The past couple weeks have been awesome!
First of all, one of the best experiences I have been having so far has been helping out with the Collateral Repair Project, a local non profit organization that seeks to help refugees and victims of war. Thus far, I’ve helped out with kids ranging from ages 10 to 17. I will admit that I haven’t a huge help as of yet; the program is largely in Ammiyye, the local dialect, which is very different from the Modern Standard Arabic we’ve learned in class. Nonetheless, I’ve helped out with fun activities and even giving small presentations. Speaking and interacting with the kids has been an excellent opportunity to work on my Arabic. More importantly, though, giving back to the community and helping out children who have been displaced from their homes is a really crucial thing that more people ought to participate, especially considering that the organization is short on volunteers. I’ll be sure to update more in the coming weeks!
In a totally different vein, I’ve also had the chance to explore parts of Jordan outside Amman. I visited Mount Nebo, an extremely important historical site for all Abrahamic religions. The view up there was incredibly, and walking through the old church was a genuinely humbling sight. The following day I visited the dead sea, followed shortly thereafter by Wadi Mujib. Floating in the dead sea was awesome! I had always heard about the ease of floating in the super salty water, but actually experiencing it was a whole different experience. As for Wadi Mujib, it was a beautiful sight to behold. Marching in between canyon walls upstream had me genuinely captivated, a sight unable to be done justice with pictures alone.
As time goes on, the reality of how soon I’ll have to return is starting to dawn on me. I’ll be sure to make the most of my time while I still have it!
– روي
