01 May 2008 -- Passing Over

First, the big news...
Have I found a job? YES!!! Despite some last-minute second-guessing on my part, as well as some well-intentioned guilt-tripping on the part of my Israeli suitors, I've decided to accept the offer to become the founding Dean of Instruction at YES Prep East End in Houston, which will be welcoming its first ninth-graders to campus in the fall. My marathon interview there at the beginning of Passover break rekindled in me the passion and the ganas that had faded significantly during the past year. (By the way, if I saw you in H-town last month, I'm sorry it was so rushed, and if I didn't get the chance to see you, I hope we can have a raucous reunion this summer.) My job at YES will start as soon as I return from Israel in July, so I won't have much of a vacation, but I am still extremely excited about the prospect of coming home!

Now, the fun stuff...
Since the vagaries of airfare only allowed me five days in Houston, I needed to find something else to occupy the second half of the Passover holiday. So, I did what any good Jew would do: I went to Jordan! Determined to see at least some of this region's most splendid sites (outside of Israel) before moving back to the other hemisphere, I convinced an American friend to join me on a quick trip to Petra. He brought along his Israeli roommate, who had never been to an Arab country before and was genuinely giddy. (He didn't tell his mom he was going, though...)

Glad to be here! This is the view of the Jordanian border gate after walking across a few hundred meters of deserted "no-man's-land" between the two countries. Kinda freaky, to tell you the truth.

The first sign of Jordanian infrastructure is this imposing Central Bank building. Look out, NASDAQ!

This is only the second monarchy I've ever visited, and the Netherlands certainly didn't have posters of Queen Beatrix on every available surface. These Jordanians love their royalty!

This is the Siq, a kilometer-long, cliff-sided passageway leading to...

The Treasury! Yes, this is the place from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. And yes, it's even cooler in person! Those Nabateans knew how to carve a façade!

I'm checking out the move-in specials at this 2,000-year-old apartment complex. Dang, and I thought my flat in Boston was old!

This one's mine!

I mean, the security's good...
(The authentic Nabatean sentinel on the left is talking on his authentic Nabatean cell phone.)

...there's plenty of camel parking...

...and if I ever need someone to shake a swine-shaped, liquid-filled pendulum thing, I can just go to my neighbor: this guy!

The fact that this Bedouin boutique -- situated on a steep stone stairway deep in the desert -- accepts credit cards is even more amusing given that our hotel did not (at least not on the weekends).

Petra is HUGE! We were there all day, and we still didn't see everything. This is Al-Deir, the Monastery, which is as far as we got. That's Doug (American friend) on the left and Tzahi (Israeli friend) on the right. The tall dude in the middle is yours truly.

In case Petra itself doesn't fulfill your Indy-related fantasies, I'm sure the Indiana Jones Snack Shop will!

How many dinars would you pay to see fish fellate?!

The sun sets over Petra. It really was a fantastic trip, and I recommend it to anyone with good walking shoes and even a remote interest in history. If you ever do plan to go, I'd be happy to give you some tips on lodging, dining, and transportation. Yes, camels are an option -- at least for some of the way.