Religion as a Lifestyle and a Tourist

This past week was pretty typical in terms of classes and home life. Once again, the weekend is where my blog entry will focus. But first, some background on me and my education.

Most of you know this, but I attended Catholic school for most of my education; I started at St. Helen's in the 3rd grade and finished at Nazareth Academy, graduating in 2008. I even went to a Catholic school while I studied abroad in Germany (St. Ursula!). So, growing up there was a running joke among my friends and family that I was most Catholic than Methodist.

But how could I not be? I had theology class most days of the week for 9 years, 10 if you count Germany. I knew the 10 Commandments, 8 Beatitudes, the Stations of the Cross, all of the holidays, their significance and how long each lasted. I even had the Liturgical Calender memorized (for any non-Catholics/Christians it's this lovely wheel that haunted my 5th grade nightmares:


Why am recounting all of this? Because even though I'm not really practicing anymore, the Christian religion has made an impact on my life, more than just being raised in a Christian household. Now I know some of my friends and colleagues, especially in college, tend to view religion (and religious schools) with a wary eye, as something that encourages prejudice and narrow mindedness. And to some extent it may be true, but I can't say I fall into that camp. For the most part, I loved my Catholic education...my teachers were accessible, encouraged us  to challenge them (which, oh man did we ever in Morality class), and I still feel lucky to have had them growing up.

So with all of this knowledge drilled into my head for about a decade, you can bet it was a no brainer for me to sign up for the Biblical Jordan day trip!

In one day, we visited the Jordan River, where Jesus was baptized (and look 25 feet across the water on the West Bank)

Where Jesus was Baptized

Look! The West Bank!

Touching the really cold Jordan River

Mount Nebo where Moses gazed onto the Promised Land (he knew he would never set foot there) and gazed upon it myself:

Distances from Mt. Nebo including Jericho, Jerusalem, Ramallah, and Bethlehem 

 and the mountain where Herod has built his castle, arrested and beheaded John the Baptist.

Some of the blue is the Dead Sea!

My friend from AU, Sabreen and I at the top of the mountain!

We also went to a city called Madaba, which has one of the largest Christian populations in Jordan. There, we went into an old church, which has the oldest mosaic map of the Holy Land:

It was all very cool and interesting! We saw many pilgrims on our trip, including some amish-Americans (ok I don't know if they were amish, but they had on amish looking clothes) on the Israeli bank of the Jordan River. I felt like all of my years at Catholic school were put to good use, as I could fully grasp the significance of many of the sights we visited.


Okay, Abby, so you have clearly talked about religion as a tourist....what is this whole lifestyle thing you mention?

Well for starts, how about the call to Prayer, 5 times a day? Walking around the city, hearing singing and knowing that everyone else hears it as well, and many of those people will soon be praying. I will admit, sometimes waking up at 5am to the call to prayer is irritating, but overall it's a touching display of devotion to God, the same God I spent all those years learning about.

How about going to school on Sunday, but not Friday? I know it's normal on this side of the world, but to me it's a reminder everyday that 'Holy Day' is not universal to every religion. I realize when I sleep in on Friday and wake up on Sunday that my religion and culture's definition of Holy Day is a day of rest and relaxation, but here it is a day of prayer and devotion (and shopping at the market).

Finally, how about when I went to the Culture Club activity on Thursday at CIEE and we did Henna and wore Hijabs?

I felt so covered. It is such an apt description. At first, because of how it was wrapped, the cloth pressed against my ears, so my voice sounded different and the sound reverberated in my ears. I also was mindful of if my hair was showing or not, and because of this I tended to turn my whole body to talk to people, instead of just my neck and head.
But the most interesting part of it all was when I went outside with the Hijab on. Now every day, I am stared at and cat called, mostly by young men. Harmless, yes, but really annoying. For me, though, it's annoying mostly because I can't say something back to them to stop it. In America (and if you've ever gone out with me, you know this) if men start cat calling me, I will yell back and tell them to stop it, it's disrespectful, there is nothing about my appearance that gives them the right to think they can say anything they want to me.

Here, that would insult the guys and then I would be in a tough situation. So I have to bite my tongue. But on Thursday, I was covered. Only my face and hands were visible. And those guys who normally say something to me, well.....they were silent. Nothing. In fact, some even averted their eyes, to not offend the honor of this covered woman.

To say the least, it was an impromptu social experiment I've wanted to try out for so long, even before coming to Jordan. I was surprised by how free I actually felt in it...I could walk without fear of being called out after and the taxi driver didn't talk to me at all (normally they will talk to me, nothing rude, but sometimes it feels awkward). But, I was dis-concerned at the idea of hiding such an obvious part of my appearance to feel free.

I'm glad I have the opportunities to try things like this out though, it helps me understand where I'm living the people who surround me all day that much more. So, so far, no regrets on my study abroad decision :)

Trippin in the Desert

Look! I'm in the desert! 

So last weekend, CIEE took students who signed up, on a trip to the south of Jordan: Wadi Rum and Petra. Wadi Rum is a famous, large desert in Jordan, full of dunes, mountains, and Bedouin tribes. The Bedouin are the nomadic peoples of Jordan, who still live in camel skin tents, ride camels, shepherd sheep and goats etc..

So Friday morning we went off to Wadi Rum. On our way, though, I witnessed a goat crossing: 

We got to the Visitor's Center around lunchtime, so we ate and watched a quick film on Wadi Rum. After we went outside and  took pictures of our first glimpse of the desert! We were able to see the "7 Pillars of Wisdom," which if you've seen Lawrence of Arabia (I have not, so I'm taking peoples word for this), I guess it was featured prominently:

We were then taken to some Toyota 4 by 4's, with benches installed on the back, so that 6 people could sit there, while our drivers took us around the desert. We first stopped at this large dune and climbed up to get our first view of the desert from above:

 

After this, we went to another dune/mountain and climbed around for awhile. Yes, there was lots of climbing and hiking on this trip (I was sore for days after). The view was really beautiful, and it was so fun to just climb around in the desert! 

Well, after this is when the trip starting getting interesting (and colder). We drove a little while longer to a spot where Bedouins were waiting for us, with camels. Now, this is my first time riding a camel. I didn't realize how  enormous these animals are! Standing next to my camel, which was crouched on the ground, it's back was as high as my chest. I had no idea how I was supposed to get on this animal, and my Bedouin leader (the camels were strung together in groups of two or three, with a Bedouin on the ground leading it) was helping my friends. So I swung my leg over, awkwardly....

I grabbed onto the hold on the saddle (I guess you could call if it a saddle?), and tried to hoist myself all the way over. In the meantime, my friends behind me were already on their camels. So the leader got their camels to stand up. My camel decided that this was also the time she should stand up. Me? I was still halfway off, with one foot on the ground. So please picture this scenario:

Camel standing six feet tall in the air. Me halfway on the animal, screaming/laughing for dear life, as I'm dangling sideways. Our Bedouin leader rushed over, and I desperately pulled myself the rest of the way up, but still feeling extremely off balance.So the next hour and half or so, I clung onto my camel, praying she wouldn't buck me off. After awhile, I was handed the reigns, so I clung to those also, while adding an extra prayer that she wouldn't run off now that her handler was out of sight. Thankfully, nothing more traumatizing happened. I would definitely try out camels again, but maybe this time, without the rocky beginning. 

But we had arrived safe and sound to the Bedouin camp where we were to stay the night. Of course 'Bedouin' here means 'Egyptians running a tourist Bedouin camp in the middle of the desert.' Same thing right? Anyway, we all put our stuff in our tents, which were equipped with beds, matresses, and blankets. Afterwards, we hiked up the mountain next to the camp to witness a desert sunset:

The rest of the night was spent drinking tea, hanging out with friends, complaining about how cold it was getting, and smoking hookah. My friends and I started to wander outside of the camp a little bit, but they turned the lights off, and woooow does the desert all look the same, especially at night! So we turned around and got changed into our layers and layers of clothes for the night. I had on two pairs of socks, leggings, flannel pajama pants, underarmor, a tank top, a long sleeved shirt, and a sweater. Then I snuggled underneath 3 thick blankets. The result?

No sleep. It was still extremely cold, and my body just could not relax in those conditions. So, minimal sleep was had and we all awoke bright and early, at 6:30 am the next morning to head off to Petra, the ancient city carved  into mountains!

Petra was pretty much alot of walking and examining both man made wonders, and natural wonders in the mountains:

En Route to the city

The famous Treasury! 

Oh god, another camel

I had an extreme obsession with how blue the sky was! 

Some of the natural beauty 

Halfway up the 900 steps, to see the monastery 

Monastery! 

Like I said, there was soo much walking involved, I was sore for days after. But it was totally worth it. Easily the best weekend I've had here. Even though I was a tourist for all of it, the experience I had in the desert was so much fun and I got to see so much, so many wonders that America can't even try to offer (or Europe for that matter).

Now it's back to school. I also have an internship with an organization called 'Reclaim Childhood' which runs sports programs for Iraqi and Palestinian (and now Syrian) refugee girls. I'm excited to work with them and contribute as much as I can!

Culture Musings (and more proof for my weather theory)

So, I know some of you already know my 'Rochester Weather Theory,' which states that, whenever I move somewhere new, that place somehow has record breaking weather. I think it's just Rochester unwilling to leave me alone. Here is the proof:
1) Winter 2008/2009: I had moved for the first time in my life, to Germany. The area I lived in was known for mild winters. That year, Wurzburg had the most snow in recent memory.
2) Winter 2010: My Freshman year at AU. Snowpacolypse. Need I say more?
3) Winter 2012: Amman had an unfathomable amount of rain last week. As in...DC would be ashamed. As in, it rained so much, that some of the streets became like small rivers/waterfalls since the city is so hilly. Never had I ever imagined that I would regret not packing my rain boots. But, wow, did I!
I didn't take any pictures last week during this crazy rain, but just trust me...I think a couple more weeks like last, and Jordan's water shortage may be solved (but probably not).

Last week was all classes and getting more adjusted to this life. I tasted some of Amman's 'nightlife' on Friday , by going to do karaoke with some friends, which was so much fun! Even though I do have a curfew (I was home by midnight), I realized I can still go out, just within reason. Which, is totally fine with me.

On Saturday, I met my peer tutor, set up through CIEE, Hanan. She will be helping me with my dialect conversation skills for the semester. We completed a scavenger hunt on Saturday.....some of the things we had to find:

At the Gold Market

Bought a poster of Kind Abdullah

At the 'Fish Market'....maybe

Needless to say, it was quite fun and I hope meeting with her will help my Arabic along!

Now for some general Jordanian culture information, so I don't have to explain throughout the next four months:

1) House shoes are a must. Apparently, feet really gross Jordanians out and it is rude to have the bottom of your foot facing another person. So I make sure to always have my feet cover, in the slippers I brought with me.

2) Family is immensely important.  Visits from aunts, uncles, cousins is a daily occurrence, and they are all very close to one another. 

3) Food is also important....but meals not so much. What do I mean by that? Well, I am very well fed here, and always offered food. My host mom is constantly making sure anyone in her house has eaten, and even if you have, she will probably make you a sandwich anyway.  But, sitting down to an entire family meal, like we do in the States, is more rare. Eating together at the table doesn't happen much, which I think is due to 2 reasons: everyone has very different schedules and so much of the day is spent with family anyway, that sitting down to a meal does not carry the same significance as it does in the West. 

4) The TV is always on. From the moment someone in the family wakes up, until the last person goes to bed, a Turkish/Mexican/American show is on, or a movie, or Arab Idol. This, however, does not stifle conversation. In fact, there will be times, when the tv is on and blaring, but no one is paying attention, but instead talking to each other. 

5) Jordanians, and perhaps Arabs in general, are very emphatic and passionate. Since being here, I've heard heated arguments, from which there would be no coming back from in America, turn to laughter and resolution within two sentences. Like I said, family is very important. And Jordanians will argue and be angry, but never forget that this is their family, so there's no point in holding a grudge or being overly offended. Maybe something I should pick up on while I'm here....

Well, this week's blog wasn't very focused, but trust me, it's alot of things that were on my mind that I wanted to share. I'm really looking forward to this coming weekend though....a weekend trip to Wadi Rum and Petra!

Ever seen Lawrence of Arabia or Indiana Jones? Then you've seen both Wadi Rum and Petra. We will be riding camels, sleeping in a Bedouin camp, and taking a tour of the ancient city of Petra. Expect some great pictures!