The End

Early tomorrow morning, I’ll be on my flight home.

Today I had my last cup of Turkish coffee in Jordan, which was certainly symbolic of the end of the long journey I’ve been on.

As I drank it I thought of everything I’ve done over the past nine months. I’ve lived with both Palestinians and with Bedouin, who both showed me great hospitality. I’ve ridden horses and camels, and climbed through Petra and the surrounding deserts of Southern Jordan. I’ve been repelling from 300-foot waterfalls. I’ve SUCBA dived at the ruins of the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria, snorkeled in Aqaba, and floated in the Dead Sea. I’ve sat on the beaches of Tel Aviv and walked the old city of Jerusalem. I’ve been to the Pyramids of Giza on three different trips. I’ve done research on elections – I analyzed the 2010 parliamentary campaign, observed the polls on Election Day, and used the outcomes to predict the instability that would later affect both Egypt and Jordan. I’ve gotten used to (and even grown to love) the hustle and bustle of Cairo. I’ve lived through a nonviolent (though not entirely peaceful) revolution. And yes, for all of you who may not know, I was in Tahrir Square for the first couple of days of the protests – all of the pictures I posted were taken by me. And after being evacuated to Jordan, I continued to immerse myself in the ‘Arab Spring’ while working at a national newspaper. I’ve learned a lot.

I’m ready to come home, but I’m not really sure how I feel about it. I miss my family and my friends, but I’m not exactly looking forward to having to re-adjust. Reverse culture shock is very real.

I think the little things will be most apparent to me at first. Take taxis for example. I’m used to taking taxis in the Middle East. I know what to expect. I sit in the front seat, make small talk, and the start of every conversation has a protocol. There’s a certain ritual use of language engrained in Arabic that doesn’t really exist in English. Every interaction with someone starts with a transaction of greetings: Hello, how are you, what’s new, how’s school/work/the family, etc. I’m sure it won’t take long to get used to how things work in the US, but I think I’ll miss greeting people like that.

And I’m dreading one question I know I will inevitably face the first time I see friends back home and at school: “Hey, how was Jordan?”

What the hell am I supposed to say to that? How do I sum up almost a year’s worth of time into just a few sentences? It’s especially difficult because that year included so many defining experiences for me. Of course, I can list where I went and what I saw, but it won’t be easy to convey anything meaningful to anyone who doesn’t understand what it’s like to live abroad.

Anyway, this post marks the end of my travel blog. I will be continuing this site and web address for a new blog, though. I want to keep writing. I’m not yet sure what exactly I’ll be writing about, but I’ll figure that out this summer. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!