A Little Drizzle in the Desert

Stairway at Umm Qais

Hatha...no good. Josh bummed
about my sleepiness.

Last weekend our team had the opportunity to visit some of the ruins north of Amman. First, we hit the ruins of Umm Qais where the Jordanian, Israeli, and Syrian borders meet. No joke, this is Jesus land. When we explore more of this country and get a chance to see some of the more rural areas, I am blown away by how much history this place has.
Next, we saw Ajloun Castle. It was nice and cool inside, so we were all in heaven. We explored a bit, but I was basically walking around like a zombie since I hadn't received any sleep the night before. Somehow I have yet to learn that all nighters are never a good idea. It's kind of like getting sunburned. I'm not sure why I'm not smart enough to figure it out. My friend, Josh, kept giving me a hard time for basically being unconscious for a majority of the trip, so we sat outside the castle and ate cherries.
Finally, the magic happened. As we were heading to our final stop, the ruins at Jerash, I noticed some water droplets on the windshield of our bus. Could it be!? Yes, yes it could! It was raining. As someone who absolutely thrives in the Pacific Northwest, I was as happy as a clam. The cool droplets and amazing smell transported me right back home. The driving was slightly terrifying, but I would say it was well worth it. Sadly, the rain meant our final destination was out of the picture, so we stopped for dinner and then headed home. I could not have been happier. I have been having such an amazing time here in Jordan making great new friends and having unbelievable experiences. Every now and then, though, I miss Portland like crazy. I miss my mom and dad, Mexican food, carpet, rain, greenery, a temperate climate, berries, traffic laws, water from the tap, and a few other things. Basically, all I'm saying is that home is the best place on earth.