A girl and AMMAN

I have previously hinted at a couple of new adaptations I have had to undergo due to being a female in the Middle East. However, I decided that this topic deserves it’s own post.

There are things that are tough as a female in the States as well as anywhere else. For example, body image; despite the obesity in America, many obsess with being fit in order to “fit in” or look better than the person next to them as opposed to working out to be healthy. Here, not much is shown so if you go to the gym it’s obviously not to show-off to people on the streets. Another example would be creepers. I do not think there’s a single corner in the world that is creeper-free. However, in the States you just have to be up front and say “No” because ignoring them will only encourage them. Here, well, ignoring them is the smarter choice.

With these points acknowledged I will move on to my experience in Amman. Before coming to Amman, I knew I would have to cover-up (not a big deal since I’ve always dressed pretty conservative), I knew there would be cat calling on the streets and I knew I would be entering a male dominated world. Concerning my first point, I was not too upset with this rule until now, since it has been getting pretty hot during the day. When you are burning up it is hard to fight the urge to just shed the cardigan over a still conservative, but shoulder showing shirt.  And let’s not even bring up any type of shorts that show your kneecaps because that is definitely haram (unacceptable). Moving on to the catcalls. These are to be ignored at all costs in order as to not encourage them (not that by ignoring them they go away). I have become quite good at ignoring men on the streets but I still find myself rolling my eyes every time and fighting an urge to yell something back.

It has been very interesting to see how a society can change the way you see or feel about something. I have noticed how slowly but surely I have begun to feel differently about certain situations. I no longer keep my cardigan on in the heat because it is haram, but because I feel strange showing my shoulders in public. I feel self-conscious about cab riding from the gym to my home-stay with wet hair. Not because it “signals” (socially) that I just finished having sex, but because it makes me feel underdressed and careless in a society where everyone dresses to impress. I don’t like going out by myself after dark. Not because I feel unsafe, but because I feel like it does not say good things about me when I am out on the streets by myself as a female.

If after only a couple of months of being here my opinions on such circumstances have already been altered, I wonder what will be like to try and re-adapt to being back in the states after an entire semester. A place where no one cares if you go grocery shopping in sweat pants and wet hair, where summers are enjoyed tanning beside a pool, where guys are passive-aggressive with their thoughts (for the most part) and on a slightly different note, where granola bars are easily found and fast food does not always equal schwarma.  

Desert Castles Cycling

Last Saturday I went on a pretty intense bike ride in the desert. Was it long? Yes. Was it bumpy? Very. Was it fun? Absolutely. We drove about an hour and a half outside of Jordan and cycled for out two hours. From a previous description of this trip I was under the impression that we would be cycling to different castles around Jordan. In reality, we started of by seeing what used to be a hideout for kings. A place they used to go to in order to hunt, bathe and simply just get away. From there we grabbed a bike and cycled through the bumpy desert. There was not much to see out there but it was very nice to go outside the city limits into fresh air. After our bike ride we had a great lunch, which included chicken, rice, Greek salad and of course tea. And before heading back to Jordan we visited a wetland museum and the one castle on the itinerary.

Despite my misinterpretation of the castles we were visiting the weather and cycling with friends made it a very enjoyable day. 

TIPS: When going on a Desert Castles Cycling trip, do not expect to see many castles. Take a juice box for the road and wear your helmet. 

Word of the Day: har --> hot 

Biblical Jordan

This post is a couple of weeks overdue but it has been a couple of weeks full of reading and tests at school. Either way this is a post detailing a tour I did of Biblical Jordan. On this tour we went to Jesus’ baptismal site, the Jordan River separating Jordan and Israel, the mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments, looked over at the Promised Land and later died and lastly, we went to the site where John the Baptist was imprisoned and beheaded.

To be honest, I almost did not get up that morning to go. I was extremely tired so when my alarm went off at 6 a.m. I momentarily just wanted to skip-out. However, I knew I would later regret skipping if I did. Now, I am very glad I pushed through and went.  In case you are wondering, I did not have some spiritual revelation or anything of the sort at these places, but it was a very neat experience to see these places I’ve so often heard of in real life. It also gave me a more realistic view of the people that were there once upon a time. They are not made up. They were once alive and wandering around the places I got to see.

Jesus’ baptismal site was small but it still has the stairs that go down to where the water is. The Jordan River was very dirty but narrow enough to make a leap from Jordan to Israel without a problem. The mountain where Moses stood looks like any other mountain except for the museum they have located there. You can definitely see the Promised Land from there but unfortunately it was cloudy that day so we did not have a clear view of it. Getting to where John the Baptist was imprisoned and beheaded was quite the hike. The castle is no longer there but some pillars remain and you can see down into the pit where they imprisoned him.

The day involved a lot of hiking and getting off and on the bus a lot. It included a great lunch and beautiful views of Jordan. It is still strange to be in a place where there is so much history and I have been very appreciative of the opportunity to get to see and learn about it. If you would like any visuals of these places just let me know and I will get them to you!

TIPS: When going on a Biblical Jordan Tour, take your camera! You will be upset if you don’t and don’t forget good hiking shoes.

Word of the Day: Jabal --> Mountain.