Jordan/Israel Trip 2010 Experiencing a different type of life

Photo Credit: David Utt

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April 9, 2010 • David Utt  
Filed under News

For the 2010 Spring Break trip, a group of four intrepid parents and twelve adventurous St. Andrews students led by Ms. Yerbury, Mr. Porter, and Mr. Davila traveled half way around the world to Jordan and Jerusalem. This is a brief recap of the highlights of that trip:

After a thirteen-hour flight from Washington, D.C. to Amman, Jordan, the group took a bus to the American Center for Oriental Research (ACOR) and met archaeologist Dr. Porter, the center’s director and sister of Mr. Porter.  After recuperating at ACOR, the group then was treated to a delicious meal in one of Amman’s historic neighborhoods.

The next day the group went to Jerash, an important Roman city (ancient Gerasa) in the region that was abandoned after an earthquake in the mid-700s. The first site the group explored was the Hadrian’s Arch, which was built as a victory arch for Emperor Hadrian’s visit to the city.  After stopping to take pictures, the group began their exploration of the city in earnest.   There they promptly encountered another magnificent structure, the Hippodrome.  According to our tour guide, Rai’ed, the Hippodrome was the main racetrack of ancient Jerash and “fit almost a third of Jerash’s [ancient] population.”.

As the group left Jerash and headed for the Dead Sea, many were struck with a feeling of amazement at the sheer scale, beauty, and ingenuity of Roman architecture and civic planning.

After Jerash, the group spent two days relaxing near the Dead Sea, which was a welcome opportunity to get over the jet lag. After leaving Jordan, entering Israel, going through hours of security checkpoints, driving through the West Bank, they finally arrived to Jerusalem.

Over the next two days, the group visited some of the most important religious sites of the three major monotheistic religions including: the dome of the rock, the church of the holy sepulcher and the wailing wall.  Also, there were visits to Bethlehem, the fourteen stations of the Cross, the ancient water tunnels built by David, Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Memorial), and the museum of Israel (where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed).

After a jam-packed trip to Jerusalem, the group went back to Jordan to go camping with Bedouins in the Desert of Wadi Rum.  After a delicious home cooked dinner prepared by the Bedouins, the group went stargazing in the pollution-free environment of the desert.  The following day was spent hiking and driving through the beautiful desert mountains.  After this brief visit to the desert, the group then moved on to the highlight of the trip, Petra.

While most recognize the “Treasury” from the final scene of the Indiana Jones movie, many are unaware that Petra is a complete city that includes hundreds of mountainside tombs and a few impressive temples. When all was said and done, the students were shocked that the city was so well preserved after thousands of years.  Senior Corbin Ayers perhaps puts it best when he said it was “a day that will last a life time.”
As the trip came to an end, it seemed that no one on the trip thought of it as anything short of an extraordinary experience.  Moreover, the incredible planning done by Ms. Yerbury resulted in a smooth and safe trip with no major inconveniences.  While next year’s spring break trip has yet to be officially announced, rumor has it that it might be Greece!

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