WOW~
Do the days go by quickly here! I can't believe a full week has passed since I last updated! SO much has happened!
Last thursday, as I mentioned we would in my last post, our group took a day trip down to the Dead Sea! But this wasn't just any day trip-it was funded and payed in full by His majesty the King Abdullah Fund for research and developement! THAT means that we got to take a VERY nice coach bus all the way down there. Then upon arrival we got a private tour of the King Abdullah convention center, including an endles supply of ice-cold, fresh glsses of apple juice! :)
After the tour, we took a short drive up to the Dead Sea mueseum and panoramic view point! It was BEAUTIFUL. Then, we got to spend the day at probably the NICEST resort I've ever been to, the Mariott Dead Sea Spa and Resort! We got to spend the day lounging by one of the mariott's four pools! And it even had a water slide! Then we got lunch at one fo the restaurants in the hotel, and after lunch we all headed down to the beach! The dead sea was awesome! Seriously, you really just FLOAT. NO effort! It was soooo weird! And the water was sooooooooo salty! It stings in the most random places! And it burns if you get it in your mouth, nose, etc.....but swimming takes no effort at all! And we all got to take advantage of using some of the world-famous dead sea mud! We all spread it all over ourselves, let it dry, then go in the sea to rinse it off-it left our skin feeling SO SMOOTH! It was amazingly relaxing, and it was cool knowing that we were at the absolute LOWEST point on Earth!
After spending some time at the beach, we were back up at the pools for a while, and even had time to enjoy a strawberry daiquiri or pina colada or two from the resort's beachside cafe! It was an amzing day-definitly one of my favorites so far!
But the Dead Sea trip is competeing for my favorite day with the events that followed the very next day!
So there is this international pop star-his name is MIKA, you may have heard of him, in most cases, probably not. But I guarantee you that someone you know knows at least one of his songs. So anyway, he's got this world tour going on, and one of the stops just HAPPENED to be in Jordan, we've known this all summer. We've also known that Ethan (crazy program director guy again) has been telling us all that going to the concert is an ABSOLUTE no no. Like, he forbids it. It would be too much of a hssle becasue we're all staying with host families and the concert was at the dead sea, which is a good two hour drive from Amman and yadda-yadda-yadda....sooooo
On the way back form the dead sea on Thursday, he announced that we would ALL BE GOING TO SEE MIKA! To thnderous applause and a few too many over-excited teenage girl screams! We were all so excited!!
So friday afternoon we all got ready, and becasue some people from our group opted not to go-we had extra tickets, that meant my host sister got to come with! As did three or four other host siblings! SO not only did we get to hang out with everyone form the group, but also some Jordanian high school students, AND we got to see MIKA live at the convention center we had toured the previous day-and it was all FREE. Well, it wasn't free, but the cost was all covered.....
And it was the best concert I've ever been to! Mika tried to speak a few lines in Arabic! It was so funny! And the energy in that room was just amazing! I'm so thankful for every bit of t his trip, buit with each day comes a new realization, a new form of amazement at all the opportunities this summer is giving me. For both the stay at the resort on the dead sea and the concert, we didn't have to pay a penny. That is amazing. I can't believe all the things I'm getting to do and experience! I feel so lucky!
And then Saturday we had breakfast with Jordanian hs students who have been foriegn exchange students in the US, including my host sister, who was in the US two years ago as an exchange student. That was so fun! I met so many people! And we talked about the differences between the US and Jordan, and what we each missed most about home countries and EVERYTHING else! I met a bunch of students who had stayed in WI! Whoot-whoot! hehe, but anyway, then after that we all went to the Mall, did some shopping, then my host sister and I caught a movie at the mall cinema! That was an experience in itself..it was werid to have assigned seating at a movie theatre, and have someone take you to your seats and all.....but anyway
The rest of the last couple days has FLOWN by-especialyl because I didn't got to class yesterday becasue I wasn't feeling well, so I stayed home and got some rest. But I can't BELIEVE that tonight is my last night with my host family!!! Whatever will I do???? I leave them tomorrow mowrning bright and early and I am SO dreading packing all my things and moving out I can't even explain. I have a feeling I won't be sleeping much tonight. :/
But this weekend should be a fun one...Tomorrow we're headed to Um Qais for some hiking with Jordainian Students, Friday we're going down to the Baptism sight of Jesus on the Jordan River and Madaba, and then saturday we go down south for three days! I'm so excited to visit Petra (the world's newest wonder!) and and Aquaba! and Wadi Rum! I can 't wait! I can't wait!
Tell you all about it soon!
<3
Do the days go by quickly here! I can't believe a full week has passed since I last updated! SO much has happened!
Last thursday, as I mentioned we would in my last post, our group took a day trip down to the Dead Sea! But this wasn't just any day trip-it was funded and payed in full by His majesty the King Abdullah Fund for research and developement! THAT means that we got to take a VERY nice coach bus all the way down there. Then upon arrival we got a private tour of the King Abdullah convention center, including an endles supply of ice-cold, fresh glsses of apple juice! :)
After the tour, we took a short drive up to the Dead Sea mueseum and panoramic view point! It was BEAUTIFUL. Then, we got to spend the day at probably the NICEST resort I've ever been to, the Mariott Dead Sea Spa and Resort! We got to spend the day lounging by one of the mariott's four pools! And it even had a water slide! Then we got lunch at one fo the restaurants in the hotel, and after lunch we all headed down to the beach! The dead sea was awesome! Seriously, you really just FLOAT. NO effort! It was soooo weird! And the water was sooooooooo salty! It stings in the most random places! And it burns if you get it in your mouth, nose, etc.....but swimming takes no effort at all! And we all got to take advantage of using some of the world-famous dead sea mud! We all spread it all over ourselves, let it dry, then go in the sea to rinse it off-it left our skin feeling SO SMOOTH! It was amazingly relaxing, and it was cool knowing that we were at the absolute LOWEST point on Earth!
After spending some time at the beach, we were back up at the pools for a while, and even had time to enjoy a strawberry daiquiri or pina colada or two from the resort's beachside cafe! It was an amzing day-definitly one of my favorites so far!
But the Dead Sea trip is competeing for my favorite day with the events that followed the very next day!
So there is this international pop star-his name is MIKA, you may have heard of him, in most cases, probably not. But I guarantee you that someone you know knows at least one of his songs. So anyway, he's got this world tour going on, and one of the stops just HAPPENED to be in Jordan, we've known this all summer. We've also known that Ethan (crazy program director guy again) has been telling us all that going to the concert is an ABSOLUTE no no. Like, he forbids it. It would be too much of a hssle becasue we're all staying with host families and the concert was at the dead sea, which is a good two hour drive from Amman and yadda-yadda-yadda....sooooo
On the way back form the dead sea on Thursday, he announced that we would ALL BE GOING TO SEE MIKA! To thnderous applause and a few too many over-excited teenage girl screams! We were all so excited!!
So friday afternoon we all got ready, and becasue some people from our group opted not to go-we had extra tickets, that meant my host sister got to come with! As did three or four other host siblings! SO not only did we get to hang out with everyone form the group, but also some Jordanian high school students, AND we got to see MIKA live at the convention center we had toured the previous day-and it was all FREE. Well, it wasn't free, but the cost was all covered.....
And it was the best concert I've ever been to! Mika tried to speak a few lines in Arabic! It was so funny! And the energy in that room was just amazing! I'm so thankful for every bit of t his trip, buit with each day comes a new realization, a new form of amazement at all the opportunities this summer is giving me. For both the stay at the resort on the dead sea and the concert, we didn't have to pay a penny. That is amazing. I can't believe all the things I'm getting to do and experience! I feel so lucky!
And then Saturday we had breakfast with Jordanian hs students who have been foriegn exchange students in the US, including my host sister, who was in the US two years ago as an exchange student. That was so fun! I met so many people! And we talked about the differences between the US and Jordan, and what we each missed most about home countries and EVERYTHING else! I met a bunch of students who had stayed in WI! Whoot-whoot! hehe, but anyway, then after that we all went to the Mall, did some shopping, then my host sister and I caught a movie at the mall cinema! That was an experience in itself..it was werid to have assigned seating at a movie theatre, and have someone take you to your seats and all.....but anyway
The rest of the last couple days has FLOWN by-especialyl because I didn't got to class yesterday becasue I wasn't feeling well, so I stayed home and got some rest. But I can't BELIEVE that tonight is my last night with my host family!!! Whatever will I do???? I leave them tomorrow mowrning bright and early and I am SO dreading packing all my things and moving out I can't even explain. I have a feeling I won't be sleeping much tonight. :/
But this weekend should be a fun one...Tomorrow we're headed to Um Qais for some hiking with Jordainian Students, Friday we're going down to the Baptism sight of Jesus on the Jordan River and Madaba, and then saturday we go down south for three days! I'm so excited to visit Petra (the world's newest wonder!) and and Aquaba! and Wadi Rum! I can 't wait! I can't wait!
Tell you all about it soon!
<3
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