Out of the nest and flapping hard

I'm writing this from an internet cafe in a place called Shmeisani (shmay-sah-nee), which is a neighborhood in Amman. This is significant in two ways. The first way is that Shmeisani is not Ashrafieya. This means I had to get in a taxi, tell him where to go, stop him when he got here, and pay him. I have never done any of these things on my own before, much less all of them, so just being here represents a fairly significant accomplishment for me. (I should admit here that i was very motivated, as there is a KFC in Shmeisani).

The second significance is that this is a high-speed web cafe, meaning that as often as I want to come back here, I can post photos with ease and speed. The trade-off is that it costs over a JD ($1.75ish) to get here, and internet is also more expensive, so don't expect everyday photos just yet. But it's at least feasible, unlike in Ashrafieya, so you might maybe see some photos possibly kind of soonish. How's that for non-commital?

The vacation in Aqaba was great, although getting there was a 4-hour bus ride through some seriously hilly terrain and I was noticeably green by the time we made it. Once we arrived, however, we moved into a pretty nice hotel (even though their pool was closed, about which they lied to us when we made our reservations) and let the relaxation commence. Lemme tell ya, it was some pretty intense relaxation: snorkeling and shopping and sleeping and playing Uno by the (nonfunctional, rawr) pool.

We were there 1 night, and left Aqaba at 4 to arrive back in Ashrafieya in time to go to dinner and then go to sleep. In the morning, after dealing with some unforeseen travel difficulties, we set out on a day trip to see the Baptism Site (of Jesus), Mount Nebo (cf Deuteronomy 34), and the Dead Sea. All were interesting for different reasons, but my favorite was the Dead Sea. I have pictures (sadly, not with me atm) of me upright in the water, not standing on anything and not moving at all, but still only sinking up to my sternum- creepy! The view from Mount Nebo was spectacular despite a slight fog. I had fun thinking about how God might have designed the whole region with that moment in mind, where he was going to show Moses the whole promised land from one spot. It's easy to read that passage and think it's being poetic or metaphorical, but you really can see an awfully awfully long way from up there.

So now I have to begin living my own life, as the days of scheduled activities and rigid time tables are over. I'll hopefully be moving sooner than later, but for now I'm just going to enjoy a couple of weeks without responsibilities or worries.

Thanks to everybody who's commented or responded to my previous posts. Please keep the messages coming, it's great to hear from home!