In the end, my 4 weeks in Aqaba we’re not at all what I had expected — doing a work exchange at a diving hotel cleaning the rooms (instead of teaching yoga or helping guests), spending my evenings in semi-isolation looking at this beautiful desert-mountain-sea view (instead of taking language classes or a social life), growing insanely tired of falafel and hummus, and speaking much less Arabic than I had anticipated. Aqaba Adventure Divers gave me some challenges, but also time to reflect, appreciate my blessings, and many lessons — like on how to live with cockroaches; that the best way to kill a mosquito is with a flip flop (called ‘shibshib’ in Arabic); why use napkins or utensils when you can use bread?; language can’t be absorbed like a sponge, it takes work and initiative; and I don’t want to live in a place where they don’t eat salad. But I leave Jordan not with any distain, I’m full of gratitude for the experience which in the end taught me a lot about myself, introduced me to kind new friends, brought me further along my journey of understanding the diversity of the human experience, led me to a new adventure under the sea, and let my creativity emerge in a mural for the hotel, my legacy after a one month residency. 🙏🏽✨ https://www.instagram.com/p/Brj-4c9HQk0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=4sp2i5w0w0n9