"Growth & Adventure: A Photo Diary" by Ghufran Salih
Abu Darwish Mosque is one of the most beautiful sights in Amman; its black and white stripes are a striking contrast to the beige that constantly surrounds us in Amman. Myself, my roommate Claire, and our friends Juliana and Brianna went to this mosque one afternoon on a whim and walked around the neighborhood surrounding the mosque. Close to dusk, there are always children running around, playing soccer, and riding their bikes. It’s a good place to go if you need to escape from college students and it was a small adventure that had a big impact. Photo credit: Salih, 2019
Wadi Al-Mujib sits about 45 minutes outside of Amman near the Dead Sea. A bunch of us took a bus and headed there to go canyoning. Yes, you heard that right, canyoning. Their Siq trail is a gorgeous, water-filled paradise with beautiful sights and even better photo opportunities. Especially in the early days of the program, the weather was hot and getting to splash around in some water was exactly what we needed. Photo credit: Salih, 2019
Why not take a spontaneous trip to As-Salt? That’s what our language partners wanted after all and we said yes! My friends Hannah, Leah, and I took an Uber to Salt and spent the night getting to know our Arabic language partners. Sunset Cafe in Salt has views that are absolutely unbeatable! We spent the night laughing, eating shawarma, and speaking Arabic. I can happily say that it was one of my favorite nights here in Jordan. Photo credit: Salih, 2019
On our northern excursion to Jerash and Ajloun, we met so many amazing people and learned so much about the ancient history of Jordan. Another thing we did was get serenaded by two men with their rendition of “Yankee Doodle.” I ended up getting my own song sung to me by them and I was both embarrassed and honored. PSA: they do expect to get tipped, but for how funny this story is, it was worth it. Photo credit: Salih, 2019
Going to Egypt during fall break was one of the best decisions I have ever made. We spent a few days in Alexandria then hopped on a train to Cairo. Now, I have taken Amtrak and generally, I know the rules of the (rail) road, but this train was so different. At first, we were all nervous going on a train in an extremely unfamiliar country and not really knowing or understanding where it was going to be stopping. But by the end, it turned out to be the best way to travel. We got to see so many beautiful sights of Egypt and I met a dentist who offered to clean my teeth for free. What more could I want? Photo credit: Salih, 2019
Camels. Everyone associates camels with the MENA region (which is a little Orientalist, but there are a lot of camels here), but I don’t think people realize how scary these folks are. In this photo, I look terrified because I 100% was. Riding a camel is bumpy and very, very high off the ground. As a very risk-averse person, this is definitely everything that I fear. But I loved it. I loved every second of it. I was able to ride around on a camel in front of the Great Pyramids of Egypt! It was an adventure that I will never forget. Photo credit: Salih, 2019
Wadi Rum was one of my favorite places. It was so calm, beautiful, and fun! We had so much fun riding around in Jeeps, talking, taking in the amazing views, and getting sand in our mouths. Sarah, Jules, and I were just in the middle of laughing at a Star Wars joke that someone made in the desert. I would tell you the joke but it was one of those, “you had to be there!” type of jokes. Photo credit: Salih, 2019
Paphos, Cyprus stole my heart. It’s very true. Juliana and I booked a spontaneous flight from Amman to Paphos for $50 roundtrip. As a side note: checking websites like Skyscanner will help you find amazing deals like that. But this trip is exactly what I needed. Amman is a lot of hustle and bustle because it’s a city, and sometimes you just need a break from that. We stayed at the King Evelthon Hotel in Paphos and just spent 3 days relaxing and exploring the beautiful city. The Mediterranean Sea was right outside our window and gave us beautiful pictures to take and salty fresh air to breathe in. Sometimes you just need to get away and that’s okay. Take the leap of faith and jump ... into the pool! Photo credit: Salih, 2019
