manifesto

I think I should write one, someday. Today is not the day, but I just feel that somebody needs to write some of this stuff down. Yesterday, I might have written it, but now I am in a different place.

Since this blog is about my happenings, I might include you in this past weekend's. Well, I'm wondering if I do whether or not my program will find out if I happened to violate one of its policies. I saw Susanna, someone very close to me, like a mother, along with her mother. We were in Petra, where I stayed the two nights prior to our meeting up. It was so great and interesting to see someone I knew, to discuss what's going on with us and our worlds. I got a lot of news from home and from Israel, as she happened to come to Petra after a program she went to there. Talking to her about my experiences, she mentioned that it was so incredible to see how much I've learned. I mean, I have learned a lot, but I never realized how much this experience has influenced me and taught me, changed my perspective so drastically that I now have personal experience in understanding what this country, its identity, and its place in this jigsaw-puzzle map. It felt really great to hear that from someone who doesn't have this perspective. And it was so fun to see her!

From Run Away to Petra and Sue

The day before, I decided it was a good idea to climb to Jabal Haroun with the intention of getting invited to stay the night at the house of the guy on the top. Watch these videos to get an idea of what happened...

From Run Away to Petra and Sue

From Run Away to Petra and Sue

From Run Away to Petra and Sue

From Run Away to Petra and Sue

So I got to Um Sayhoun via donkey and caught a taxi back to town. It got dark so fast, I would have been a goner. But I'm okay, don't worry about me. I stayed with my friend Muhammad in town and received impeccable hospitality, which I dread attempting to repay because I will probably pale in comparison.

So here I sit in my apartment, a lot on my plate and it all tastes good, and what's more is that the next dish is equally if not more scrumptious than this one. I feel like my year is playing out wonderfully. However, I have realized of late that I am missing a lot at home, which I knew all along. Maybe it was Susanna's visit that brought me back to earth. Maybe it wasn't. All I know is that I want to enjoy this last bit of time in this routine until I can thrust myself into something new because this semester has been incredible and challenging.

--Ibrahim