Yesterday, our program director organized a group "scavenger hunt", which was a guise to have us explore the market areas of Jordan. Even during the early afternoon of a weekday, the markets were more crowded than a shopping mall during black Friday. Ladies and small children were trailing through the shops, swarming the food areas, and meanwhile I managed to weave my way through traffic to join my group.
Led by a Jordanian tour guide (who was actually a middle eastern student from California), we walked through the shops. Vendors on the sides of the street were peddling jewelry and electronics or popsicles. We walked through a compound with several vendors selling traditional Jordanian garb, an exciting preview for our upcoming trip to Wadi Rum where will be living with the Bedouins in traditional gear.
Midway, we stopped at "Habibeh", a stand that sells Kanafeh. Kanafeh is a traditional Jordanian dessert and is also one of the most popular fast food eats within the country. It consists of cheese and some sort of crumbs that are layered together with sugar and fried. Needless to say, not the most healthy food choice, but it tasted rather good.
It was a great hit of cultural excitement, an experience that is so common in the streets of Amman yet I was always nervous about partaking in because I was afraid that I would be completely lost by myself.
We followed up our middle east experience with a very Western evening. Dinner was pizza, accompanied by a late-night viewing of the latest episode of "Game of Thrones" at the bachelor pad of two guys in our group.
Led by a Jordanian tour guide (who was actually a middle eastern student from California), we walked through the shops. Vendors on the sides of the street were peddling jewelry and electronics or popsicles. We walked through a compound with several vendors selling traditional Jordanian garb, an exciting preview for our upcoming trip to Wadi Rum where will be living with the Bedouins in traditional gear.
Midway, we stopped at "Habibeh", a stand that sells Kanafeh. Kanafeh is a traditional Jordanian dessert and is also one of the most popular fast food eats within the country. It consists of cheese and some sort of crumbs that are layered together with sugar and fried. Needless to say, not the most healthy food choice, but it tasted rather good.
It was a great hit of cultural excitement, an experience that is so common in the streets of Amman yet I was always nervous about partaking in because I was afraid that I would be completely lost by myself.
We followed up our middle east experience with a very Western evening. Dinner was pizza, accompanied by a late-night viewing of the latest episode of "Game of Thrones" at the bachelor pad of two guys in our group.
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