Amber Stowell’s 4 Week Journal (Week 4)

Cycling in Wadi Rum

We, at Experience Jordan, have thoroughly enjoyed having Amber working for us over the past month. We are equally happy to see that in her final journal she embraces the enthusiasm we all have for wanting to get out and experience Jordan. For those who have been following Amber’s journal, check out her final entry below: 

At this point, living in Jordan feels more like the norm for me. I’ve gotten used to walking in front of traffic when crossing the street and I don’t notice people staring as much. While I may be terrible at directions and speaking the language, I feel slightly more comfortable in this foreign country than I thought I would. It’s strange how in just over a week I’ll return to the same old schedule and flow of life. While I am excited to see my friends and family, I have enjoyed the break from my regular responsibilities.

Eid al-Adha

This week is also an observed holiday in Jordan called Eid al-Adha, which is a Muslim festival that honors the culmination of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and commemorating Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son. On the first day of Eid  I was unaware that the holiday had started, so I got up and went to work only to find a cleaning lady there. Since I had a surprise day off of work I headed to the mall to kill some time and do a little shopping instead.

Cycling in Wadi Rum

For the actual weekend (Thursday and Friday here in Jordan), I was fortunate enough to go on a tour to Wadi Rum with Nader Bikes. It was a long bus ride there and we had a little trouble getting stuck in the sand, but we made it to the bedouin camp in the late afternoon. After unpacking and eating, we headed out into the desert salt flats on our bikes.

The refreshing cool of the evening was finally upon us, making the ride much more enjoyable. The vast empty space with the sun setting over the rock formations was a magnificent sight. Once we got back to camp, we ate some traditional food prepared by the bedouins. We spent the rest of night enjoying everyone’s company and hiking up a small sand dune to get a better view of the stars. The moon was so bright that it drowned out some stars, but it was still a pleasant view of the night sky. The next morning after breakfast we set out into the sandy desert with two pickup trucks and seats built into the bed. We drove through the sandscape, stopping along the way to learn about ancient carvings and way of life hundreds of years ago.

Good bye Jordan…

Overall, my trip to Jordan has been an enjoyable one that pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I’m fortunate to have been able to experience life on the other side of the globe and appreciate the differences that make this world so wonderfully diverse.

(Edits by Juliane)