Travels in the Levant

6 responses to “Where I’ve Been”

1. Beth says:

   May 26, 2005 at 10:22 am

   Hi Katelyn,
   I hope you have a great trip! It will be wonderful to follow along with where you are and what you’re doing . Can you name all of the countries you’ve been to? Also, what’s the “Levant”? Wish I was going too.
   Beth

2. Colin says:

   May 26, 2005 at 11:57 am

   Katelyn,
   Those pictures remind me of the unplanned evolution and growth of mexico city. Dirty, teeming with life, lack of law, cut throat survival and humanity intermingled. It is clear that you do not go to these places for a vacation. So what motivates you? Cultural fascination?
   -Colin

3. admin says:

   May 29, 2005 at 6:13 pm

   Mom,
   I wish you were still thinking about coming to Jordan, its going to be amazing. I’ve listed all the countries I’ve been to on the front page of my blog.
   The following countries are included in my usage of the term Levant: Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine. The Levant “is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in Southwest Asia south of the Taurus Mountains, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea in the west, and the north Arabian Desert and Mesopotamia to the east. The term Levant, originally used in the wider sense of ‘Mediterranean lands east of Italy’, is first attested in English in 1497, from Middle French levant ‘The Orient’, the participle of lever ‘to raise’, as in soleil levant ‘rising sun’, from Latin levare. It thus refers to the direction of the rising sun, from a Mediterranean perspective. The term became current in English in the 16th century, along with the first English merchant adventurers in the region. The term enjoyed a renaissance during the French Mandates of Syria and Lebanon from 1920 to 1946, that were called the Levant states. But occasionally, the term is still employed to refer to modern events, states, or parts of states in the same region, i.e. to Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and either the entirety or the western parts of Syria (southwest of the Euphrates) and Jordan.”

   Colin,
   Well, I’m not going for vacation, I’m going to study the Contemporary Middle East and Arab Histories. But the Middle East has long fascinated me and Jordan was the only place my school was going for study abroad. But I’m also very interested in Islam and Sufi spiritualism. I like to go places very different from the US and although Europe is amazing, it isn’t nearly so disparate as somewhere like Amman. Another reason is that Arabic is an amazing and amazingly complex and convoluted language – something that fascinates me to no end. Also, all the Arabs I have met in North Carolina are amazing people with an incredible sense of hospitality.

4. Paul says:

   May 30, 2005 at 10:51 am

   Katelyn,
   I am so glad that you have made this blog. It will give all of us a great place to read about your travels and an excellent resource for you to collect your thoughts about these adventures. I once read an article that stated how some Middle-eastern countries take about 20 years to catch on to American cultural fads (if they decide to take them on at all). You will have to tell me about the really important things you learn- whether or not the music of Phil Collins and Billy Idol intrigue Jordanians- whether or not Jordanian youth can relate to the angst of Ferris Bueller- how baffled and annoyed Jordanian parents must be to the existence and childrens’ liking of one Roger Rabbit?
   -Paul

5. Charlotte says:

   June 5, 2005 at 10:02 pm

   Hi Katelyn,

   Are you having fun in Jordan? How is the food there? Is it hot? It has just started getting hot here. What have you done so far? Do you like the group you’re traveling with?

   I just went to the Border Collie Rescue Reunion in Knoxville, TN. Murray is doing really great. He got to meet his mother, Sienna. She is is a beautiful red merle dog, and she seemed to remember Murray. I also met a girl named Anna was Murray’s foster mother before we got him. She is seven years old and has a dog named Oreeo. They lost contact with Murray’s brother Ace, but I wish he was at the dog reunion.

   Love,
   Charlotte

6. admin says:

   June 9, 2005 at 5:47 am

   Charlotte, Jordan is very fun but very different from the US. The first few days I loved the food and thought it was better than what we eat in the US. But after almost a week of almost only eating hummus, pitas, fallafel, and babba ghanoush, I am thouroughly sick of the chick pea. It is very hot here during the day and quite cold at night. Most of the girls at the university where I study cover their heads and wear full length coats and I always wonder why they don’t die from heat stroke. So far I have only travelled in Amman, which is a very big city. The people I’m travelling with are all very interesting and diverse and I have met some people who I hope to be friends with at UNC.
   The doggy reunion sounds like a lot of fun; wish I could have gone. Katelyn