Blogs from Middle East - page 980

This was on our last day in Jordan, on our way back we explored Shobak and the Little Petra. If only I knew this place was more or less like any other place and worth the miss I wouldn't have made all that effort. It's a very small place and can be finished within 30 mins also there were hardly any tourist so mom was very uncomfortable to hang in here. What I hated most was our driver who was actually going to take us to Wadi Rum and Aqaba got us confused and bought us here instead. If only I would have read Lonely Planet on my last day I would have bargained better. We had an early morning flight at 3 and we still had 24 hours to go. Thanks to Abu Nasir, our ... read more

Three Mosques, Two Markets, and One Boat Cruise: Istanbul in a Nutshell To begin our trek westward we decided to start with Istanbul, gateway to the west (or east depending on which way you’re heading). Located at the natural divide between Europe and Asia, Istanbul straddles the Bosphorus Straight. One side of this huge shipping lane is Europe, the other side is Asia. Istanbul contains many sights that are well worth any traveler’s time. Given the history of Istanbul as the center of the Roman Empire during its later years, the heart of Orthodox Christianity, the sight of one of the largest mosques in the world and its military significance to the Ottomans, it is no surprise that this huge, expansive city has much to offer. Would two days be enough time to even get ... read more

A few weeks ago, shortly after I wrote the post about how I was finally feeling happy and well adjusted here, I dreamt that I was back at work teaching. Usually these kinds of dreams are nightmares, at least they are for me. In one of the recurring ones, I’m standing in the hallway talking with my colleagues between classes when I suddenly realize that I’m completely naked. I desperately want a towel, but there’s nothing close by. This latest dream, however, was different. I felt a palpable sense of relief to be back at work. I was happy to be there. Perhaps I am still adjusting. My only experience in the field of education is in the US, so I have been curious to see how schooling differs here. In some ways, the US and ... read more

Well, finally, after a several month hiatus from blogging, while I was back home in the States, I have returned to Israel and to my blog. Its hard to believe, but I've already been in Israel a month. Part of me feels like I just got here, and part of me feels like I've been here for such a long time already. The last few weeks have been spent settling in, and taking care of lots of beaurocratic stuff for my citizenship. So let me start at the beginning. On October 10 I finally arrived back in Israel. My flight was delayed 2 hours, after we had already boarded the plane, so we were all stuck on the plane an extra couple hours. Luckily, I was so exhausted that I slept through all the waiting and ... read more

His name is Mustafa Aygün but everybody calls him Mevlut Çavus, the nickname of its father. I met him in 1994 when I arrived to Barhal for the first time, in 1997 I stood in its house and since then I go at least once to the year. Onun ismi Mustafa Aygü, ama herkes ona Mevlut Çavus derler, babasinin lakasi. 1994'te tanististik, o anda ilk kez Barhala gittim, 97'de onun evinde kaldim ve ondan itibaren her sene giderim, son seneler Ramazan Bayramda.... read more