Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Excursion
Yesterday we went to Madaba, Mt. Nebo, the baptism site of Jesus and the dead sea
It was a full day but we were all grateful for a trip out of the city. It was really hot!! I think I drank like 3 liters of water "Ma'ii" in Arabic.
Our first stop was Madaba. It is a town about 45 minutes outside of Amman with a long history. We spent some time walking around and also watching some of the local artisans working on the town's specialty: "mo-sa-ic"- the artists in the shop were arranging a large peacock design when we visited and I was amazed at the meticulous process of creating the mosaic because each tiny piece of tile was added by hand!!!
Later we visited a church called St. George's where we saw the oldest known map of Mesopotamia. This huge map is actually a giant mosaic that covers most of the church floor and it documents settlements from the Sinai desert all the way to Madaba.
After a quick falafel and water break we hopped back in the bus and headed to Mt. Nebo. Supposedly this was the spot where Moses was burried. From the top of the mountain you can see Jerico and the Dead Sea. It is a pretty amazing because you could literally see for miles in all directions.
Then we headed to the site where John baptised Jesus in the River Jordan. It was pretty cool to think that Jesus actually walked where we were walking- I think the visit was meaningful for our whole group regardless of religion because it was like experiencing a piece of living history.
Our last stop for the day was the Dead Sea. After all that walking we were very happy to get to swin a little. We got covered in mud and had a blast floating in the sea.
ma'selema!!
It was a full day but we were all grateful for a trip out of the city. It was really hot!! I think I drank like 3 liters of water "Ma'ii" in Arabic.
Our first stop was Madaba. It is a town about 45 minutes outside of Amman with a long history. We spent some time walking around and also watching some of the local artisans working on the town's specialty: "mo-sa-ic"- the artists in the shop were arranging a large peacock design when we visited and I was amazed at the meticulous process of creating the mosaic because each tiny piece of tile was added by hand!!!
Later we visited a church called St. George's where we saw the oldest known map of Mesopotamia. This huge map is actually a giant mosaic that covers most of the church floor and it documents settlements from the Sinai desert all the way to Madaba.
After a quick falafel and water break we hopped back in the bus and headed to Mt. Nebo. Supposedly this was the spot where Moses was burried. From the top of the mountain you can see Jerico and the Dead Sea. It is a pretty amazing because you could literally see for miles in all directions.
Then we headed to the site where John baptised Jesus in the River Jordan. It was pretty cool to think that Jesus actually walked where we were walking- I think the visit was meaningful for our whole group regardless of religion because it was like experiencing a piece of living history.
Our last stop for the day was the Dead Sea. After all that walking we were very happy to get to swin a little. We got covered in mud and had a blast floating in the sea.
ma'selema!!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Old Amman
These past 2 weeks have flown by and I am trying to make sure I see as much of Amman as I can before I leave.
This weekend we are going to Madaba, and Mt. Nebo with the program and then next weekend we are off to Petra and Wadi Rum. There are so many cool places to check out!!
On a side note: our host family has been teaching us how to haggle at the downtown souqs (markets) and I am happy to say that I bought a scarf today for half the original price lol the trick seems to be that you have to pretend you dont really "have" to buy it and you have to be willing to walk away (the seller will usually call after you or follow after you with a much more reasonable price).
We also went to a famous downtown restaurant for breakfast this morning. It is caled Hashems and is known throughout Jordan for having the best falafel in town. This humble little establishment is tucked in between two busy storefronts and has a small green sign. On Friday mornings the restaurant spills out into the alley and the street as well as the neighboring garage. Folding tables and chairs are everywhere and people form all over Jordan come to eat there with their families and friends. Even the King and Queen dropped by for a Friday breakfast with their family a few years ago (Their picture is proudly displayed in the wall along with other well known actors, politicians and ministry officials)
The pictures I uploaded prior to this post dipict the downtown markets and the front of Hashems restaurant as well as my roommate, host mom, host dad, and one of my host sisters.
Ok well we are off to explore some more!
Ma'selema
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