Belinda Velez, Junior
International Affairs Major - Florida State University
As we settled ourselves into our hotel room on the 17th floor of the Al Maha Arjaan Hotel, my roommate and I heard a voice that sounded like it was chanting and singing at the same time. Janice and I both walked to the window that presented a spectacular view of the city. It was the evening prayer and I wanted to see how this world reacted to such a calling. I looked down and saw some people sitting on the grass calmly but most of the city was an array of moving lights and conversation as traffic rolled on and pedestrians walked quickly to get to their next destination. This was part of the reason I was on the trip- to observe and understand the complexities of a country that saw the relationship between religion and state so differently from that of the United States. I could not help but picture the co-cathedral, St. Thomas More, on Florida State University’s campus, ringing out its church bells on the dot of every hour. The call to prayer was clearly a daily way of life but to me the sound was exotic, lovely, and peaceful. Abu Dhabi would be my first step into launching a stronger interest in the Middle East and its people.
The most beautiful part of my Abu Dhabi experience was visiting the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan Mosque. Although I could not enter the women’s' prayer room, the light cloth of the abaya and the hijaab let me feel more connected to the mosque. I stood upon an intricate and colorful carpet and looked at the beautifully and carefully decorated walls. Of course, I was no expert in Islam so I could not help but wonder how important this mosque was to Muslims. Alone it carried its air of grandeur in my eyes and yet I had no knowledge of Islamic prayers and stories. I left this majestic sight thinking it will probably remain one of the most captivating buildings I will ever see in my lifetime.
After we left the mosque I was not only exhausted because of the intense heat but I was exhausted from experiencing something so radically different. Our next stop was St. Joseph's Cathedral but we decided to make a small presence at the private Catholic school next to the cathedral. The children seemed to be having their recess. Several of us walked toward the children and engaged them in conversation. This was when it first hit me how conscious the people living in Abu Dhabi were of their citizen status. The children were brilliant and they easily understood English so we asked them if they were from Abu Dhabi. They surprised me when they all said no. When asked where they were from most answered India. I'm assuming most of these children were actually born in Abu Dhabi so it astounded me that they considered themselves from somewhere else. Our tour guide had mentioned a divide in the population from those who were citizens and those who were not. As the daughter of immigrants, I saw this issue as something normal the occurred in most countries but it had never occurred to me that it was instilled in the mind of the people even as children. This left me searching for more answers concerning the issue and even as I sat next to an Emirati on the plane to Bahrain I conducted my own personal research on the matter.
Leaving Abu Dhabi was both exciting and unfortunate. It was unfortunate because I felt like even though we had taken an excellent opportunity of our resources to contact an incredible reporter, a most impressive research center, and the editor of an upcoming newspaper I had failed as a citizen diplomat to engage the locals in conversation. The locals were the essence of this grand city yet I had had no time to really soak in their personal lifestyle and opinions. This marvelous city had shocked me with its advanced technology and modernity. I was glad to leave with a more accurate perception. Nevertheless, I was ready to discover a different sort of Middle East- an older Middle East.
Jordan welcomed us with such an exciting landing that I knew immediately this was a completely different game. The first night's walk on the town to the restaurant, Wild Jordan, was exhilarating. As I walked I breathed in the same air the locals breathed in and I looked through the alleyways in hopes of something different. Some of us stopped by an open door that had a stairway leading down an unknown pathway. Through the gap allowed by the door we could see the sun setting and illuminating the various resident buildings with the touch of its great orange like glow. It was a gorgeous sight. Arriving in Wild Jordan was a special moment for the group. We were able to meet other American students that were conducting their research in Jordan. It was a relief to meet other American students that viewed the country so positively and reinforced our passion for understanding the Middle East. These Fulbright students gave me a sense of the future. Could I be conducting research as a Fulbright student in a year? Could I be doing this in Jordan? What other country could I do research in? It was a little overwhelming at the moment so for a couple of seconds I stared off into scenery the restaurant so wonderfully provided. One of the largest flags in the world, the Jordan flag, waved calmly back and forth.
The next few days were equally as overwhelming but I think we all encouraged these days with open arms. We were able to visit one of the most amazing sites in the world, a site home to one of the seven new wonders of the world, Petra! I was in disbelief that we were actually there. I had never been to any "new wonders" of the world. Petra was the home of a rock-cut architecture (most notably the Treasury and the Monastery) made by the ancient Nabateans. Amazement alone can't describe my feelings for this place but just like the evening call to prayer of Abu Dhabi, there was an exotic and calming sensation.
The other experience I cherish greatly is the visit to Bethany and the Jordan River. As a Christian, this place was sacred to me. To stand so close to the place where John the Baptist baptized Jesus was so illuminating. I wish I could have called my mother at that very moment to tell her where I was standing. My mother, a much more religious person than me would have been thrilled. I was a little saddened to find the river so small. I had expected something so much bigger but when I thought about it, Jesus was a man of humility who welcomed the poor. It made sense that Jesus had been baptized in such an unexpecting place. I reached down to touch the water of the river. We stood by the spot claimed to have held Jesus' baptism. It was barely a pond anymore, it was more like a ditch, because the Jordan River moves its path every year and it had moved away from this spot long ago. The site around it was being restored. As I saw the workers fix the steps leading to the sacred spot I noticed one of the workers crouch down near the water. With one hand he held a dirty Coca-Cola 2 liter bottle with the top jaggedly cut off. With the other hand he held on to his cigarette. He scooped up the water and stared at our group. From a distance I was hoping the ashes of his cigarette were not landing in the remaining water. I'm not an extremely religious person but I do believe in Jesus and God so I can sincerely say that if I felt offended then I can't imagine the thoughts of the Pope, his cardinals, or a Baptist minister if they had just witnessed what I had. Our tour guide, the most enjoyable tour guide of all three in my opinion, did not seem to be surprised by this behavior. In fact, I wonder if he ever noticed this? Earlier he had mentioned that most of the Jordan river was carefully managed in a simple way to preserve its natural beauty. I had agreed with this concept initially but after someone's comments in Israel about the different management styles of Israel and Jordan when it came to the Jordan river I had to think twice about our tour guide's explanation. To this day, I still struggle with the idea. Is Jordan's minimal management/restoration of the Jordan river really due to sustaining its natural composition or is it due to the minimal importance to the majority of the Jordan Muslim population? Even so, I made sure to bring my mother a glass bottle of Holy Water from the Jordan River.
Another equally surprising encounter in Jordan was our visit to The University of Jordan. I can sincerely say that it was one of the most eye opening experiences I have ever had. The first question from our group was asked by Julie and even though I cannot remember the question I clearly remember it being responded to by an accusing question on their part toward her. This was how the meeting began and I immediately recognized the tension in the room. My heart pounded furiously as I heard Dr. Mohammad Majali and his supporting faculty professors. Akram Elias had warned us of this perception but I never realized that this also applied to true academics. The men we spoke to were unmistakably convinced that the American media was controlled by the Jews. Not one Jew had died in the World Trade Center on the day it was attacked, September 11, 2001. I sat there in pure disbelief which later ascended into anger. These men were furious against the Jews and anyone who supported them. At one point I wondered what would happen if I had lied and said I was Jewish? Most of my attention at the point was centered around our dear Dr. David who was lucidly enraged inside although I am not sure if our hosts perceived this or not. He tried to keep his calm which he was extremely good at but at some points I anticipated sparks of fire in form of words. Fortunately, this never occurred and everyone showed great respect when it came time to leave. My former feelings of anger from
Jordan had many fascinating things to offer but our journey would not be complete without time spent in Israel, the land of so much dispute, tension, and struggle over many years. Our infamous travel across the border was much better than expected. Yes we spent more time than was needed but after our two brave companions, Ibrahim and Winston, finally left the interrogation process and proceeded to join us on the other side of the airport barrier to pick up our luggage, most of the rest of the journey to Jerusalem went well. Our first important destination was the tour of the old city. We had many little adventures during this part of the schedule. Dr. David and our tour guide Sayyid began a historian smack down on who had the facts straight about the Temple Mount. I believe that our tour guide knowingly ignored some of the obvious Jewish importance that surrounded the Temple Mount. Winston got into a heated dispute with a strange man who claimed to be a guide around the Dome of the Rock and we all mazed through different little Palestinian neighborhoods as we followed Sayyid. All in all, I would not have had it any other way.
I took much interest in the opinions of our tour guide, Sayyid, who was a Palestinian. I noticed an obvious distance between Sayyid and our group. There was always something that prevented him from opening up too much. He told us that he had always wanted to be a tour guide and he finally became one ten years ago. When we asked why he had not become a tour guide sooner he stared at us for a couple of seconds and told us they didn't let him. Who were they? They were the Israelis. The Palestinians are of course a minority in Israel and as a minority in my own country I could not help but sympathize with him. I cannot attribute this all to my background. I personally noticed the conditions of East and West Jerusalem and saw the inequality in both sizes and the quality of life. He bothered some of our group members by doing something none of the other tour guides had done, he sat in with us as a member of the group when we went to our meetings. Like many other Palestinians he probably had a limited amount of Jewish friends. Personally I welcomed his participation and a smile appeared on my face as he approached Sharon Rosen, a Jew, at the end of our meeting with Search for Common Ground to ask her for directions to some destination in the city. Days later he told us through the bus microphone that he appreciated our efforts in understanding the conflict in Israel. The bus rolled silently but to me this was a breakthrough. I saw hope in his face even though his expressions were often indifferent toward us for personal and understandable reasons. I don't want to misinform my reader to think that after his comments our group was truly in peace with the man because this wasn't true. Tensions constantly rose between Dr. David and Sayyid but there were many times I saw Sayyid trying to be friends with Dr. David. I cannot explain how much I learned from this man just by watching his actions and his facial expressions throughout our trip but what I can say is that he showed me an excellent example of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict He is a man I will never forget.
The rest of Israel was marvelous. I practiced my bargaining skills. I met an incredible group of Palestinian and Israeli students. We actually set foot in the West Bank! I can truly say that I was in the West Bank! We were there to witness the prestigious Victor J. Goldberg IIE Prize for Peace granted to an Israeli and a Palestinian. We met a frustratingly strong right wing Israeli who shocked our group with much of his comments about the Palestinians and the Arabs but by this time our group was used to great biases and we ultimately respected his view. At this point, I looked around my group and truly felt like I belonged to a citizen diplomat group. Tel Aviv's atmosphere and beaches were beautiful and much needed. It was the perfect way to leave the Middle East even though I'm positive we had all wished we could have stayed longer.
Regrettably, I cannot summarize all of my thoughts throughout this trip and I only touched on a few memories. My memory of Prince Zeid Al-Hussein will never be forgotten either. If not the most he was one of the most respected and impressive men we met on our trip who had a way of charming and captivating everyone around him. We had expected a man in royal attire and instead we received a man in western clothes but with a personality to account for something beyond royal. My current status on Facebook is that I miss the Middle East. I hope to visit the Middle East again and add on to my list of countries in this region. My job as a citizen diplomat has not finished and I cannot ignore my responsibility as an academic striving to improve the lives of others. My eyes fell upon valuable resources and with determination I can access them again. With that said, I would like to thank the Institute of International Education and the Ibrahim Family Foundation that so wonderfully picked such brilliant students and faculty that surprisingly added a family value to the entire trip. My eyes opened at the call to prayer in Abu Dhabi but stayed open due to ten other individuals who would not shut their eyes either.
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