Jordan: Summer 2005

In my hand is my ticket to freedom. I just got my ticket to jordan yesterday. 20 weeks and 4 days baby. It will be a long long summer. I will be working and I will be studying but God willing I will be having as much fun as possible. For those that don’t know me, this is 3 years in the making and I have missed my country very very much.

So, to celebrate I thought I’d make a list of things I want to do while i’m get there. I’ll update
the list every now and then but I figure it’s a good idea to have an electronic hard copy of this
list in case i’m in jordan and i should get bored (as if)

If you plan on going to Jordan yourself I recommend you make such a list.

1- Camp at Wadi Rum
2- Take 200 pictures
3- Drive in amman at 5am in july
4- Check out the Roman Performance at Jerash
5- Avoid all cafes as much as possible
6- Go on a strict binge diet; consume only humos, shawarma, and such and such
7- Go on a strict binge diet; consume only home cooked meals
8- Avoid speeding
9- Frown heavily everytime someone mentions “Starbucks”, “Blue Fig” and “Books@”
10- Find and purchase a working copy of Madrasat il Mushagebeen from the balad
11- Pray in the King Abdullah Mosque
12- Play at least one network game with friends
13- Avoid breaking any guitar strings
14- 3 words: Chilli Cheese Fries
15- 5 words: Chilli Cheese Fries in Aqaba
16- Talk politics with a taxi driver
17- Talk politics with a barber
18- Get my haircut for 2 jds to compensate for 3 years of 11 dollars at supercuts
19- Seek and consume a nutella and bannana saj…at least 5 people out there know what the hell im talking about
20- Drink coffee at a decent hotel with a decent view with some decent friends
21- Get thrown out of a decent hotel for arguing over politics with decent friends
22- Contribute to at least one social event so i dont feel spoiled all summer
23- Pass by the old stomping grounds and visit teachers and mentors
24- Demonstrate to teachers and mentors how much more smarter i am than them
25- Avoid saying “ganwa” for 20 weeks and 4 days
26- Drink sweet turkish coffee at the side of the road
27- Avoid relatives
28- Watch a basketball game at the Sports City
29- Avoid Dune’s Club or any establishment with the word “Club” as a prefix or suffix
30- Take a Picture of every english sign that is mispelled
31- Inform the owner of the spelling mistake
32- Drive to Umm il Sous hill and find out if its really haunted
33- Take a 15 minute walk everynight in amman
34- Strawberry juice at Shahbander’s
35- Avoid 10 people I don’t really want to see but will eventually run into
36- Play trix and tarneeb at least once
37- Watch a movie at the Philidelphia
38- Physically hurt any friend who suggests we go to lebanon for 10 days
39- Bury the evidence
40- See the Arabian Oryx at the Shumari Reserve
41- Drink traditional tea in Kerak
42- Eat mansaf…in Kerak
43- Attempt to Hot Air Balloon in Wadi Rum at dawn
43- If balloon ride is too expensive, watch the dawn in Wadi Rum on the lousy ground
44- Drink coffee with the parents
45- Attend the International Rally in July
46- Buy that Turab book about Jordan
47- Convince Abdullah to stop watching Sponge Bob Square Pants
48- Go on a Mashawi picnic with friends at the Dead Sea
49- Avoid scorching my eyes with Dead Sea Water
50- Repeat