If you saw eight consultants in an airport on a Thursday night, you’d think they were coming back from a week of work travel. You wouldn’t expect they were embarking on an adventure, would you?
Two weeks ago, we boarded a flight from D.C. to Amman, Jordan (with one more joining via New York). Our trip was planned by our dear friend Dina, who grew up in Jordan and dreamed of bringing her “American” friends home. When she shared that wish, too many people said yes, and so our merry crew came together. Yalla! (Let’s go!)
After a convenient direct flight, we went directly to Dina’s home, where her family had prepared nothing short of a feast for us, starring the mouth-watering maqloubeh, which is made by preparing the contents in a pot before flipping it onto a serving plate. They even made a separate vegetarian version, which I heartily appreciated and promptly devoured.
As dinner turned into tea, aunts and cousins joined in as we listened to stories of how Dina’s parents met, and the gossip about the upcoming Jordanian princess’ wedding. It was a privilege to be welcomed by family, and the amazing food and conversations would continue throughout the trip. Well-fed and exhausted, we turned in early in to prep for the journey to come.
The next five days were a tour bus triangle trip around Jordan’s borders, led by our fearless guide Aladdin. We started with Petra and the famous Treasury (probably the landmark most associated with Jordan). What pictures don’t tell you is that the Treasury was part of a broader civilization, carved into the desert stone, well-preserved and well-touristed.
We had all heard of Petra, but not of Wadi Rum, the desert valley that was our next location. Almost immediately, our group was captivated by its unique beauty, and we were not surprised to hear that movies like Star Wars and Dune were shot there. With picture-perfect red sand and magnificent rock structures, it was easy to forget you were on Earth.
We experienced sunset on the backs of camels, some rowdier (and flirtier) than others. We were planning to camp in tents that night, but were upgraded last-minute to “bubbles,” which from the outside looked like how Matt Damon lived in The Martian (luckily, we didn’t have to use our excrement for growing food). Before calling it a night, we took advantage of being away from city lights to stargaze – and ponder our own place in the galaxies.
Next up was the Dead Sea, which truly is dying, with the water level dropping 4 feet every year. The water genuinely felt thicker, and it was surreal to be able to read a book while effortlessly floating. On the way to the Dead Sea, the group got a glimpse of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, but I was unfortunately fast asleep.
The last two days were a history lesson on Jordan and the Middle East – history as old as Greco-Roman ruins in Jerash and the baptism site of Jesus Christ, where we ran into Oprah (she was invited to the princess’ wedding, and we just barely got cut from the list). But our favorite piece of history was more recent – seeing Dina’s high school, the King’s Academy, and the love she had for the place that helped shape her.
Throughout the trip, were blessed with incredible amazing food (and there was almost always a vegetarian option). Safe to say, I don’t think I can eat hummus or falafel in the U.S. anymore. My personal favorite was knafeh, a dessert made with unripened cheese baked in phyllo dough before being soaked in syrup (it tastes as good as it sounds).
Our journey sparked some incredible bus ride conversations. While most of us had similar jobs, our group shared Middle Eastern, South & East Asian, and European backgrounds, which contextualized the different learnings we had. We traded perspectives on traditional family structures, our preconceptions of Middle Eastern states, and how much work should really define your life (answer: probably less).
Somewhere between Arabic, Urdu, and Hindi, we would realize and celebrate similarities in phrases, foods, and customs (my perception of the Indian dessert halwa was blown away when I saw the Middle Eastern rendition). Sometimes Aladdin chimed in, but usually just to quiet us down.
After a magical five days, our tour bus came back to Amman. Some head back stateside, some stayed back for a few extra days, and some embarked on a different adventure (more on this later).