Driving near Amman

Well, by the looks of the picture above , we made it to Jordan all safe and sound. Another 12 hour plane ride down and one more stamp for the passport. After a day in the country however, I can tell that this will be quite a different trip than past ones. Although there are quite a few things that bring back memories from past trips. Driving from the airport to Amman, we were passed by multiple 15-passenger vans serving as taxis, identical to the dala-dalas found in Tanzania. The landscape we drove through was a vast dusty plain, resembling portions of inner-Australia. At dinner, we were served these meat balls which were very similar to alligator balls served in Louisiana. And lastly, as I lay here in bed writing this blog, Jordanian music is playing in the streets as people occasionally clap and cheer, just as they do in Jamaica during the night. It’s amazing how such a different culture can have such similar attributes as places halfway across the globe. And as with any other trip, standout moments are already happening on this trip. Just to list a few…

1) After checking our luggage through JFK airport and preparing to go through security, I realized that I had forgotten my wallet in the rental car (which was parked a considerable distance away from the terminal). Given that we arrived a tad early, I felt that there was plenty of time to go back and retrieve it. After jumping on three different tram cars and stopping in multiple terminals, I arrived back at the car rental station. I quickly found the manager but rather than taking me to our rental car, she just drove away. So resorting to plan B, I found a guy cleaning a car and asked him if I could help him out. He looked at me strangely, but agreed. Soon after, I had the wallet I had come looking for. Then after a mad dash back to the terminal, I rejoined my group and was ready for the long flight ahead of me.

2) 2) After arriving in our hotel room, I came across a bidet, which was a first for me. After confronting Sean and Eric on how to properly use the device, we decided to Wikipedia it. We found that you ride a bidet much like you ride a pony, good to know!
3) So Sean decided to wait for a haircut until he arrived in Jordan, so that he could get an authentic Jordanian haircut. Well he got one, and it’s pretty sweet! So the below picture is without the gel, tomorrow we'll get a proper picture and post it!

And don't forget to check out the class blog to get an update of the serious things that are happening on the trip as well! Until the next entry, ma'a salama! (which is Arabic for good-bye)