Pre-Departure Packing

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I love packing. I’m sure this statement will elicit gasps from many of you, but it’s one (of many) of my oddities. I love rolling out my trusty navy suitcase—the one that has traveled with me to Taiwan, to college and to Canada—and plopping it down on the floor. It’s quite satisfying.

I know its mine from the well-worn beige and gold ribbons on the handle and from the pink nail polish splotch on the front. No matter how much is neatly packed (ahem…shoved) into it, there is always room for me to slide (scrunch) a hairdryer or a box of pop tarts into the last crevice. It even has a sweet dirty laundry zippered compartment on the back that can be used for its said purpose or, if you shove enough stuff in it, you can make a wicked little balance board and try to get an abs workout in. Believe me, I’ve tried. 

Lots of Clothes 

So, here I am, clothes splayed across the floor sorted by color, by season and by what I can semi-match with what. (I say semi because I am not known for my matching abilities.)

I leave for Amman, Jordan in eight days and I cannot be more excited to PACK. As a woman, I am not allowed to show excessive neck, chest or arms. So I raided my mom’s 80s clothes for some sweet silk scarves that I’m sure will appear in every photo for the next four months. It’ll be hot when I get to Amman, but as a desert, nights cool off. By December, highs are in the low 50s, lows in the 40s. Snow is not unheard of.

A little bit about Amman:

Amman is the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan-- Jordan for the linguistically challenged.  It’s the country smack between Israel and Iraq. Basically, what could be considered the heart of lots of angry feelings. But surprisingly it’s not so. An ally of the West, Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, one of only two countries to do so. The other is Egypt.

From what the CIA world fact book tells me, it is a Muslim country of 6.5 million people. Arabic is the main language, but English is widely spoken among the elite. There aren’t many natural resources, and water is scarce. In fact, Jordan is among the 10 most water-poor countries in the world. Jordanians use 1/10^th of the water Americans do. So, I’m sure that will take some getting used to.

Of course this information is all provided to you sight unseen, the juicy details will have to wait until I actually get there.

 Ma’a Salama