It has been a while since my last post, and a lot has happened since then. Even though I haven’t been very public, there are a few things that I’ve wanted to share. So let’s start with my last few years on Active Duty.
I am not sure if I had ever mentioned my career in the military before I posted about my trip of a lifetime, but it often has me traveling to different parts of the world. Sometimes with very short notice. My career has brought me to places such as Saudi Arabia, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Germany, and Jordan. Unlike many other trips and locations, this trip allowed me to get out and see some of the country during my downtime.
After getting over the shock of more time away from my wife and children, I considered this experience an extended vacation. On any vacation, I’d want to experience the local cuisines, engage with the people, and see the sites. So that is exactly what I did.
The Food
Right off the plane, my team members greeted me and took me to enjoy some of the local cuisines. Like any place, I found that there were some excellent food choices and some that didn’t sit well with me. Overall, the food was amazing and, in many cases, fresh. During one of our excursions into the town, we drove past several restaurants where the lamb was in front, waiting for a customer to order their meal. We also, on several occasions, had the opportunity to dine with our Jordanian counterparts and enjoy a multicultural feast.
One of my favorite foods I enjoyed when I went out was chicken and hummus, served with pita bread. Although it was a type of food I could get at home, this was my go-to food when we went out. Members of the office would bring this back after a day out on the town, and we’d all gather for the meal to break up the days’ monotony and repetitiveness.
I also enjoyed the Chi Nana (shy nana), sweet tea with mint leaves. Some of my best days were sitting with my companions, talking, and drinking tea with mint leaves.
The language and the people
It took me a while to start recognizing when someone was speaking to me. My team members would point out that I was ignoring someone or tell me I was being rude. But I eventually started to recognize some of the Arabic greetings. Over time I could greet and exchange pleasantries, which I had the opportunity to do quite often. I also began to notice a change in how I was treated during my engagements with the Jordanian people. The more I learned to speak in their native tongue, the more they began to open up and respond with pleasantries in kind. They would, on occasion, even correct my pronunciation. I can’t hold a full conversation, but the initial ice-breaker of saying, “hi, how are you? Do you speak English?” Really helped me to start the communication process. During one trip to the local police station, I was greeted by an officer who welcomed me to Jordan and told me he hoped my time in his country was enjoyable.
Getting out and about
Looking at the trip retrospectively, I had many chances to get out and explore the area. We’d frequent the Taj and City Malls almost every month. We would take our day off to go to a movie and keep up with the new movie releases that were released in the country. Films that did not show in the malls were still made available to us weekly or monthly. (Waiting for Wonder Woman was an interesting experience.)
Jordan is rich in religious history. After all, many religions have their beginnings in this region. Of interest to me was the story of Jesus. Jordan’s culture and history tell the story of how Jordan played a role in each religious beginning. I set out to see several religious sites with my bible app in tow.
Petra, the city of Sela– Known as the stone city, many people have seen Petra but have not realized it. If you have seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Petra, found in the Christian bible under the name Sela, is the Capital of Edom and is the great valley extending from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea (2 Kings 14:7). It was described in the book of Judges (1:36) as
being near Mount Hor close to the desert of Zin and was called the rock. Sela was also mentioned in Isaiah and Obadiah as being doomed to destruction. Today, the local shops pay homage to the historical origins. The name Sela can be seen throughout the streets and storefronts of the area.
Later in the trip, we learned that the area was historically a major point for merchants to travel via the Dead Sea or the Aqaba Gulf to exchange goods in the market.
Aqaba – After leaving Petra, we travel to Aqaba. My first time here, I was so exhausted from my time in Petra, I didn’t really get a chance to experience the area. When I arrived, I slept for quite a few hours. Awaking only to an alert that it was time to leave. My second time in Aqaba, my team surprised me for my birthday. Truthfully, I barely remember this as well. Thanks, Chuck! But to say it was beautiful would be an understatement. From the hotel, we looked out to see both sides of the Aqaba Gulf. One side is Israel, and the other side is Jordan.
Baptism Site- The Spot Jesus was Baptized
If you are like me, you’ve grown up with this image of Jesus being baptized. Imagine my shock and surprise to see that what the site looks like today was nothing like it was depicted in the movies. Our guide explained that the Jordan River has been and continues to dry up. Pretty soon, the site will be bare. So what may have been a large river during the days of Jesus is now not so large.
The Dead Sea – The world’s Saltiest body of water
Before this trip, I did not know much about the Dead Sea, and my only desire to visit stemmed from my daughter, who made me promise that I would take a picture of myself in the Dead Sea. Before leaving for this trip, I did a bit of reading and discovered that, apart from it being one of the main areas that merchants used to conduct trade, the Dead Sea is home to where many biblical stories take place. It is said during the time of King David, the caves near the Dead Sea were the home to many who settled in the area. Stories of Abraham, Sodom and Gamora, 
and Lot’s wife, all happened just north of the Dead Sea. In fact, on my way to Aqaba from Petra, the Guide woke us up to show us the pillar of salt standing on top of a mountain, said to be Lot’s wife (Don’t look back!).
The Dead Sea is rich in minerals. Which means that it is very dense. When people told me that I would float in the Dead Sea, it was an experience I had to have for myself. My body rose to the surface when I entered the waters enough to be fully submerged. I sat back in the water as if I was sitting in a chair.
Mount Nebo – The last site Moses saw before he died
Before we headed out on this trip, the coordinators sent out this scripture from Deuteronomy 34.
“And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, that is over against Jericho and the Lord showed him the land of Gilead.”
The land of Gilead is the mountainous region east of the Jordan River, divided among the tribes of Gad and Manasseh and situated in modern-day Jordan.
I re-read this scripture the day before I made my way to Mount Nebo and ascended to see the view Moses saw. Although we took the road, bypassing the desert route, I stood on top of Mount Nebo and took in the beauty that Moses saw. The view was amazing. On one side, we saw into Lebanon and Syria; on the other, we saw into Israel. My nostalgia was broken when I realized standing there, I could hear the faint sound of explosions in the background, reminding me why I was there.
My Camel Ride – For the first several months in Jordan, everyone on my team had their eye out for camels. They knew all too well that my children would not forgive me had I returned home without a camel experience. So, on one trip into the city, we stopped our car to ask a guy walking his camel on the street and asked if I could ride. Without hesitation, he allowed me to. Afterward, we agreed on a suitable price for him to let us parade up and down the street on his camel.
Although it was a trip for work and the excursions were not as often as I would have liked, It was truly a trip of a lifetime. It was a vacation experience that people generally spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on. I didn’t get to see everything the country had to offer, but I had a very enjoyable time!
Corey Stokes 
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