Harris World Tour

Wednesday, December 19th, 2018. Today we slept in! We were all tired from all the walking we did in Petra. We had a late breakfast, hung out around the house, and did a little homework and laundry. Did I mention that we don’t have a drying rack? I was excited when I booked the apartment because it had a washing machine, and you can imagine how dusty and dirty our clothes were after being out in the desert. I asked the host for a drying rack, and he said he didn’t have one. He said that I could bring the clothes to a laundry for cheap. Of course, we were not going to do that so I brought out the clothesline that we bought for this very reason. I hung the line between two patio chairs even if it was hanging very close to the floor. We take for granted what we have at home, a dryer here is a luxury. We had a small lunch and then took a taxi to see the downtown area and the Roman Amphitheater. Sunshine stayed home because she wasn’t feeling well. Downtown was vibrant and full of life. It r...

Tuesday, December 18, 2018. We slept in until 8:00am. We had our cereal downstair and waited for our taxi at 9:30am. Everything went very smooth. The ride was actually comfortable because it was a Hyundai and we were not all crammed in the back. I slept most of the way, the kids read their books and Gregory just watched out the window. We arrived in Amman around 1:00pm and our place was ready. I was worried because that morning I had gotten an email from our host saying that we could check in after 2:00pm because there was someone before us! Everything worked out well, the apartment is in a nice neighborhood, you can tell right away by seeing the car that was parked outside the residential area. We are staying close to a popular and fancy shopping mall. When we walked in the apartment and saw the place and two bathrooms, even Daniel said: “thank you, mommy.” I booked my first home in Airbnb and promised Gregory to help more with it! It is hard, especially when you are trying to figur...

Thursday, December 20th, 2018. Gregory and I woke up at 9:00am. The kids were already awake and doing homework on their own. Or at least I hope they were doing homework. But again, they're good kids. In any case, we had a very nice and slow morning just hanging in the house. Plus it is raining outside, and it feels nice to have a warm and cozy space to write. Ali, a Rotarian from Jordan Gregory met last night came to pick us up at 2:00pm to take us to his home for lunch with his family. It was a very nice experience to meet and chat with a local family. Their home was big and fancy. They had 3 living rooms, which probably means that gatherings and events are important here, just like in Mexico. We sat in the living room with Ali and his daughter Yasmine, who was 16 years old. Her English was really good because she goes to an international school, and she was genuinely interested in our trip. I was so happy to see how open-minded and outgoing she was. I thought she was going to cli...

Monday, December 17, 2018. We woke up early and went downstairs to the common area with our breakfast. At first, I was a little bit embarrassed to bring the food but then, I saw another girl with her own food and realized that it was ok. We had bought milk the night before and we were carrying cereal. We made peanut butter, jelly and banana sandwiches for lunch and we were ready to go. This is the part of the trip that has been hard for me. I think it would have been easier to buy breakfast at the hotel ($7) as well as the lunch box for about $5 but when you multiply everything for four people, I guess it gets expensive and Gregory keeps reminding me that we are on a budget. I breathe and move on. Everything was forgotten when we got to Petra and took an amazing hike. A guide at the visitor's center advised taking a different trail to make it to the monastery, instead of the main road that everyone takes. I’m glad we did because it was just amazing. I felt so alive and...