Laura’s abroad in Amman, Jordan, until Dec. 19.

1. Listening to “Barbie Girl” while cruising towards Mount Nebo: Last weekend a few friends and I ventured out of Amman and towards the Dead Sea. My host brother arranged for a friend of a friend of a friend to guide us around the village of Madaba and surrounding area. We piled into the back of a minibus and our new Jordanian friend and the driver blasted “Barbie Girl” and several Enrique Iglesias songs while they drove us on the windy road up to Mount Nebo. As they belted out “Bailamos,” we gaped at the beautiful scenery passing by our windows. We just about melted in the heat, but the views were incredible. Mount Nebo is where Moses saw the Promised Land and then died. From the top we saw the sweeping plains of Transjordan, the Dead Sea, and of course, Israel shimmering in the distance.

2. A waterfall in the desert? What? At the suggestion of my host brother, we ventured out to Hammamat al-Ma’in buried in a gorge near the Dead Sea. He promised me beautiful waterfalls, but I must say that I was doubtful as we wound our way through water-less hills dotted with a few scraggly trees, loose rocks and few signs of life. The hills were varying shades of brown and black, and everything was covered with dust. The road down to Hammamat al-Ma’in crisscrossed the canyon wall with hairpin turns. I really thought our van was going to careen off the edge more than a few times, but once we got to the bottom, it was fabulous. There were several huge waterfalls spilling from natural springs in the canyon. Before I reached the main waterfall, I stuck my foot in a stream, expecting it to be cool and refreshing. Instead, I scalded my foot and hopped around in pain for the next few minutes. Thankfully the waterfall was tolerably hot. It felt fantastic to stand under the waterfall and get a full back massage by the pounding mineral water spilling over the cliff.

3. The best Roman ruins outside of Italy: My second weekend in Jordan, a few friends and I ventured north of Amman and up to Jerash, an ancient Roman city. The ruins weren’t as well-preserved or extensive as Pompeii, but I was still impressed by their beauty. We explored two giant amphitheaters, a long hippodrome, Roman temples, markets, churches, and even a crumbling Umayyad palace. The columns were burnt a beautiful orange color and jutted up dramatically from the dusty landscape. What I loved the most was that we were allowed to climb all over everything – there were no roped-off areas or “Do Not Enter” signs. We freely roamed the hill, scampering over fallen columns and exploring dark passageways. I’m disappointed that we missed the Jerash Festival, a huge celebration of music and culture held every summer in the ruins. I’m sure viewing these ruins by night would have been an amazing experience.

4. Enjoying a palatial view: For iftar one night, my family took me to their relative’s house in the hilly, old part of Amman. The extremely narrow streets were clearly built before cars made their way to Amman. After driving up a precariously steep and windy road, we were treated to a sweeping view of Amman. From their roof we could see the sprawling palace complex on the next hill over. The view was dominated by the giant Jordanian flag, waving from the tallest flag pole in the world. While the rest of Amman is a sea of beige, square houses, the palace complex seemed strikingly green, with the roofs of tall buildings peeking out through the trees. My host family joked that from their roof you could see the King eating his breakfast.

5. Cruising Amman with a local: Last night a newfound Jordanian friend took me and a fellow American student on a nighttime drive around Amman. Even though we had only met her one other time, she was extremely generous and friendly. She insisted we speak in Arabic, although we slipped up quite a bit, and blared techno music as we sped through the streets of Amman. She took us out in the boonies to a 100-year-old café where we smoked argeela and chatted. Along the way she pointed out the best nightclubs and cafes to go to – which will be more fun in another couple weeks when Ramadan ends. She then took us to her favorite coffee stand in Amman, where she shouted out her order without leaving the car. She handed us steaming cups that seemed to be filled with more sugar than coffee, but it was delicious. We then found a pool hall and bowling alley, but it was too crowded for us to play. Today I’m going to her house to learn how to cook the iftar feast. I’m excited to learn!

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