Hey Everyone,
My bags are (mostly) packed, and I'm (mostly) ready to go on my Jordanian Journey. I will be spending my Fall semester in Amman, doing a home stay, learning Arabic, studying about modernization and social change in the country/region, doing my best to stay out of a civil war, and most importantly, coming home alive at the end of four months. Some of the highlights of the trip will include a week long bedouin home stay, a visit to Petra, and a 10 day trip to Turkey. I'm stoked beyond belief.
And I'm terrified.
Partially, this terror has to do with the political situation in the region right now. Jordan, a relatively stable country, shares a border with Syria. This proximity makes the impending US military strike and the potential Syrian retaliation for it much more real. It will not be happening on the other side of the world, but in my backyard. People have asked me if I will be safe, if the program will be canceled, or what my backup plans are if the American Embassy decides to take all US citizens out of the country. I don't know the answers to any of those questions. What I do know, though, is that I will be on an American program that will do everything in its power to keep its participants safe. Because I don't want to die, I will follow their instructions and stay out of harms way.
I'm also terrified because I know about two words of Arabic and am about to be thrown into a culture that I know almost nothing about. I will be living with a Jordanian family in Amman--and I know nothing else about them. They could be any religion, any education level, and any socioeconomic level. I may have siblings and a huge extended family, or I may be with some nice empty nesters (if that's a thing there). I honestly don't know.
What I do know, though, is that for the next four months, Amman will be my home, and I can't wait to share my experiences with you here! If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask them in the comments section. I will do my best to answer them.
Talk to you all next time from Amman!
B
