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Saturday, December 19, 2015

Summary of Our Journey in Jordan

Picture a graphic organizer like this:



And, especially if you teach elementary reading, you'll see what I'm doing here. 

Main Characters: Glen, Ken, Lorie and yours truly, Shannon.

Setting: Petra, the Dead Sea, Amman and the car.

Problem 1: How to see all the highlights of Jordan in 3 days, even with poor road signage.


Solution 1: Trip planning by Ken and Glen. Flexibility and positive attitudes of all the characters.

Problem 2: How can Shannon climb X number of stairs to see an X year old monastery, with blisters.

Solutions 2:
She rode a donkey.



5 Finger Summary: Who, Wanted, But, So, In the End.
Glen, Ken, Shannon and Lorie wanted to see all the notable sights in Jordan, but they only had 3 days and the roads were not clearly marked. So, they planned well and stayed calm. In the end, they made some great memories and saw some beautiful and interesting sights.

5 Finger Summary: Who, Wanted, But, So, In the End.
Shannon wanted to see the famous monastery in Jordan, but she had blisters and wore sandals, so she hired a donkey who rode her to the desired location. In the end, she saw it and her feet did not undergo any more damage.

Details: 

-It is generally believed that Dead Sea salt residue on her sandals caused Shannon's blisters.
-The first solution applied to the blisters problem, was Band-aids, but they would not stick since the path was through sand.
-The drive that should have taken them 4 hours, took them 7.
-Because of the delay, they didn't get to see Petra at night, when candles prettily light the scene.
-They hit some big speed bumps which, amusingly, made them laugh hysterically.
-The monastery was not originally built as a monastery, which commonly has Christian connotation, but some sort of a pagan temple.
-This was the first time Shannon and Ken rode a donkey. Ken did not like it.


Now, let's go on a picture walk.

Female protagonists Lorie and Shannon:


Male protagonist Ken:


The other male protagonist, Glen:

Was a pleasure traveling with such kind hearted, reflective people.




Traditional tourist shot. "Even I float in this, greasy feeling, water." "Floating is fun." 

 
We got to do that mud thing. Local mud you rub on to make your skin nice. Nice in what way? I'll ask next time. 

 
Here it is easy to imagine Moses looking out over the promised land for the first time, after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. 




Well, it is vacation, after all. Enjoying ourselves.


 
These couches are typical all over the Middle East, even in Kuwait. 


I wanted to try to teach Lorie how to jump. Turns out she is a natural.


One of my favorite pictures. Me with one of the nicest people I've have ever met (Lorie), and a random, postcard selling boy.





The view from my pain saving friend. I can now say I have rode an elephant, camel and donkey. I wanted to ride a donkey in Greece, but missed out. I had no idea it was an option in Jordan. The small things.
Literally. He was a little guy.




I explored a bit, camera in hand...


...as those two reflected on the meaning of life.







 
Jordanian money. 


Trying to figure out where we are. Again.


In the Middle East you still find the presence of The Red Cross but with the name The Red Crescent.

Jordan seemed to be inhabited mainly by Palestinians. Many restaurant and businesses included the name of the city they love, in their titles. 



Baklava, at the New Jerusalem Cafe.


Traditional chicken in rice, with a sour yogurt sauce. That is tabouleh in the background. Tabouleh is a parsley based salad that has really grown on me. In fact, I always feel sad eating it. I am not sure I will be able to get it if I move out of the region.


Downtown Amman. A colorful, friendly, WALKABLE city.

Elementary teachers, I hope you've enjoyed the summarization exercise.
Everyone else, thanks for humoring me.