Greetings from Jordan!

Notes: From Ms Pistolessi and Mr Kroch:

As we write our first blog post on a beautiful Wednesday morning in Amman, we are enjoying the hotel terrace view of the Roman Amphitheatre:

View from our terrace

Today is our 3rd day in this beautiful country, and I’m amazed by how comfortable and welcomed we’ve felt wherever we’ve travelled. Here’s a picture diary of our first days in Jordan:


July 14 - On our way to JFK airport in what would turn out to be a harrowing van ride





July 15 - Travelling to our hotel from the airport (above). Our driver had wifi and a TV in the car--that is the World Cup final, live on his screen!







July 15 - First selfie in Jordan. Allie hasn’t slept in 132 hours (roughly).








July 16 - The Mosque in al-Mazar (above), where the tombs of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib and Zayd ibn Harithah, two of the Prophet Muhammad’s dear companions who were martyred in 629 at the Battle of Mutah, the most significant and fiercest battle fought during Prophet Muhammad's lifetime.

Allie, dressed in traditional garb, and Dave, showing a lot of knee.

Allie speaking Arabic with a security officer at the tomb of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib

July 16 - Market from the Crusader period at Karak Castle (above).






July 16 - Dead Sea selfie (above). What you cannot see from this picture is that the water temperature was 99° and the air was 110°






Entrance to the 8th circle of hell. Apparently there’s a reason why nobody visits the Dead Sea in July.






July 16 - Too excited by all this food to get a selfie with our friend Paul, who’s not pictured (above- you can see his right forearm and his left wrist!) What is pictured is the incredible food spread: Pita, Hummus, Fattoush Salad, grilled Haloumi cheese, and many other dishes that we can’t remember the names of. Paul did a great job of ordering for us. (Pro tip: whenever you have the chance to dine with a local, just let them order for you and say yes to everything.)





Knafeh = baked cheese covered with crispy dough and drenched in sugar syrup

Grown men drink tiny coffee.

July 17 - Hand fragment from a massive statue of Hercules at the Temple of Hercules (above) in the Amman Citadel. It is estimated the statue was 13 meters high, making it one of the largest statues ever produced during the Greco-Roman period.







July 17 - Dinner with Amany (above) at Alia restaurant in the upscale Abdoun neighborhood of Amman. We hope to meet up with both Amany and Paul in a few days--we had so much fun talking with them!



Since our arrival on Sunday, July 15, we’ve eaten some (LOTS) insanely delicious food, seen ruins that date back thousands of years, swam in the hottest salty pond on earth, and enjoyed many tiny coffees and long walks around the city.



But the highlight of the trip so far has been the people we’ve encountered. True to the famed Jordanian hospitality, everyone we’ve met has greeted us with a warm “Welcome to Jordan!” We had dinner with two of Dr. O’Brien’s friends from her visit to Jordan: Paul, who works at the Norwegian Refugee Council, and Amany, an Arabic instructor with Where There Be Dragons. In addition to sharing delicious food and laughter-filled conversation, they offered fascinating perspectives on modern Jordan and the complexities of culture in the Middle East. We are looking forward to continued conversations with them this year, and we cannot wait for our students to get to meet them.


Today, though, we say a brief goodbye to Jordan and head to Jerusalem for two days!