Feminist Adventures in the Middle East: My Surprising Awakening
A trip to Jordan gave me perspectives on navigating cultural interactions as a woman
It all started with a short trip abroad.
Last year, I — a late 30-something French native with blue eyes, hazelnut hair, average height and build — visited a male friend who had moved to Jordan a couple of years prior.
My friend, Mo, was born in Iraq but moved to Jordan during his teens because of the war.
I met the dark-haired, olive-skinned man in Canada during the eight years he spent working in Toronto. But, weary of the freezing winters and supermarket plastic food, Mo decided to return to Jordan only a couple of years after we became friends.
Once he got settled again in his adoptive country, he invited me to visit — and not only for me to make sure that his October tan wasn’t merely due to a good Instagram filter.
Jordan is a beautiful country with a rich history (and even richer food) that captivated me during my 10-day stay. With more than 100,000 archaeological, religious, and touristic sites, we had plenty of options to choose from.
