Jordan was the first country I visited that made me cry.
No, no—it was in a good way, extremely so. Everyone talks about Petra and the Treasury, but Jordan’s true beauty is in its people. I hadn’t experienced such warmth from strangers before—it was humbling, and I couldn’t hold back the tears on the bus ride back from Wadi Rum.
Mind you, the tears had probably been building up since my first day in Amman… I had been wandering the streets, feeling a bit overwhelmed. The bustling high street was a world away from home—traffic surged endlessly, horns beeped constantly, and I was convinced that at any moment, a car accident was about to happen. It was my first time in the Middle East, and not gonna lie: I was struggling.
But through the noise and chaos, I did notice one thing—the smiles. Everyone I passed greeted me with a warm ‘Welcome to Jordan’, and their kindness travelled through their eyes. Slowly, I started to relax.
After a while, I stopped at a juice stand, and even the vendor was super friendly, asking about my journey and where I had travelled from. We chatted for a bit, and when I tried to pay, he waved me off with a smile. ‘Next time, you pay,’ he said. It might not sound like much, but on a hot(ish) Ramadan afternoon, I knew he hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since daybreak.
And it wasn’t just him. That evening, as I strolled through the streets after sunset, the locals invited me to share their meal as they broke their fast. The atmosphere was electric, and despite being a stranger they made me feel welcome, like I was part of something special.
Their kindness was everything. I know I’ve told you me and languages before, but, here I was ‘shukran-ing’ left right and centre. Sure, I could go on about the famous sites—the Citadel, the Roman theatre, Rainbow Street —but it was the people, their hospitality and warmth, that moved me the most. And, this was only the beginning…