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Published: June 28th 2007
ABQ to AMMAN
ReevesMy loyal blog readers and lovely benefactors,
I am now 24 hours away from the beginning of my long journey. With my internal frame backpack stuffed with inconspicuous clothing and a hair dryer (they say that going outside with wet hair in Jordan is inviting sexual relations :o ), I will depart Taos tomorrow morning to catch a noonish flight. So begins my intense ABQ-Chicago-London-Istanbul-Amman trip; over 30 hours of the recirculated airport air. Whoo hoo!
A little background info for those of you reading this with raised eyebrows:
From June 29th to July 23rd I will be traveling minus the family through the Kingdom of Jordan. The trip is what we UWC students call a summer project. There are several of these projects organized for this summer heading to all regions of the world. They are completely student planned; no adult interaction needed! My project will include myself and about 14 other Atlantic College students from all over the world. We have several local Jordanian students doing most of the organization for us as well as a few Palestinians and people from such areas as the UK, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, and of course the US.
Since christmas I have been rallying support to earn money for the project expenses. Our goal was to raise enough money to cover all of the in-country expenses and although we fell a bit short, we still raised more than enough to make the project happen. An enormous THANKS to everyone who donated... I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!
The most common response to my announcement of my three week trip to the Middle East has been a big "WHY?" Laughing inwardly I wonder if I really need a reason to travel to an interesting place with a bunch of friends... but I do have a motive so I answer in a memorized summary: "We'll be spending most of our time completeing volunteer work with Palestinian refugees and Jordanian university students as well as taking a little time to see the touristy spots." "Ah," people say, "Aren't your parents worried about you entering such a conflict-ridden area? I mean you're only 18." "Not really," I respond with a big smile, "They just wish they were coming with me! Plus I'll be with a big group of really good friends, several of whom are locals." "Wow, have fun but be careful, okay?" "Definitely."
The workshops we'll be presenting to the University students consist of topics such as Culture and the Media, Politics, and How to Set up a Community Service Organization such as Amnesty International. The workshop I'll be doing is an Environmental related event. Jordan does not have much in this area so we plan on starting from the very start. Global Warming is a bit too complicated; we'll focus on things like clean water and picking up litter. Should be very interesting!
The details of the trip are a little blurry to me right now but I hope to keep you all updated as it comes. This all depends heavily on how the internet connection is in Jordan and how readily avaliable it is. Hopefully I'll be able to upload pictures as well... we'll have to see. Anyway we should get to visit the Dead Sea, Petra, and Wadi Rum area. I'm anticipating really hot weather although I've been told that many of the buildings that have air conditioning are way too cold so bring a sweater.
Anyway... hope you'll all be thinking of me and sending all those good vibes my way. I wish I could stuff you all into my suitcase; guess this blog will have to do. I've got more packing to get to now. Hope to see you when I get back!
Many hugs and smiles,
Malia
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Yale & Barbara Jones
non-member comment
It's a pleasure...
Malia, it's really a pleasure to know you and your wonderful family and to see your growth. We really appreciate your blog entries. Safe and rewarding travels to you!