Prost

Vienna, Austria 2 nights

My first priority when arriving in Vienna was doing my laundry since I has shuved it all into my dry bag to keep it separate from my clean things. I also wanted to write some postcards, maybe talk to some people, and have a relaxed night. After checking in I started my laundry and went to the lounge. When I entered the lounge there were three people but it was dead silent. Since no one was talking to anyone else I went to a table and started to write postcards. About 5 minutes into my postcard writing a girl named Jessica came in and was extremely enthusiastic about a beer festival that was going on at an amusement park near by. Immediately everyone began talking and we all decided to go. There were 6 of us that ended up going Jessica, Don, Jonas, Chris, Drew, and myself. We ended up at a bar with a bunch of locals, had a few beers and before we knew it everyone was singing German drinking music, pounding on tables, and jumping on benches. We joined immediately joined in. It was one of the most drinking atmospheres i have been a part of because everyone was so happy and excited about nothing and absolutely everything at the same time. It got pretty rowdy and we accidentally broke a bench. When we told the waitress and she told us it happens all the time so we went on with the night.  

After that bar we went to a couple others in the main part of the city, met more great people, and roamed around the city before heading home. 

I should also mention that I may use the term home throughout several of these posts and that will generally refer to wherever I am staying at the moment. Hostels that I stay at turn into my home for however long I stay at them. 

The next day, the 24th of September, we all met up for our free breakfast provided by the hostel, went sight seeing for the entire day, went on a giant swings at the amusement park which provided us with outstanding view of the city, and had a couple drinks at a bar. 

On my final morning we all met for breakfast once more before saying our goodbyes and going our own ways. My next destination was Ljubiana, Slovenia. 

The Tent Mate from Hell

My first stop as a solo traveler is Europe for a total of 41 days!

DATES September 21 - October 31st   

Initially I was trying to make one blog post with everything from Europe but it has become a bigger task than I could tackle so I am going to post about at least one country a day. 

Munich, Germany 2 nights

While in Germany I decided to stay at a camp site through stoke travel. The main motivation for this was the price. Literally all of the hostels had been booked and the hotel rooms were charging exuberant rates of upwards of 200 euros! The camping website sold the experience pretty well, so I went for it! I was going to get my own personal tent but the price was still too much so I signed up for a shared tent. I made my way from the airport to the campsite which was a ways out of town. Upon arrival, I was greeted by a very enthusiastic group of empoyees who got me a beer, showed me to my tent, and introduced me to my tent mate. I was going to share a tent with a girl from Australia who seemed really nice. We talked for a while and got dinner that was put on at the camp site and met a couple of guys from Belgium if I remember correctly. That day I did not end up going to any of the beer halls but ended up just staying at the campsite for 10 euro all you can drink beer. As the night went on I talked to Jonas (one of the guys that I had met earlier). Once we decided we were too tired to stay up he offered me an extra sleeping bag and a pillow since I  was not used to the cold  just having come from the Middle East. When I got into my tent I was shocked to see my stuff everywhere! My tent mate had gone through my backpack, thrown my stuff everywhere, puked on everything, and then passed out! I couldn't find my sleeping bag because my headlamp was missing so I cleared a spot and was very thankful for the pillow and sleeping bag that was lent to me. I was still cold but it was better than nothing. The next morning my tent mate was gone. She had taken my sleeping bag and used hers and mine to keep warm. I looked on the bright side because i was lucky enough to have all my valuables! I changed tents and put all my puked on clothes in a stuff sack and put them away to wash later. That day I went to the beer halls, walked around, took a nap on a hill and in the evening drank with some Aussies and Kiwis at the campsite. I was very glad that night my tent mate left my stuff alone and did not puke anywhere! After a good night sleep, I was off to Vienna. 

Final Days in Jordan

My time in Jordan is coming to an ending. Overall I have really enjoyed this trip although for a five credit study abroad program it has been more work than anyone expected. We were able to learn a lot about water engineering in a region that is desperate for water and gained valuable cultural knowledge and understanding in Jordan and Middle Eastern countries. 

Amman:

Since I have been in Jordan I have been working on getting a visa to India. Before I left the stated I tried to get a visa but because of recent outsourcing of the visa company in the US there were longer processing times and I could not risk the timing because I had to have my passport to fly to Jordan. Because of this I made several calls to the embassy and visa offices in Amman before I left to see if I could get a visa while in Jordan. By my phone conversations it seemed like it was going to work out but there was only one way to actually make sure. I went to Amman three times specifically to work out my visa application and pick up. On my last visit Kelly, Conner, and Jess (students also in the program) came with me and we decided to explore a bit before returning to Irbid. We made our way to the Citadel at the top of a mountain which is one of the worlds oldest sites that has been continually inhabited. As we were leaving two Jordanian men asked to take a picture with us so of course we took a photo with our camera as well. It was really nice to get off of campus and not be doing required tours and just go off on our own. On our cab ride back to Irbid we encountered our first sheep crossing seen in the picture to the right.


Wadi Rum:
Traveling to Wadi Rum was expected to take 4-5 hours. The plan was to leave campus in the morning in time to ride camels and watch the sunset. For some reason it took us 8 hours to get to our campsite. Towards the last 30 min the sun was rapidly dropping in the sky and it was a race against the sun. By some miracle we made it before it was dark and camels were waiting outside the camp for us. We all got on on a camel and trotted off into the desert to watch the Jordanian sunset paint the sand.

Wadi Rum was absolutely beautiful, unfortunately, we did not have any time to explore it during the day since it took us so long to get there but after the camel rides we had a delicious dinner, danced dabca and hung out under the milky way.

Petra:

Petra was by far my favorite part of the trip! It is an ancient Roman city known for its architecture carved in sandstone. This was the capital city for Nabataeans. We were able to spend two days exploring the enormous bedouin city. On the first and second day we walked past the Dijin blocks and the Obelisk tomb then in through the Siq. After this on the first day we walked through Facades street, climbed up to above the Royal tombs, looped down past more tombs, and up to the Monastery. On the second day we went to the place of Sacrifice, wandered off the trail a bit to explore, went down past the Lion monument to see the Garden Temple, finally we went up above the unfinished tomb and then left out the Siq. It was extremely hot when we were hiking but it was well worth it because we got some of the greatest views that allowed us to see appreciate the enormity of the city as well as the extensive work put into making pathways, homes, water engineering and monuments constructed.
The map below is not the most detailed but it gives a good idea of some main sites and monuments.

Um Quais:
I have come to a point where I have seen so many ancient sites and columns that I feel a bit numb to how amazing the sites actually are. It kind of makes me sad but at the same time makes me appreciate the feeling of excitement when seeing and doing new things. At this site Connor, Kelly and I wandered around a bit and then enjoyed orange and mint lemon juice while overlooking a valley.

Other:

Jordan shares borders with several countries. On several trips that we took we were extremely close to several of these borders. It is a eerie feeling because there is so much turmoil going on in the surrounding Middle Eastern countries but at the same time was never concerned for my safety in Jordan. Many Americans associate the entire Middle East with being an unsafe and dangerous place, however, upon arriving in Jordan I got to see first hand how helpful people are and learned various Jordanian perspectives. 

Another eye opening experience was hearing the progression of bombings in Syria. I remember the first night sitting outside on the balcony and occasionally hearing distant sounds of bombs. As the month went on and conflict continued to grow the bombings became more frequent and louder. During one trip close to the Syrian border we could actually feel a couple of the bombs as they went off in the middle of the day. 

The three pictures below are images I took while passing refugee camps. The one on the bottom right is the newest camp being constructed in Azraq. The other two pictures are of Za'atari which is the second largest refugee camp in the world currently home to tens o thousands of refugees. 

As a final project for this course Sara, Laura M, Mamdauh and I put together a presentation on drinking water at Za'atari. It has been very interesting to combine the water engineering aspect with relevant events that need immediate action. 

Here are a couple links to videos that show conditions in the camp and the dire need for clean drinking water. Jordan is ranked in the top ten most water scarce countries in the world which is now being impacted by thousands of Syrians coming into the country each day.

UNICEF Video

Life in a Refugee Camp

I have gained a deeper understanding of water scarcity and processes in place to help water scarce countries and water treatment processes. I have also rediscovered my desire to help people affected by disaster and would potentially like to incorporate that into a future career path that I may take.

Closing Ceremony at Jordan University of Science and Technology

JUST Jordan

My travels have begun! I arrived in Amman, Jordan on Sunday the 25th and took a two hour bus ride with other students to Irbid where we are studying Engineering of the Water Cycle in an Arid Land.

On my flight from Chicago I was surprised because I got an aisle seat AND there was no one was sitting in the middle seat of my row! It ended up being a really pleasant flight filled with many naps, part of a movie, and several conversations with a guy sitting in my row. He was Pakistani from Chicago flying to Jordan then crossing over the west bank to spend time with his family.

When traveling interactions with others can really make an experience exciting, offers many cultural learning experiences and is a true testament to the country's people. This program also allows us to live and study with 6 Jordanian students who are all very helpful, kind, and intelligent. This has allowed me to experience Jordanian culture first hand and be able to ask any questions about the country, religion, or every day life.

The Jordan University of Science and Technology also known as JUST is around 30km from the Syrian border; I can actually see Syria from the balcony where I am staying. At night sitting outside on the balcony I can hear explosions which is very eerie because of the current war.


The main purpose of this class is to study how water scarcity is addressed in Jordan looking at sources, treatment, and possible alternatives for water sources. With this as our main focus we have toured several water treatment facilities and listened to lectures from experts in the field. It is interesting to learn about this because it is such a problem even though I have no background in civil engineering. Aside from the cool field trips that we get to go on the most interesting part would be the group project that we researching. My group has decided to look into the drinking water supply at Za'atari Refugee Camp.

Highlights so Far

Azraq Wetland Oasis:

This wetland oasis has been drying up but still holds some water that is home to water buffalo, birds, fish, and various types of vegetation.

As a snack after visiting the Azraq Wetland Oasis we got some bread which is shown being made below:

 There is so much inexpensive fresh bread available all over Jordan. When I leave I will miss eating bread that was made minutes before I got to eat it.

Qasr Amar:

Qsar Amar is a desert castle built around 705AD. Foundations of the more extensive castle can be seen but the bath house is what has been left standing. Inside there are pictures of the zodiac, women, and hunting.

Ajloun Castle:

Ajloun was built around 1184AD. The Mongols attacked parts of the castle in 1260AD. Once the Mamluks gained victory over the Mongols various restorations to the castle began. Two major earthquakes also caused devastations to the castle and there are currently some restoration projects in affect. The historical sites in Jordan are a lot different than ones in the US. This is mainly because there are there are not really restrictions on where you can go. In some ways that makes it really exciting to be able to walk, climb, or explore anywhere. On the other hand it is kind of sad thinking that we could be contributing to long time wear affecting the preservation of historical sites.

Ancient Roman Jaresh:
Greco-Roman city

Pella:               

Pella was formerly part of the Decapolis, one of ten cities in the Roman empire along the eastern frontier. The city has been occupied since the Neolithic but was destroyed by an earthquake in 749. 

Pella Archaeology

Amman:

Jordan's Capital City

Dead Sea:

An extremely salty sea that is quickly vanishing. There is a Read Dead Sea project that is trying to be put in place to replenish the sea as well as provide desalinated drinking water to Jordan (one of the top 10 most water scarce countries in the world).

Before arriving at the dead sea I had seen various tourist pictures of people floating in the dead sea but I did not realize that they were putting in absolutely no effort to float. It was the most bizarre feeling being able to float on top of the water without trying. It was actually difficult to attempt to be in a standing position perpendicular to the water.

 Wadi Mujib:

Wadi Mujib is a george that at times will bring water to the dead sea. As a group we were able to hike part way into the george.

Mount Nebo:

 

According to the bible Mount Nebo was the place where Moses viewed the holy land which looks over the Jordan Valley. It is also thought that his burial site is on this mountain. Various people on pilgrimages including the Pope have come to this site and the holy land.


Exciting excursions still to come include Wadi Rum, Petra, and Umm Qais!