Day 25: 6/16

It was my last day in Madaba…in Jordan. I feel bittersweet about leaving. Although I'm ready to see my family and friends, I am really going to miss the culture, the people, hospitality, food, and the experiences that I had here in Jordan. It has been an amazing opportunity to live in Jordan even if just for a few weeks. I have gotten to know some of the local community members, families, and even met some amazing people from my university that I hadn't met before. I can't wait to share my experience with my close friends and families, all the pictures, videos, and stories. This trip has definitely inspired me in many ways and has motivated my career path. I will be back in Jordan soon, enshallah!

Farewell Jordan!

Day 24: 6/15

Our journey back from Petra to Madaba was a road trip with stops at tourist sites we hadn't seen yet such as Kerak. Being exhausted from touring around Petra for two days, many of us were extremely exhausted. The places we visited seemed very extravagant, well preserved, and interesting, but I regret how tired I was because I couldn't fully enjoy the sites as I would have liked. Nonetheless, I took pictures for memory, when I did get out the bus at some of the sites. When we arrived back at the hotel,  my friends and I went to our friend Mohammad's home to have one last visit with him and his family. Before dropping us off back at the hotel, he took us to the nice sweet shop around the corner.



I tried this delicious sweet pastry called canava. When he told me it had cheese I was very skeptical, but I actually really enjoyed the desert.

Day 23: 6/14

Petra was definitely my favorite tour. The buildings are amazing. I spent most of my time there in awe of the way these structures are carved into these huge rocks, the placement, the grandeur, and the intricate details were overwhelming in itself. There were many incredible views to climb up to, whether on foot or by help. We rented donkeys to go to the most high place, and also to the monastery. Climbing to the highest points was definitely worth it for the view. When I go back to Petra I do want to conquer the hundreds of steps that lead up to these popular areas. Most importantly, I want to see the all the sites that I didn't get to see this first time around. After going up to the high place and the monastery I was completely exhausted, more physically exhausted than I have ever been before, but it was all so worth it.  

Not a typical Petra photo, but I had to show one of the friends I made in Petra!

Day 22 : 6/13

Our tour of Petra began this evening with Little Petra. I really enjoyed Little Petra, though I did not get to visit the Neolithic exhibit of the park, I did enjoy hiking up to the “Best view in the world” to take pictures. I also encountered a man playing the rababa and singing, who also was charging one dinar to take his photo or a video. There were two men playing the flute-like instrument in one of the caves where we stopped to take photos. They invited us to Bedouin cave party, as many of them do. That is one thing I wanted to do that I didn't get chance to. It would be nice to experience the music and other Bedouin traditions but hopefully another time.

Little Petra. 

  

Day 21: 6/12

In celebration of my friend Jeison's last day, a group of us took the local bus to Taj Mall in Amman. Somehow we always end up arriving to the bus stop right when the bus is pulling up. This time we rode a different bus into Amman, it was slightly bigger and it took us farther into Amman, very close to the mall. The mall was huge, even bigger than most of the malls in Maryland. There were a lot of nice clothing stores that I would definitely shop at. According to my friend from Russia, the stores are mostly European. I was most excited about the Starbucks. I bought two pastries and a drink, after being separated so long from Starbucks I couldn't help myself. The pastries were much bigger than the ones in America from what I remember. Starbucks was easily the best part of my day.

The entrance of Taj Mall. 

  

Day 20: 6/11

It was a wonderful celebration for the end of the season with zataar bread, sweets, tea, music, and dancing. I made sure to try and take pictures with as many friends as I could. Not only was it a great experience to connect with the local workers, but also with those outside of Andrews University from various backgrounds and universities. I've really enjoyed my time working with many of the people on the tell, getting to know different cultures, and trying to communicate with those who speak other languages. Getting to know new people was definitely one of the best parts of the trip. 

Field O's excavation team minus a couple! 

  

Day 19: 6/10

Last minute excavation, cleaning, and paperwork was in full effect today. The day on the tell was very busy this morning because tomorrow is the “wrap-up” party. It's bittersweet to end the season, though I am tired I really am going to miss excavation. Though we got very far along in our newly opened square, I want to continue digging to see what we find, and to see what our area becomes. I observed the very detailed process of documenting the squares, in terms of completing final drawings. The measuring is so precise, and mapping the square is much harder than it sounds.

After lunch, some of the girls and I went to a belly dancing class to meet some of the women in Madaba but mostly just for our own enjoyment!