Jordan Journey

After a very long week of heck, we got to go on a four day trip to Jordan. We left early Monday morning to make it to the border before the traffic got too bad. We went through the border with no problems, got a new bus, and met our tour guide. Our tour guide was nice and was full of knowledge. He also had a natural talent to talk for hours about absolutely nothing. Needless to say, I was very happy to arrive back in Israel, leaving him at the border.
The first day was a lot of driving and some stops. We first stopped at Mt. Nebo which was pretty cool. We stopped at a few other places, had lunch, and then headed down to Petra.
Petra was BY FAR my favorite day in Jordan. We had about an hour tour walking into where the main ruins and then we were set free for about six hours. We could explore wherever we wanted and it was so much fun! I rode a camel, saw the Treasury, climbed up 800 steps to see the Monastery, shopped, played with the kids, hiked, and hiked and walked and walked. It was the best day. I was exhausted by the end. But after we met back up we had a three hour drive to Amman so we all slept on the bus.
On Wednesday we went around the city of Amman to the temple of Hercules, then to Jerash, then to an automobile museum, and then to a mosque. It was a very busy day and to be honest, after Petra, everything seemed lame. It was fun, but Petra was the best!
On Thursday we went to a theater that is in the middle of Amman. We spent an hour or two there. I ended up watching a bunch of kids doing flips off the walls and stuff. It was pretty scary to see them because I thought they were going to smack their heads on the ground. After that we went to this random antique store and stayed there for an hour. I guess the only reason we stopped there was so that we could have KFC delivered. Yes, Kentucky Fried Chicken. It was delicious!! Probably the best I have ever had. After that we headed to the Jordan River, which was the second highlight of the trip. We sat on the river’s bank and sang hymns and read Christ’s baptism story. It was really cool. On side of the bank belongs to Jordan and the other side belongs to Israel. So there were soldiers protecting the borders to make sure no one snuck in. On the Israel side people were being baptized. It was super interesting to watch and a little weird because they were wearing white dresses that we completely see-through when they got wet. Awkward. But it was still a very spiritual experience.
After that we headed to the border to go back to Israel. It is so much easier to leave Israel than it is to get back in. I happened to be the first one in line so I forged the way for some people. I got my bags checked, when through security, went to the first passport check, answered all the questions I was supposed to, got through the second and third passport checks, and then finally found my bag and waited for everyone else to arrive. No one did. After about twenty to thirty minutes of waiting, three other students joined me. After more waiting we saw an employee walking our way. We were told that we had to go back through because one of the students dropped the “s” word; students. While going through passport checks upon entering Israel, we are not allowed to say that we are students because by Israeli law, we are not. We had to have a special form that says we are students which we don’t have so to avoid all the confusion we are supposed to say something along the lines of, “I am participating in a religious program in Jerusalem for three months. I live on Mt. Scopus.” Well, after about an hour of calling all the right people and explaining to the Israeli employees and guards, we were all able to make it through again. It was quite an ordeal, but most of us thought it was pretty funny and I was proud of myself for making it through all by myself.
We made it home safe and now it has been back to business as usual. We started classes again, had Sabbath, and then a free day yesterday. On Sabbath we practiced for the Primary program which is this coming Saturday! I am so excited! For the free day I walked all over West Jerusalem. Jerusalem is so much bigger than I think it is, and then I start walking and I remember. We walked a good ten or so miles. But it was a great day and now we are about to head out the door for a field trip to Bethlehem, which I will save for another blog post.

Petra

First glimps of the treasury

The Treasury

The Monastery 

So Happy to be on a camel! Next goal: ride an elephant

Thanks for the ride!

Little Bedouin Boy

Temple of Hercules

Jerash

Me and Sarah at the theater in Amman

Caralee, me, and Angie holding up the wall

At the random store waiting for lunch. We got bored. 

River Jordan!