Time to Recharge

Last weekend four friends from the program and I decided to take a trip to Aqaba. Aqaba is a town on the edge of the red sea approximately 4 hours from Amman. It has been pretty cold in Amman so going to Aqaba was a great way to escape the cold weather since it’s warmer there.  Our bus left at 7:00 a.m. Friday morning and we arrived around noon. We stayed in a Hostel called “Bedouin Garden Village” right outside Aqaba and across the street from the beach. I have nothing but great things to say about this place. It was clean, quite cheap, the workers were very welcoming, a great breakfast was included and it is a really adorable place.

Upon our arrival we decided to eat lunch and checkout the beach. Katie, a friend from the program and I, decided to scuba dive since the Bedouin had a really good deal while the other girls soaked in the sun at the beach. That night we decided to go to town for dinner and simply to walk around in the nice weather. We ate at a traditional Jordanian restaurant and headed out for our tour of the town. We made some great purchases and enjoyed some ice cream before heading back to the hostel. The next day we pretty much just bummed on the beach and attempted to get some reading done for class. We were not very successful with our reading but it was great to just relax and enjoy our time away from the craziness in Amman. That night we headed back at 6:00 p.m. and arrived back in Amman around 10:00.

It was a great and much need break for me. I have been here a month now and it has been a rather challenging one. Between getting used to the cultural differences, working on the language barrier and keeping up with class, I have been beyond exhausted. Even though I got a tad bit behind on homework, our trip to Aqaba helped recharge me.

TIP: If going to Aqaba, stay at the “Bedouin Garden Village” I highly recommend it!

Word of the Day: madeenah --> City.

P.S. I miss you all!