Five days in Jordan.
Like the Roman god Janus this trip both looked to the future as well as looked to the past. The first part of the trip was teaming up with Medair and visiting different Syrian refugee families. These are people living in a state of limbo. Some want to return to Syria while others know their towns have been destroyed and there is nothing to return to. Each family is trying to get by in their new reality of living in Jordan while being pulled down by a series of restrictions placed on them by the Jordanian government. The Jordanian government for their part sees most of these people temporary residents and will all go back to Syria. Temporary or not, these are people who need help meeting common short-term needs that most people face such as housing, schooling, food, etc.

The second half of the trip looked to the past and the ancient city of Petra. Built by the Nabataeans, Petra was a major city for the trade routes. Eventually their success led the Romans to invade and take control of the city. The most famous structure of Petra is “the treasury” which was carved from the rock face like most of Petra’s structures. Also like most of Petra’s structures, the treasury was actually a crypt.