It's been 2 weeks since I got back from Jordan, but with recovering from jet lag, all of the orientation activities, and going out and meeting people, I haven't taken the time to write up anything about the trip.
First things first, the trip was fabulous! While there was some nervousness halfway through the week about whether the US was or wasn't going to strike in Syria and whether the university would pull us out of Jordan because of the close proximity, everything was fine.
We crammed most of our sightseeing into the first part of the week. Starting in Amman, we took day trips out to Byzantine, Greek, and Roman ruins throughout the north of Jordan. At various points we were less than 50 kilometers from Syria, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. I was surprised by all of the Greek and Roman influence, but it makes sense since Jordan was on some of the major trade routes back in the day. Azraq, Umm Qais, Jerash, and Madaba were all amazing in different ways.
After 3 full days of culture, we spent the evening at the Dead Sea floating, covering ourselves with mud, and relaxing. It was an awesome experience! Thankfully, I managed to avoid most of the pain that comes with submerging your body in 33% salinity water with the exception of a blister.
We started our 4th day in Mazra participating in a cultural exchange. Mazra is a rural village that's populated by Jordanians of African descent. While these people have been in Jordan for centuries, they're still discriminated against because of their darker skin. The ladies of the village welcomed us with open arms and taught us some skills including cooking (stewing tomatoes and baking bread), making kohl out of olive oil (which they put on all of the guys eyes - they were so beautiful for the rest of the day and longer because they didn't have eye makeup remover...), sewing, and basket weaving. Some of the interactions felt forced since it was less of an exchange and more 1-sided knowledge giving, but it was a wonderful way to see a side of Jordanian living that we never would have experienced in the cities.
We spent the afternoon hiking through Petra and seeing all of the ornate tombs or mausoleums carved into the rocks. I was confused when I saw signs for 1, 2, or 3 day tickets to Petra, but in 4 hours we only saw maybe a quarter of the canyon that made up Petra.
The last 2 days of the trip we spent in Aqaba, which is right across the Red Sea from Israel, Sinai, and Saudi Arabia. While some impromptu sightseeing occurred the first night on the walk between dinner and a bar, we spent the days soaking in the Jordanian sun at the pool and on the beach.
The trip itself was amazing, but the people I met were the best part of the whole Random Walk experience. I now have 14 new friends and 4 second years who I know I can go to if I ever have questions about school or recruiting or life in Chicago. We've already had 2 reunions in the windy city, and classes haven't even started yet.
I can't imagine a better way to start off my b-school experience!
First things first, the trip was fabulous! While there was some nervousness halfway through the week about whether the US was or wasn't going to strike in Syria and whether the university would pull us out of Jordan because of the close proximity, everything was fine.
We crammed most of our sightseeing into the first part of the week. Starting in Amman, we took day trips out to Byzantine, Greek, and Roman ruins throughout the north of Jordan. At various points we were less than 50 kilometers from Syria, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. I was surprised by all of the Greek and Roman influence, but it makes sense since Jordan was on some of the major trade routes back in the day. Azraq, Umm Qais, Jerash, and Madaba were all amazing in different ways.
After 3 full days of culture, we spent the evening at the Dead Sea floating, covering ourselves with mud, and relaxing. It was an awesome experience! Thankfully, I managed to avoid most of the pain that comes with submerging your body in 33% salinity water with the exception of a blister.
We started our 4th day in Mazra participating in a cultural exchange. Mazra is a rural village that's populated by Jordanians of African descent. While these people have been in Jordan for centuries, they're still discriminated against because of their darker skin. The ladies of the village welcomed us with open arms and taught us some skills including cooking (stewing tomatoes and baking bread), making kohl out of olive oil (which they put on all of the guys eyes - they were so beautiful for the rest of the day and longer because they didn't have eye makeup remover...), sewing, and basket weaving. Some of the interactions felt forced since it was less of an exchange and more 1-sided knowledge giving, but it was a wonderful way to see a side of Jordanian living that we never would have experienced in the cities.
We spent the afternoon hiking through Petra and seeing all of the ornate tombs or mausoleums carved into the rocks. I was confused when I saw signs for 1, 2, or 3 day tickets to Petra, but in 4 hours we only saw maybe a quarter of the canyon that made up Petra.
The last 2 days of the trip we spent in Aqaba, which is right across the Red Sea from Israel, Sinai, and Saudi Arabia. While some impromptu sightseeing occurred the first night on the walk between dinner and a bar, we spent the days soaking in the Jordanian sun at the pool and on the beach.
The trip itself was amazing, but the people I met were the best part of the whole Random Walk experience. I now have 14 new friends and 4 second years who I know I can go to if I ever have questions about school or recruiting or life in Chicago. We've already had 2 reunions in the windy city, and classes haven't even started yet.
I can't imagine a better way to start off my b-school experience!
Love,
The Chicagtonian
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