My Excuse for Not Blogging in 3 Weeks

These past three weeks have been a hectic, enjoyable time. It started off with a trip to the Dead sea, then to biblical Jordan; including Mt. Nebo and the spot where John the Baptist baptized Jesus, followed by a week of midterms, and ended with a trip to Israel.

Biblical Jordan was amazing. I grew up hearing these stories from the bible, and this past week I was able to see where they took place. It is shocking to think how long ago these stories happened, and how much the world has changed since that time.

Midterms here were just like midterms in the States; the same stress, the same amount of work, and the same self-questioning: “Why didn't I start studying/writing this paper earlier?!” However, this time the light at the end of the tunnel wasn't the usual one in the States, but it was a trip to Israel/Palestine.

Myself and three fellow study abroad students, which I met here, went to Israel for 6 days and 5 nights during mid-semester break this past week. This trip was educational, relaxing, and a good opportunity to see the differences between an Israeli state and an Arab state.

Our first stop was the Israel/Jordan border (King Hussein/Allenby Bridge). We only had minor difficulties here. We arrived at the border crossing very earlier in the morning, so it took us (comparatively) no time to get into Israel. For some people we talked to later it took over 5 hours to cross the border.

Once in Israel, we spent our first two nights in Jerusalem; exploring the old city, retracing the steps where Jesus carried the cross, and visiting the West Bank. I was at the location where religions have clashed, conquered, and been conquered throughout the centuries.  Jerusalem is the most religiously diverse place that I have ever visited. The history of this area of the world, and the contemporary issues that surround it, are continuously present while traveling through this region, talking to the people, and seeing it visually.

When I thought that my brain couldn't think, compare, contrast, or reflect anymore, I arrived in the West Bank/Palestine. We first went to Bethlehem to see the Church of the Nativity, which was interesting. However, it was the border between, and the separation wall which spoke volumes about where we were, and that was only the entrance into the West Bank.

The next few days were spent in Tel-Aviv meandering on the beach, and trying to process the experiences of the previous days. Here, I felt like I was back in the States, with modern amenities, crosswalks, and American food. This was nice at first, but I soon found myself missing the hectic lifestyle of Amman and speaking Arabic.

Our last day was spent in Haifa. Haifa is a quiet, quaint city, which is a nice contrast to Tel-Aviv. This was the perfect way to complete this Israeli adventure. (Pictures!)

Cultural Competency

When I told people that I was studying abroad in Jordan, their first responses were “Why would you want to go there?” “ Isn't that dangerous?” “ You're traveling to the Middle East?!” “It was nice knowing you!”

At the time I didn't have a good response because it was impossible to give a complete explanation for my reasons in a brief encounter. In this post I want to expand on why I chose to study abroad, and how I selected this region of the world.

Since freshman year I knew that I wanted to study abroad. Everyone who I spoke to about their experiences abroad would fill my mind with adventures, and opportunities of a lifetime. They described these instances as the pinnacle of their college career. It was from this a seed grew; it was an ambition that pestered my mind. I knew that my undergraduate education would feel inadequate without taking advantage of this opportunity. It was with this catalyst that I began the extensive process to live and study abroad.

The Middle East has been dominating the headlines in the past century, and is an area of the world that most Americans are inexperienced and unfamiliar with. It was this uncertainty that encouraged me to take a class about the Middle East and Islam. From this class I became fascinated with the history, diversity, and complexity of this region and I wanted to learn more. What better way to learn than literally being right in the middle of everything happening.

When deciding where I wanted to study abroad, picking the Middle East was the obvious choice and choosing Jordan was more obvious. If you look at a map of Jordan it borders or is close to, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, and Egypt. It has one of the best universities in the Middle East, and it is centrally located between these countries of interest.

I have learned so much about Jordan and the Middle East in my one month here, but I know that this is just the beginning of a long progression to truly comprehend the language, culture, and politics of this region, and I look forward to traveling down this lengthy road.

I haven't even left here, and I am already anticipating coming back.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” Mark Twain (Innocents abroad).