Familiarity has a tendency to make our everyday experiences seem banal; a commute to work, a neighborhood park, a bag of chips… Actually, it’s difficult to imagine a bag of chips not seeming trite.
It’s only when we experience a dramatically unfamiliar place, and then return home that we are able to see with fresh […]
Life would be much simpler if we all stayed away from those who weren’t like us.
Our beliefs would never have to be challenged. We could happily continue on in life thinking we are right about everything, thankful that we are not like “those people.”
Life would be simpler.
However, […]
It’s a reflex for almost all of us. We see someone and instantly create a story of who they are and what they’re like, even before we’re introduced to them.
As an American living and working in the Middle East, I’ve learned that it’s essential to suspend judgement when you see someone who doesn’t look […]
You probably aren’t going to be looking for Lucky Charms on your Jordan tour, but there is a sweet here that I would describe as magically delicious. I’ll even go out on a limb and say that it is more magical than Lucky Charms.
The name of the dessert: kenafe. The way it’s made: shred […]
It’s been 2 weeks since I returned to my normal life. But questions of what “normal” means have been plaguing me since my Wadi Rum tour.
“If you made me a king,” Mosalem, our Bedouin host, said, “And gave me a palace, and servants, and a feast every night, I wouldn’t take it. Out here […]
We wound our way an hour and a half north of Amman through the mountains toward Al Ayoun. Stands dotting the side of the road let you know what fruit or vegetable is in season. Jordan receives the majority of its produce from this fertile region as well as […]
I’ve been waiting a year for October and November to arrive. Autumn is my favorite season in Jordan. Though it’s not the glowing orange, red, and yellow colors of Fall I’m familiar with, it does bring cooler temperatures and the Jordan olive harvest.
I was able to experience the olive harvest […]
By John – former guest of Engaging Cultures Travel
I had the privilege of traveling to Jordan late last spring. I had traveled to Africa and Europe a couple of times before, but never had the opportunity to travel to the Middle East. It had always been a dream of mine to go, so when I found out […]
After a long hot walk we entered the first Bedouin tent we came to. Our host for the day ended up being a widow with three children.
Because we were a group of men, we did not greet her or her young daughter (her two sons were at school) but sat […]
Crossing sites off a bucket list can be fulfilling, but we need to add more human experiences to our bucket lists.
After our tours, we ask our guests to give us the top 2 highlights from their trip. They often say: Petra and the village experience in Ghor.
A simple experience with […]
