For my last week in Amman, Jordan with 5 more days here before I travel to my next destination—Palestine—for my pilgrimage with GW Catholics, I couldn’t think of a better way to end my four months here.
Tomorrow Pope Francis I is to arrive in Jordan for a three day pilgrimage in the Holy Land and I have the privilege and the honor to be assisting a non-profit organization called Taayosh with covering the week. We have been working out of the National Cultural Center in Jordan where the media stations are located and today I received my very first press pass to get into the stadium tomorrow where the pope will be having mass. This last week has been the icing on the cake to a successful study abroad.
I have taken the opportunity to understand interfaith relations in Jordan, meet with local religious leaders to discuss how the pope’s visit will assist in peace efforts, and learned more about the history and understanding of religious sites. Jordan is a mixture of various religions, cultures and peoples. One of the biggest take-aways from my trip here will be the efforts of Jordanians to include outsiders: from refugees, to foreigners, their hospitality and warmth is unmatched.
My last week here is also overshadowed by final exams and the idea that I will be leaving a place that I just feel like I got accustom to and comfortable in. Exams and academics have been so hard to focus on with my last week in Jordan, but I have been trying as hard as I can to study with all the distractions. I do keep in mind that my grades are important, but overall the experience here is much more beneficial than any evaluation of my knowledge of Arabic. I feel that my Arabic has greatly improved and I feel confident going back to the US and continuing my studies—thinking about grad school for Arabic.
I am also sad to say that I am leaving friends behind that I have made here, from my host family, to people in the program, and the Jordanians. I know it is only goodbye for now and hopefully sooner rather than later I will see them again. I feel so comfortable with daily life here now, just as soon as I have to leave this place. But I realize that if I choose a career path towards becoming a foreign correspondent I will face this challenge a lot in my life. I think I have to realize that there is always more to see and do, and that moving only means I want to see everything and do everything.