my trip, part 1 // airplanes

So, about a year ago, my small group leader sat down with me in a Mexican restaurant, looked me straight in the eyes, and said "over March break next year, my husband and I are taking our kids on a vacation, and I just thought obviously Olivia should come with us when we go to Jordan and Israel."

(I'm not even joking. Life is just that crazy.)

So the place that I went (and where all of those mysterious pictures are from) is JORDAN AND ISRAEL!!

Feel free to scream in excitement!!! Or possibly disbelief! Or even a little bit of fear because hello, isn't that a scary place to visit? (or, as one of my coworkers so tactfully put it, "did you know there's a war going on over there?")

So, wow. That happened. 

I journaled a lot while I was gone, and I took around 800 pictures, so I've decided to dump ALL OF THE PICTURES on you and then maybe summarize a few of my journal entries in between. (when I showed the pictures to my family, it took almost an hour to talk about my trip and it was exhausting and wonderful but nontheless, I think we'll try to move things along a little more quickly here.)

 Guys I'm so excited I'm pretty sure you can feel it all the way from here in Canada. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS HAPPENED TO ME I AM SO HAPPY.

Okay. Pictures. Let's go.

pretty lights in the Toronto airport before getting on an airplane for the FIRST TIME EVER WOW

March 12/16  7:55pm in Canada

We're in the airport in Toronto! We had to wait in line for a super long time to check our bags, but now we're just hanging out and waiting for our flight. The airport has windows everywhere, and because it's dark outside, you can see the street lights of Toronto, all spread out and blinking below. I tried to take a picture, but my camera picked up on the reflection of the lights inside, instead. I'll just have to remember what they look like - mostly golden, but a bit red every now and then, or green. Maybe traffic lights? 

I am so thankful - God is so cool.

some of my friends made me a care package to open on the plane

I almost cried when they gave it to me and then they all panicked so I held it in and hugged them a lot instead

and then I opened it on the plane and laughed and almost cried and felt like exploding

I asked them last week why it is so hard to understand God's love for us... then I opened their notes and I sat there on the airplane and thought, "oh. I get it now."

this is an airport in GERMANY 

 

I like going up the best, when the force pushes you back into your seat and you feel the moment the wheels leave the ground

more Germany! look at the red roofs - I AM DYING

this is us flying above the clouds. LOOK AT THE CLOUDS.

March 13/16  around 10:30am in Germany (we had a two hour stop here between flights)

I've decided that I don't like sleeping on planes.

later

It's not as strange I would have expected to be in a new country - back in Canada you hear people speaking different languages all the time, so I'm a little bit disappointed to find that I'm used to it. The signs in German are throwing me off, though!! And trying to order McDonald's when the menu isn't in English is a unique sort of struggle.

later again

I swore to myself that I wouldn't fall asleep in the German airport, and then I laid down on the chairs in the waiting area and passed out for a solid half hour! But I feel SO much better now. We're in the air again - next stop, Jordan!

later yet again

We have arrived! First impressions of Jordan were from a plane over the water, looking down through the night sky at nothing but blackness, and then suddenly seeing a wall of light, tiny golden pinpricks speckled through the dark. 

city lights from an airplane are basically the prettiest thing ever

first glimpses of Amman, Jordan

my first morning in Jordan, being excited and taking pix of every single thing

this is just a normal street but at this point I'd been away from Canada for less than 48 hours so I thought it was pretty special

more normal streets that I found super exciting on day 1

March 14/16  8:58am Jordan time!

Even just looking out the window, you can tell you're not in Canada anymore. The buildings here are stone, and they're all earthy colours like brown and off-white. The family that we're staying with has a little brick courtyard out back; I've been frantically snapping pictures of everything. 

Even the air smells different here - Germany smelled a lot the same as Canada, but Jordan air is spicier. I keep breathing it in...

this cat's name is Snowflake, but the older boys call it "Pork Chop" and "Dead Meat." poor kitty.

this is the view of Jordan from a MOUNTAIN.

more Jordan as seen FROM A MOUNTAIN

we were on Mount Nebo, the place where God showed Moses all of Jordan (more on this in my next post)

So, wow. I know I keep saying that, but what else is there to say? Just wow. Life is crazy. I'm so excited to share more pictures of Jordan with you in my next post!! (Israel will be part 3).


Do you like airplanes? And seeing city lights? Wow. Wow all over again.
xx,
Olivia