So, Why if went to Jordan at first place...Just a week before leaving to Lebanon I got a phone call from S who works in UNFPA -which partially fund the project am working on- nice thing that we are friends with our donor! so he called saying that there's a workshop in Amman next week would you care to join?. I said "well it's not actually my decision, and i don't know what it's all about" send me the details and I’ll ask my boss" and he did.
It was a regional meeting to discuss cooperation between media and NGOs, the best practices and ideas on how to work together in development and in all fields, whether health, human rights, or anything.
I liked the idea pretty much, since that's a part of my job dealing with media, and since am supposedly a media person myself as i studied Journalism "sighs"
My boss agreed and off I went to Jordan...Visiting Jordan was one of my dreams, especially after I read Queen Noor's biography (A Leap of Faith) regardless what she said about the King Hussein and what I saw as a very romantically drawn picture of the Middle East in her book, as well as the American point of view I didn't like the whole book so much, but the way she described Jordan's nature and beauty caught my heart.
But OMG Jordan was much more beautiful that my imagination, and maybe because me and me Egyptian companion (me representing NGOs and she representing Journalism) were lucky enough to find her mum's best friend working in Jordan calling us upon our arrival, being more lucky she works in a limousine company Sixt!!! She gave us a car and her very trusted driver took us all around Jordan, we went every where and we went there, Jerash…Where I always wanted to visit...
When you walk in Jerash (and if you are a fan of Roman times architect and monuments you will be in love with Jerash) I felt like a lost princess (sounds geeky!) but that’s what I felt :D
Jerash Roman Theatre
Dibbin was our second stop, the beautiful natural preservant on the mountains, it's a beautiful forest just in the mountains in nearly one of the highest points in Amman it's beauty was beyond words could tell, the air purity, the amazig view, we just didn't want to leave or go back...
A view for Amman from Dibbin
I met amazing people in the workshop; but the highlight of it was at the last day of the workshop, as we were summing up the recommendations and action plans and so on, we were told that next to us there’s a UNESCO meeting and they are having prince Hassan (crown prince at the time of King Hussien) and King Hussien’s brother at the same time, and who became a prominent figure in international development community after leaving the crown, and our event organizers asked him kindly to come and give a speech in our workshop last day!!!!
I was like omg I only read about him in books! And meeting him is hehe well a nice chance! So he actually entered the hall, after securing the whole place with soldiers (actually from the military) and we stood greeting him.
He gave a very important speech, followed by answering some questions from us, and then he was about to leave and GUESS WHAT! He came to shake hands with us and he started by ME…
It was funny though I got so excited shaking hands with a prince! Which let’s face it is not an every day thing…and then we were taken to a group picture with him.
On our last day, me and my Egyptian colleague thought about going to Petra, since recently it became one of the world’s seven wonders, it would have been really stupid to visit Jordan not bid Petra a visit.
Since we needed to be at the airport at 7:25 P.M we decided that we will go to Petra from dawn, and be back by sunset so we can catch the plane.
It was really risky, but we tried to calculate time accurately and we done it!
At 5:00 A.M we were ready packed and checking out, our driver was so sweet also a Sixt company driver, he was so sleepy just like the two of us!
First thing I asked him was “is there any coffee place open now?” I knew it would be hell if I didn’t take any caffeine to help my eye lids stand still facing these long hours of non-sleep. Ah and I forgot to mention that the night before this I stayed up all night working and sending late reports and emails, since I was away from work for 5 days!
No cafés were open! And we continued the three hours trip to Petra, while me sleeping like a baby…and before I knew it we were there…
Petra is magnificent, the rocks colours, the way it’s all engraved in rocky mountains, the nature around it, the passage to the treasure gate, everything was just breath taking, Petra is not a site you visit in one day they say you need 3 continuous days to see Petra well, unfortunately we couldn’t, all we had was few hours to catch, we walked about 6 K.M inside Petra, seeing the beautiful mountains, taking pictures…I loved it.
Petra (The Treasury)
Finishing Petra was such an achievement, I remember neither me, my colleague nor the driver felt our feet or backs after walking such distance (chances of hiking and walking around Cairo aren’t that much) don’t blame me!
Moving for Petra, tired, exhausted hungry and haven’t slept was like not feeling anything around me that I even started not enjoying the trip and I felt home sick hehe…
We passed by the Dead Sea, Mount Nebo where it’s claimed to be where Moses died and buried, Madaba with it’s famous churches, and then back to the airport just as planned by 5:30 PM we even arrived a bit earlier!
The airport was –just like any other Egyptian airport and many other airports at that time of the year- fully packed with people going for Hajj (Pilgrimage), it was hard to breathe inside, Amman Queen Alia airport is so small and too warm, with high number of travellers it was just too hard to stand.
Carrying all my bags I struggled to our departure gate, waited patiently till it open for boarding, and once they did I was first in line!
In the plane I sat back, took off my jacket, and looked at Amman from my window and smiled, thinking that 2 months ago visiting Jordan was a dream that am planning to achieve with steady steps (of saving money since I suck in that), then it happened in a blink of eye…We never know what tomorrow brings, am so thankful…
Sometimes I visit places and I feel strange feelings towards them, some places I feel like no sorry ill never be back again, and some other places I visit and I feel so much connected that I am sure I will come back one day, I felt so with Jordan and England (Don’t ask me why!) I just feel it giving no specific reasons! Hallucinations:D Maybe.
Love,
Enyita
Everyone is whining about their lives, schools/relations/work/life/family/everything, i found out suddenly one night driving my car back home in the supposedly "quiet" neighbourhood where i saw a car accident bodies thrown on the floor blood and twinkling glass scattered on the street...Ambulance was there and i knew for sure again and over some one's dead in a car accident...
.i don't like conversations in morning i wake up in a terrible mood...i walk slowly my contacts in one hand my mobile in the other approaching bathroom...shower and finish everything quickly then dress anything in my way honestly it's too hard to dress up every single day, I just can't figure out how they do it...
