Trip 1: Kerak-anack!

We have taken a few trips lately and they have been somewhat tiring but really fun! This past weekend marked the beginning of a holiday here in Jordan (the Eid), and Josh has only one daily class this whole week instead of the usual four per day plus individual speaking and writing appointments with the teachers. For the holiday, people are supposed to (if you have enough money) sacrifice an animal. You divide the meat of the animal into three categories: worst meat, good meat and best meat. The worst meat you keep for yourself and your family and you eat it that day. The good meat you give to your relatives and friends. And the best meat you give to the poor. I like the idea of sacrificing from our abundance to help those in need. However, I am also glad that there are other ways to do it besides slaughtering an animal for those who are less inclined to do so. The male half of our apartmentmates benefited from the tradition though - he got invited to go eat camel with a friend!


Anyway, about our trips! Our first visit was Kerak, a Crusader castle from the Middle Ages that has been taken over by different people from time to time since it was built. It's pretty cool...there are a lot of spots that have just breathtaking views of the surrounding city. Part of it kind of just melds into the modern city: check it out!