Far off places...

Relativity

2011-07-06T03:53:00.000-04:00

I don’t consider myself all that interested in pop culture. However, I play video games and watch an average number of movies, television shows, cartoons, and cable news; but I do not read US Weekly, People Magazine, or the tabloids, with the exception of the front page when I decide to wait for a cashier at the supermarket rather than utilize the self-checkout option—my preferred method. I frequently eat fast food because I like how it tastes despite knowing it is horrible for my health and I shop at all the big chain supermarkets. I know I should go to the farmers’ markets more frequently but it isn’t as convenient and for me convenience is king, convenience and efficiency. Do I always go with the most convenience? No. Am I always the most efficient? No. However, I appreciate efficiency.

Because I watch an average amount of TV I also see an average number of commercials. Most of them I don’t remember. Recently a few caused me to actually believe what they said. But only long enough to waste a somewhat significant amount of time (roughly 10 hours) finding out they are truly full of crap. They were all car insurance commercials telling me in oh so clever ways how to save money. Most of those same companies must have paid a lot of money for clever external advertising consultants because all of the insurance companies with clever ads wanted to increase my monthly premiums. I probably have friends that work for those same ad companies and I applaud my friends for their creativity and ability to make me laugh and believe the tag lines. I don’t applaud those insurance companies that can’t or won’t save me money.

It’s not that I have a great love of money; I just appreciate what it does in society and particularly what it does for me—it lets me buy things I need. I particularly appreciate how much time, sweat, effort, and frustration I put into obtaining it. So when an insurance company wants to take more of my money while providing me with what is probably the least tangible good I will ever purchase while at the same time providing creative and enticing, although mildly deceptive visual advertisements seems wrong. I only say mildly deceptive because for another person those same companies’ complicated algorithms that measure the particular level of risk for a driver given the car they drive, their age, geo-location, and other random data points might actually save them money. However, that only works until the equilibrium price is reached and you have to wait a few more years for the old companies to be priced out by newer, leaner, more innovative insurance companies run by more recent Ivy-League MBA graduates with their revised algorithms that utilize the same data points in a different approach plus a few other data points like moon phases, your astrological symbol, and your lucky numbers—as determined by your most recent fortune cookie—to adjust your risk measurement and once again save you money all while increasing their stock price and bottom line.

Mostly I am just amused by the convoluted workings of life, insurance, advertisements, and everything else that connects to create the human experience.

Libya: Friend or Foe

2011-04-11T14:16:00.000-04:00

Over the last few months the Middle East has been revolutionized by none other than...well revolutions. Having spent the last six years of my life engulfed in studying the Middle East, watching the recent revolutions unfolding throughout North Africa, the Levant, and the Arabian Peninsula have been both exciting and concerning. It's exciting that people have collectively decided to stand up for their beliefs and to challenge the systems of government that failed them due to autocracy, lack of transparency, and corruption. The challenge now is determining what role the United States should play in helping these countries through these exciting, but challenging times. The movement caught the world by surprise and as can be seen from various speeches and press releases from White House, State Department, and National Security representatives nobody is quite sure what the best approach should be at the moment.

The most concerning for me at the moment is the situation in Libya. Here Gaddafi has determined to fight to the bitter end and the U.S. has decided to engage in military action to weaken Gaddafi's military so it cannot carry out in unnecessary slaughter of civilians. At least that is the argument for military engagement. For me, I'm more concerned with the bigger picture of the U.S. getting involved in yet another military conflict in the Middle East which will cost more money (in the middle of a budget crisis) and may or may not be beneficial (depending on the goals and objectives--which are unclear at the moment). I am reading a lot of news articles, academic analysis, and other writings on what is happening in the Middle East and Libya and what the U.S. should/should not being doing. I read two articles recently that provide the best explanation of the situation, the challenges, and the importance of thinking and planning before jumping into yet another foreign interventionist situation.

Take some time and read George Friedman's article "Immaculate Intervention: The Wars of Humanitarianism," and Stephen M. Walt's "Is America Addicted to War?"

Some thoughts: Theism, Atheism, & Religion

2011-02-21T10:37:00.000-05:00

"A passionate and committed atheism can be more religious than a weary or inadequate theism."

-- Karen Armstrong, The History of God

This quote stuck out to me as I read it months ago and various conversations I've had with friends since then has resulted in it coming back. I have a few thoughts based from this and I'm interested in hearing others comments, thoughts, views, or beliefs as well.

Those of us who believe in God often take the "moral high-ground" when compared to those who claim to be atheist or agnostic. We feel that our belief in God, whether complete or partial, is better than no belief. Armstrong's quote and spending two years of my life doing nothing but talking to people about religion makes me think this may not be the case. A person who does not believe in God but has taken the time and energy to search within their own selves and considers the world around them could have a greater claim to a so-called religious life than someone who claims a belief in God but has done so only partially or superficially with limited soul searching and limited introspection.

This might change depending on how one defines religion and religious belief. Assuming religious belief is measured by the dedication and passion and commitment toward an idea then atheism can be a stronger, more faithful and more religious than a simple vocal claim of faith in God by one who does not understand nor live by the tenants that such faith would require. In coming to understand how we view religion I found a definition by Clifford Geertz's work "Religion as a Cultural System" where he defines religion as "a system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic."

Part of this thought process has resulted from various conversations with friends and strangers about religion where I discovered many people have extreme biases for or against God, for or against a particular religion, or for or against a particular sect within a religion. I tend to ask a lot of questions to try to understand the reason people feel one way or another and I discovered that frequently people didn't know why they believed what they did. They had not done their own personal soul searching, study, or pondering on the issue. In contrast, I have a friend who decided he no longer believed in Christianity in general and in the LDS faith in particular but he did not do so lightly. His introspective look at himself, his belief systems, his religious tenants, and his personal experiences led him to different conclusions, yet I can't help but admire him for the time and effort he put in to understanding himself and his relationship to the world and his beliefs. In many ways, his belief and his religiosity is stronger and better understood than many people I know who on the surface claim a belief in God but internally have failed to really understand what that even means. I don't necessarily agree with all of my friends conclusions, but I respect the process by which he came to them, and I respect his religious beliefs more than those who have not gone through their own soul-searching journey to understanding what and why they maintain a particular belief.

I realize a strong atheism is not the answer, nor is it what Armstrong is arguing (see quote above). What she wants is for others to understand that this is merely a check upon one's own theistic understanding and that a half-hearted belief in God does not constitute greater religiosity than an atheist simply because God is in the equation. In essence, this is a call to theists to take the necessary time to really believe in God and to understand the significance of what that belief means for how you understand life and how you live life.

writings and such

2011-01-09T11:48:00.000-05:00

Some of you know I use to write a lot more than I do now, poetry and other random things. For some of you this is new. For everybody, my goal is to post a new, edited, or reworked piece every week. You'll be able to find them at thoughtlesspoetry.blogspot.com. Enjoy.

2010 Year-End Road Trip

2011-01-03T18:53:00.000-05:00

As my last final hurrah for 2010, I accompanied my sister on a 28 hour drive from San Antonio to D.C. The highlight of those endless hours spent driving was the treat of a real southern meal compliments of The Loveless Cafe. Having lived in the South whenever I have the opportunity to engorge myself in a delicious southern feast, I take it. Thanks to the Loveless Cafe, I had the best biscuits, macaroni and cheese (Kraft doesn't count), hush-puppies, Southern Greens--complete with hot sauce and spicy vinegar, and fried okra. There are a few select dishes that would qualify as more southern than these, but these satiate my tongues southern pallet perfectly.

If you are ever passing through Nashville and want something delicious, stop by Loveless and you won't be disappointed.

Graphical Depiction of Life

2010-12-08T00:44:00.000-05:00

see more Funny Graphs

I found this graphical depiction a few years ago, it still has application, and more than anything it makes me smile.

Random, People

2010-10-07T22:57:00.000-04:00

One reason why I love people.

A Tribute to Action

2010-10-06T23:51:00.000-04:00

I love people. I love meeting new people, talking to them, hearing about what they are doing in life and why. I especially love people who find something they love, are passionate about it, and then go do it. Even when it's unconventional or as some might even say "irresponsible." I've discovered if you love it, if it makes you happy, then you should be doing it because by doing it you will not only find joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment in your own life but it puts you in the best position to help others do the same.

There are three people I've met/seen recently, two are new friends, the third is an old friend. They are unconventional. They are amazing. Sharaya and Ally both quit their jobs to take a gamble on doing something unique that would allow them both to do what they love. Their gamble is a 50 state road-trip where Sharaya get to spend time writing music and playing in various venues across the country while Ally blogs about their experiences and writes a book on their adventure. You can read Ally's writings and follow their adventure at http://sharayamikael.wordpress.com/ and listen to Sharaya's music at Amazon or on her Facebook page. She gave a short house show at our place tonight and she is amazing.

I ran into my third friend, Joey, at a Real Salt Lake soccer game a little over a week ago. I hesitantly approached not sure it was him foremost because I was in the U.S. It would surprise me less running into him in Cairo, Istanbul, Rome, or any other random city in the world. We use to go on adventurous weekend expeditions when we were both living in Jordan studying Arabic and would find ourselves in the most random places. Drinking tea with Bedouins in an ruinous Roman city on the Syrian boarder, or talking to Jordanian military guards on patrol overlooking the Golan Heights, or hitchhiking back from the Dead Sea after a grueling hike through the desert (on multiple occasions). The difference is after all of that he just kept going and doing what he loves; traveling, meeting new people, studying languages and cultures all while writing about and photographing the world he sees.

I'm envious of those who are doing what they love, they inspire me. Partly because I really don't know what I love enough to do it, and partly because they have the strength to do the unconventional.

Aeroplanes & Parachutes

2010-09-29T19:15:00.000-04:00

Although the first recorded successful parachutist occurred in 1797, skydiving didn't become an international sport until 1951. Many a people have said, "I don't see the point in jumping out of a perfectly good airplane." Its funny because the chances of dying in an airplane crash are 1 in 1.6 million, chances of dying in a skydiving accident are 1 in 100,000 (significant difference); however, comparatively the chances of dying in an automobile accident are 1 in 6,000 (wow) and those same people don't think twice about getting into their car every day. Basically you'd have to jump out of a plane 17 times in a year to equal the same odds as driving your car.

As you might guess I recently jumped out of "a perfectly good airplane." Although, perfectly good is questionable considering we didn't really have seats and there wasn't a real door on it...so I guess its relative. However, the experience of free falling from 13,000 for 60 seconds was incredible. The best part was stepping out the door and watching the plane fly away (or watching me fall away depending on your perspective). The weightlessness, the wind blowing in my face, the confusion at the fact that it didn't cause an unnecessarily crazy adrenaline rush, the experience as a whole was incredible. In fact, my thought was I was falling, besides, "this is incredibly awesome," was something akin to, "how does this compare to other things I love to do." As many know, the thing I love doing the most is Alpine skiing in powder. In comparison, I'd take a day of skiing in 24" of fresh powder at Snowbird in a fraction of a second over jumping from a plane. Not because I'm worried about safety, but the enjoyment factor, the marginal benefit I receive from skiing in powder is significantly higher than the benefit I receive from jumping from a plane. Will I jump again? Absolutely, will I jump enough to get my United States Parachute Association certification, probably; but given the opportunity to spend a weekend jumping out of planes or dropping into the Bookends or Great Scott will have me donning my helmet and skis every time.

So here's a tribute to what I love most:

Standing Still...

2010-09-19T23:23:00.000-04:00

I recently moved. I've had a lot of people ask me why I moved. I have a dozen reasons why, but in thinking about it I realized it mostly has to do with the fact that I just need change. If anything stays too constant in my life for too long I go stir crazy. The last 12 months has been the longest I've lived in a single location in the last 10 years. I've averaged a new place every 6 months for the last 10 years. Right now I want to travel, I want to go explore the world and visit new places, new people, and learn and understand more. I've been feeling this for awhile but recently was reading my cousin's blog about her experiences (http://brooklynday.blogspot.com) and couldn't help but feel jealous for her adventures. Perhaps I'll have the chance to travel again soon, and hopefully manage the growing frustration that comes with staying in the same place.

Classical Music: A radio epiphany

2010-09-12T21:53:00.000-04:00

Part of the new market segment?
Source: http://www.watchmojo.com/blogs/
images/woman-rock-climbing.jpg

I found myself listening to a classical radio station while driving home the other night from the climbing gym. I enjoy classical music, but am limited in my experience and exposure. The DJ (if classical radio station hosts can be called DJs) was speaking in the typical soft, cathartic voice that causes you to only want to sleep rather than engage in what she is saying. It occurred to me that classical stations are failing to engage huge market segments. There are probably hundreds if not thousands of young men and women who would enjoy listening to classical music more, if the context of the delivery was tweaked. I thought classical stations need a segment—maybe on the late-late weekend hour so as not to upset their very rigid, traditional base—where the DJ is excited about the music and makes classical music rock. It seems a contradiction of term, classical rock music, but really it’s there, it’s interesting, and it’s fun, but I feel that its wasted on those few individuals who are tapped into classical music while the rest of us don’t even have the chance to know what we are missing since the cost of understanding what we are missing is so high we’ll never be able to breach the gap. So I’m requesting that classical music stations take time to find a DJ who will make classical music rock for the rest of us and maybe you’ll find a whole new market-segment you never knew existed.

Ignorance

2010-05-09T23:35:00.000-04:00

I hate ignorant people. I don't hate many things, but I just discovered how much I hate ignorant people. I never understood the depth of my feelings until recently. Many of you know how I feel about jealousy and about my "No Tolerance" policy. I feel stronger about this. Two things provided the catalyst for this new discovery. The first was partly as a result of my recent trip to Yemen where two specific images stand out in my mind.

The first is an eight-year old boy standing daily at the intersection trying to survive by selling packets of tissues to people waiting in their cars; despite his hardship, lack of real shoes and tattered clothing, he has a smile that lights up your life. The second is seeing two boys, brothers I believe, watching traffic on a busy street waiting to cross. They were there hand-in-hand, the older boy probably five or six, the younger one only four and nobody else was around to help them, but their confidence, determination, and independence was phenomenal.

Having these experiences and then coming back to the States and talking to a relatively new friend describe how difficult her life was when comparatively it wasn't, made me think she needed to get out into the world to gain some perspective. The second catalyst is a book I'm reading, "the sewing circles of Herat: a memoir of Afghanistan," that describes firsthand accounts of the people and places in Afghanistan prior to the Taliban rule and the results of their ignorance, the destruction of history and culture, and the violent submission of a people in the name of a religion most members of the Taliban aren't even educated enough to understand.

Ignorance of other people makes us forget our problems are small, ignorance of the world makes us think we have the only correct principles on which to shape our lives. I hate ignorance.

Destruction Derby...Almost

2010-04-23T23:09:00.000-04:00

Recently I had one of the best driving experiences of my life. As a boy I use to love to go to the arcade and sit in the auto racers, California Speed (or whatever it was called), and drive without rules and without fear of what obstacles were there. I just did that in real life--except there were still obstacles. All driving rules that had been ingrained in me since I was young were forgotten, actually only about 70%, but having to only follow about 30% of the rules makes driving such an adventure. Of course there is the added difficulty of everybody else only following about 30% of the rules and constantly having to guess which 30% will be followed. Additionally, there is the pedestrian factor; at any given moment in time a man, woman, donkey, or six year old child will step into the road to cross the street. One particular road was just like driving a video game, especially on Friday mornings (nobody is out because it is their weekly sabbath). We called it "the ditch," the Arabic transliteration is As-Salia, but it is basically a 1400 year old aqueduct that runs through the old city just below ground built entirely out of stone with various tunnels and bridges and dips and drops and twists and turns and perfect for enjoying a leisurely adventure drive.

As I was driving, weaving in and out of traffic, driving the wrong way on a one-way street, or otherwise just getting where I needed to go I thought of all the people I knew and realized there were those who would thrive driving without the rules and others who would go crazy and not be able to function without too much stress. If the non-functioning stressed out individual was driving, I'd want to be anywhere but in that vehicle. I realized it takes someone who has a more aggressive attitude toward life (and driving) and yet can enjoy the laid back lack of structure. Because sometimes the rules matter and you have to stop at the intersection, other times you slow down long enough to see if there is traffic then drive straight through the red light passed the policeman standing in the middle of the intersection and its perfectly normal. I love it. Of course the down side is now that I'm back in America, my desire to do those things has to be held constantly in check by the thought of anal policemen and expensive ticket taxes as a result of a few little things called rules. Jon and Rich, drive in Yemen, you'd love it, at least the times that aren't bumper to bumper traffic. Mom, I'm sorry but don't even think about it, I'm not even sure I'd want you in the car because you might be freaking out a bit.

Its a lot less fun to watch, but a lot of fun to do, so here's to driving in 'the ditch,' cheers.

A Few of Many

2010-04-18T21:18:00.000-04:00

Below are a few photos from my most recent adventure. Its too bad they don't really do justice to it all.

Dictionary.com FAIL

2010-04-12T07:55:00.000-04:00

In a recent search of dictionary.com I was told they couldn't find my word and suggested I had spelled it wrong. See captioned screenshot below:

Now you have to wonder if their suggestion seems just a little pointless...turns out I must have spelled it wrong because when I clicked on blue highlighted weblink of "deficit" as opposed to my original entry of "deficit" (see the difference?) it provided the real results. Made me smile.

Lingua Franca

2010-04-11T03:37:00.000-04:00

Lingua Franca is a language used by two people to communicate with each other, typically by use of a second or third language that is not the native language of either. In the past French filled this role. In todays world it is English. Despite English being the current Lingua Franca I still feel like a 'lazy American' who can only speak English whenever I am traveling abroad. In the last few years my passable Arabic has enabled me to travel and at least somewhat communicate with the locals in their native tounge. Now, I'm once again traveling in a country where English is not people's second language, but their third or fourth or fifth so fewer people speak it. Here French is the dominate language and try as I might, I can't seem to remember anything from my 8th grade French class--so much for public education. Luckily, enough people speak Arabic that I can get by with that, but the dialect here is just different enough, that it's difficult to follow. So alas, once again I'm traveling and find myself desperately wishing I could speak the dominate local language if only so I'm not pegged as not belonging and also because I want to know what people are saying...plus, I don't like fitting into the European stereotype of Americans being ignorant of other people's language and culture. Alas, I don't think I can help it this time when the only French I know is 'bonjor' and 'oui' and 'merci'. Guess I don't hate the stereotype enough to change it. All those people out there who are fluent in two or more languages (emphasis on the more), I want to be you.

the shoe thief

2010-04-04T10:05:00.001-04:00

Like many of you who have traveled I've learned to always pack enough clothing and such in my carry-on to survive an n number of days, if my checked luggage gets misdirected. This time I only had to last 4 days thanks to the generous people in the Cairo airport. I knew from the moment I got off the plane for my transfer flight that my checked bag wouldn't make the flight. What tipped me off? The large inefficiencies, the lack of a help desk, the confused employees, and finally the man that wrote my baggage claim number down so he could put it on my flight, yet didn't write down any flight info. My baggage became just one of a dozen numbers on his sheet with no destination. Four days though, no problem, as far as clothing goes. However, I only had the shoes on my feet since I packed my running and dress shoes in my checked bag. Minor annoyance since I had to work, and wanted to run during that time but my Sanak (*sandals not a shoe) managed to cloth my feet just fine.

This morning as I rushed out the door, looking business stylish except for my footware, I find my bag made it from Cairo. Excited to no longer feel self conscious about casual footware in a business setting I grab my bag open the zippered compartment to find nothing. A thief decided to co-opt my shoes into their wardrobe. At what point did they pull their fast stunt? In Cairo? In Sana'a? Somewhere in between? Only they know. I just laughed out loud and still smile as I think of the 3+ year old pair of shoes with holes in the soles that only looked good because I polished them right before my trip. I've been meaning to buy new shoes and throw the old ones out for 6 months...fate (and my friend) dictated the time is now. I hope my shoe thief is the most stylish man on his Cairo or Sana'a block and gets some mad props as a result of his newly aquired footware.

الشرق الاوسط و اللغة العربية: كيف أحبه

2010-03-29T14:46:00.000-04:00

I wouldn't have guessed I'd be back in the Middle East again enjoying all the excitement and flavors of the Arab world. The food, the taxi drivers, the suqs (markets), the history, the pride, the differences from American culture. I love it. Especially the little moments, like when I was finishing eating dinner the other night in a cafe above a great little bookstore where the power went out...unfortunately the power went out for that entire area of the city, fortunately I had finished, paid, and was on my way out helped by the handy little led flashlight built into my Jordanian cell phone (I still wonder why that idea hasn't caught on in the states, considering half the time people end up trying to use their phone as a flashlight just by having a lit screen, why not throw in a tiny led into the top that can be turned on with the push of a button, so much better than the screen).
Pictures pending my return.
مع السلامة

The G40 Summit: An Epic Exhibit

2010-03-13T20:18:00.000-05:00

There is something about art that bring power an emotion to the surface. It amazes me how art has the ability to create such vivid and lasting emotions in an instant. Anger, fear, frustration, awe, wonder, a sense of hopelessness, a sense of minuteness, excitement, lust. A good artist in a single shot or exhibit can elicit some or all of these where just prior none of those emotions existed. That is power.

The G40 Summit is an art exhibition in Crystal City in Arlington, VA that runs throughout the month of March. If you are anywhere in the area you need to see it. I loved it. It is not the type of art you typically find in most art galleries or art museums, which is why I liked it so much. It felt real. The emotions, the depiction of life, the messages all resonated to a greater degree than any other gallery or museum I've visited, including such museums as the British National Gallery, the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, any of the Smithsonian museums in DC and another half-dozen throughout Europe. Overall, I would have to define the style as modern. More specifically I think "Street Art" is the best way to define it, but even that feels limiting. The exhibit is a combination of styles, from artists around the world with the focus being on Washington, D.C. metro area; New York City metro area; and California artists.

Its sad these pictures can't compare to the real thing, but here are some of my favorites:
(unfortunately, these are poor quality shots from my phone)

And here are just a few of the artists websites:

www.artderailed.com
www.sharingthestoke.com
www.menobodyknows.com
www.novietrump.com

The Passage

2010-03-02T01:42:00.000-05:00

For most people there’s a narrow corridor between wakefulness and sleep that they drift through quickly. For me it’s a cavern. A place where I am neither awake nor asleep, a quasi-dream state where only nightmares are a reality and peace of mind is fleeting. This place where corridors expand through time and space, and which changes with each experience such that finding the right path to blissful rest is a journey. Some nights as I lay there searching for the path it appears quickly, unexpectedly and I think maybe I’ve found the answer; maybe I’ll be able to follow this path again and be satisfied. It doesn’t take long for reality to set in when my next journey takes days, although in reality it is merely a matter of hours. However, in the dark of night hours stretch on endlessly, for only blackness exists in its natural form. We ignore that blackness through human ingenuity: fire, electricity, and light, sight at a moment’s notice regardless of the hour or depth of night. Our senses are no longer limited by the natural order of things. During this time I find there are moments of clarity, which I imagine are similar to the addict who meets the climax, the epitome of contentment, right after satisfying his cravings; where everything is right with the world. More often things are clouded, obscure. Images flash before my eyes, thoughts and ideas come into my mind only to be torn away the moment their brilliance is realized. Patience means nothing; exhaustion means nothing, because it leads nowhere. Not until days pass and the fatigue compounds until the physical limits of my body are reached and the natural order of things must be satisfied through rest, albeit not always peaceful. In the end it all leads to one thing, an expanding cavern containing an endless nightmare which I am forced experience night after night…insomnia.

¿Valentines Day?

2010-02-18T20:51:00.000-05:00

I use to be a hopeless romantic. I wrote this poem and thought I would wait to give it to the girl of my dreams....as of 02/14/2010 I decided what's the point in waiting.

My Valentine
Through all these years I’m still amazed
I look to you on those dark days.
To see that smile upon your face,
And hope and wish for your embrace.

When things go bad, when life goes wrong,
I think of you, and now I'm strong.
When dust kicks up and rains pour down.
I can't but smile, where once I frowned.

I can't but laugh, where once I cried.
I can't give up, I only try.
I have in me a hope of life,
Of life with you, my one true bride.

My thoughts they turn me back in time,
Of actions made, of words sublime,
Of things I wished that I had said.
Of happy times, a good life led.

The future lies mid hopes and dreams,
Of life with you, my eyes now gleam.
Of hope that maybe you'll be mine,
In life and death, my valentine.

What does a snow storm cost?

2010-02-09T22:43:00.000-05:00

What do you think a snow storm should cost? If you wanted to order one. Lets say you wanted to order one snowstorm of about 30". Does $450 million sound about right? Personally I think that's a little excessive for 30" but that's just a small ballpark figure looking up information for the Virgina-DC area. Virginia's already gone through its $79 million snow-removal budget plus an additional $25. DC quickly burned through its $6 million and the Federal Government has been forced to close for 3.5 days as of today at an estimated cost of over $100 million per day in lost productivity. I can't even begin to estimate all the cost to state and local governments, the lost productivity in dozens of industries, and the individual cost for an increase in accidents, power outages, downed power lines, weather worn roads, etc. I'm going to leave that up to my economist friends like Rich to figure out. All I know is I get three plus days of snow white bliss to enjoy while the world falls apart around me. This is all rather fun coming from a state where this much snow in a single storm is a lot, but not unheard of, and certainly not enough to shut everything down. Total cost for this snowstorm, probably a billion dollars once it's all said and done. But don't worry lets just say that we end up with 50" of snow, that's only $20 million per inch. I'm guessing we should look to Utah, Colorado, Alaska, New York and a few of those other states that deal with this on a regular basis. I'm guessing their cost for snowstorms per inch is a lot less.

Welcome to the east coast.

Oh and the best part during all of this, President Obama commissioned a new federal office to study Global Warming...maybe they should change the name to something less specific like "Climate Change." Then record breaking winter snowstorms won't make "global temperatures rise" sound questionable. Just a thought.

References:
http://www.nbc12.com/Global/story.asp?S=11949683
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/02/federal_government_closed_on_m_1.html
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/feb/09/new-federal-office-would-study-global-warming/

30 Year Record?

2010-02-06T12:07:00.000-05:00

The weather shows keep touting this as the biggest storm in 30 years. Is it? Perhaps. I am surprised by how much snow has managed to fall in the DC area. I didn't think this was possible, but it is and I'm loving it. The best part is the entertainment value I get from the people who all panic at the first mention of being stuck in their homes for a weekend. What happens? The grocery stores sell out of toilet paper, eggs, milk, and meat...seriously? Have you never gone 3-4 days without shopping for milk and eggs? You have. Or Thursday night when Costco was selling out of these things and the line to check out extended to the meat section, yes across the entire length of the store; at least that is what a friend who was there buying lots of food told me. Me, I'll be content without any severe panicking and with the food that already is in my cupboards and fridge.

Historic Multi-Blogging

2010-02-05T15:40:00.000-05:00

Frankfurt Christmas Markets - Dec. 2009:
Since moving away from home in 2001 Christmas always sneaks up on me and I never feel like I'm given the chance to properly prepare for the holiday season. I've spent too much time with school or work to get out and see all of the Christmas prep which brings in the Christmas season. Frankfurt is incredible about making sure everybody experiences all the fluff leading up to Christmas regardless of how busy you are. They have their Christmas Markets which involve a carnival-like atmosphere filled with booths along the main market street serving all sorts of bratwurst, gluhwein, chocolate, candy, and traditional German Christmas ornaments. It was awesome. I've never felt so much in the spirit of Christmas as I did this year.

Obamanologues - Sept. 2009:
A series of monologues written to reflect the changing social perceptions of people in the hindsight of Obama's election to the U.S. Presidency. My initial thought was it would be skewed to a liberal ideology and by the third monologue I was convinced the rest of my evening would result in ideological badgering. I was surprised, there ended up being a good mix of liberal, conservative, and middle-of-the-road common sense monologues about what people expect. If you get the chance to go, do it. It was entertaining, informative, and the talent of many of the performers left me astounded and glad I took the time and paid the money to see. http://www.obamanologues.com/about.html

Old Rag

2009-11-08T19:58:00.000-05:00

Labor Day 2009: Old Rag
8.8 mile loop
2,510 ft elevation gain

My favorite part was standing towards the top looking over the horizon and having another lady tell me to be careful because people die every year from falling off. The problem was there wasn't really anything to fall off of, not where I was standing and certainly not compared to the Rockies. I smiled and told her I'd be careful but I considered this a large hill compared to home. I think that confused her a bit, but that is the case with Easterners, they just don't understand what hiking in the mountains really is like.

Old Rag was a lot of fun. It has a little bit of everything that makes playing in the outdoors fun. Beautiful landscapes, from one side you can see rolling hills filled with trees endlessly in the distance and from the other you get to enjoy the views of villages and farms. Additionally, there are parts that require climbing between rocks, over rocks, and even under rocks as you climb that last portion of the hill. All in all worth the trip, not as difficult as the guide makes it out to be, and a lot of fun. Highly recommended, although I would suggest an early start so as to beat the crowds, because not all hikers and climbers are created equal and parts of the hike require single file lines...can be slow if you don't watch for it.

Parental Pressure

2009-09-27T21:38:00.000-04:00

I coach 6 year old soccer. Its a lot of fun because the kids are just starting to get excited about the game. However, they are also just starting to become self-conscious of how they perform. At that age kids can swing either way with their desire to play, their fear of failure, and the parental pressure that is placed upon them. You might think that at 6 there isn't a lot of parental pressure to perform. "That comes later," your might say. It's true that some parents I see just want their kid to learn to love the game and have fun. They want them to do well and feel good about getting involved. Other parents must push/bribe their kid to want to play and to do more than just stand on the field and not move. Finally, there are the "gun-ho" type of parents who are yelling for their kid-even at age 6-to perform, to be better, and to work harder. These things aren't bad, but I begin to question how much you should push for those when your kid is 6 and you are yelling at him for not doing everything perfect or not working hard enough, when it is clear to me that he has been playing his best. It leads me to wonder if these kids are the ones that perform the best or if other parental approaches are better. Maybe it is just a difference in style, or maybe it is a completely different life philosophy. I don't know what these types of parents think or expect from their kids. At that age I think a love of the sport (or whatever activity the child is involved in) should be key and let the expectation to succeed build, but not at the expense of pushing a kid so hard that perhaps he won't want to do it anymore, or worse will keep doing it but because its what his/her parents expect, not because they love it.

Cross Country Travels

2009-09-26T20:38:00.001-04:00

3.5 Days/34 Hours -- or by Google Maps account 1 Day 10 Hours
2 Nights at Truck Stops: 1 Night in the mountains of West Virginia
10 States: 11 Gas Stations: 400 oz Dr. Pepper

Surprisingly, three and a half days in a car isn’t as bad as you might think. Driving through the Midwest and small-town America was spectacular and the closest thing I’ve come to a dream trip of spending 2-3 months taking back roads of American to see the variety of events, attractions, and places that America offers. Perhaps one day I’ll be able to take that trip. I originally wanted to take longer than I did but realized I had a deadline and wanted to get everything moved before I started work, so instead of meandering throughout Kansas and Nebraska some more I decided to stop as little as possible. Although, I did wander of the Interstate Highway system and took a number of old state roads that took me through dozens of small towns and load of countryside. It was beautiful, I thought I would get bored through the long stretch of flatlands, but somehow I just found it incredible and a number of towns I liked enough to think, “I could enjoy living here.” I even discovered that Mankato, KS is offering free land to people who are willing to build a home. So move to Mankato?

Englestead Canyon -- Zion National Park

2009-09-20T19:36:00.000-04:00

There is nothing I love more than getting out and enjoying nature. Utah is an amazing place for this because of the variety of terrain. If you have the right gear you get to some of the most incredible places, such as Englestead Canyon in Zion National Park. On Labor Day weekend we took drop just under 300' into Englestead Canyon. The pictures I have just don't do it justice. You can't grasp the distance we dropped to get into the canyon, nor the sheer height and beauty of it. It was without a doubt the longest rappel of my life. Thanks to Tom Jones, a renowned canyoneer who had just finished sending his own group through, we were able to get into the canyon by a single 300' rappel, rather than the three rope switch we were planning. After we dropped in there was no turning back so we headed down canyon through another dozen or so rappels and one of the best hikes I've ever done. Despite it being Labor Day we encountered very few people in this canyon (something about the difficulty of getting in kept most of the standard tourists out). This made the weekend perfect, since your regular hikes, like Angel's Landing, were packed with weekend tourists on a day where the park stopped letting in vehicle traffic because all the parking was gone. It just goes to show that with the right training and equipment you can still reach relatively untouched aspects of nature and enjoy the serenity of it. It was one of the best ways I could have spent my last weekend in Utah, enjoying everything Utah has to offer with my friends. Couldn't have wanted it any other way. Until next time.

Also, see my buddy Johnny's blog on our adventure.
http://jetchemendy.blogspot.com/2009/09/epic-weekend.html

NYC: A Functionally First Visit

2009-07-28T23:28:00.000-04:00

Four days in New York City, not nearly enough. I just had my functionally first trip to the big apple, functionally because I went when I was about 12, all I remember is my brother ate Sbarros pizza for every meal and I climbed up Lady Liberty. This time around I managed to avoid most of the touristy stuff, and instead spent my time hanging out with friends in various parks: Bryant Park, Washington Park, and of course it goes without saying, Central Park.

Three highlights: 1) Biking through Central Park, Times Square, and all around the city. 2) Meandering across Brooklyn Bridge at 10:30 at night with a torrential downpour, blinding lightning, and intense thunder all around. And 3) Enjoying an afternoon nap in Central Park followed by an afternoon shower in Central Park.

I've always been fascinated with big cities, as long as I can remember. NY when I was 12, Chicago at 15, and then various European cities at 23. I still love them. I find it strange that I can sleep in a big city with sirens blaring outside just as easily as I can sleep in the desert or mountains of the West with the silence of crickets chirping. They both appeal to me and I love it, despite the dichotomy. I can't wait until my next NY adventure and for the first time am seriously considering looking for a job that takes me there....seriously.

Updates....

2009-07-28T23:04:00.001-04:00

I'm lazy. It's a simple as that. I've gotten myself out of Provo, I've had the pictures, I've sat for hours on end in front of a computer and I'm just now updating my blog since I don't want to be writing a paper I should be. Enjoy.

Canyoneering in Southern Utah

2009-05-28T12:03:00.001-04:00

I've been lazy and haven't been posting any of my travels during the last 4 months. Here is the first of what I hope is a series of updates.

Boltergeist & Yankee Doodle Canyon Combo

For Memorial Day weekend my plans were to spend it doing Baptist Draw and Upper Chute in the San Rafael Swell. I did it two months ago and was planning on leading a small group of relatiively new canyoneers through. At the last minute we decided weather conditions were looking bad enough to bag the swell and instead headed south to the St. George area where chances of rain were significantly less. It turned out to be a great choice for the group we had.

I had read about both Boltergeist and Yankee Doodle canyons as being relatively simple canyons with a number of rappels. The canyon was simple enough, although I was surprised by how frequent the drops/rappels were. Some of them could have been downclimbed by experienced climbers using basic bridging and stemming techniques although we broke out the rope for the first thirty footer on account of a few females who were intimidated by the drop. It turned out to be good practice for the other rappels which were far more technical than I anticipated.

Having only been through a few canyons with experienced canyoneers this was my first time leading a group. It was a little unnerving at times, especially for a few rather difficult rappel starts with drops from overhangs. Regardless the canyons were great, dry, beautiful, and relatively simple. With Boltergeist Canyon there is the chance of getting your rope stuck on the last 100' rappel, but if you set it up correctly and the last man watches where he drops over the edge then there's no problem. The total time for completing the canyon was said to be 2-2.5 hours. It took our group of 9 about 4 hours due partially to inexperience and being short two harnesses, but mostly because the exit is sufficiently vague, and we spent a good 1-1.5 hours attempting to find our way out of the canyon. In the end Boltergeist is a decent beginner canyon, by itself isn't worth the trip but when done in conjunction with Yankee Doodle its absolutely worth it and being only about 45 min drive outside of St. George.

Yankee Doodle Canyon is by far the better of the two. The initial rappel into Yankee Doodle is awesome. There is a short 20' rappel into a small grotto at which point you walk about 50' and then have a smooth drop into the canyon below about 100'. Neither of these rappels are complicated which makes this a great canyon for beginners. To simplify the rigging for the entrance, the beta I read suggested leaving your first rope and picking it up after you exit, this worked great and made it so we didn't have to haul a 150' rope through the canyon unnecessarily.

One aspect that made Yankee Doodle so great is it also includes some hiking through slot canyons which makes it more enjoyable than Boltergeist. After the first rappel most of the other drops through Yankee Doodle are about 6' with the occasional one a bit longer. We never broke out the shorter rope I carried instead using the stemming and bridging techniques against the canyon wall and once broke out a 25' strand of webbing to help some of our party down a particularly intimidating climb.

Once we started the canyon total time was just under 2 hours for 7 of us. Overall a great weekend spent in the canyons of Southern Utah. These two canyons gave me an additional taste for what canyoneering adventures hold and actually made me sad that I am going to DC this summer rather than spending it in Utah participating in additional adventures throughout the Southwestern United States.

Finding Justice in the American System

2009-03-02T23:44:00.000-05:00

America touts itself as the epitome of democracy, human rights, freedoms, justice, and the American Dream. One thing in particular is the focus on finding justice in the court system. While this may be true in many circumstances involving crimes that involve serving a jail term this isn't often the case when it comes to minor infractions, traffic tickets, parking tickets, and other minor incidents. Those of us who have received tickets, whether or not we deserved them, and tried to fight them in court usually find the traffic court judges far less accommodating than we would like. Last week I found myself in one of these courts seeking justice and hoping, just hoping, that somehow I would get lucky.

A little over two months ago, during the middle of December, my buddy Rich and I decided that 12" of fresh powder was too much to pass up, even on a school day. So we packed our gear and drove up to the canyon. Those of you who have driven Little Cottonwood Canyon after a snowstorm know how crazy the roads can get and so as part of preventing people with two door Focuses and Civics from going up the canyon under these conditions the Salt Lake County Sheriffs deputies are often at the bottom screening cars to make sure they have all wheel drive, are 4x4s, or that you have chains and have put them on your vehicle. This was where Rich and I found ourselves on a somewhat snowy day in December. We saw the cops, we knew they were screening, but I had just had brand new studded snow tires put on exactly for these types of driving conditions. (While I recognize studded snow tires are not the same as chains, they are not far off from some of the cars with chains that were traveling that same canyon.) Rich and I thought we might as well give it a try and pulled up to ask the officer if the studded snow tires on my vehicle were sufficient to allow us up the canyon. After all, it never hurts to ask right? Wrong! The man glares at me then asks, "What did the sign say?" Being the smart intellectual that I am and having not read what the sign said since the weather conditions and the placement of the sign make it almost impossible to read coming from the south road I said hesitantly, "4 wheel drive or chains?" At which point he asked for my license, told me to turn my car around and then join him in the front of his vehicle.

Now this is the confusing part. I was baffled as to what he was going to say, why I we were even having this conversation, and what he would cite me for, since I knew I was being cited for something. You never have to sit inside of a police car unless you are going to be cited. They reserve the lectures for the side of the road, usually. As I sat down and watched him pull up my record, I asked why I was getting a ticket and he said it was for failing to abide by posted signs. Whatever. I pulled up to ASK if I could go up the canyon, I hadn't even entered the canyon yet and I'm getting a ticket for "failure to abide the posted signs?" To top it off, the car immediately behind me before I was told to turn around was a Porsche 911, it was allowed up because it was "all wheel drive." I'm sorry but in a snowstorm in a canyon an "all wheel drive" Porsche with only 3 inches of clearance is not going to do so hot, my car would handle just fine, but the officer didn't seem to think that mattered, the Porsche fit the parameters. Ten minutes later I've received my ticket, we've parked the car and just missed the last bus for the next hour up to the blissful powder waiting for us at the Bird. Luckily we were able to hitch a ride, on a vehicle sporting chains, and had an amazing day skiing.

This brings me to last Thursday. I had my court date. I felt the ticket was simply wrong. I understand if the officer doesn't feel that my vehicle is safe to travel the snow covered canyon roads. I can accept that. I can even accept him requiring me to turn around, find a place to park, and find some other way to get up the canyon--even if it takes an extra hour. What I can't accept is receiving a ticket for something that I'm not even sure is illegal. So there I was in court amidst a bunch of other people, most of who were there because they were caught driving on the left side of the road, didn't have a license at all while driving, or didn't have insurance. Also, a majority of these were old, 5-10 years. As I stood in front of the judge she told me my options and suggested that the best option I had was basically a form of pleading "guilty" without actually pleading "guilty." I paused for a moment, asked if there was any way we could talk about having it dismissed altogether or else I would just plead "not guilty" and take my chances at a real trial. Wrong is wrong. Even though the ticket was only $80 and this would take time and effort, I couldn't sit back and let injustice be served. She recommended I talk to a prosecutor and see what we could work out. Short story: I talked to the prosecutor representing the county, he was a third-year law student, he looked at my file and said, "failure to abide posted signs, huh? That usually means running a red light." "Ah, ha" I thought, "that's what that jargon meant." I told that in this circumstance I hadn't run any red lights and wasn't even sure I had done anything illegal. I told him everything I told you and he looked at me quizzically and said, "I'm not even sure that qualifies under that statute." At which point he picked up the 3 inch thick Utah traffic code book--3 inches really, for traffic codes? The one they give you in drivers school is only about 1/4 of an inch thick, at the most. I don't know whether he actually found the section he was looking for or just realized it wasn't worth it, because he closed the book and said, "Yeah, we'll go ahead and dismiss this." I think he realized that if I took it to court there really wouldn't be a legal case.

Back to the Judge. I told her we had decided to dismiss it. She seemed somewhat surprised, the bailiff, also a Salt Lake County Sheriff deputy, voiced some surprise, "what? really." Thankfully, the prosecutor came in, validated what I said. The forms were signed and the two hours I had spent listening to dozens of others voice their concerns and hope for mercy paid off. I walked away free from the ticket, free from any further time commitment, and free from any fines that would have been levied at me. I found justice right where I wanted it to be and in a way it made me believe a little more in our system of government, in our courts, in our judges, and in America. And why shouldn't I? In the end I didn't have to pay for the ticket I never should have received. It all worked.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem

2009-01-18T18:22:00.000-05:00

The city that is often called the center of the world has been on my mind a lot recently. The idea of Jerusalem, the ideal which it represents has finally become clear to me. I was there only 6 months ago and while I was there it was just another city filled with history. To me it was simply another piece of land like any other that exists in this world. It was no different than Paris, Seoul, Tokyo, Moscow, New York, or Cairo. Each has its history; each has its inhabitants, and each has seen its share of violence and conflict. What I couldn’t understand is how so much violence, so much death, and so much conflict has resulted from Jerusalem and from this area of the world. In many ways I still don’t understand but now I at least understand why it happens because now I understand what Jerusalem is suppose to represent. I don’t know why I couldn’t understand it before I traveled to the Middle East, nor understand it while living there and traveling to Jerusalem. However, in the months since being there I have read more about the history of Jerusalem, I’ve talked with others about the conflict that exists, and I’m thought about everything that entails this conflict and this idea of Jerusalem. As I’ve gained a clearer picture of what it represents to each group that has invested itself in Jerusalem it saddens me because it has the possibility of being everything to every group at the same time. It doesn’t have to be a give and take relationship that people view it as. Jerusalem is supposed to be the city of peace. It is suppose to be a holy city. It is suppose to be an example that all people can look to for inspiration. It needs to be all of these again. It can be, if all those invested in it would realize that Jerusalem is nothing without its ideals and when nobody is abiding or living by those ideal then it is meaningless, it is just another piece of land. It is this ideal of Jerusalem that has made it what it is today, a measure of hope for people around the world, but through contorting those ideals to fit specific ideologies it has also become a source of violence and conflict. Jerusalem has the potential to be everything we all want it to be. It has the potential to represent the core values of all people, regardless of ethnicity or religious affiliation. It can once again be the center of the world if all of humanity will work to make it such. I pray that we do.

What is a far-off-place?

2008-09-21T20:14:00.001-04:00

I've been back in America for a month now. I don't know if I should continue to write about my experiences and observations now that I'm no longer in a "far-off-place." After all I am just spending another year in Provo studying and working to graduate. I have learned from my summer experience and am trying to get more involved in my weekend life here so that I have more fun and do more exciting things. So far that has worked fairly well for me, a weekend in Bear Lake, an almost weekend to Texas except that Hurricane Ike ruined that for me, and most recently a weekend spent at a cabin in Fremont, somewhere 1.5 hours southeast of Provo. So overall I think I will post the occasional thing that feels fits someway into the topic of my blog, or else maybe I'll just change the topic. For the few of you who actually read it, give me your opinion and that could have a drastic affect on whether or not I continue for the next year.

Until then here's something fun, see how many you can name.

94

Created by OnePlusYou

Baptisms in Jordan?

2008-08-19T12:55:00.000-04:00

I knew the church had a presence in Jordan but I never thought I would spend the summer witnessing baptism after baptism here. All together I've seen 5 and only one of those was for an 8 year old child of an United States ex-patriot. The rest were all Arab individuals, 3 men who have been attending the branch here in Amman, and one woman from Syria, who had to come to Amman to be baptized. One in particular, Samir, will be a solid member of the church and begin to take more and more leadership roles in the next few years. I admire him greatly for his insight into the gospel, for his dedication, and for the positive influence he has already had on other members of the branch. In particular, I believe the other two men who were baptized reached the point where they wanted to only after seeing Samir take that step and realizing that despite different misgivings they might still have they too could take that leap of faith and be baptized. Seeing all of those has made me so happy and excited about the growth of the gospel here in Jordan, even if it is slow, consists mostly of non-Arabs, and is only one Christian at a time. It's growing.

My favorite was the Syrian lady because it was such a distance she had to travel and she was really nervous about the experience. For her, church had consisted of 4 individuals, herself, the senior missionary couple, and a BYU grad who was studying Arabic in Syria. Coming to Jordan to be baptized was a huge step for her in accepting the gospel but she was concerned about how well she would be accepted, if there would be people there to support her, and if what she was doing would really make a difference. She was surprised to find so many people there, so many of them young Americans, and so many who were excited for her and spoke to her in Arabic. The actual baptism was the best one I had ever seen. In many ways it reminded me of time spent in the Southern United States of America where Evangelicals and other Christians have a sense of excitement about the gospel that exceeds the conservatism of the LDS faith. However, one thing I have realized is when something is excited and needs expressing, even a group of American conservative Mormons will deliver. The minute she came out of the water the entire group of about 50 people who had crowded around the outdoor font in order to get the best view broke into an unadulterated applause reserved for the best music performances. If there could possibly have been an encore to this number one would have been delivered after the applause of the audience but since this was the culminating moment it simply received the praise that it got. I can't really describe the excitement and happiness I felt in the moment when she came up. I knew it was a big step for her but the spontaneous applause made me want to shout for joy and had me thinking of the descending of the Holy Spirit on the people as recorded in the first chapters of Acts. It was a marvelous event and one that will not soon be forgotten amidst my tales of Middle Eastern adventures and experiences.

Hitchhiking

2008-08-13T14:55:00.001-04:00

I spent Sunday night and Monday at the Dead Sea enjoying the ultra clean filtered rays of the sun at 400 ft below sea level and the healing properties of a sea filled with far too much salt and other minerals. It was a great end to my summer seeing as the very first weekend I was here in Jordan I went to the Dead Sea, and now on my last weekend as well. It was a fitting end to the summer. As with any trip in that part of the country it is easy to get there because of the bus and taxi situations, but a little more difficult getting back without paying too much money. Our solution is to stand on the side of the highway and hitchhike. My experience with this has been completely positive, not quite what I expect each time, but positive nevertheless. This time we managed a small van with a driver, his son, and another man hauling diapers. They said they were going to Amman and since we were going there too, we climbed in. It turns out that our route to Amman wasn't very direct, but it provided us with some interesting experiences, some great scenery, and one more memory of the people and place that has been my home during the last 3 months.

We started off making a few turns that obviously weren't in the direction of Amman. When I realized this I started paying closer attention just as a precaution but they turned around and talked to us and told us what they were doing. Unfortunately, we don't actually speak Arabic, between the four of us we managed to figure out that they were telling us we had to make a detour before going to Amman. As far as what they actually said, we don't have a clue, but the message was communicated nevertheless, probably mostly by the fact that we weren't on a main road. We ended up in a smaller village and turned down an even smaller and dirtier alley to come to a stop outside a store, at which point we all got out and a few of us helped unload the few bags of diapers that were in the back and then waited for the next step of our journey. A few short conversations and after a bottle of water went around the group we loaded up and were off again. This time we headed up a canyon road to that would eventually bring us into Amman from the North.

Most of this trip was uneventful until our driver suddenly slammed on his breaks and swerved to the right of the road where he sat impatiently for 10 seconds while a half-dozen cars passed us before he put the van in reverse and haphazardly started back down the road we had just come. I looked around trying to figure out what he was doing when I noticed a crate of cucumber looking things sitting out on the side of the road by themselves. Sure, enough our driver jumped out of the car and barely paused to check for traffic as he darted across the road to get the vegetables. Now they were sitting on the ground just waiting and as he picked them up a woman came to the gate of the house, they exchanged a few words but it was obvious that they were extra and just up for grabs. As he returned we had pseudo-cucumbers for everybody, and although they were getting a little too ripe they were quite good. About 30 minutes later we pull over to the side of the road next to a stream. Our three Arab escorts immediately begin washing their hands and faces in the stream and motion for us to do the same. Being the obedient American hitchhikers we were we figured, “hell, why not?” And followed suit. It turns out the stop had another reason equally as valid besides just cooling off the face and head, but they used the stream to fill their water bottles to pour all over the radiator and parts of the engine. Something about being in the middle of a blazing hot desert while driving up a steep winding canyon road required the old van to be cooled off partway through its journey, I can understand that. I found the whole unexpected nature of the stop amusing. The stop, the stream, the washing, and then the cooling off of the car, all during which nobody attempted much conversation, neither them nor us.

In many situations I find that it is just easier to sit back and observe rather than trying to engage in conversation. Likewise, I think they assumed our Arabic wasn't good enough to warrant the effort a conversation would require in attempting to speak words that would be understood by all parties. After our refreshing pit stop, it only took us another 40 minutes and one more stop for some more vegetables, this time at a small roadside stand, before we arrived back in Amman and they dropped us off. We gave them a small amount of money, which they tried to decline, and then we thanked them graciously as we got out of the car.

All together the people in Jordan are more than willing to help out, some more than others, and some for more money than others, but more than willing. My hitchhiking experiences in Jordan have taught me a couple of things. The most important is that people are generally good and very few have ill intentions for you. Sure, they may want something out of the exchange, but since they are providing me with a service I'm more than happy to pay them some money to compensate them for the extra time, gas, and effort that was required to pick me up off the side of a highway in the middle of the desert.

Did I ever wonder if I was completely safe while I was in the car of a complete stranger? Sure, but then I realized that's ridiculous, I get in cars with complete strangers all the time, they are just usually yellow and say “Taxi.” Those experiences aren't always pleasant and they are suppose to be legitimate businesses. Hitchhiking tends to have such a negative connotation associated with it, especially among Americans, and I've realized that it isn't any different from getting in any other type of car, be it a taxi, a bus, or a person willing to pick you up off the side of the road. If you get in enough cars you are bound to have some bad experiences, regardless of whether the drivers are part of a “legitimate” business venture. Hitchhiking just happens to be a way where the interaction is more interesting, and in the end sometimes you end up with a free ride, something you'll almost never get from a taxi, especially along the lonely desert roads. So do I support hitchhiking, absolutely, but it is situational and like any aspect of life when you are about to get into a car with someone you don't know you need to judge the situation and decide if it will be safe whether that be with “public” transportation or “private.”

Comfort and Familiarity

2008-08-10T03:30:00.001-04:00

I walked across the University of Jordan campus today and noticed that despite spending more than 3 months here I didn't feel at home, I didn't feel comfortable. I noticed that although I wasn't uncomfortable I didn't feel like I belonged. It was a strange sensation for me because I immediately thought about where exactly it was that I felt I belonged and I thought of a number of places. I feel that I belong in my parents home, at BYU, in Provo, and in Washington D.C. It is strange how places that once felt comfortable no longer do. I noticed this when I went back to D.C. and visited N.D.U. It didn't feel like I belonged there because I no longer did, the same is true when I visit Lone Peak High. However, I still feel that belonging at college. Even though I recognize that I can sit for hours in a class or on campus and not see or talk to anybody I know, I still feel at home amidst all of those strangers. I can't really explain why, part of it is a familiarity, part of it is experience, and other is a personal or emotional connection to the place. While walking across the campus here I realized that although I have friends here, and although I have spent more time than I care to think about studying here I still don't feel a connection. I feel like a transient and this is merely one of thousands of stops on my journey. It is sad in a way. I should have grown comfortable enough to feel like I was leaving part of me behind when I left. However, I am just happy to be going.

There are people and things I will miss. I will miss the excitement and smiles and conversations with my friends at the Language Center, especially with Aliet and Shereen. I will miss lunches at the Sheiks where I could eat pita, hummus, and potatoes to my hearts content at a discounted price because we visited so frequently and became his friends. I am going to miss traveling to and from school on micro buses and with crazy taxi drivers. I am going to really miss the mezzanines call to prayer throughout the day.

Despite these, I am excited to go home and at this point I don't feel that I will miss them enough to really be sad about leaving. I am ready to go home and feel comfortable, to belong, to fit in, and to enjoy familiarity. I don't know how long that will last before my love of the peoples, cultures, and ideas of the world reignites my desire to travel. But I am sure it will happen again. I will be home for awhile and I will remember why I left, why I began studying Arabic and the Middle East in the first place, and once again I will look for the opportunities to leave America and embark on another adventure. That day will come I am sure, but for now I am looking forward to my day of return.

thoughts from a train...Egypt

2008-08-08T09:50:00.000-04:00

It's been a beautiful morning. I woke up around 5:30 and got out of bed to watch the countryside roll by. I'm currently on a sleeper train on my way to Luxor in southern Egypt. I spent at least 30 minutes this morning just staring out the window observing the people and their fields and houses as I passed by. I wanted to be able to go talk to them, to talk about their lives, their livelihood, their expectations, their disappointments, and what makes them happy. Most of the people I saw were poor. Most were farming some type of grass or hay and beyond that I'm not sure what they were doing. Men and boys were gathered around fires lit along the roadside, I assume it must be chilly enough to warrant them in the morning, or they were starting something that I don't understand. From my protected perch on the train car it is difficult to really understand what it is like outside, everything passes like a film in front of my eyes. Landscapes are nice but they seem almost surreal and the people, well they are just figures whose lives pass before me in a glimpse. I don't understand them, I don't know what it is like to live like they do. I don't know their hardships, their hopes, their dreams, their aspirations, or if they even have any of these things. Perhaps they are merely trying to survive, but isn't that an aspiration in and of itself? I think so. Are they aware of the vast world which exists outside of their small village? To the contrary, am I really aware of their lives here? I think the answer to both questions is no, not really. We probably both have an idea of the others existence, but beyond that, we are both surviving according to what we know. (1 May 2008)

Al-Haqiqa Al-Dawlia “Fact International”

2008-07-21T10:04:00.000-04:00

Al-Haqiqa Al-Dawlia is a bilingual Arabic-English weekly newspaper published here in Jordan, and possibly in other Middle Eastern countries. Unlike the name suggests, “Fact International” provides few facts to its readers. It reads more like a U.S. tabloid newspaper than a professional piece of somewhat objective journalism. Not only is the content of the newspaper on a whole construed but it projects itself as being “alternative analytical media.” What that is suppose to mean is that it is presenting the perspective of the 'other,' when in reality it is only presenting the perspective of the owner. Today our group had a meeting with the owner and the editor-in-chief for the Arabic portion where the owner described the operation and content of the newspaper as superior to other Arab media such as Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabiya, or Al-Dustoor due to the nature of Al-Haqiqa's funding. He informed us that all of these other Arab media were tied to a financial backing, the government, or someone else and these media sources were not completely free to present information that goes against the beliefs of their supporters. What he failed to realize is that by making this argument he only hurt his own case because he indirectly stated that Al-Haqiqa is not backed by a large group of individuals or financiers but by a select few. That puts the paper in a less favorable light because it shows only the ideas of a select few individuals presented as 'fact'.
The meeting was fascinating. It started out as an explanation for the paper's existence, the goals and aims of the paper, and quickly digressed into rantings of his personal political views that went to the extreme and logically did not fit in with his previous claims. For example, at one point he talked about the importance of freedom of speech and the need to have it, but then talks about how freedom of speech can impose itself on others such as the Danish cartoons and that type of speech should be stopped because it is insulting and inflammatory. I found that interesting because many of his articles are insulting and inflammatory but he doesn't recognize it. He even went so far as to quote chapters from an international agreement, chapters 18, 19, and 20 from what he called the International Agreement on Basic Freedoms and Human Rights. I don't even know if that actually exists but if it does his quoting of it and claim that we must adhere to it also hurt his case. Here he claims that someone cannot publish something that is inflammatory or leads to war or strife or anything like it, but then he calls for the “extermination of the state of Israel,” the “uprooting of its people, nicely,” their “not having a place in the Middle East because they are not Arab and it is obvious from looking at them.” So, what I get from this is he wants the western world to restrict its speech because of how he reads an international agreement, but then he ignores another international body, the United Nations, which recognizes the existence of the state of Israel. The logic doesn't hold up.
By the end of the meeting a number of students had gotten fed up with his rantings, where he called George Bush, “a blood thirsty, blood sucker,” and talked about the U.S. military and U.S. values as only being those of rape, pillage, and murder. I'll admit I was frustrated and angry at his rantings, but I didn't see standing up and walking out as a solution that would get us anywhere. I though surely additional dialog would help to present additional viewpoints, point out where we were coming from in comparison to him, etc. Unfortunately, this proved to be unrealistic. Some people's opinions are so set that you can't get them to change, despite their claim to objectivity and need for dialog. I said a few things trying to explain the perspective we were coming from and others did as well. In fact, some presented some very clear explanation of how he was hurting his own cause by publishing such blatantly false stories and making such inflammatory comments as he did to our group. The problem is he just looks at it and said, “I'm sorry if I offended anyone, but those are my views and I have a right to my views and to express them.” Which, he is correct, he does, but it again only hurts him when he then says others don't have a right to express their views on subjects that offend him. He said a lot of things, some made sense, but once he started ranting on all of the things that he was frustrated with and took exceptions, like Abu Ghraib, and presented them as the mainstream ideas of America that is when he lost any credibility and when he lost the ears of a group of American students who otherwise would have been more understanding because of the nature of our program and our studies. He ostracized a key group of individuals because he failed to adhere to his own statements about the need for frank dialog and understanding between east and west. In the end, it turned out to be a comedy show for some, an insult to others, and a confusing look into how a select group of Middle Easterners think. I'm just glad he is not the majority voice being published and the majority voice being accepted, and I hope that continues to be the case. If those with the extremist views ever have their ideas pitched as the mainstream and implemented the world is going to get far more violent and experience far more suffering than we witness today. I hope and pray that day never comes. We need more moderates, we need more people who are willing to listen, who are willing to try to understand, and who are willing to make compromises on what is acceptable. Where are the moderate voices? Why aren't they the focus of discussion instead of the extremists? Without them, we are in a very bad place.

Jordanian Malls

2008-07-20T13:42:00.000-04:00

Malls in Jordan are one of the most fascinating places. I would never have thought I would say this, but I really enjoying hanging out at the malls in Amman. I have the opportunity of seeing the entire spectrum of Middle Eastern women and men from the westernized Christians who look like any American from any city or town in America or Europe to the stylish Muslims who wear stylish but modest clothing and a hijab to the fully covered traditional galabiya Muslims. The men typically have a more western style but there are the gulf people who come in for the summer dressed in their white robes and headdresses. It is a fabulous opportunity to just sit and watch people, the way they interact, how they act, and how they dress. If I ever take friends to Jordan I want to take them to the mall on a Thursday night, that is the ideal time because it marks the beginning of the weekend and everybody comes to the mall to hang out. What the mall is to high-school students in America it is to everybody here in Amman. I would never have guessed. As a result of this the malls here are huge. The two largest malls, Mecca Mall and City Mall are within walking distance of each other. Sitting in a Jordanian Mall takes “people watching” up to a whole new level of observing inter-personal interactions and relationships on every level.
Another interesting experience I had tonight happened after we all left the mall. Everybody else had just gotten into cabs and I was waiting for one when I realized I didn't have any Jordanian money on me at all. Naturally, I had to go back into the mall to find an ATM and after withdrawing money had to go buy something to break my smallest bill, a twenty, into something cap drivers would handle. I went to the Donuts Factory and after ordering sat down to eat my donut before leaving for the evening. While I was consuming my donut a young lady walked in dressed head to toe in the traditional shirsha and naqaab, which is the long gown and the hijab with a veil over the face. I didn't think much of it because I see hundreds of women every day who are dressed similar. What caught me off guard was her conversation with the donut man behind the counter. At first I wasn't sure I heard correctly because it was pretty loud but it sounded as if she was talking to him in English. Since I was at the mall it isn't too uncommon for the workers and the customers to speak English, it is a status symbol being able to spend money there on westernized items and do so in English. However, as I listened closer I realized that not only was she speaking English to him, she was speaking English with a very western accent. It was not expected, in some ways I feel like the Arabs who are surprised when I address them in Arabic. I've thought about why this young girl who is dressed the way she is would be speaking Western English instead of Arabic and I can't come to any certain conclusions. It is possible that she was raised in the West and is just here temporarily but that doesn't explain why she isn't speaking Arabic, unless she doesn't actually speak Arabic, then that raises a whole new series of questions about who she is here with, why she is here, and why is she not with someone who speaks the language, and why is she dressed this way? If only there was a girl there with me who could have approached her to ask those types of questions. I would have been very interested in knowing the answers because everything I come up with is purely speculation and I don't have nearly the background nor the expertise to really come to any conclusive answers.

Petra - A World Wonder

2008-07-20T13:38:00.000-04:00

This last weekend I spent two days in Petra, one of the 7 wonders of the world (the list of New 7 Wonders). The selection of Petra as one of the wonders is well deserved. The place is beautiful. Petra consists of a series of desert canyons, valleys, and mountains that once contained the ancient Nabatean civilization. As far as canyons, valleys, and desert mountains go, Petra isn't very different from many parts of Southern Utah or Northern Arizona, that is until you take in all of the buildings, temples, houses, tombs, and the ancient water collecting and distribution systems and realize everything is carved into and out of rock. The tombs and houses are not just practical in their designs but they are intricately carved, especially the Treasury and the Monastery. These people took pride in their work and wanted to make their city beautiful and because everything is made from rock all of the structures remain. I was amazed by the size of many of the rooms, the heights of the external facade, and the realization that all of this was done without power-tools, without cranes, without modern advances and yet these people not only survived in the desert, but they thrived in the desert in physical sustenance, trade, and culture. I am still blown away by the beauty of the place. I climbed up many rocks and tombs to examine the simplicity and the complexity of the various buildings that remain. I still sit in amazement as I think of what I saw and observed here. It is incredible.
During the first day I managed to spend time in all 4 corners of Petra, as shown in the guidebooks, and spent most of that time outside of the major tourist attractions. I like seeing the main attractions but I love getting out and seeing what else exists outside of the center. We found beautiful caves and houses, Bedouin who still utilize the Nabatean buildings in their lives, vast landscapes, steep ravines, goat herds, and the preciousness of water and how plants thrive in the desert with even the slightest source. Initially we wanted to get up to the Monastery before the crowds, since we arrived at 6:30 am. Unfortunately, we took a wrong turn and ended up hiking up a trail that is typically not visited by tourists. We stayed along the trail and found ourselves above a wadi with a small stream running through it that enables a small jungle to grow about 30 feet on either side of it. We assumed we were in a different wadi than we were and so as a result we decided to climb a gulch to the saddle of the surrounding mountain in hopes of coming up behind the Monastery. After a somewhat treacherous climb we reached the peak and realized that we weren't where we thought we would be, but also saw before us more Nabatean houses, and a Bedouin camp. We made our way down to the camp and as soon as our presence was known we were flocked by 4 Bedouin children all shouting in their accented English, “Where you go? Where you go?” The children and their parents were very surprised to find 6 American tourists come out of that part of the mountain rather than from the main trail and were even more surprised when we spoke to them in Arabic. The man was very good at English and used his short time with us to practice and helped us discover where we were and which directions would take us back towards the Monastery. By this point we realized there was no way we were going to beat all of the tourists so we started to explore the surrounding hills and found some amazing sandstone coloring near the Nabatean buildings. What amazed me most was the fact that I could, from the top of one of the buildings on a small hill, look in every direction and see Nabatean buildings carved out of the rocks as far as I could see in all directions. Every cliff wall and every valley had signs of carvings, of houses, and of the ancient (and sometimes modern) signs of its inhabitants.
In the end I could spend another two or three days in Petra exploring. There is so much to see and although much of it is similar, it is fascinating to explore the ruins, to walk through slot canyons, to climb ancient stair cases carved directly out of the rock, to search through the thousands of shards of pottery, and to hope to come across ancient Roman coins. The experience is not one to be missed if traveling through Jordan and I left wishing I had more time so that I didn't have to try to do it all in two days. Our first day I was in the park walking for 13 hours, with a couple hours of break for lunch. By the end of the evening I was exhausted, thirsty, sunburned, but satisfied by my experiences. Day two resulted in less climbing and more enjoyment of the scenery and although i didn't do everything I wanted it left me with something to look forward to the next time I'm passing through Petra.

Meggido & Armageddon

2008-07-01T15:20:00.000-04:00

I just visited the ancient site of Meggido which was historically a dominating force in the region because of its oversight of major trade routes. Today it is a ruinous site that overlooks a fertile agricultural valley. I took the time to sit back under a palm tree and look over the valley and contemplate the religious significance of that site. Traditionally Megiddo and the surrounding valleys are the site of the final battle of Armageddon. As I looked over the valley it occurred to me that most likely there will not be a final military battle in that valley with tens of thousands of troops from multiple armies which will determine the course of history. I realized a few things, battles fought today are not like battles fought historically. Today we use precision bombing and artillery as the primary means with soldiers as the final force. I don't know exactly what the scriptures say concerning Armageddon and Megiddo, I want to go study it now, but I believe that the final battle will probably be more ideological rather than physical. Megiddo was historically important because it was beside the major trade routes from Egypt into Central Asia and Eastern Europe. It was important because it controlled economies and trade. The prophecies very well could be a representation of the idea of what Meggido stood for rather than where it stood. Just a thought.

Thoughts of Jerusalem

2008-07-01T15:18:00.000-04:00

I really enjoy Jerusalem. My favorite part has been sitting on the roof of the hotel at nights and being able to see the northern wall of Old Jerusalem and to see the Dome of the Rock glimmering in the background. It is such a beautiful skyline to look at and I find myself perfectly content to sit up here for hours on end. Usually I am exhausted because of everything we do all day, because of all the tours and all the walking, but despite this I still stay up later than I should just to enjoy the nights. I know I will only have a few of these and I want to really take in the city and enjoy the beauty while it is here and while I am here.
Right now I am sitting on the roof listening to the call to prayer ring out across the old city. It is so beautiful. I love sitting here and just taking it all in. I am going to miss hearing the call to prayer in general and I will certainly miss this place in particular. Down below me I can see a line of men who were playing soccer but are now lined up to pray. It is a humbling site to see a group of people stop an activity to pay their religious respect to God. Jerusalem is an amazing place and I have a better understanding of its history and its geopolitical/religious politics now than I did previously and it has changed some of my views and some of my rantings about it.

Arab World vs. the Western World a battle of driving skills

2008-07-01T15:15:00.000-04:00

I've noticed a big difference in how people approach driving in both Cairo and Amman compared with how it is approached in the states. People always talk about how crazy it is to drive in foreign countries. Especially large metropolitan areas within those countries like Cairo. Through my experience in the various taxis, buses, and the occasional private vehicle I've been in I've realized the biggest difference isn't the style of driving but the approach to driving. In the west, particularly in the states we look at driving like we look at other aspects of life. We ask questions about it, about those who are doing it, about what is happening. We like to know the answer to the why questions. Things like: why is that driving cutting me off, or why are they merging without signaling? We get emotionally involved in our driving and quickly get upset when someone does something we don't understand. It also has to do with our rule-sets and the fact that we are such a rule governing people. You have your lane you drive in and nobody else is to come into it where you are. These two aspects differ greatly from driving in the both Egypt and Jordan. Theirs seems to be a reactionary society. They don't care so much about why someone is doing it, only that it doesn't directly involve them, which means an accident. People will drive in the middle of a lane, across two lanes, or switch between the two (without signaling) and few drivers will blink an eye. Sure a horn or two or three will be blown but mostly it is another means of conveying information. “Hey, I'm here,” or, “coming up your left side.” The horn is constantly being utilized and with good reason and in good form. In many ways a reactionary way of driving is better only because it makes you more aware of what is going on around you, since you have to know because you don't know what to expect. In the states we become complacent because we count on our rule-sets to keep us safe and when others break those rules we then get upset attempting to figure out why. The best thing for us to do is to practice what we call “defensive driving,” which is merely reactionary driving that involves paying attention to the road around us. Wow, what a concept.
On another driving note. I saw my first accident today. It was in a tunnel. The roads were somewhat slick, just because that is how they are here and somehow, a girl manage to turn her car on its side in the middle of the tunnel. We heard the crash and managed to stop before hitting the 4 other cars in front of us only to see the car head rocking back and forth slightly. The next thing that occurred was an amazing sight for me. Dozens of men jumped out of their car and ran up to help, partly to make sure everybody was alright and also to help clear a path so that traffic wouldn't be completely impeded. They put the car back on its wheels and made sure it was only in one lane of traffic instead blocking both, that way the rest of the cars could continue on their way. It was fascinating to see it all happen so quickly because in the states not only would nobody touch anything many people wouldn't even get involved to help, they would just sit in their cars and wait until the police showed up to clear things up, meanwhile getting frustrated by the fact that they are stuck in traffic. Perhaps we should learn a few things about efficiency, and worry less about lawsuits.

The Cairainian Zoo

2008-06-15T10:45:00.000-04:00

This is unlike any zoo I've ever been to for a number of reasons, first I was never sure what the show was ourselves or the animals, and second I know of no other place where you can bribe the zoo keepers to take you into the back to pet and take pictures holding the animals (I have a picture with a 7 month old Lion to prove it). There was a group of 8 of us who all went to the zoo. It was fascinating watching how certain girls in our group attracted attention from the Arab patrons there, mostly it was little kids and a few adults, but it was such a great 'people watching' experience. Some of the Arab women would take their youngest children and stick them in the girls arms, for some type of approval or something, and they would all smile and laugh and talk in mixed Arabic and English. Meanwhile, all the other children are crowding around, laughing, running around each other and asking that we take their picture, at which point they demand to see it and then shout for joy and run off happily, that is they finally ran off after we told them no more pictures, which was usually and the 5th or 6th one. It was a lot of fun for me, but mostly because I got to watch these interactions between our group and those we met.

There is another aspect of the zoo which isn't so positive. Because the zoo “allows” you to get very close to the animals, to feed them, to touch them, to take pictures with them (discreetly), it is actually not a very good place for the animals. I don't think they are treated very well at all. One elephant I saw was standing next to the keeper and all of the people were feeding him lettuce leaves. Initially I thought nothing of it until I realized that he was chained there in such a way that even if he wanted to back away he was unable to do so. I'm sure the lion that we got to pet and take pictures with was either abused into submission so that it was use to that type of treatment or it was drugged. All I know is it was a mixed experience for me as far as the animals go because of my new experiences, but these were at the expense of many of the animals.

Umm Qais & Border Guards

2008-06-10T13:20:00.000-04:00

Umm Qais is located in the far north of Jordan near the city Irbid and right near the border between Israel, Jordan, and Syria; specifically, next to the Golan Heights. It is an ancient Roman city and contains the remains of Roman Theaters and the old Road to Tiberias, an ancient stone road that ran for thousands of kilometers. The ruins also contained an old Ottoman village that aren't as old but still have some fascinating aspects to them. What I liked about Umm Qais the most was many parts of it are don't attract a lot of visitors, only the main sites, so we were able to walk among the old Ottoman village amidst dozens of weeds and growth which made it seem more ancient and more obscure. Plus there is always the added factor that there weren't many people around, tourists or workers so we were able to go all over the place, climbing things when we wanted to, walking through houses, standing and overlooking the Golan and climbing through the old Roman Theaters.
At one point we walked over to the edge of Umm Qais to get a better look at the valley and we saw a couple of Jordanian soldiers camped out near the edge of the hill with their weapons, binoculars, and a military field phone. We walked up and started talking to them and they were really friendly, mostly I think they were surprised by how much Arabic we knew and how much we could talk and understand. Unfortunately it wasn't as much as I would have liked. We talked about a number of different subjects but when one of the soldiers just went off about relationships and marriage I got lost despite the fact that we have spent almost all of the last two weeks in my Jordanian Amiya Culture class talking about marriage. I managed to keep abreast of the conversation enough to grasp the general ideas, or at least what I thought they were but my ability to really understand is severely limited. I know that it is better now than where it was a month ago, and certainly better than where it was a year ago, but some days it doesn't feel like I am really picking up the language even though I know it is just slow process that takes time and consistency. I asked the soldiers a couple of questions about what they were doing there and what they were looking for but if they answered the question I didn't understand it so I might as well not have asked, but then again at least I tried and was able to hear more Arabic.

Wadi Mukheiris

2008-06-10T13:15:00.000-04:00

Today we spent about 7 hours under the sun hiking Wadi Mukheiris. From the information I had from a guidebook I thought it was suppose to be like Wadi Mujib with wide streams and a number of waterfalls but it looks like they have been pumping a lot of water out for use by the hotels down near the Dead Sea. There was only a small stream for most of the way up but after about 2 hours we did manage to climb far enough up the river to find a large 20 meter waterfall streaming down. The valley we were hiking through was gorgeous in its own way. It isn't beautiful like you think of a Caribbean beach or the Swiss Alps but it has its own amazing beauty that I love. After spending 30 minutes at the waterfall we were able to backtrack and find a goat path that led up the mountain and around the falls. After another hour of hiking we found some stalactites and another small falls that were simply picturesque. By the end I was exhausted from the hike but also from the 7 hours spent under the sun. It was a lot of fun but tiring. Half of our adventures each week are getting to and from our destination. The ride there was pretty simple we all showed up at the bus stop and I was able to talk a driver into taking us directly there for 3 JD each, which was a little more expensive than if we had just done the various buses but it got us there quickly so we could start hiking. For the ride back we stood on the side of the road waiting for someone to stop, which didn't take long, about 10 minutes, and we were off toward a city with buses that run back to Amman. The total trip back to the Amman bus station was only 1.75 per person, so all in all it was a great day and another great adventure in Jordan.

Wadi Mujib

2008-06-09T01:18:00.000-04:00

Wadi Mujib is a wildlife preservation that consists of canyon lands and rivers. Yesterday I hiked one trail within the Wadi that was incredible. The entire trail consists of hiking up a slot canyon with a river running out of it. Where the trail starts the river is wide and shallow with canyons rising on both sides. As you proceed upriver the canyon narrows into a slot canyon that tower above. Most of the trail is in the shade with the sun breaking through in narrow moments piercing small portions of the river. At various points the water increases in depth up to 4-5 feet and you have to climb over a series of waterfalls until you reach the end of the trail where a 50 foot waterfall is cascading in a sunlit pool. I was able to climb behind the waterfall and dive through it being pushed along with the current. It was incredible to feel the power of the water coming down. The central point where the fall hits is powerful enough that you can't stand directly under it. Those who attempted to walk through were knocked off their feet and pushed out by the rushing water. I enjoyed diving through and letting all of the water continue to push me along the canyon wall downstream a dozen feet. On the way down the group lined up to jump off the falls and slide down the natural rock slides into various pools. We discovered that we could jump in certain areas where the water was deep enough. The deepest we found was only 6 feet deep, but sufficient for the heights from which we were jumping.
At the biggest of the small falls there are two natural slides and a place where you can jump into the pool below the fall. I started a trend I probably shouldn't have by jumping over the rushing water taking a step or two on the opposing wall and pushing off again landing right in the middle of the pool. After that there were others who did it as well. The problem with how we did it is there were some people who weren't as confident in the jump or in their abilities, also there were those who didn't have good shoes and when they tried it they slipped on the wet rock and came off wrong. Luckily they all made it to the pool below, but there were some close calls where people almost hit there heads on rocks as they slipped on the rock when they jumped and almost miss the landing all together. In the end, Mujib was a paradise in the desert which left me feeling tired, but refreshed after our adventure.

Taxi Drivers and Undercover Cops

2008-06-07T15:44:00.000-04:00

Taxi drivers in Jordan are suppose to abide by the law, most of the time they, do but there are other times they try to take advantage of foreigners. All regular taxis are suppose to have a working meter to be legal. At night you sometimes get drivers who want to charge you ridiculous amounts of money to take you places and they claim their meter isn't working or that it is broken. Both of those things are illegal but most of the time you can't do much or they don't think you can. Last night Joey, Brieanne, and I were coming back from Umm Qais and tried to catch a cab from the bus station to Shmeisani, which is an area close by and should have coast about a dinar. As I got in I asked him to reset the meter and he promptly told me no that it would cost us 4 JD if we wanted to go. I looked at him and told him that he was crazy, got out, and started walking away. At that moment I wished my Arabic was good enough that I could let into the driver about how he was trying to rip me off because I am American and how I know that what he was trying to do was illegal. Unfortunately, I'm not quite at that point so I just walked off to find another taxi. I made it about 20 feet from the taxi when someone shouted at me and I turned around to see a guy walking directly towards us. I stopped to see what he had to say, because Arabs have an amazing ability to observe interactions and then step in to help, or at least to offer their services at a reduced price. The guy that came up to me was dressed like any other Jordanian youth and looked about 20 but as he asked me what happened he pulled out a police badge to show me. I was quite excited since I was just hoping for some justice and couldn't get it from yelling at him in Arabic. I told the cop what happened, how the driver wanted 4 JD for Shmeisani and claimed his meter didn't work. The cop made him get out of the car and then proceeded to write up the ticket on the spot. It was a little tense because the driver started to argue it, but the cop again turned to us and asked us what happened and I told him again and Joey and Brieanne backed me up and that was it, our word was final and the driver got a ticket. Another cop then flagged a taxi down for us and we were on our way. Sometimes justice does occur, even if only for a moment. About 30 minutes later I was taking another cap and the driver tried to rip me off again....if only there was always an observant undercover cop around to fight the flagrant violations of late night taxi drivers.

Citizens Lives – Everyday Interactions

2008-06-02T16:38:00.000-04:00

My favorite part of being in Cairo has been interacting with the locals and watching them interact with each other. It is so fascinating to see how people live, how they talk to each other, their verbal and non-verbal languages, the social and cultural courtesies and everything else the results from human interaction. Some of my favorite experiences are the ones that are least desirable, but they are part of life and I liked see each in its environment.
Orphan Boy: The first I saw while in the Khan al-Khalili the other night around 9 o'clock. I was walking up the stairs of an overpass that crossed a very busy 4 lane road where traffic actually sped by. Along the overpass were a number of street vendors selling their various scarves, clothing, and tourist trinkets. As I walked by I noticed a young boy probably only 8 or 9 scamper by as he looked back. About that same time one of the vendors reached out and grabbed him by the shirt and started yelling at him. The boy looked at him and in a very defiant voice, that comes from having to experience more of life's realities and cruelties than one should at that age, told the man off. The man continued shouting at him and then backhanded the boy. I was surprised by it all because I had yet to see anybody get physically violent. I know it happens but most of the arguments I have seen were restricted to a lot of yelling and cursing but very little physical interaction. It must have hurt bad, I thought so based on the boys age, the mans age, the sound it made when he was hit, and the immediate change in the boys tone. It went from the overly confident, adamantly defiant tone of a teenager to that of a helpless child. He whimpered and spoke some more and by this time I was out of earshot and had started down the other side. It had barely reached the bottom of the other side of the overpass when I noticed the boy run past in a hurry to get far away from the situation. I don't know exactly what happened but from what I observed and the little I understood I think the boy attempted to steal from the vendor but was caught. Because he hadn't actually stolen anything the boy didn't think there was a problem, so he responded defiantly and the vendor decided to punish him for his attempt both physically and verbally. Imagining the things I went through as a kid when I got into trouble I can't really image how that boy must have felt except scared and wanting to get as far away from that place as possible and hopefully to a place much safer. Sadly enough I don't know if the boy even has a safe place to go. Perhaps he might have a physical place where he can be safe, perhaps not, but either way if he doesn't have the ability to secure the necessities of life then no place is secure for long, and no physical shelter is enough when there isn't food or water available. It is amazing how the importance to which you place on something drastically changes when your circumstances change, or when your perspective changes.

A new beginning....

2008-06-02T16:31:00.000-04:00

I've decided to graduate my thoughts and adventure writings from the world of Facebook notes and photo albums to a personal blog. I don't know if this will mean more or fewer people read what I have to say, but it seems like a more appropriate outlet. So this is my new beginning.