Conversations on the Road. . .in Jordan

 

The closest we were to being unsafe while hitchhiking was when our driver and this shop owner fought over who would buy us snacks. The shop owner won.

The more we get to know Jordan and her people, the more excited we are about the experiences groups traveling with Engaging Cultures will have as they see the beautiful sites of Jordan and engage with the local communities.

Below are a few more experiences we had on the road. . .

. . .We initially thought he was pulling over for us, but a young Jordanian man who also was “hitch hiking” jumped out of the truck.  Upon seeing us at the door, the driver quickly invited us to come along.  After introducing ourselves, the young man getting out told the driver, “these guys are from America, give them a good picture of Jordan.”  We had not even shared more than a few words with this young guy and he expressed his care and concern for us feeling welcome in his country.

. . .“Food, money, do you need anything?”, “Belal” asked after giving us a ride to Mafraq.

. . .”Ahmad”, from Ramtha called and said, “please tell me you are not sleeping on the side of the road.”  The way he asked the question implied he would drive without hesitation the four hour distance to bring us back to his house for a safe place to sleep.  We also received a call from him a day after we returned to Amman making sure we were home safely and his country took care of us.  We affirmed to him how great our trip was and how honored we were to be able to travel in his country and meet the people of Jordan.  He is anticipating our return to Ramtha; we are too.

. . .one driver, every 15 minutes, said “Ahlan wa sahlan,” which means “welcome” in Arabic.  Sincere every time, he was letting us know how welcome we were as foreigners in his country.  Even had he kept silent, his smile and joyful appearance more than communicated our sense of being welcomed.