A Tale of Two Worlds (for the price of one! But wait, there's more!)

No visit to the Middle East would be complete without a little bit of tourism. We were able to get some good prices through Royal Jordanian airlines, so we decided to do a little touring of Jordan while we were in the region. NOTE: Photos of the EMI trip to Jordan are linked on the right; they are email authentication only (use derek.dumbledorf@nothing.net), as approved by the team member who uploaded the photos. I like that each team member can show what was important to them; Thanks to Robert for setting up the account!

Jordan is perhaps an anomaly in the world, with so many contrasts all juxtaposed into one land. I could not begin to speak reasonably about my experience there without imparting some semblance of understanding of this fact.

Firstly, it is situated in the region of the world that has the oldest recorded history (verifiably dating back at least to Abraham--if not Noah--in the book of Genesis) and simultaneously lays claim to some of the most recognizable aspects of modern history (the wealth and splendor of Dubai, the strategic resource of oil, the center of conflict between Palestinian Arab and Israeli Jew, between militant Islam and subtly coercive New World Order, and the Holy Land and suspected epicenter of the Time of the End of the World).

Next there are the geographic and demographic contrasts. The south and east of the country are about as desertlike as one could imagine, yet in the far northwest of the country is the Jordan Valley, which is one of the most fertile in the world. This is similarly true with terrain, as the mountains are largest and most concentrated in the north and become less so as one travels south (with the east essentially being flat desert). This affects not only agriculture, but population centers as well, with the majority of people living in Amman in the north, and dwindling following the hills to the south. Of course, the Red Sea in the far southwest provides yet another contrast, as the waterway makes for important trade and also tourism (Aqaba is famous for its coral reefs). In the center of this whole run is a city that is not a city, known as Petra; formerly a major center of commerce along the trade routes of its time, it appears that the people who carved elaborate structures (closely mimicking the finest Greek and Roman architecture) out of the sandstone there never actually dwelled inside of them, but instead used the dams and miles of water channels they built to irrigate the hills they presumably pitched tents on (no permanent dwellings have been found). By the way, while I was in Amman it snowed once, rained/hailed twice, and was foggy the day before I left Jordan.

Then come the economic contrasts. With so few resources per capita, it is surprising that Jordan has one of the strongest currencies in the world (I could only get 0.7 Jordanian Dinars for each of my US Dollars; I think even the Euro achieved a less than 1:1 exchange). The water there is rationed (metered tanks refilled once a week, though certain industries get exceptions), and yet food service is everywhere, including international cuisine (from formal dress to American fast food), and bottled water is far cheaper there than in the US. Electricity and propane heating seemed abundant, but toilet paper had to be trashed, not flushed. In Amman, a few steel and concrete towers stuck out among a sea of stone and and masonry structures. I (frequently) saw ferarris and other costly European cars in the city, and wandering bedouin with goats and sheep in the country (save for Petra, where the bedouin operated the park and sold enough wares to tourists to pay for cell phones, cars, and even vacations). The typical pay of a Jordanian laborer was 6-8 Dinar per...day.

There are a plethora of social and political contrasts; Old and New, Traditional and Modern. Strong monarchy+weak parliament. Local shops and mutual negotiation mixed with MegaMalls, international markets, and rigid price strutures. Family, hand-made from scratch dining (with lots of shai, a.k.a tea) and fast food. From full body coverings to spaghetti straps and miniskirts (though less so today than as far back as the 60s/70s), and everything in between. Places where only men go and do public business and places where women run businesses in public. Wandering agrarians and (also wandering ;P) international businessmen. Merchants who will take everything you've got in a business deal then accept no reward or cost to you when they host you at their home. More foreigners than natives, largely due to huge numbers of Iraqi and Palestinian refugees.

And, of course, Jordan also has many contrasts in regard to religion. Islam with individually-sovereign mosques and various sects; Christianity with traditional and evangelical churches. Family-defined religion and personal determination. Freedom to identify with any religion but not to promote one.

All of the people of the Middle East are my bretheren, and Jordan is no exception; for all are offered the same grace that God gave to me. If I am to love them as God asks, I need to get to know their circumstances and the struggles they face every day. Otherwise, I cannot say I really know them, and have no place in their council.