Jordan, Dec. 13

- Woke up around 7:30
- Ate breakfast, walked back to Noah and Kyle's hotel
- Purged ourselves of nearly all things Israeli or Hebrew, and packed everything up
- Met our friend Ali (the taxi driver who took us to the Dead Sea), and left for the airport around 10am
- Hung out at the airport for a few hours
- Made it back to #38 around 5pm.

Our trip was kind of a crash course through history. It felt like we did so much in so little time, but we really just skimmed that which the land west of the Jordan River holds. From the trip, I certainly gained a new perspective about the cohabitants of the area, and how not much has changed in that regard over the past 2,000 years. We saw some amazing things that have also given me a greater insight into biblical history.
Photos of Jordan and Jerusalem

Jordan, Dec. 12

- Woke up early and walked down the "hill" to Petra (ummm...mountainside?)
- Arrived around 6:15am and bought our entry passes. The only cheesy reference to Indiana Jones was at the beginning of our hike.
- Amazing Day! Walked for probably 4 hours down through Petra.
- We beat the crowds, so we got to see mostly everything by ourselves. Stopped before we got to the monastery, another few miles UPHILL. Decided we couldn't climb anymore. Turned around and took the same route back the way we came, about 2 hours to get out.
- Can't explain it. Just see the pictures.
- Got back to Wadi Musa and attempted tomake plans for catching a bus back to Amman. Kyle and I ordered some food at the Al-Wadi restaurant on Shaheed Circle. Poor planning, so we just relaxed for a minute.
- Chris came back to report info. on the bus, but there really was no bus. The guy he talked to was just talking to his friend who owned a taxi.
- Noah and I stopped in an internet cafe while Chris and Kyle continued the search.
- Went down to the bus stop and waited for our ride that they found. Another guy came along and offered to drive us the 3+ hours for cheaper, so we started discussing. The first guy took the keys out of the second guy's van while we were talking to him, so they got into a fist fight. Yikes.
- We decided not to go with either of them, and walked back up the hill to catch a different taxi.
- The drive was long, but beautiful. Typical to my nature, I slept over half of the way.
- Got to Amman bust station and had to take an additional taxi to where Kyle and Noah were going to stay. I couldn't get over the massive Christmas trees in the hotel lobby. We relaxed for a bit, showered, ate supper at Benihana, and then Chris and I walked back to Al-Manar. We opted to spend the night away from the single guys.
- Watched a movie and slept like babies!

New and Old

A blast from the past
I think this was from the first chili cook-off at church, in 2005. If I recall correctly, D McK tailored us these sweet outfits, and L & K McK and I wrote a song especially for the event to the tune of "La Bamba." It went something like this:

Come to Casa de Chil-ay
Come to Casa de Chil-ay
And eat your fill-ay
At Casa de Chil-ay

Hope you win lots of prizes
Hope you win lots of prizes
And dreams come true
And dreams come true

____________________________________________________

Nearly every holiday here is like a federal holiday at home, in that just about everyone stops working. This weekend we are looking forward to an extra day off for the observance of the Prophet's birthday. I guess it's kind of like celebrating Jesus' birthday...well, it's not like it at all, but it means a 3-day weekend for me. I'll take it.

School continues to go well. In spite of all of the adjustments we've had to make throughout the year, I keep enjoying my work with the students. They provide great trials for my patience at times, but I have a margin of hope that through love and discipline I am helping to mold them into responsible teenagers. Is that what parenting is like? I'm sure it's much more concentrated and personal when the children are one's own, but try handling 25 all at once. (I think Chris and I can wait another year.) Our students have some of the same behavioral problems as inner-city students, but generally come from the opposite end of the socioeconomic spectrum. It's a strange occurrence.

Softball plays on, and I think the team record is 2-5 so far. We have five games left, and our two wins come from the best and second-best teams in our division. The girls are steadily improving, and I think everyone had a hit in the last game! We have a lot of girls playing for the first time, so it's fun to watch them develop their skills. More than seeing improvements in hitting or fielding, I enjoy seeing them grow in their "mental game" and in working with others. In a culture where the attitude is often "me first," teamwork and sportsmanship are difficult qualities to instill and promote in young nationals. We continue to progress.

It seems like there isn't too much new or exciting. I know there is a lot happening, but it's mostly the day-by-day or "cotidiano," as we say in Spanish. I'll continue to post some updates in between my posts from Jordan, Jerusalem, and Egypt.

Time for bed.

Beyond Jordan, Dec. 11

The Dead Sea

- Ate a quick breakfast at Sambooki pastry shoppe.
-Went to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial. This was interesting to see because of the hundreds of objects donated to the memorial by victims' families (photos, personal memoirs, silverware collected by the Nazis, etc). Moving.
- Took a taxi to the hotel to get our things. Kyle and Noah stopped for more gelato while Chris and I ate sandwiches.
- Walked to the Damascus city gate, trying to find out how we get back to the border. Slight oversight in not planning ahead. Found a guy who pointed out a capable taxi service to us, and followed someone a few blocks to the office. Drove to the border.
- Getting out was a lot easier than getting in. On the bus, a guy collected our passports and we didn't see them until we paid for our bus tickets and bags. A little nerve-wracking.
- Chris went to haggle with a taxi driver for a ride to Petra. One driver kept following us around, which was slightly annoying. The idea is to stay in Petra tonight, and go back to Amman tomorrow night.
- After a skirmish with one driver, took the annoying guy to Wadi Musa (just outside of Petra) and went to the hotel (3 hr. drive). They apparently didn't get our reservation, so they didn't have a room for us. Thankfully, the owner/operator's cousin had a hotel on the next block, so the guy took us in his own car to it- Al-Rashid.
- Walked up the street to Shaheed round-about where we ate the best pizza made in the Middle East. At least, it's the best we've found so far. Also ate salad and hummus. Taught the cook what "dressing" is. Funny guy.
- Went back to the hotel. The water was FREEZING even though we let it run for awhile, so we didn't take showers. Went to bed for a 5:30 wake up.

Painted Lions: All over Jerusalem