See you in 2011!

At midnight it will officially be 2011 and even though I know that I will undoubtedly continue to write ‘2010’ on papers, I am looking forward to the New Year!

Usually about this time one would look back on the year and reflect on what has made them stronger or memories that have made the year unforgettable. Now, I won’t bore you but of course the most unforgettable set of memories this year stem from my study abroad experience in Amman, Jordan. I still cannot believe that it is all over and I can not wait until I make a return trip.

While my holiday in Panama has been beautiful and very hot, temperature wise, it has been a little difficult adjusting so I can only imagine when I return to Virginia.

All in all, however, I doubt that there are enough words in any language to fully describe how incredible this year has been and I am ready for what 2011 brings.

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE and I will be seeing you in 2011,
xoxo

Ashley Marie Phillips

Merry Christmas- Feliz Navidad- ميلاد سعيد عيد الميلاد

After a days worth of flying I am finally in Panama celebrating the holidays!!!

Talk about culture shock… I’m going to be so ready for the US. Panama is my ‘buffer’ phase in the culture shock system (I just made that up so don’t quote me).

Any who, again Merry Christmas. Feliz Navidad. ميلاد سعيد عيد الميلاد !!!!
Enjoy every moment with your family and remember that some of the best presents don’t come neatly wrapped under a tree.

I’m off to make a plate of the yummy goodness that my grandma was up until 6 a.m. preparing. God Bless her.

xoxo
Ashley Marie

btw (‘by the way’) -> Don’t forget to check out the other amazing MU Bloggers! Find out what they are up to! Also, if you want to check up on some of the more frequent and often times random thoughts and blog spurts, check out my tumblr. [amariepink.tumblr.com]

To grandmas house I go

I felt bad for my friends who were experiencing immense amounts of snow so I decided to add pictures of the warm climate in Panama to distract them from the cold.

Grandmas house

Cousins house down the street

Trip into the city... about to rain

Semester Recap

Tomorrow night I will be on a plane. Essentially I will be in the air or an airport for nearly 24 hours.

I woke up this morning to the bright Jordan sun in my face and normally I would roll over and deny the Sun but this time was different. I looked out my window view over the landscape I have become accustomed to knowing that it will be some time before we see each other again.

This has been an amazing expereince for which there are not enough words in english or arabic to describe.

Here’s a brief recap of my wonderful semester abroad:

SEPTEMBER
I arrived in Amman, Jordan September 13 nervous, anxious, and unaware of anything. I didn’t know much about Jordan, the culture, and definitely the language. Some said I was brave some said I was stupid but nevertheless I was in Jordan now, on my own.

Orientation from CIEE persisted for the next few days and on the last day I met my host family. My wonderful host family that embraced me and let me share in their customs and answered all my questions no matter how trivial or political or awkward.

I went to the Dead Sea. I matted myself with Dead Sea Mud, I nearly gagged when some water got in my mouth but the serenity of a place called the Dead Sea was surreal. I saw mountains that seemed to be carved by artisans and the Sky shone extra bright to me.

First things I noticed in Jordan… the TRAFFIC and the driving. Let’s just say your car horn is your best friend, but I grew to love it.

I started classes at the University of Jordan of which over 40,000 students attend… talk about intimidation, but I learned my way around.

I took a 3 hour, YES 3 HOUR, camel hike through Wadi Rum. I denied a marriage proposal from a camel herder. I camped in both Wadi Rum and Petra. I hiked through Petra and nearly thought my legs were going to cave underneath me. I got a serious tan, I doubt I needed, and I rode a donkey!

OCTOBER
I turned 20!!! At first I thought to myself how uneventful my 20th birthday would be since my friends and family weren’t with me… I was so wrong!

I had the best birthday surprises left and right. I spent my birthday weekend in the majestic city of Aqaba that rests on the Red Sea. I stayed overnight in a Bedouin Village where we all slept on the roof under wooden huts and even on hammocks under the night sky. I saw coral out of this world and fish species you read about in textbooks.

Then on my actual birthday I had a party at an Equestrian club (horses and all) *side trivia: the horse detail was added because I was born in the year of the Horse according to the Chinese calendar* complete with an oversize ‘A’ shaped chocolate mousse cake, sparklers, DJ, and fireworks… (pink and green fireworks might I add)

NOVEMBER
My grand adventure to Palestine and unfortunately Israel. This trip was both eye opening and heart wrenching. I stayed in my friends home, listened to family stories and personal accounts. Travelled to Tel Aviv, basked in the sun yet again and took a few dips in the Meditteranean Sea. Later Jerusalem, the Old City, and Ramallah.

Then of course Thanksgiving! Again, I thought it would be lame and again I was wrong. My friends and I had a grand feast much bigger then anything I’ve ever seen. (It was delicious!)

DECEMBER
As the year started to wind down we all become slaves to Final exams but still managed to see each other and meet for ‘argelleh’ at a nearby cafe.

I went on a ‘Bibilical Jordan’ trip that encompassed ‘Madaba, Mt. Nebo, Jesus’ Baptisim site, and the Jordan River’. This was the trip I had been waiting for since I came to Jordan and it did not let me down. I saw things I honostly never thought I would see, at least not in real time, up close and personal.

Taking a photo break while we hike up this mountain to the site John the Baptist was beheaded.

That’s a quick recap. Of course, there is plenty more and trust me there are tons of stories. Common threads include eating, eating, and more eating. One thing I know I will miss is FOOD in Jordan!

Overall, Jordan has been so good to me and I truly hope to come back whenever I can, maybe in the summer insha allah God Willing.

I have made so many friends from all over the world and across the United States.

There is so much I will miss and I would type them all but in your best interest, I won’t, It’ll take too long to read.

Sidenote:
My Contemporary Arab Women Writers professor and Arabic professor will be missed the most!!! They were the absolute best professors I have ever had in my life AND also to point out I’m a bit inarms because I did so well in my classes but the grades will not affect my GPA because only the credits transfer. Figures right? Good grades but they don’t count. Oh well, the experience was priceless and now I speak arabic! (well enough to hold a decent conversation anyway, but I can definitely read and write it!)

Dr. Muna (Arabic professor)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AGAIN
BE BLESSED

And I cannot wait to be back at MU and tell all these stories ten times over so if you see me on campus just come talk to me, I won’t bite I promise. That would be haram in the arabic language. (forbidden, shameful, not good so don’t do it)

xoxo
Ashley Marie Phillips

My name in the sand in Aqaba.

ONLY 7 days left? Sho?

[Sho=what]

Where did the time go???
Oh yea I remember, it went by while I was camping in Petra and Wadi Rum, learning how to debke with Bedouin’s, riding donkeys and camels, spending time in Cafes with my friends, eating food with my host family, swimming in the Red Sea, and a billion other things.

According to my ‘Holiday in Panama Countdown’ I have 7 days 9 hours 53 minutes and 30 seconds until my flight out of Jordan. *sad face*

I literarily feel like I’ve been bamboozled by Father Time and I am NOT ok with that. I wish I could stay here in Jordan longer! My host family asked me why won’t I stay another semester and I said, “um… I have to graduate on time but I’ll be back to visit I promise”. I truly do intend on coming back to Jordan, hopefully in the summer for my friends wedding (for which she has recruited a select few to do the ‘Single Ladies’ dance… if you met her you would understand the comedy behind it).

My experience in Jordan has been an amazing one and I still can’t believe it even happened. I wonder sometimes if I’m just having a really GOOD dream and that I’ll wake up any moment in Virginia.

Last night CIEE had a going away dinner and it clicked for me, then, that I was at the end of my journey in Jordan. I am dreading the day I head to the airport because I just know that I will be in absolute PIECES and I am NOT ready for the ‘re-entry culture shock’ that some experience after studying abroad.

Overall, I had a GREAT time in Jordan and I met amazing people many of which I know will be friends for a lifetime.

Sidenote: I am going to miss my Arabic professor Dr. Muna SOOOOO SO SO MUCH!!! And Dr. Rula, my Contemporary Arab Women Writers professor, mostly because she calls me brilliant every class but also because she makes very “off the wall” comments that make you reconsider how you feel about something which I love.

On another note: the Short Story that we had to write in my writers class were evaluated and returned and I received a 20/20 which only two students in the class received so excuse me for tooting my own horn for a second but I’m proud of myself so toot toot.

…my host mom is making a special lunch for guests we’re having so let me go be a good daughter and see if she needs help.

xoxo
Ashley Marie

P.S.: Thanks to the influence of a friend I am now on Tumblr… Yes, I am now addicted so if your in for a laugh or occasional inspiration check it out at http://www.amariepink.tumblr.com

Memory Lane

I thought it might be nice to give you all highlights of my adventures in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the Old City. Since my time is running out in Jordan I’ve been doing a lot of “remember when we” and “oh that was crazy”. Thank God for pictures and video cameras =)

I’ll try to narrate our story through pictures and some commentary here and there. Enjoy.

It all started with a smile…packed and ready to go!


Hussein Border crossing… unfortunately the Israeli side decided to close early… ugh

Then we’re headed back to Amman and guess what… car broke down…#FAIL

Miserable Face

FAST FORWARD: We finally get picked up by cousins of a friend and go eat and then head, where else, but a cafe on Rainbow St. =)

The cafe gives people these robes to wear...cute

NEXT DAY: Off to a different border…
More waiting at the border…

More Waiting...

FINALLY….

Breakfast

FAST FORWARD: Night out in RAMALLAH

FAST FORWARD: JERUSALEM/OLD CITY
The Citadel Youth Hostel we stayed in for a night.
That’s the dome of the rock. Haggling with store owners. WESTERN WALL ❤ One of the shirts being sold in the Christian quarter of the Old City.

FAST FORWARD: We explored the major holy “must sees”, we even went to the church built over Jesus’ tomb.

The trip was long and exhausting and full of action to say the least.
But in the end it was an experience I will never forget and will cherish forever.

*More pictures on FaceBook. Let’s be friends!
*follow me @AMariePink

xoxo
A. Marie

Going to miss you ‘Derl Bar’

I decided to take a little walk one day and take a few pictures of my neighborhood. I’m really going to miss this place. =(

Breakfast with Muna

My Arabic I professor, Dr. Muna, is probably one of THE most amazing people I’ve ever met, along with my Arab Contemporary Writers professor but she will get her due in a separate blog post soon.

My first impressions of Dr. Muna were, “why is she walking so fast and why is she telling me to YELLA”.

From the first day of class when she said she would EAT us if we didn’t learn the language I knew she was special, haha.

Today she told the class out for a group breakfast! =)

The Menu included:
Hummous
Spicy Hummous
Falafel
Foul
Bread of course
and Tea

My favorites were Spicy Hummous and Falafel ❤

Highlights:

Out of the one billion classes that Dr. Muna teaches I am convinced that OUR class is her favorite! ❤

A. Marie

Lions, Tigers, Bears, Dragons…machine gun

…Continued

Once across the Jordan Valley crossing we were interrogated, questioned, ignored, everything. The Israeli side of the border was not a very nice place to be. Everyone working there looked like they could be 16. Anyway, fast forward to the good stuff.

We visited Jerusalem, the Old City, Ramallah, and Tel Aviv.
We encountered obstacles and stares and frankly people who just were not very friendly but all in all it was an experience that none of us would change for a second.

While in Tel Aviv the sea was like nothing I have ever seen. It was so calm and serene. Unlike the country itself. The sand was of the finest quality of sand I have ever felt. It was so soft I was tempted to bring a jar of it back with me. Unfortunately we crossed paths with very rude and obnoxious young Israeli soldiers who apparently grew up in the US and came back to be soldiers?

Khalas

Ramallah was a sight as was the giant wall seperating the territory from the country.

The checkpoints, the machine guns, the tension, it was all just a lot to take in and while the sites were truly that a ‘sight’ to see we couldn’t help being overwhelmed with emotion. This resulted in our early trip back to Jordan and forgo the trip to Egypt.

The moment we stepped foot on the Jordanian side of the border we all wanted to fall and iss the ground, literally. We felt at home, at peace, and reassured that a machine gun would not be in our face within two seconds of being there.

Will I make the trip back? Maybe (momkin). Possibly to see a friend or two but I would think it over very hard. I think that it is important for people especially US citizens to go there and see what’s really going on.

I went there with little to no knowledge of the conflict and situation and no preconcieved ideas. I have come back full of thoughts just whizzing through my brain.

A fellow student in the program and I have decided to put together a forum/dialogue in which students who went to Israel/Palestine can discuss their views and their interpretations of the country, the people, the conflict, and anything else that may have rubbed them the wrong way.

I for one am looking forward to the discussion.

=)

Eid al-Adha!!!

Eid al-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى‎ ‘Īdu l-’Aḍḥā) or “Eid-u’z-Zuha” “Festival of Sacrifice” or “Greater Eid” is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his son Ishmael (Isma’il) as an act of obedience to God, but instead was able to sacrifice a ram (by God’s command).[1] In traditional or agrarian settings, each family will sacrifice a sheep by slaughter, making it halal. The meat would then be divided into three equal parts to be distributed to others. The family retains one third of the share, another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors, and the other third is given to the poor & needy.

Being that is this a Muslim holiday there will not be school from Nov. 11 to Nov. 20 so my friends and I have decided to take this opportunity to travel the region a bit. Some of my friends are going to India, Greece, Italy, London, and so on but I have decided to go to Israel/Palestine and Egypt.

Our itinerary is planned but we left many holes for change because we didn’t want to be tied to strictly to any plans. Our main goal is to see the sites, the land, the people, and enjoy ourselves and of course return safely.

I am most excited about Sandboarding in Egypt and of course seeing biblical sites with my own two eyes.

We’ve also befriended some great people that will be meeting us at the border and showing us Jerusalem and other cities as well as in Egypt. There is not doubt in my mind that this will be an adventure of a lifetime!

An overview of our plans go like this:

Nov.11 – head to the border closest to Jerusalem, get through the border (insha allah) Head straight to Jerusalem and waste no time checking out the sites!!!

From Nov. 12 to about the 14 or 15 we will spend out time traveling to nearby cities, i.e. Bethlehem, Nazareth, Tel Aviv, etc.

Our last stop will be the city of Eliat and from there we will travel into Egypt at the Taba border and into Sinai. I hope to climb Mount Sinai and then travel to Alexandria, Cairo of course, and then back to Sharm mesheik and Nuwieba where we will catch the Ferry boat that goes to Aqaba and then take a bus back to Amman.

But before the last part of the trip I desperately want to see the Temple of Hours in Edfu… although it is a 12 HOUR train ride from Cairo!!! But we shall see.

All in all I should be returning around Nov. 20 and then more festivities as I will be celebrating the Thanksgiving holidays with my friend who is coming to visit her family in Jordan. =)

I may not be connected to the world via internet often… TERRIBLE I KNOW, but I will keep a VERY detailed account of my journey in a notebook and try to update whenever possible!!!!

Well, guess this is ‘yelabye’ or ‘ma sellama’ for me huh!
Even though its today I still can’t believe I’m going into Israel/Palestine and then later Egypt… crazy!

My mom was confused and my other ‘close enough to be my mom’ yelled at me, and my ‘other other mom from the Admissions office’ yelled at me too. But I know the yelling is from a good place. No worries I will be safe and take every precaution I need to. But I guess it doesn’t help my case that my best friend here in Jordan, whom I met in September, and am attached to like glue, has a last name that may or may not get us stopped at the border. Haha way to go!

No worries!!!! =D

Byyyyyyyeeeeeeee for now. Update about my travels soon INSHA ALLAH