Hello there! 
In three days, I’ll be departing San Francisco Airport to explore a part of the world most interesting and new to me and I’m bringing no expectations with me, just an open mind to try everything and create an appreciation and understanding of this place. I’ll be going to Amman, Jordan to study Arabic for about 3 months. These past couple of years, I’ve learned to not be waste my energy on being nervous before I leave for a trip until the day of the departure. So, I’m not nervous, just really excited to go to Southwest Asia and especially in this region. I’m really excited to dive myself, face first, in the Jordanian culture with activities such as EATING THE FOOD, spending time with locals, learning the dialect language, possibly wear the head scarf (hijab), challenge myself to take part during Ramadan (where participating Muslims fast for around 30 days during daylight hours for the sake of Allah intended to teach about spirituality, patience, humility, and for followers, submissiveness), smoke Shisha (hookah as we call it here in the SF Bay Area), and try to enjoy living in the desert. I’ll also put some traveling in to places like the archaeological site of Petra, the Dead Sea ( the “Sea of Salt”), Aqaba, and maybe to neighboring countries like Lebanon or Israel. I’m holding myself from going to Syria because it’s a bit hectic over there.
As for packing, I do the usual. I pack enough outfits for about 10 days (I bring a little extra underwear and shirts for more options) and leave some room in the suitcase for my electronics, cosmetics, gifts like chocolate and American stuff, and room for my laptop because I hate carrying my 10 pound laptop with me through customs. When I will be able to afford a lighter and smaller computer, it will be more valued and appreciated enough to come along with me on the plane.
For the side note, life is just really funny sometimes. Weeks before my departure, as I was getting ready to finish my last semester at my University, my mindset and goals became a little bit clearer to me as for my career and life goals. With my mindset, to continue traveling and exploring, I finally learned to appreciate the important people who are in my life at the moment and because I was leaving to Jordan, I wanted to spend more time with my friends and family as much as possible before I leave. I got to know my best friend more that I ever have in 12 years, got closer to my sister, experienced new adventures with my cousins, and met some new amazing people who I would have never met whilst traveling. It dawned on me that I need to live my life everyday as if I was leaving somewhere all the time. I felt that time limited me and that I needed to use my youthful energy wisely, keep an open mind, take it and run with it!
There’s my spiel to make up for all the posts I didn’t manage to do because I was so busy having fun and living life!
Thanks for reading and look forward to my next post because it’s going to be about my adventures in Jordan!
Sincerely,
Dandelion Traveler
dandeliontraveler 