A Day in the Desert

I spent the whole day at Wadi Rum. Exploring the desert gave me some time to reflect on my travels over the last four weeks. I’ll be flying home in about 48 hours. Egypt, Israel, and Jordan have each given me a lot to think about. My intent was to learn more about how the media engages the people in each of these countries.  What sources of information do they trust and rely on?  What news is important to them?  I’m now trying to make some sense of what I’ve learned. But, sometimes finding answers to such questions is like chasing a mirage.  You can see it but it seems impossible to reach. I’ll have more time on my flight home to search for a conclusion. In the meantime, here’s a video of my day in the desert. 

Petra

Petra is the most famous site in Jordan. It became  a UNESCO site in 1985 and was named on of the Seven Wonders of the World in 2007. 

Though the area has been inhabited for several thousand years, Petra was established as a trading hub around 300 BC.

It’s the Treasury that most people are familiar with but, it is actually a large complex of tombs, temples, and market place. I spent eight hours exploring and there was still parts I hadn’t seen. 

Two Churches and a Castle

This was a full day. 

I first visited the St George Church with a mosaic floor that maps out the Middle East. It was also fun exploring the church.

From there it was on to the church on Mt. Nero.

After two churches, I think it’s time to explore the Karak Castle.

 

Jerash

I left Amman early the next day to visit Jerash, a fascinating site and one of the largest and most well-preserved Roman ruins outside Italy.  I wandered amid its paved and colonnaded streets, soaring hilltop temples, handsome theaters, spacious public squares, and plazas, baths, fountains, and city walls pierced by towers and gates.

Welcome to Jordan

Well, Israel was a little tough without my luggage. I now have a new backpack and some new clothing as I am checked in to the hotel in Amman. Things are looking up after a great dinner. 

Not Done Yet

I just boarded my flight to Amman Jordan but, I haven’t yet finished with Israel. As I said before, Israel is complicated. A complicated history, complicated religions, and complicated politics. I’ve also found myself questioning my own bias as I try to interpret what I’ve seen. For the moment I only have a word of caution. I have American friends who have strong opinions about the state of Israel. I even have considered myself fairly well informed. But, having now been here for a week, I realize my understanding has been very superficial. So, my advice to any American is to be as informed as you can but, don’t expect to be an overnight expert. This place is, indeed, very complicated with a very long and complicated history.  In the meantime, I want to share a video made by a friend of my travel friend, Esther.  It’s a satirical account of Israel’s long, tragic history. 

So, though I’m not done with Israel yet, I will now move on to Jordan with more to come about Israel. 

Still Processing

I will need a bit more time to process everything I’ve seen here in Israel and Palestine. In the meantime, I will let the images I’ve captured speak for themselves. 

Something Feels a Little Different

As I’ve roamed through the various historical sites and observed the visitors and the manner in which these sites are presented, I’m feeling something a little different here in Israel. So, now I’m trying to figure out if this is has more to do with my personal perspective or there is, indeed, something different. As I spend more time in the west bank, it will be interesting to see if I continue to sense this shifting undercurrent. I realize what I’m saying is a bit vague but I’m still trying to get a handle on it. 

A Complicated Place

The more I learn, the more I discover what I don’t know or understand. This is what I’m seeing in Israel. 

Ben and Jerry’s is a good example

This is a complicated place. No matter what side of any of these issues you might take, most Americans have a very simplified, watered down scenario of Israel.  I just moved into area A of the Palestinian territory where I suspect I will discover even more I don’t know. 

A Walk in Akko

The Ottoman tried to destroy the previous Crusader city buy burying it and building their own on top of it. archeologists have begun to uncover the Crusaders city but it’s difficult to restore it without destroying the Ottoman city. 

Afternoon in Jaffa

I took a stroll around Jaffa this afternoon. I’ve already discovered a lot a Israel. My previous impressions were understandably simplified. I’m sure I will be seeing a lot more and many of my previous notions and understanding of this part of the world will expand and maybe even change in some cases. In a few more days I will write my reflections of Israel. In the meantime, I’m sad to say as my second day here comes to an end, I’m still been reunited with my lost luggage. 

Morning in Tel Aviv

Things Don’t Always Go Smoothly On An Adventure

Well, I’ve arrived in Tel Aviv but, unfortunately my luggage did not. When things like this happen, you just have to make the best of it.  So, let’s have some fun with it.  Who can guess when or if I will see my backpack again?  I’m hoping they will locate it and get it to me before I leave Tel Aviv tomorrow morning. It’s now, 10:41am on July 3rd. The person who guesses the closest time and date will win house points. 

Funding

As I move on to the second of three parts of this journey, I once again want to thank Fund for Teachers for their $5000 grant to fund the Egypt and Jordan portions of my summer research project. I also want to thank Friends of BOMLA for a $2100 grant to fund the Israel portion. Their support and my research should give us lots of great content for some fabulous projects in the coming school year. In the meantime, keep following my blog. To earn 100 house points reply to this post and tell me what was your favorite part of my time in Egypt and why it was your favorite. 

Reflecting on Egypt

As I sit here in the Cairo airport waiting for my flight to Tel Aviv, these are my main takeaways from this experience. 

There were some surprises. 

As a tourist, I was surprised as the Great Pyramids, Valley of the Kings, and other sites exceeded my expectations. Though I had studied about them in my art history courses and seen lots of pictures, I never realized the scope of these human accomplishments done thousands of years ago. It’s easy to see why some have suggested that they were, in fact, not human endeavors. 

As an American, I was a bit surprised by the government presence. In most cases, when I went on one of the organized tours, we were accompanied by a government escort.  Joining me on these tours were travelers from all around the world including; Australia, South Africa, Singapore, Canada and even some other Americans. We were told the government escort was there for our protection. 

As a scholar observing media influence, I was surprised by how indifferent most seemed to be regarding global issues. They were, of course, aware of what is happening in Ukraine but, didn’t see it as black and white as most Americans. This is understandable considering Egypt is much more dependent on their relationship with Russia.  But, their perception of the media is not much different from many Americans. In general, they seem to be highly skeptical of most forms of media. That being said, I think they might understandably trust Al Jazeera more than news from the New York Times.

As a global citizen, I will remember my taxi driver who took me to the airport.  His phone rang shortly after leaving my hotel.  He was using his speaker phone so I could hear his conversation.  I could hear the voices of a women and a very young boy.  It seemed as thought he was speaking to his daughter and grandson. Though they were speaking in Arabic, I could easily understand the tone in his voice as it changed when speaking to his grandson.  It was an unmistakable tone of affection; the tone of a grandfather speaking to his cherished grandson.  This tone needs no English interpretation.  

This has been a great experience. All the people I have met were very welcoming. The dollar was strong and it was easy to navigate most of the places I visited. 

A Bushwhacking Tourist

We’ll, I’ve seen the Great Pyramids, Valley of the Kings, and wondered through the markets. Before I leave Egypt, I want to get off the beaten trail and see parts of this place few tourists visit. So, follow along as I go 100 kilometers southwest of Cairo and over 30 million years back in time.

Worker’s Tombs

Valley of the Kings

It’s time to explore the Valley of the Kings; including the famous King “Tut”, Tutankhamen.  Checkout this video. 

 

The Whispers

As you should know, my research project includes observing how those in various parts of the Middle East receive and interpret news. I walked through a maze of passageways in a Nubian village on my way for dinner.  Sitting on a corner we’re two women. They were the village “whisperers”.  They were the ones who kept track of all the news. This is where one would go to get all the important information for the day. I suppose that was like their village Facebook group. 

The next morning I took another walk through the Aswan market. 

 

Philae Temple

Today I took a short boat ride to visit the Philae Temple. It’s located on a reservoir between the two Aswan dams. Many of the relief sculptures have been chiseled out by Christian’s but others were saved when they found it difficult to chisel the stone and simply covered it with plaster. 

Egyptian Museum in Alexandria

Spotty Wi-Fi and a full itinerary has made it difficult to upload posts. So, I have a lot more content for you which I will try to organize and post before I leave for Tel Aviv. In the meantime, watch this video to join me as I explore the Egyptian Museum in Alexandria.