Yep, it's an addiction...

My name is Lauren, and I have a problem... I am addicted to scarves! Yes, I just can't seem to help myself. It's one of those things that every store we passed by, my eyes immediately honed in on the collection of "pashminas" and scarves....



I only bought 4 of the ones I am wearing here in Jordan... the others were from Mexico, Turkey and even a few Christmas presents ;) So, I guess it's really not that bad...

Shukran Jordan!

Let me start by saying that shukran is the arabic word for 'thank you.' I have definitely travelled to quite a few places (especially during my time here at Thunderbird). I've seen cities that literally leave their visitors in awe do the the sheer beauty of the scenery and buildings. I've been immersed in cultures that are so infectiously vivacious - embracing life and all that is has to offer. I've hiked mountains, trekked through rainforests, climbed ancient ruins, toured cities half as old as time.... but for some reason Jordan has been one of the best experiences I've had during my time at Thunderbird. Maybe it's because of the people I was with, or the people I met - that I don't know - but I do know that Jordan is an amazing city filled with pearls of beauty tucked away in the hills of the ancient cities. It's a place where tradition and history coexist in peaceful bliss lending itself to a dichotomy of worlds. It's a country in which the people are so friendly and always willing to help. I will end with this - Jordan is simply amazing, and it is a destination that should not be missed.

My last few days in Amman were spent wrapping up our final presentation to our clients, running around the city touring a few last minute sites, and spending time with our new Jordanian friends. Check out some of the pictures below....

'Lauren' of Arabia

So, after an amazing day in the rose-red ancient city of Petra, the Thunderbird gang drove to the desert of Wadi Rum – home to the cinematographic masterpiece of “Lawrence of Arabia.” Although, I must admit, that I am far more of a sea-lover than a desert fan, the natural beauty of the sandstone mountains rising majestically from the red sands of the desert make this place a beautiful sight. I heard that the sunsets, sunrises and starry nights are breathtaking – oh well, an excuse to come back!






We rode jeeps over the dunes for a couple hours stopping occasionally to take pictures, have tea with indigenous Bedouin tribes, and hike up the steep dunes (holy crap, what a glute workout)!!! We also saw from petroglyphs depicting hunting scenes from the BCs! Pretty cool stuff.





Check out the pictures below… (shoutout to Meike for the group shots ) :)

A rose-red City Half as Old as Time

"It seems no work of Man's creative hand,
by labor wrought as wavering fancy planned;
But from the rock as if by magic grown,
eternal, silent, beautiful, alone!
Not virgin-white like that old Doric shrine,
where erst Athena held her rites divine;
Not saintly-grey, like many a minster fane,
that crowns the hill and consecrates the plain;
But rose-red as if the blush of dawn,
that first beheld them were not yet withdrawn;
The hues of youth upon a brow of woe,
which Man deemed old two thousand years ago,
match me such marvel save in Eastern clime,
a rose-red city half as old as time"

- John William Burgon


Early on Friday morning, the Thunderbird gang stumbled out of bed pretty early to make the 140 mile drive down south to one of the ancient wonders of the world – Petra! Carved from stone (with a pink hue giving the appearance of a rose-red color) more than 2,000 years ago, this amazing site includes temples, tombs, gorges and cliffs and was once one of the main trade routes of ancient Arabia!









After the walk through the end of the city, most of the Thunderbirds embarked on yet another adventure to climb the 800 steps to the monestary on top of a mountain... yet another beautiful site, and well worth the pain of that climb (although, it really wasnt that bad - most tour books describe this as "800 steps of pain" --- but that was definitely not the case - although Im sure in the sunmer with soaring temperatures, that could be a very different story.

Business Across Borders!

So most of you know the reason for why I am actually here in Jordan - but for those skeptics that succumb to the stereotypes and generalizations usually exacerbated in Western Media, I am here to say that Jordan is an AMAZING country!!! I have never felt so safe, never felt so welcomed and have never met such incredibly smart and hospitable people as I have here in Jordan. Anyway me, along with 29 of my peers are here in Amman partnering with the Business Development Center of Jordan consulting for a small technology company. Anyway, while I'll expand upon the awesome people that I work with in a later entry (with pictures of course)... this entry is devoted to an article that was written in an Arabic paper here in Jordan about our meeting with the US Ambassador and our projects with Jordanian companies. Unfortunately, I can't scan the actual article, but I took a screen shot of write-up on the US Embassy website...





"Doing Business Across Borders - January 5 - Ambassador Stephen Beecroft hosted local small business owners and their partners from the Thunderbird School of Global Management who together are working to prepare for growth in the regional and global marketplace."

Castles & Ruins

Ok… first and foremost – I must say…. GOOOOOOOO San Diego CHARGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, now that’s out of the way, I can continue documenting our adventures around Jordan! After a long day of touring around on Friday – we hit the road again early on Saturday morning. Again, because words can’t even begin to describe the magnificence of the places we visited (especially the Roman ruins), I will let the pictures tell the story.

First stop, we hit the road to the town of Ajloun to check out Ajloun Castle...

Second, and by far one of the most incredible sites that I have seen, we went to the town of Jerash to check out ancient Roman ruins. The town extended forever, and it is absolutely incredible how a lot of the structures built 2500 years ago are still standing! According to some experts this is often called the Pompeii of the East, as one of the most well preserved ancient Roman cities containing temples, theatres, plazas, paths, streets, markets and so much more.

So I had to call this picture out separately from the others - although it was taken at the Roman Ruins as well... but check out the "T" in the shape of the rocks with the sun shining through - I'd say it was a nice sign for the 'T'hunderbirds :)

On our way back to Amman, we stopped at a view point to take pictures of the valley below at Sunset… gorgeous!

Ok.. it is now Sunday morning, and it’s time to get to work…

View of the Holy Land & Dip in the Dead Sea

Well, starting work on Sunday definitely has its perks - that means Thursday evening marks the start of the weekend!!! So, after a long work week, all 30 Thunderbirds, a few spouses, 2 professors, a tourguide and a partridge in a pear tree set out this morning (Friday) on a day-long adventure touring the lovely city of Madaba, then over to Mount Nebo and finally down to the Dead Sea! For this entry in particular, I will limit the words, and let the pictures tell the story.

First stop - Madaba. We didn't spend too much time here - as the only thing we really saw was an amazing Mosaic from the 6th century depicting Jordan and the Holy Land! This impressive Mosaic is housed in the St. George Orthodox Church, and for only recently being unearthed, the Mosaic is in pretty good shape!

Next stop - Mount Nebo! This mountain is apparently where Moses died and offers visitors some sweeping views of the Holy Land! The panaromic vistas from the summit are simply breathtaking!

Final stop - the Dead Sea! This area is the lowest point in the world at 400m below sea level! And, did you know the water in the Dead Sea is 4 times as salty as salt water! It is pretty much impossible to sink! (p.s. thanks to Meike for taking fabulous pictures here)!

We also got a 3 JD mud bath while we were there - hence the scary monster-like pictures below...

So, today was a jam-packed day - and we had a fabulous time getting to check out more of Jordan! Tomorrow we have another fun-filled day planned with the tour guide so stay tuned...