For Spring Break, as I mentioned before, my parents came to visit me in Jordan, which was a really phenomenal experience. If you are currently living abroad, or you have someone close to you living abroad, make sure you take the chance to make a visit like this. [Ms. Charassuvichakanich have you been to Beijing yet??]. My parents got to see a country that I don’t think they ever would have otherwise with a tour guide and place to stay, and I got to have some fun in the process (at a price that was right for me). We spent the week seeing almost the whole country – Petra, camping in the desert in Wadi Rum, floating in the Dead Sea (see mud caked people on the left), exploring the Roman Ruins of Jerash and hanging out in Amman, not to mention having a blast just driving around. Highlights included:

• Seeing the guards laugh every time I told them my Dad’s name, Doug… maybe they thought it sounded like “Dog”?
• Giving my parents a view of real Jordan by driving through tiny towns and driving in the intensely crazy driving in Amman
• My Mom riding a camel and picking up little Arabic words… I think she wanted to leave Texas and become a Bedouin
• Getting a speeding ticket on the Desert Highway
• Trying to get my Dad to continue to eat Arab food the whole time he was here
• Finally showing someone all that I try to express in this blog and giving my parents the context to be able to talk with understand what’s going on now
• Spending some good quality time with the ‘rents and regaining my status as favorite son. Maybe next year Donny and Mack…

I posted some pictures from our trip on the pictures page (in addition to a bunch from the Dead2Red race, though most are the same as the ones in the video) if you’re interested…