Wayfarer's world

I can now tell you from personal experience that there is a certain adrenaline rush to getting across international borders, particularly unfriendly ones. Its not fun, exactly. Actually, waiting for six hours in a croweded Syrian government building (they're about as nice as they sound like they would be) pretty much sucks. But when you're finally approved and allowed to pass the border into unfamiliar territory, there is definitely an adrenaline high.

It is my guess, that that high is what gave birth to today's backpacker, couch surfer, wayfarer generation. Most of you probably don't know what I mean. Apparently, there is a small contingent of international drifters that just float from country to country, continent to continent on the breath of whatever whim is carrying them that day. You meet them at bus stations, youth hostels, off-the-beaten-path-hole-in-the-wall restaurants that have the best food in the world, and pretty much anywhere the Lonely Planet guide book is sold. They're generally in their twenties, in college or holding a college degree, into studying language, culture and the unique selection of alcohol offered by each country. And they're always flat broke. They are the people that will happily throw a toothbrush, map and extra pair of jeans in a bag and spend three months hitchhiking through Asia with nothing else on them. They live on the rush of not necessarily knowing what country they'll be in tomorrow and definitely not two weeks from now.

There aren't very many of them out there. It takes a certain kind of person to leave the comforts of hot water and safe food to explore the world on a microscopic budget. At a hostel in Damascus a friend of mine who would definitely be classified as a wayfarer was flipping through a photo album of the hostel's previous guests and found a picture of a guy she had made friends with in Ethiopia when she was there teaching English last year. The backpacker's world is small, and they all are incredibly interesting and friendly so they tend to all know and keep in touch with one another.

I've done a lot of traveling for how young I am. I've visited something like 20 countries in the last 6 or 8 years. But up until this most recent trip to Syria and Lebanon, I've never understood the backpackers' way of seeing the world. I've met them, of course. They are all over college campuses and you run across them periodically at parties through friends of friends (they have a lot of friends, they like to have a geographically diverse array of couches to crash on when they need them). Unlike the backpackers, I've always traveled with family or a big group. I've always had money to stay in real hotels and see the sights that mainstream guide books say you can't miss. And I thought I was well traveled- I am well traveled. But I realized last week that if you travel with money you are not experiencing a country at all.

As a tourist you miss the real food they sell on the streets that might make you sick, but will taste so good its worth it. You miss the music and parties the locals throw when all the tourists have turned in for the night. But, most importantly, you miss the people. And a country isn't its great historical monuments, its finest restaurants, its beautiful scenery. A country is its people. So I'm sorry, but if you haven't taken an ancient bus from Nice to Venice and made friends with the Italian couple sitting next to you (which I haven't) you haven't seen Italy (good excuse to go back). If you haven't stayed in a hostel in Rio with the two expats who run the place, give tours and still manage to find time to make you breakfast in the morning, you haven't seen Brazil. If you haven't made friends with a undercover Syrian government agent (or some crazy dude who just says thats what he is) and had a deep and moving discussion about your people's misconceptions of his and his of yours, you haven't seen Syria. As a tourist, you don't have these experiences. As a backpacker, or wayfarer or whatever, you do.

You also meet other backpackers from all over the world who will, inevitably, invite you to visit them in their home countries, which, a true backpacker will inevitably do with very little notice or planning. Its a very cool way of life. Not necessarily the safest or smartest way of life, but very cool. It is definitely some thing I want to try after I graduate. I'm dying to see Africa and South America and I can't think of any way I can afford to do that without joining the wayfarer's world. I'm still looking for a travel partner if anyone's interested. I'll even let you choose the continent.

Love you all,
Caddie

For the Love of God

Please Note: This post is really long and goes into some of the details of Islam. If you don't want to finish it, please still skip down and read the last paragraph before signing off.

Also, since this blog is now linked to a public website, if you are an outside visitor please understand that, though I am the world's biggest champion of freedom of speech, rude, derogatory or inappropriate comments about Islam or any other faith are not welcome here and will be deleted. Exercise that freedom somewhere else.

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Let me begin by warning you that I am going crazy right now, because I have about 100 blog posts in my head, and every day there are a million new things to write about. I'm the luckiest reporter in the world. I have a definite audience, no deadlines or word limits, a whole under reported-on country at my fingertips, daily interviews with some of the best sources in that country and, best of all, no editor. So sorry if I go a little crazy and start posting three times a day. I can't help it.

Anyway, today's post is on Islam, but I have an even better post brewing. However, it still requires some research and I'm going on vacation for a couple days (see facebook status for further details) so that will have to wait til I get back. Stay tuned.

Okay Islam. The most distinct difference between Islam and Christianity and I think Hinduism too (I can't speak for Judism, because I don't know enough about it, but the books say its more like Islam) is that Christianity and Hinduism are systems of beliefs. The religions center your moral compass and guide your faith. Islam, on the other hand, is a way of life. They say the central question to Christians is "What do you believe?" To Muslims it is "What do you do?" This is very difficult to acurately describe, because I'm sure many of you who are both Hindu and Christian are now a little annoyed and thinking, "Hey, I live my religion. I'm a good person, I pray before meals, I go to church or temple, I've read the Bible or the Gitas." And thats all true. I don't mean to say that you aren't good practicioners of your respective religions, at all. What I mean is that the way you practice Islam is inherently different from the way you practice other religions. Its requirements are different and its teachings are different. And in many ways this accounts for why the Middle East is the way it is.

To really understand Islam, you have to think about its context. Islam came about in the desert about 1300 years ago. This was an eat or be eaten society. Every day was a fight to survive. Islam and the Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) message was meant to give order and morality to these desert people. So while Christianity says "Hey, don't kill people and treat your neighbors as you would like to be treated," Islam literally seeks to reform society itself. You are not a good Muslim, your society is a good Muslim society. Islam lays down laws, rules for marraige, requirements of the individual and the community. And at the time it came about, many of these changes altered these desert peoples' lives for the better. So when Islam says that a woman can't travel without a male companion, we hear chauvanism. But think about it. How dangerous would it have been for a woman to travel alone or even for a few women to travel together across the desert 1300 years ago. That restriction was probably meant to keep fathers from selling their daughters to neighboring tribes and then sending the poor girl off to her new husband three hundred miles away alone on the back of a camel. (Islam also created laws that said the woman has to have a say in her own marraige, something that did not exist before.)

Another example: one of the five pillars of Islam is observance of the Holy Month of Ramadan (this year it is August 22-Sept. 22 so I'm getting a crash course in Ramadan righ now). During the Holy Month it is forbidden to eat, drink or smoke from sunrise to sunset. In Jordan it is illegal to eat or drink anything (including water) in public during this month. And people, almost everybody, actually, really do it. They all fast. It makes words like fanatic come to mind. But, again, think about it. The idea behind Ramadan is that everyone should know what it feels like to be poor, to have an empty belly. In addition every time your stomach growls you are supposed to think athat three times in the presence of a witness.bout God and show your committment to him by ignoring it. Its not so different from the Catholic's Lent. Actually, in practice its a lot like Christmas. All month stores close early so that people can spend more time with their families, everyone walks around saying Ramadan Karim which is Happy Ramadan, its all they sing about on the radio. Every night Iftar, the breaking of the fast, is a big family celebration. We have really gotten into this part of Ramadan, although most of us don't fast. Tonight the boys are making a few of my friends and I a macaroni and cheese Iftar. At the end of Ramadan is the Eid. It is one of the biggest festivals of the year.

The other pillars of Islam (requirements for being a true Muslim) are that you must give 2% of your total wealth to the poor each year, that you must pray five times a day, that you must, once in your life, make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca and that you must believe that "There is no god, but God and Muhammad is his prophet." Actually, all it takes to become a Muslim is to say But, again, these aren't just requirements, they are a way of living. I spoke to one girl who says that the prayer is like both yoga and meditation for her. If she misses a prayer she feels physically tired, achy and may even get headaches. It is a time for quiet reflection and peace during the day. The haj (pilgrimage to Mecca) is a great right of passage. Maybe like a graduation ceremony for us. For those that are very poor this might be their only opportunity to travel at all.

Jihad is another part of living Islam. In the west that is a word we have come to fear. It has been ruined by the politicians and the media (yes, we are more guilty than anyone. No one checks facts anymore). To clear the record, each person is responsible for their own Jihad, which means holy struggle, not holy war.

There are three levels of Jihad. The first and most important is the personal struggle to be a good Muslim. As you can see from above, that isn't easy to do. You're constantly looking for places to pray and starving your self one twelfth of the year. But its more than that. Muslims leave their lives completely in the hands of God. I don't know about Hindus, but I know Christians say they do that too. But really, we don't. We say "oh, if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." and "I know God has a plan for me" and we believe that. But in an abstract sense. We make our plans anyway and fully expect to execute them. Muslims don't. They don't expect to carry out their plans, and if they do it is because it was the will of God. One of my professors today told us that we have a test next week and followed that sentence up with, Insa Allah, which means, if that is the will of God. Meaning if it isn't, don't plan on taking the quiz.

The second level of the Jihad struggle is to struggle toward being a good Muslim community. Everyone gives of their wealth, no one has sex outside of marraige, etc. It goes deeper than that, but I don't really know all the values and standards they hold themselves too- oh, no drinking alcohol, ever. Thats one I forgot. Anyway, you get the idea.

Finally, Jihad means a stuggle to protect your community from outside invasion that threatens it. I would guess this is why the 18th and 19th century imperialists always found it hard to colonize the Arab world. Islam was having none of that. This is the part of Jihad that gets perverted by terrorist factions. They justify what they are doing as an act for God. That is bullshit and any good Muslim will tell you that. Worse, terrorist groups that use Islam as justification are twisting God's words to achieve their own ends. Definitely haram. This is a very important distinction. Peace is paramount to Islam. In Arabic goodbye is ma salam which translates directly to 'go with peace.' Around Islam, at least in Jordan is a peace loving culture. If you ask me, not that you did, many of the problems in the Middle East develop out of two distinct characteristics of these countries. 1. Islam, which was laid out to, and was hugely successful in improving and stabalizing life for tiny impoverished tribes living in the desert over a millenium ago has never been successfully readapted to fit into the modern context. This is not to say that they are not trying to do that. They are, but they disagree about how to do it and so it hasn't happened yet. And 2. there is no democracy and at this point any attempt to establish a democracy is going to turn out looking a lot like Iraq.

Sorry, I know that was really long, but I felt like I should get it all out there. After two years of studying Islam on the side, this is the accumulation of my knowledge. If you have questions, though, post them and I'll ask my professors for the answers. In the U.S. we are taught not to ask questions about religion, but that isn't the case most places in the world. The truth is that our faiths are a huge part of our identity and for many of us they really define how we live our lives. They are something to share and celebrate, not avoid. It is important for us to understand the different religions in the world because it helps us understand the people behind them and the lives they live. So to that end, I have a proposal: I actually know for a fact that there are Roman Catholics, Protestants, Hindus, a former Buddhist and possibly Jews reading this blog, which is very very cool. So if you feel the urge, post a response with a little insight into your faith (I'm serious about this, so if you don't know how to post email or facebook me what you would like to say and I will post it for you). I know I'm not the only one who would love to read it.

Middle Eastern Myth Buster

Hi everyone!

As expected, internet is a rare and elusive commodity in Jordan. My roommate and I are paying an arm and a leg to get a shotty connection from a dial up drive that we have to share in our apartment. But, not being able to post for the last couple of days has given me time to do enough first hand research to shut down a few of the middle eastern stereotypes we are fed in the U.S. Here are some of the facts on the big myths.

1. Myth: All Middle Eastern countries are dangerous.

Fact: Okay, this is only part myth. There are lots of ways to die in Jordan. You can get hit by a car or develop a degenerative disease. You can fall down the stairs, die in childbirth or drown. Actually, I take that last one back. You can't drown in Jordan. There isn't enough water. The point is that the Middle East isn't dangerous, the world is dangerous. Jordan is actually pretty safe. In fact, the life expectancy rate in Jordan is actually higher than it is in the U.S. No joke. Check the CIA world factbook.

On our second day of orientation we were taken to the U.S. embassy for a security briefing. They expained that if we do drugs or insult the king and get caught that they can't get us out of jail and that if we die while we are here, statistics say it will be at the hands of a cab driver and his weapong of choice: his cab. So don't jaywalk. Then they let us go. Never did they mention a single word like political unrest, terrorism, car bombs, jihadists, al-Queda or any of the other vocab words we associate with the Middle East. I know many of you have been worrying about my safety, so I wanted to put this myth to rest first. I'm very safe in Jordan. And you would be too, if you came to visit me. Which I would love. You could have my bed, I would take the couch... just an idea. : )

2. Myth: It is very difficult being a woman in the Middle East.

Fact: It is very hot being a woman in the Middle East. Muslim women, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, which we are in the thick of right now, cover their hair, legs and arms. I imagine they are very hot, because as a member of the other group - non-muslim women (which includes men both inside and outside the Islamic faith and women of all other faiths) I am expected to cover my legs, shoulders, midriff and chest and I am hot. However, covering ones extremities is a requirement of Islam, not Jordanian law and non-conservative Muslim women may not choose to follow it. Beyond that, Jordanian (and I suspect many Arab women) are not more oppressed than women are in the U.S. They drive cars, hold jobs, go to college... It isn't safe for women to walk alone at night and we do have to be more aware of our surroundings than men. Annoying? Obviously. An exlusively Middle Eastern problem? Definitely not. Actually, in my experience that's pretty much true for women anywhere in the world.

That said, it actually seems to be harder for men in Jordan. There is a lot of distrust of men. In some restaurants men have to be accompanied by a woman or they will not be seated. This is becasue if too many men begin to hang out in an establishment, families and women will begin to feel uncomfortable and will stop going there. It was also much harder for my program to place men with homestay families than women, because many Jordanians don't feel comfortable inviting a strange single man to live in their homes.

3. Myth: Arabs are angry, crazy, evil, or just simply hate Americans.

Fact: Knowing that my dad is reading this, I do have a disclaimer on this myth bust. I absolutely can't generalize every person in the Arab world. There are 22 Arab countries (I'll bring home a special present for the first person that can name them all in a comment on this post. Hint: Afghanistan is not one of them) and over 300 million Arabs. There is certainly no way to accurately describe them all. I'm sure there are angry, crazy, evil American haters living in the Arab world. But, if there are, I haven't met them yet.

The first person that I met in Jordan was the man working at the money exchange counter at the immigration lobby in the Amman airport. It was three a.m. I had never even seen a Jordanian dinar in my whole life and there wasn't an ATM in sight. Immigration was not going to let me through customs into the main airport where there were ATMs without a visa, which cost $10 dinar and they only took cash. I was freaking out. The money exchange guy was calm, sweet, patient and in his best broken English directed me to an ATM through a side door where I could get cash. Then there was the guy at the tiny shop where I bought my phone cards who patiently explained to me three times, again in broken English, how the cards worked and to program them. When I still couldn't figure it out, he programed them for me. Ahmed, my apartment building guard spent his entire afternoon yesterday trying different remotes to find one that worked for my TV. This was after he hung my shower curtain and helped me learn to work the stove. None of this is in his job description. The cab drivers are hilarious and the Jordanian student interns in the CIEE program are sweet and excited to meet American students. To a Jordanian, I have learned, being a guest in their country isn't any different than being a guest in their house. Which means that they don't give you a hard time about being lost, or American or unable to speak Arabic beyond a few pathetic, mispronounced sentances. They are kind, patient, respectful and welcoming. They say "Ahlan wa Salan" over and over, which means, "You are so so welcome here." They want to know where you are from, whether you like their country, and always, if there is anything they can do to help you.

And this isn't just Jordanians. The Saudi Arabian English teacher I sat next to on the plane wrote down all his favorite restaurants in Amman for me. Ala, one of our student interns is Palestinian and reminds me of my little sister because she is like sunshine in human form.

The point is Arabs are not evil people. They have evil people. They have their Timothy McVeys and their Senator McCarthys and their Travis Clebolts. Who doesn't? Who among us can claim to belong to a society that has not produced a few psychotic sociopaths? The Arabs that I have met so far are a lot friendlier than some of the people I met in India, a lot less stuck up than many of the people I met in Europe and a lot less scary than the people I met in New York. It honestly hurts me now to think of the way that so many Americans percieve them. Its not our fault. September 11th was nearly 8 years ago now and when my program director mentioned it in her welcoming speech to a room of American students the excited whispering died and the room went silent. It still hurts. And all we've seen on TV and in the news for the last 8 years have been images of angry Arabs, crazy leaders promising to, "wipe Israel off the map," and insurgents attacking our soldiers. I get it. But, I'm here, living, working and interacting with "them" and I'm telling you, we're wrong. Most Arabs don't walk around all day hating us, or plotting ways to attack us. There are good people in the Middle East. A lot of them. And if nothing else, they are taking very good care of me right now while I am a long way from home. So if you can't give them anything else on my word alone, give them that.

I'll write again soon! Love you all.

Caddie