During my recent trip to Jordan, I had the pleasure of participating in a homestay at the Orjan Village in Al Ayoun, Jordan. My group and I stayed with Abu Mahmoud and Um Mahmoud in their beautiful home. We were welcomed in warmly, and treated better than I treat myself at home. Though […]
The International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as the “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education” (TIES, 2015). Unfortunately, mass tourism can often be harmful to an environment. Even the most well intentioned travelers can unknowingly leave […]
As Wendell Berry recites “How To Be a Poet”, I am reminded of how to be a human.
I was particularly struck by these lines:
Communicate slowly. Live
a three-dimensioned life;
stay away from screens.
Stay away from anything
that obscures the place it is in.
There are no unsacred places;
there are only sacred places
and desecrated places.
Take the […]
It was a warm day in Indonesia, like most of them are. Sitting on a bamboo bench, I pulled my American passport out of my front pocket to stop it from sticking to my leg. Glancing at the eyes of my local benchmate, I realized that they were locked not on me, the strange foreigner, […]
Travel is dangerous… especially if you are happy with the status quo.
If you don’t like change, especially within yourself, it’s best not to travel.
However, if you want to see what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes and learn to see yourself and the world from a new perspective, travel […]
Need a little more Roman history before your Jordan tour? Here’s a helpful episode of Crash Course: World History that will give you a feel for the fall of the Roman Empire and help you make sense of all those ruins around Jordan.
You can tell a lot about a person’s priorities by the way they walk.
I started noticing my American stride when trying to walk and talk with an Indonesian. During our conversation his voice would trail off and I would realize I was three steps ahead of him. He kept falling behind. Either that, or I […]
If you’ve signed up for the Amman photo scavenger hunt, here are a few things you’ll need to know:
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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 […]
When traveling, an opportunity often arises to do something outside your comfort zone.
At these moments, I’ve found it helpful to tell myself: “I will not be denied this experience!”… then dive in.
There are certain culinary adventures that travelers don’t often experience when on a Jordan tour. I have lived in Jordan for a while now […]
