 

After Petra, we headed directly to Wadi Rum for a Bedouin party.  My friends and I did some exploring in the desert, which included sand dune jumping.  This is the decision that I regret most while I have been here.  Not because I got all sandy – which is true – but in one clumsy hand motion, I dropped my camera in the sand, and since that time, it has refused to work.  I can’t talk about it, I’m too upset.  I’ll deal with it later.  Tears.

Later was the party.  Very few people danced, and I didn’t want to show these people up in their natural territory, so I refrained myself.  In reality, it was because I wasn’t sure of the rules for co-ed dancing.  Imagine, I accidently bump a nearby chica, and the crowd goes wild, desperate for my blood.  Haraam.  The food was decent but definitely not something to write home about.

After the party, we headed to Aqaba to a hotel that was worse than that in Lebanon.  I know, it’s hard to believe that it could get worse than salt water, but I promise that it can.  Aqaba is, in essence, the equivalent of Panama City Beach except trashier and with less to do.  Definitely not a fan.  We only spent about one hour at the beach,.  Why even go?

 Next came the long, long, long bus trip home.  Interesting cultural tidbit about Arabs: they start to come alive at around ten pm.  After an exhausting weekend of walking, all of us were pooped and trying to sleep on the uncomfortably small bus.  The Arabs?  No, they wanted to stay up and talk scream as loudly as possible, including the use of the bus’s microphone system.

The trip was pretty rough, and I've never been so upset about something as I am about my camera.  Perhaps it will magically fix itself if I just don’t touch it for a few days.  At least, that’s what I’m counting on.

Just a Little Trip to Lebanon

Well, it’s been a while since I last blogged and for good reason.

I’ve been doing lots of traveling lately – as well as the usual going to class and studying.

My travels began a couple of weeks ago in Beirut, Lebanon.  I hooked up with two friends that I met in Amman, and jumped on their trip.  We had zero plans when we got into the country.  Our hotel room was the absolute tiniest thing that I have ever seen, complete with water that was coming, if not directly, through only a small filtering process from the Mediterranean Sea (read: the water coming from the sink, shower, etc. was salty).  What’s important though when you are searching for a hotel room in the Middle East?  Air conditioning, and quite luckily, our hotel had it.  One of the most striking memories of Beirut was cab drivers.  They are rude thieves who want to do little more than rip off a good tourist.  Several times we got in all but fist-fights with them.  Needless to say, we were glad to get back to the metered taxis here in Amman.

As for seeing the area, we had some connections and ended up being given what can only be called a grand tour of the entire country.  Our tour guides were Henry and Patricizia, and they are absolutely some of the sweetest people that I have ever met in my life.  Prior to that tour, we did some exploring on our own which included the grave of Rafic Hariri, my very first experience at Hard Rock Cafe, and various sightseeing locales within the city, which included more than a few visits to one of the only Krispy Kreme’s in the Middle East.  When we met up with Henry and Patrizia, they took us to the village that they grew up in, to Jeita Groto (in the running for one of the new natural wonders of the world – vote here!), to Byblos, to a beautiful winery, and to the ruins at Baalbeck.

Knowing very little about Lebanon before entering the country, I was able to learn so much from talking with Henry and Patricizia.  They told so many stories about their lives during the Civil War and how it has affected literally everything that they do.  It was amazing because I have never even been that close to someone who has been through real war.  Sure, it’s something that I watch on television everyday, but hearing stories from first hand witnesses brings an entirely new dimension of reality to it.

While in Lebanon, we also took a little trip south to the city of Tyre (known here as Sur).  To me, this was one of the best parts.  We were able to walk around the entirety of the town in one day and see everything from the bustling beaches to the tiniest hovels on the backside of the island to the Roman ruins in the middle of the town. 

One of the most disappointing things about Lebanon was the ironic lack of night life.  I thought it would be crazy everywhere, but the reality is that if you aren’t carrying tons of money and if you aren’t dressed in your absolute best clothes, you won’t get very far at night.  Next time.

 

We ended our trip in with the gorgeous views of Pigeon Rock.  Absolutely incredible.

All in all, Lebanon was a fantastic place to visit, and I would actually love to live there despite its…charming….people and expensive prices.  Its beautiful Mediterranean views far outweigh these aspects.  Promise.

The Prince of Egypt

Once upon a time, my study abroad program sent me to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt for midterm break.  

Now, I had heard that we were staying in a 5-star resort, but I thought that this was just an exaggeration.  When I got to the resort, I found out that this was absolutely the truth.

Sonesta Beach Resort and Casino will forever be the pinacle of travel in my mind.  The words "all-inclusive" sum up just about every thing that I can say.  Six pools, gorgeous sunshine, beach access, swim up bars, excellent food from all over the world, and a beach walk featuring authentic Middle Eastern shops selling everything you can imagine.  

My general daily schedule:

*8:00 - Eat breakfast.  

8:30 - Get spot ready by the pool.

9:00 - Lay out at the pool.

10:30 - Roll over.

12:00 - Eat lunch.

12:30 - Pick up stuff and move to the beach.

1:00 - Lay out at the beach.

3:45 - Roll over.

6:30 - Watch the sunset over the mountains.

7:00 - Dinner

7:30 - Walk the beach walk, see the city, etc.

2:00 - Bedtime.

*Once, we got up at 4am to go out into the desert to ride ATVs.

I'm going to let the pictures do the talking from this point forward.

 

 

I'll end with the simple fact that I can never go on vacation again because this trip ruined everything that I could hope to enjoy.

Ridiculous.

A Lesson In Cross-Cultural Communication

Having been immersed in a culture where very few people speak my language, I have been able to observe so many important lessons in the art of cross-cultural communication.

When two people speak different languages, all you have to rely on is what little you hold in common, accompanied by intermittent gestures.

A couple of lessons:

Listen!  This might be one of the most important things that a person can do, and it's probably the most difficult.  The natural reaction - at least for Americans - is to keep talking, to fill the void of silence.  What we often don't understand is that all this talking does is jumble things up for both speakers.  Furthermore, this can lead to putting words in someone else's mouth, preventing communication.  Take time to listen.  Listen well.  This will make everything smoother.

Empathize.  One of the things that has helped me is to put myself in that person's shoes.  Think about history, about backgrounds, about linguistic influences, and then use those to interpret messages.  For example, Arabic doesn't contain the letter "p."  Knowing this, it's easy for me to interpret when a speaker says "beoble," that he is, in fact, saying "people."  Another example, I was at a cafe the other day, and I asked the man for hummus or bread, or anything to eat.  He said that he didn't have anything, and then he proceeded to continue the conversation in Arabic.  Knowing literally nothing that he was saying, I thought about how giving the Arabic people are, and I was able to surmise that he was asking me if I wanted him to walk down the street to get me food.  A little application of cultural knowledge can give way to linguistic understanding.

Recognize Patterns.  Much like empathizing, certain patterns can be seen in a language, and they can help out a lot.  For example, I have noticed that people here call grocery stores subermarkets.  Not thinking about it, I asked my Iraqi roommate what time the grocery store opened.  He looked at me, confused, and said he didn't know.  This left me really confused because it was such a simple question, and I knew that he knew the answer.  Later, I was able to discover that he didn't even know the word grocery store because everyone here says subermarket.  This also includes acknowledging filler words.  Here, the word "yani" gets said all the time.  There is no definite meaning in most cases.  Just a filler.

Make It Easy.  Don't read incorrectly.  I said make it easy, not dumb it down.  Communication can be achieved with increasing difficulty depending upon the grammatical structures and words employed.  Therefore, it's usually best to communicate in the simplest ways, even though they may not sound as smart or polite.  Don't try to impress, just try to get the point across.

Accept Nuances and Adapt.  Sometimes there will be words that are misused, phrases that are taken out of context, things that are misunderstood.  Most of the time, it's best to take it for what it's worth and just move on.  Again, the goal is getting the point across, not achieving perfection.

Cross-cultural communication is not easy.  It's messy, and it takes time to get it right.  I'm doing my best here. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

For example, today in class, my classmate was trying to say 'exactly' (bizaBt), and she accidentally said 'naked' (bizaLt).  Hilarity ensued, followed by the other guy in class and myself using bizaLt in our next few example sentences.  The lesson?  Never will I ever forget how to say 'naked' in Arabic.

What I Miss About Camp

Allow me to take a break from the Jordanian adventure.

I've been torturing myself lately by spending what probably amounts to several hours of creeping through videos and photos of Centrikid 2011.  

As you are well aware, I chose to spend my summer just a little bit differently than last summer.  Although I don't regret the decision at all, a lot of my heart is rooted in Centrikid, and I do miss it so much more than I thought I would.  In honor of that hole that exists in my heart, I'll now be listing a few of those things that I miss.

Here's to nastalgia.

1.  Van Rides.  Travel is one of my most favorite things, and it becomes so much more exciting when done with amazing people.  It is for this reason that I miss riding in a van with twenty of my closest friends.  Whether it was singing, dancing, asking "What's one thing I don't know about you," breaking down,  van rides were always a good time, and we were able to bond so much during them.

2.  Dance Parties.  My team was composed of some of the best dancers that this world has ever seen.  Anytime that a song was on, you could bet that someone was busting a move.  Parking lots, restaurants, Walmart, everyone saw us, and we had no shame.  Why?  Because we.were.legit.

3.  Mexican Sundays.  Every single Sunday of camp, we went out for Mexican food.  Again, favorite food, favorite people.  What else does a person need?

4.  Matching.  Typically, I hate matching anyone else, but wearing the same thing as twenty other people makes you feel really connected.  Not to mention that everyday was composed of athletic shorts and a t-shirt.  Did this style put me in a horrible, never ending rut when I got back to school?  Yes.  My friends chose to name my new style "Camp-Chic."  I embrace it.

5.  Snapple Word of the Day.  For some reason, our team was obsessed with Snapple.  As a result, during every team meeting, we had a special time for the Snapple Word of the Day.  So much useless knowledge was gained.

6.  Snow Cones.  Loved making them, loved eating them. 

7.  Cuddle Puddles. Who doesn't love a good cuddle puddle?  In fact, we loved them so much that several of us chose to spend the last four weeks sleeping on a palate on the floor.  Normal.

8.  Taking Five Minute Showers.  Now, I know that this doesn't seem like a positive aspect, but it just comes with the territory.  When you don't even have time to enjoy a good shower, you know you're at camp.

9.  Running Through Walmart.  Walmart trips were a glorified scavenger hunt.  Budgeting, secret encourager gifts, necessities.  Get it all and get it quick.

10.  Skycroft.  I think I speak for my whole team when I say that when I think of camp 2010, I think of Skycroft Conference Center.  It was home.  The Lord did AMAZING things there.  I met many of my best friends there.  Skycroft holds a special place in my heart and will do so forever.  Skunk hunting can be included in this category.  Favorite pastime, especially at 2 am after I had talked myself awake during the night.

11.  Watermelon.  My team fancied the watermelon over all other fruits.  We had it almost daily.  

12.  Signing Autographs.  Makes you feel like a celebrity, even if only for a minute.  I'll never forget one kid in my Bible Study who came up to me literally weeping because he had to leave.  I remember my camp counselors from when I was a kid.  It's so weird to think that some kid remembers me in that same way.

13.  Silly Bands.  I worked camp during the era of the silly band.  As a result, I received fifty over the summer.  I wore them until probably March to remind me of what God did and continues to do.

14.  Secret Encouraging.  Each person on our team had a secret encourager who was supposed to surprise them with gifts, mail, notes, etc.  This was awesome because our team was full of baller gift givers.  People cried.  It was amazing.

15.  Sour Patch Kids.  Just another one of team's vices.  

16.  Rec Crew.  We had to get up about 30 minutes earlier than everyone else and set up rec everyday.  Although it was often a pain, we had a lot of fun together.

On to the serious stuff.

17.  Schedule.  Every minute of camp is scheduled.  Real life just isn't like that.  Now, while I do enjoy the freedom, there's just something about a schedule life that leads to peace.

18.  Worship.  Worshiping God when you are absolutely exhausted is one of the most incredible feelings in the world.  Giving everything you have allows the Father to provide.  The rest one experiences from giving all to the Lord is surreal. 

19.  Kids.  The kids that come to camp are there for a reason.  They come to experience the Lord, but they also come to teach the staff.  I learned so much from the kids who would share their lives with me.  I know that I poured into them, but I'm also certain and thankful that they were able to pour into me.

20.  Discipleship.  My team wasn't only full of best friends, but it was also full of disciplers.  We all taught and were taught throughout the summer.  Whether being lifted up in prayer, rebuked for wrong attitudes, or encouraged to keep pushing, those people were the definition of what it means to disciple.  

21.  Validation.  The adults that come to came serve such an awesome purpose.  They are so good at building up the staff and taking care of us just like a family.  Hearing their thankfulness that we loved their kids gave me the support that I needed to keep going.  Adult leaders were so good to our team.  We couldn't have done it without them.

22.  Accomplishment.  All summer, I knew that I was where God wanted me, and I knew that I was diligently working for His kingdom.  Although I am still trying that, it isn't as a clear now.  God used me to impact the lives of these kids in ways that they will never forget.  That's what I miss more than anything.

23.  Team.  I can't say enough how amazing my team was.  I'd do anything for any one of them, and I know that they feel the same.  Those twenty people will always be my family.  I think of them everyday and am constantly reminded of the lessons that I learned from them.  Never have I ever met people like them.  

One conversation that I remember from camp concluded with the idea that camp was the closest that a human can get to being in Heaven.  I think that is the most accurate description that can be given.  I could go on for hours about the things that I miss from camp, but I think I'll leave it for now.  

I pray daily for all of you who are working camp right now, and I know that you'll feel all of this as soon as August hits.  Woof.

  

Dead Sea and Wadi Mujib

Yesterday was without a doubt one of the top five best days of my life.

We headed out in the morning on our way to the Dead Sea.  It's the lowest point on the Earth, and the water is about ten times saltier than what's in the ocean.  There are some hotels and beaches, but there are no boats allowed on the sea, so the water is so peaceful.  I have never seen anything like it.  The drive through the valleys of Jordan was beautiful in itself.  I could have stopped right there.

After passing the road that leads into Palestine - it's closed off currently because Jordan refuses to recognize it - we made it to the Dead Sea.  Now, I knew that it was going to be big, but I couldn't have imagined this.  It's absolutely massive.



We parked the car and headed down to the sea.  Again, could have stopped here.  The hike through the rocks and along a little inlet was enough for me.  We made it down to the coast, white from all the salt buildup, and started to get in the water.  You have to be really careful getting in - see the face I'm making when I'm getting in the water.  The water is so salty, I can't even imagine what it would feel like in my eyes.  Instantly, the differences between this body of water and others present themselves.  First of all, you are literally floating on top of the water.  No lifeguard needed because it would be nearly impossible to drown.  The salt causes buoyancy, so you can sit back, float, stand up, run, jump, (sort of) swim, without getting your head wet.  Secondly, if you take a look at your hand under the water, it looks just like you are swimming in a vat of oil.  It was crazy, a surreal experience.


We got out of the water, and yet another difference.  Your skin doesn't know what to do without all the moisture that's been sucked out, so your it's soon as dry as it's ever been.  That sticky feeling that comes from the ocean is definitely there but multiplied by ten.  We hiked up to a waterfall to wash off before heading on for the rest of the day.  Could have stopped, but the day only got better.

Next, we headed to Wadi Mujib.  Basically, it's a huge canyon with a river through it.  We hiked up the river, which included rapids and huge rock formations that required us to use ropes to climb up rock faces and waterfalls.  The river also included leeches, which nibbled at your ankles the entire time.  Wadi Mujib was definitely one of the coolest things that I have ever done.  The sheer beauty of it all was astounding.  At the end of the wadi, there were three huge waterfalls.  On the way back, there are many parts of the river that are deep enough to float down, and there are several points where sliding down waterfalls is the only way to get back.  I was floating down the last part of the wadi and noticed a Jordanian sitting in the river.  As I passed by, he pulled my leg over to him and held me baby-style.  All I could hear was him asking, "Masaji?"  Over and over.  Embracing the culture, I obliged and settled in for my massage.  Couldn't ever come by that in the U.S.  In typical Arab fashion, he offered me a cigarette, which I declined, and then sent me on my way.  Nice to meet you, too, sir.  Have I told you that I love this place?

A Taste of Home

Last night, I was invited into my first Middle Eastern home.

We went to church with a couple of our teachers.  Afterword, much like my fellow Baptists, the Jordanians stand around and talk before leaving the sanctuary.  Naturally, we stuck around and chatted with people in broken sentences and motions.  All of the culture books that I have read talk about how inviting these people are, and I can't count the number of times that I've been told that I will get asked to someone's home within the first week.  I never believed that it would be true though.

Being from the south, I have observed my fair share of hospitality.  Sure, people say that they would love for you to come over and visit, but they rarely, if ever mean it.  It's a simple pleasantry that people often say but never intend to follow through with, and everyone knows it, so it all works.  All that I have read says that these people are the same in intention but quite the opposite in expectation.  Translation: if they invite you over, they mean now, and you better not say no.

Back to the church.  We were standing around when my teacher looks at me and says that her mother would like for us to come over.  Awestruck at the opportunity arriving so early into the trip, I'm pretty sure that I made a fool of myself through the excitement on my face.  I said yes probably ten times and couldn't stop smiling.  My Middle Eastern dreams were coming true, and I didn't care who knew it.

So, we started out on the walk.  I don't know if you noticed, but in the last blog, I mentioned the hills of Amman a lot - think San Fransisco.  In other words, this was a long, hard walk.  After climbing several of these 90 degree hills, we made it to the house.  Entering, I noticed that there were a lot more people there than I first expected.  Everyone got up to shake hands and speak what little English they knew.  There was a grandfather, grandmother, mother, father, uncle, brothers, and even friends from next door.  Somewhere close to fifteen people in a space that Americans would seat maybe four.  As soon as I sat down, plates of apricots, peaches, cucumbers, and some sort of berries were thrown my way.  "Eat."  Was all I heard before I was picking up the fruits and indulging in their goodness.  Everyone was talking and having a great time despite the fact that it was nearing ten o'clock - American parents totally would be heading to bed, definitely not inviting guests over.  I loved the feeling of family that was so present in that house.  I, myself, felt like a member.  That feeling is hard to come by in the states, especially from total strangers.  After about an hour, the tea came out along with another plate of delicious desserts.  "Eat more," was the popular phrase of the night.  Literally everything that I read about being invited into a home was true.  Can I say that I love this place too many times?  Never.

So, with my first home visit behind me, there are some resolutions that I'd like to make before coming back to the states.  I want to be like these people.  I want to focus on relationships before business, to put the comfort of others before my own, to be inviting and welcoming no matter the time or place, to offer my home and my food to those whom I love and even to strangers.  Everyday, I find something more that I want to take home.  My visit into the Middle Eastern home was definitely one of those moments.