We Meet At The Olive Tree
Bombarded daily by images of a violent interpretation of Islam, Islamophobia is digging deeper into many Western nations.
Fear creates a chasm of distrust that keeps us far from one another. Even before we look across to the other side, we associate the other with the images we’ve seen on the news. We assume ill intent; […]
What to Wear When Traveling to Jordan
Appropriate Attire for Jordan
You’ve made the decision to travel to Jordan and you’ve been counting down the days until you embark on your private Jordan tour. The time has finally arrived that many dread…it’s time to pack. You are only visiting for a week and […]
What Is Shawarma? A Video for Tony Stark
In The Avengers, Tony Stark asks, “You ever try shawarma?… I don’t know what it is, but I want to try it.”
Well, Tony Stark, you are in for a treat. Shawarma is one of the reasons I love living in Jordan. After watching The Avengers, I decided to stroll down […]
Preserving Petra
Preserving Petra is no easy feat. After all, just because Petra has been called a city “half as old as time,” that doesn’t mean it will be around forever.
Carved some 2,000 years ago, this ancient city has managed to stay remarkably well preserved through the centuries. What are some of the threats to The Rose […]
Americans and Arabs Bond Over An Amazing Race
Coming off the ten year anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, fear and distrust between Americans and Arabs remains high. The biggest contributing factor to this, in my opinion, is that we still don’t know each other.
I’ll admit, getting to know each other isn’t easy. In the […]
Rediscovering Humanity While Traveling
It takes face to face encounters to rediscover the humanity of people. Negative news images and blanket stereotypes can make us Westerners forget that Arabs are real people, with hopes and hurts much like our own. Below are a few more of our experiences we had while […]
Conversations on the Road. . .in Jordan
The more we get to know Jordan and her people, the more excited we are about the experiences groups traveling with Engaging Cultures will have as they see the beautiful sites of Jordan and engage with the local communities. Below are a few more experiences we had on the […]
Is Jordan Safe? Here’s What We Found Out
Is Jordan safe? To find out, we hitchhiked from the border of Syria to the Red Sea. We went to cities off the tourist grid, to see how they would react to foreigners. We relied only on local communities to take care of us and guide us. Our journey began at 7:30 am from the […]