An Awe Inspiring, Life Changing, Experience

The Jordan project has been an awe inspiring, life changing experience for me. As I write this article, I have two months left in Amman, and it’s time to start reflecting on the previous eight months. During my time here, I have had ups and downs, highs and lows, wins and losses. Through it all, I have learned that the best way to deal with things is to focus on the positive and pull lessons from the negative. Having a positive outlook on living life in a different culture has helped me to fully appreciate and enjoy this wonderfully unique opportunity to serve in the Middle East.

Patience and Flexibility

In a culture where things are taken one day or one step at a time, this is a valuable lesson. There are many examples of this I can share, but here’s just one: Upon arrival at the school, the office I was in did not have any office equipment or adequate furniture. Thankfully, over the course of a few days all the items necessary for me to work were provided. I’ve learned to be flexible and patient; especially when dealing with those I work with and am around on a regular basis. Being able to remain patient and flexible has helped me to have a better understanding of others, enjoy Jordan to the fullest and build character.

Understand, Appreciate, Respect

Living in Jordan is completely different than living in America, and being able to understand, appreciate and respect the culture provides a better picture of the people and their country. Little things one would never think of being an issue can create quite a bit of conversation around the water cooler. For example, let’s say you’re a single American female, you’re friends with a single Jordanian male, and he offers to drive you home, to the store or dinner. In the States, you wouldn't think anything of this: just two friends hanging out. In Jordan, however, a number of consequences may follow—you may be thought of as dating, you may become a “prize” to him, and his friends may tell him if they see you with someone else. Knowing little things like this and adapting your behavior and thinking will help you understand, appreciate and respect this unique culture.

Keep My Light Shining Bright

There are daily challenges in life no matter where you are, and it is essential to keep your light shining bright. Being able to take daily situations, big or small, and pull a positive lesson out of them has helped me in trying to keep my light shining bright. I’ve learned there are little things I do that say so much about how I am feeling. Knowing this, putting more thought into my actions and listening to others has helped in keeping my light shining bright. Having been put in some amazing, interesting and trying situations, I’ve had to remember not to let the light go out. Also, while serving others and trying to make a difference for those individuals, I am working on personal growth.

There are way more than three lessons I’ve learned serving in this amazing country, but these are the three that have helped me the most. One never knows where life’s road will lead or what tomorrow will bring, but building character today will help for tomorrow. Living life with flexibility and patience; understanding, appreciating and respecting where you are and keeping your light shining bright will help you set your mind on the most important relationship of all.

Until Next Time ~ Stella

Friends in Far Away Places

There is really something to getting to know your neighbor. Here in Jordan, we have gotten to know our neighbors that live right across the hall from us. Through the friendship we developed, even though their home is in Australia, we know we will always be friends.

After our winter break, I was feeling very homesick and desperately wanted to return home.  And then our neighbor’s wife move to Jordan from Australia, and things got a lot better for me. She was the perfect mother figure to have when feeling homesick. Lots of times I would tell Darren, “ I will be right back; I’m going to talk to Cathie,” and not come back for several hours. He was so happy that I had made a friend that he didn’t mind me spending a lot of my free time with her.

We went on several adventures with Andrew and Cathie that we feel are worth sharing.

Inside Kan Zaman restaurant

Our first adventure was to Kan Zaman Village and Wild Jordan. The Kan Zaman complex was the sight of a successful merchant operation in the 1800s; it is now used as a tourist attraction. Here we enjoyed doing some shopping and eating a delicious buffet meal. We were the fist and only ones there for the first hour of the buffet being open!  We had bread and falafel made fresh just for us. After we left, we were hoping that there would be tour busses coming so that none of the food went to waste. On our way back home, we stopped by a shop called Wild Jordan, where they sell jewelry, art, soaps and bags made by the local Bedouin tribes. The money that is made from selling the local crafts goes back to the respective community. Their focus is on green industries and educating the community about the importance of conservation and restoration.  They even host seminars on these topics (one of which I got to attend). The shop also houses a delicious café/restaurant – the prices are a little high compared to the local venue, but the food is fresh and the chef is fantastic, so it is worth the price.  

Our next adventure was to Iraq Al Amir, or The Caves of the Prince. On our way to the Caves we were watching for a section of the old Roman aqueduct that you can see from the road. We did find a section of it, but it was not the one that was in the Lonely Planet Guide. I think the one we found was on someone’s property, but we still drove down the little dirt road and took all the photos we wanted of the structure. After that, we went to the Castle at Iraq Al Amir, which was constructed by a powerful Jewish family before the Roman era. There has been lots of restoration after its destruction in an earthquake, but you can tell that in its prime it was a beautiful building. After thoroughly exploring the castle, we went to the caves, where Darren and I enjoyed exploring some of the interconnected passages. In one cave you could still see were they carved troughs out for horses.  We were also able to visit the women’s workshop in the nearby village, even though they seemed closed when we arrived. A lady came and opened everything up for us. She showed us where they make paper, ceramics, and rugs. Then we were led to the showroom, where everything they made was set out for display and sold. On our way back to Amman, we found the section of the Roman aqueduct that we were looking for in the first place, but it was nowhere near as impressive as the other.

The aqueduct

The "castle"

The stable cave

Tel Hesban

Our third, and most exciting, adventure with Andrew and Cathie was to Tel Hesban. We were going with them to attend an international luncheon at a school outside of Amman, but when we got there it was so crowded that we decided to find somewhere else to eat. On our way to find something to eat, we noticed in our guidebook that there were ruins nearby, so we decided to check them out after lunch.  Tel Hesban is a free historical sight that is only partially excavated. There are a few signs here and there telling you what was suspected to be at that location, but these aren’t the cool parts about this sight. What made this place so much fun was that we were able to dig a bit in the dirt and find different pieces of pottery. We spent hours just looking for things. All we found were potshards – thousands of them, in fact – but it was still fun to look around.  We returned to Amman a bit on the grimy side, but we were all happy.

Souk Jara

The last outing was just Cathie and me. We went down to Rainbow Street, where on Fridays during the summer there is a little street market called Souk Jara. Cathie’s goal for the outing was to find Darren and me a going away present but she only told me that she was looking for something for Darren. I told her that the only thing Darren had mentioned, that he would like but would never buy for himself, was some artwork. So the hunt began, and we found a beautiful black and white painting with some accent colors that we thought Darren would love.  For my going away present, she got me a little teapot with two cups and a beautiful tea tray that is decorated with an Arab village motif. Which I unknowingly helped pick out.

We look forward to when our paths cross again, and we are able to go on more adventures. Thank you Andrew and Cathie for sharing your time here in Jordan with us. We will miss you lots. 

~Amber