In April of this year I accepted an invitation from Texans for Peace to be a part of a delegation to Jordan. The purpose of the trip was to meet with a variety of Iraqi refugees and to learn firsthand the difficulties they face. Our delegation also met with non-governmental organizations that provide aid to Iraq.
First day in Jordan (Wednesday, April 18th)
I am writing to you from the library at America Center for Oriental Studies in Amman, Jordan where we are staying. It is almost 12 midnight here. We have just gotten in and had some leftovers in the kitchen. The manager was kind enough to loan us t-shirts to sleep in, new toothbrushes and toothpaste and even a few other very personal items since our luggage did not arrive with us. It may be a few days before it arrives. A plane comes in from Chicago each evening so if it arrives late tomorrow they will probably not deliver our luggage until the following day...if it arrives at all! The thing is, we were stranded in the plane on the Chicago runway for about an hour because our steering went out and we were waiting to be towed. Instead, maintenance was able to fix it after about an hour and then we had to rush from the domestic airport to the international airport which involved a lot of walking, moving sidewalks and trains. We made it but our luggage didn't. It was supposed to be transferred automatically but obviously there wasn't enough time.
So I've been traveling about two days and already have stories to tell. I had a very nice conversation with a Palestinian named Majid this morning on the plane and also with an Indian doctor whose name was more complicated. After landing it took quite a while to get a Visa and go through customs and then search for our bags which weren't there. I have to give a compliment to the Royal Jordanian airline, which paid us nicely for baggage delay. I have never known that sort of treatment before.
My first impressions of Amman, Jordan, which I have only seen in the dark while disoriented and jet lagged, is that it is modern, clean and the people are friendly.
