Iraq al-Emir Castle, Ajloun, Jerash and misc.!

The election party was fun, and I am excited for a new administration to start in January. As I might have mentioned before, all of the Jordanians and non-Americans that I've met here were hoping for Obama to win. Their fears of McCain being president were (1) that his policies would be exactly like Bush's and (2) that he would die in office. They do seem to have really high expectations and hopes for Obama, which unfortunately I think they might be disappointed. The major issues, such as peace between Israel and Palestine, Iraq, political tensions with Iran, Syria and other countries in the Middle East along with all of the other major issues, are not something just any President of the United State's can fix.

I went to a castle outside of Amman with two classmates. One of them, Tim, does a thing called geocaching, which I think I might get into sometime. Basically, people plant capsuls with a log and perhaps other small things inside and post the coordinates for them online. Others go and find the hidden caches and sign the log and then post it online that you found it. If there are items inside the capsul you're supposed to replace what you take with something else. There are more complexities to it, and it sounds like a fun past time to get out and explore. The castle was small but a nice small discovery outside of Amman, which dates back to the 2nd century BC, which had belonged to an old governor of the area. Not too far were some old caves. Here are
some of the pictures:
























Last weeend I went on the Language Center trip to Ajloun and Jerash. Ajloun is a city to the north of Amman, amid hills and more plant life. We visited the Qala'at al-Rabadh, a castle built between 1184-85 AD by a nephew of Saladin. It rests on top of the hill in Ajloun and has a beautiful view of the countryside. Jerash is another ancient city, and has one of the largest and best preserved Roman ruins (outside of Italy supposedly). I had one and a half hours to explore, and I could have easily been there twice as long to explore. Accoring to a really helpful website (HERE) there are even ruins that date back to over 6500 years. I would definitely say Jerash is a must see for anyone coming to Jordan, and I recommend reserving at least 3 hours to walk around. Here are a few of the pictures I took:
































Next week I will be attending a Rotaract conference in Fayoum, Egypt. It will be on history and leadership in Egypt. Since flights are only a few times a week to/from Alexandria, I will be staying with a Rotaract friend in Alexandria for a couple days as well. I am very excited to experience life in Egypt, although I hear it is quite different in Cairo...which I hope to visit before coming home.

Update

I wanted to write a separate post for an update on what I've been doing.

I went to another formal dinner for the District Governor with all of the Rotary clubs and some Rotaractors. It was a pleasant dinner where I was able to meet several more Rotarians that I will continue to struggle with trying to remember the names of when I see them. Afterwards I went to a Halloween party at the U.S. Embassy. Since the dinner started later than planned and ended even later, the party had somewhat died down from what it was before. It was still nice to be able to go in there and celebrate one of our unique holidays with some friends. The next day I went to another Halloween party which, according to a handful of Jordanians I spoke with there, was probably one of the largest parties thrown in Amman. Not to my surprise, the police ended up coming and breaking up the party (peacefully). The reason most likely being because it was after 12am and there was alcohol present...not to mention some pretty "liberal" (for Jordan) costumes.

Fawwaz helped me get in touch with a lady working for the UNDP (United Nations Development Project) for a possible internship or volunteer work. The opportunities sound great and I am excited to gain more experience during my year. Some of the projects might be coordinated with the Rotaract club I am primarily volunteering with (Rotaract of Amman-Petra).

On Friday I will be attending the Marine Ball. There will be over 350 guests in attendance, including the Ambassador, Generals, US and Jordanian government officials and many others. Needless to say, I am looking forward to it.


I also wanted to post a few pictures I just found from some of the events I have been doing:






















Photos from Wadi Rum witht he Rotaractors.













Bingo Night with Rotract








Port of Aqaba...the Red Sea is gorgeous!








Picking Olives in Madaba with the Rotaract clubs for an elderly home.












Much older picture: pre-Ramadan brunch at Blue Fig.

Politics is in the air...

ELECTIONS

Today is election day in the U.S. I ended up having my Dad write in my choices, since I missed the deadline to get an emergency ballot here. Also, I hear the ballots would not contain the State ballot measures which there are currently some very important issues. The Embassy here will send your ballot for free.

Tonight there are several of us going to another student's house for an election party. It might go until really early tomorrow morning here...it should be fun. I am definitely excited about it. This election is clearly significant, regardless of who wins, since you have the first African American presidential nominee, the transition to a new president after 8 years (disliked by many) and the pressing issues that the entire world is interested in seeing how the U.S. will handle under a new White House. Ever since I have arrived in Jordan a frequent topic that comes up is the election.

Since my return from my year abroad in Germany, in 2001, there have been many significant occurrences that have caused the world to look to the U.S. even more than it has in the past. The most frequently mentioned here are obviously the War in Afghanistan and the War in Iraq, as well as its Foreign Policy and support for Israel. I have not met a single Jordanian, or other international student (from outside the U.S.) that did not hope Obama would win. Concerns here are that McCain will continue the same Foreign policies of Bush, which are interpreted as being for the purpose of oil, biased support for Israel with no accountability (and a lack of support of the Palestinians) and often a hidden "zionist" agenda. Seldom any of the other major issues or platforms that Americans weigh in voting are taken into consideration.

As for how I voted (for president and on the issues) I wish to refrain from writing in my blog. However, I will share a few thoughts and where I see myself politically. I am not particularly in favor of either candidate. I do not label myself as being with a specific political party and really wish there were more options than the standard two. Both parties hold values that I support and oppose, some stronger than others. I am hopeful that whichever candidate wins, they will be a strong and unifying leader to help our great country out of the economic crisis, into better relations with the international community and uphold and support the true values of the United States of America.