New Horizons

Although it's been awhile since I posted last, I've still had many travel ideas tinkering in my brain. After having the opportunity to represent a country within the League of Arab States committee in a Model United Nations conference, I have learned a great deal about other Arab countries and what makes each of them unique. However, one country stood out to me, and that was the country of Jordan. The delegate who represented the country did a fantastic job of portraying the country's leaders and showing everyone what it stood for. But I wondered, what is Jordan?

You hear often of Saudi Arabia, Israel/Palestine, United Arab Emirates, etc. on the news regularly. But Jordan isn't a country that makes the headlines too often. With one of the most stable economies and governments within the Arab States, my curiosity overtook me and I began to look into this country a bit more. I discovered they have many magnificent things to see, such as the ancient city of Petra , the dead sea and the beautiful capital city of Amman. My interest in the Middle East has grown substantially in the past year and I became immediately engrossed by the thought of visiting to this country.

But of course, my goal of visiting Jordan will not solely comprise of tourist attractions. After having learned much about the politics of this country and it's surrounding neighbours, I would love to volunteer while abroad. I've learned that there are many Palestinian refugees living in Jordan (as well as Lebanon, having represented that said country) and I want to find a way to volunteer my time to gain experience in this amazing part of the world, while contributing to their society (and perhaps learning a bit of Arabic, my next language I want to tackle!)

It is very important to me to be not only culturally aware of the countries you are visiting, but politically aware as well. There are many things that are happening in the countries you visit that you are probably not aware about. Refugee camps, people being oppressed in the suburbs of beautiful cities (think Paris, France... but that will be a future article!) and other things that are hidden away from tourists. Do your research. If these things interest you, then find a way to see them, experience them while abroad. Education in the key to understanding each other, and understanding what is happening in the world around us.

If you want to learn more about Jordan, check out the Lonely Planet guide: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/jordan

As well as the official tourist website of Jordan: http://www.visitjordan.com/default.aspx?tabid=63

Top: Tea and fruits in the modern city of Amman
Bottom: The ancient city of Petra