FALL 2017 DIPLOMACY AND POLICY STUDIES PROGRAM ISSUE II

Pomegranate Farm Visit with CIEE

For the majority of this semester so far, the weather has been dry, hot, and sunny without a cloud in the sky. At 8:30 am we all piled into the buses and noticed the air to be much chillier than usual. We drove up to the north of Jordan in between Aljoun and Jerash where we finally stopped in a small valley and walked up to a house surrounded by chickens, ducks, a donkey, dogs, and plenty of kitty cats. The sky was turning grey and it was obvious that a storm was brewing. We all sat down underneath a canopy of olive trees to be introduced to the ladies who have started a community farm initiative in the area. We then set out to pick plenty of fresh thyme or ‘zatar’ for our breakfast pastries. We crossed a dirt field to find a thick tree line overflowing with fresh figs and pomegranates. Then we finally felt the rain!

Fall and winter are usually the only times of year that Jordan will see rain. Because of the desert climate, this rain came as a relief to many. The first rain of autumn marks the beginning of the olive picking season in the country because in an area with so little fresh water, the farmers need the rain to wash the dust and dirt off of the olives or ‘zeitun’ before picking. Then the olives will be fit for pressing into oil or pickling.

I, along with many of the other students, got soaked! We picked fresh thyme from the garden and danced in the rain. We washed and chopped the herb to be put into our dough pastries. A few of us snuck away and headed over to the little clay oven that was built in the corner of the yard, up against an old stone wall. We doused the pans in fresh olive oil before placing the carefully folded pastries into them and finally laid them in the oven. This oven cooked with incredible speed and we prepared well enough breakfast for all of us.

After that, we began preparing our lunches. The chicken was precooked for us, but we had the opportunity to layer seasoned bread dough, chicken, and seasonings one on top of the other until a casserole like dish was made. It was finally time to go for a muddy walk through the rain and into the neighboring pomegranate farms while our lunches cooked. As a girl from a rural area of the states, being able to get out of the city, enjoy the rain, and spend some time in nature was exactly what I needed. We picked fresh fruit and enjoyed the bright red and pink colors of the berries within the shells and ate enough to make our mouths tingle from so much citric acid. We constantly were comparing who could pick the softest and sweetest figs which were a perfect counteractor to the sometimes sour pomegranate.

Upon returning to our home farm, drenched and covered in mud, we were greeted with the sights and smells of hot tea and our chicken pies waiting for us from the clay oven. We sat and enjoyed the afternoon with friends and practicing our Arabic with our hosts and our teachers. It was such a lovely experience to really share the harvest season with the locals. Especially since I’ve been missing the harvest season at home.

Madison Johnston / University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Site Visit to King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center (KASOTC)

Recently we went on a CIEE facilitated a trip to the King Abdullah II Special Operations Center (KASOTC). KASOTC is a facility used to train military teams from all around the world in counter-terrorism, special operations, and irregular warfare tactics. I had never heard about KASOTC prior to signing up for the trip, so didn’t really know what I was signing myself up for. Upon arriving to the site, we were made to go through security and then escorted to an amphitheater where we watched a video on the history of KASOTC and the vast variety of services that the site offers. These services included hosting a racetrack, shooting center, model Arab village, and even a life-size airplane. All of these services are used to train or enhance the proficiency of special operations military forces. We also learned about how KASOTC hosts an annual combat oriented competition, The Warrior Competition, between special operations forces from all over the world. Following the presentation, we got on a bus and were driven around the site where we were able to see all the aspects of KASOTC that were shown in the video. The most unique parts were seeing the life-size airplane and driving through the model village while the KASOTC team made it sound like we were living a real experience. Overall, visiting KATOC was a very unique experience and was unlike anywhere else I’ve ever visited.

Sophia Angeletti / Tulane University of Louisiana

Mosiac Workshop

Walking around Amman, I’ve seen a number of shops selling little mosaic tiles. I had already been drawn to the colors and intricate geometric designs yet had always put off buying a mosaic piece. Therefore, I was particularly excited when I found out CIEE would be hosting a mosaic workshop in which we could make our own mosaic pieces. The day of the workshop, I walked into a room filled with a variety of stones, templates, and tools to help us make our mosaics. We all chose from different letter templates and began work on cutting up the stones into smaller pieces from which we could make the larger design. The workshop was fun and culturally enriching, as well as, a much-needed relaxation break during the peak of midterms.

Sophia Angeletti / Tulane University of Louisiana