Photos by Andreas Fathalla, (Kalamazoo College), Student Correspondent for CET Jordan, Fall 2022
An arrangement of fresh pomegranates and corn, which I assume are locally farmed, being sold out of the back of a truck in the Al-Swaifiyeh area. I’ve seen the truck a lot lately, always parked right by the Al-Sufra bakery. You can pick up pomegranates from the guy here for about half a dinar each, I’d recommend it.
The view from Mountain Hut Café in As-Salt (السلط), about a 30 to 45 minute drive away from the CET apartments. The café is right on the side of the mountain, so you can see miles and miles into the flatlands, and you can even see Palestine in the distance. It can get cold up here and can also get pretty windy as you can tell by the flag, so consider bringing a warm jacket. It’s a great place to catch a view of the sunset, they even have a look-out point right by the entrance.
A view from the balcony of our cabin in Ajloun (عجلون) on an overnight excursion with CET. The place is in the mountains, and on the trip, we had some time to relax and explore the nature around us. In the morning, I took a hike through the forest on one of the trails right by the cabins.
The start of a hike through Wadi Mujib, a canyon near the Dead Sea. We went on a tour with the CET local neighbors to the canyon. It takes a few hours to “hike” to the end and back, though most of it is really swimming rather than hiking. It also includes climbing up a lot of waterfalls, and there’s even some opportunities for cliff jumping. This picture was taken by Colby, another CET student.
The top floor of a café called Zghairon (صغيرون) in West Al-Balad. I’ve found that whenever I come here, I’m basically the only one on the top floor, which makes it a great place to study. It has three well-designed rooms including comfortable sofas, and some outdoor seating with a rooftop view. The staff is really nice, and it’s also a great place to hang out with friends as they have cards and backgammon available.
An inside view of Abdali Mall (مول العبدلي), an upscale mall in Amman, that I visited for the first time with my CET language partner. The mall includes various nice clothing brands (mostly western brands), as well as some nice cafés, a food court, and a supermarket.
Bana View café, a place set up on the side of a hill outside of Amman, off the highway on the way to the airport. The staff is really hospitable, ready to give you a blanket and set up a fire for when it gets cold at night. I’ve come here a couple of times already to sit for a few hours and do homework. Warm teas and coffees are available for $1 JD each.
A bush of brightly colored flowers on a staircase from West Al-Balad to Jabal Al-Weibdeh. Just one example of all the colorful flowers you’ll see here. I see them a lot in the downtown areas, and they really add to the beauty of the city.
Having some baba ghanouj and grape leaves at a restaurant called Qamar Lebnan (قمر لبنان). Located in in Fuheis (الفحيص), a small Christian-majority town between Amman and As-Salt, the restaurant has a nice skyline view of the city.
On a week-long break from CET, I took a trip with a friend to the cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem in Palestine, and Cairo and Alexandria in Egypt. As my second time in Cairo, I got this aerial view of the city from the top of the Cairo Tower. If you look closely, you can see the Pyramids of Giza far in the distance.