One more post about Jordan

Cara took this photo at the beach in Aqaba. Gianna likes to peel labels off of water bottles, leaving them a sticky mess and perfect for levitating water bottle optical illusion tricks. The low quality video below shows the Islamic call to prayer that is broadcast across Amman several times a day... including 4am. Keep in mind, I'm filming this inside the apartment with all the windows closed and the nearest mosque is a couple blocks away. Hanoi blasts communist propaganda music every morning to wake up the city and some Frankfurters complain of incessant early morning church bell ringing. I wonder if there are any cities in America that blast Stars and Stripes Forever to wake up their patriotic citizens?

Jordan: Amman

The picture above shows different views of the city at dawn, midday, and afternoon as the dust rolled in. It was quite windy and dusty, but we still got in plenty of sightseeing and eating!














The first stop on our eating tour of Amman was this hole in the wall serving breakfast on pieces of paper. The falafel, pitas, ful, houmous, and tea were delicious to say the least.






















Next stop was Amman's citadel, the place where Bathsheba's husband was killed by order of King David. The museum also houses some of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Later in the day, we toured the clinic where Cara works, has some schawarma take-out for lunch, and napped at their house in the afternoon. In the evening we went to Safeway where I oohed and ahhed over all the American foods they can get in Amman as compared to Frankfurt.











We had dinner at a traditional Arabic restaurant, then a little street shopping and street food dessert: Kanafeh (if I remember correctly). It is fried sweet cheese topped with a type of phyllo dough, pistachios, and syrup. The next morning, we packed up and left for the airport. Thank you Cara and Matt for showing us around your beautiful country!

Jordan: Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum reminded me of Sedona, AZ with more sand dunes and less cottonwoods. We took a Jeep tour into the desert with a Bedouin guide. Gianna slept in the back seat with Cara for most of the tour, as Dan, Matt, and I sat in the back getting sandblasted.











The Jeep tour was actually a Mitsubishi modified with seats in the back (left). Dan and Matt climb a sand dune (right).





















Gianna poses with some cliff drawings (left). Camels get out of the way, beep beep! (right) I'm really glad we did not choose that form of transportation through the desert.












"Grandma" Schmidt posing at Lawrence of Arabia's house (left). The wind was really kicking up sand, and the scarf was helping. Gianna said I looked like a monster. Driving back up the desert highway to Amman, road signs point the way to Iraq and Saudi Arabia (right).

Jordan: Aqaba

After seeing Joe Biden in Petra, we continued south on the desert highway to Aqaba. Aqaba is a resort town on the Red Sea close to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Israel. We stayed in a really nice condo at Tala Bay, with great views of the Red Sea from roof top and balcony.
View of the marina at night from our roof top. Wow, there were some nice yachts parked here!







Breakfast on the balcony and a view from the balcony to the Red Sea.











Matt, Cara, and I went snorkeling and saw some pretty nice tropical fish and coral. The lion fish (left) were hanging out around a pier, along with eels and large schools of silversides. On our second night in Aqaba, we hit the Safeway and picked up some meats and vegetables for grilling. It was delicious. Matt is a grill master and can also make his hand disappear (right).




















Since Jordan is a Muslim country, it is inappropriate to wear skimpy bikinis. My surf gear (left) was quite comfortable, even in the desert heat, and it protected me from sunburn. Here, Gianna the aspiring beach bar tender is filling up a water bottle for making pretend drinks. On our way out of Aqaba, Cara stopped at a nut shop to stock up on cheap nuts (right). I don't know why she had to stock up, we already had a car full of cheap nuts! Hahaha.

Jordan: Petra and Joe Biden

For the past 5 days we were in Jordan visiting Dan's cousin Cara and her husband Matt, who both work for NGO's in Amman. It was an awesome trip. Not only did we get to spend some time with expat family, we got a lot of behind the scenes views of Jordan and also got to meet the Vice President of the US, Joe Biden! Here are the highlights from the first part of the trip.

PETRA

(L-R) Our intrepid leaders, Matt and Cara; Gianna stays hydrated (and looks like a giant!); the family in front of the Treasury. Gianna did a lot of hiking on her own, even in the desert heat and up steep rocks. I was proud of her and also proud of Dan for carrying her when she got tired.

JOE BIDEN

Matt and Cara had been tipped off that Biden was going to visit Petra, so we had high hopes to catch a glimpse of the US Vice President. There was a catering table set up, reporters with cameras, and as we were hiking out, a motorcade came roaring past us, kicking up dust. Joe Biden saw Dan's Phillies shirt and hat and waved to us from his suburban. After Biden was out of his SUV, we noticed secret service was not really keeping people far away, so we crept closer for better pictures. I was snapping away like the paparazzi when I realized Joe was looking right at me. I gave a large "come on over!" wave and he started walking our way. As he approached, I shook his hand and said "It is so nice to meet you! We are from Bucks County, PA", then Joe said "Oh really? So is my wife". He shook Dan's hand and asked all of us if we had been down to see the ruins yet and what we thought of Petra. Soon others were crowding around, extending their hands for a chance to touch the VP. I practically skipped all the way back to the car, grinning from ear to ear, shaking with excitement.

Job interview

The ICE train brought me safely back to Frankfurt last night around 9pm after two days of interviewing in Paris. The nutshell story, I got a verbal offer, two actually. So now I will wait for the written offer to arrive in the mail sometime soon. For more details, read on.

Unbeknownst to me, I was interviewing for two positions, both based in Clark, NJ. The first position was Scientific Affairs. Although the word science is in the title, it is a high stress, long hours, frustrating position trying to coordinate many people from different departments to work together. While I have some negotiation and mediation skills, the position sounded less and less appealing the more they told me about it. In fact, I went to bed the first night knowing I would turn down that position if they made me an offer.

The other position was for Advanced Research. They were looking for a scientist with skills in plant physiology, plant chemistry, and plant genetics. Bingo, I have more plant knowledge and research experience than you can shake a stick at. The only down side to this position, travel is required. But I was firm that my family comes first and I'm not willing to spend long periods of time away from my daughter. Two days was even breaking my heart!

That brings me to my next point about women in science. It was interesting to hear different opinions on the 1 year gap in my CV from being an expat in Germany. Other former expats sympathized with my situation, as their wives also had to set aside their careers and be the "accompanying spouse" for a few years. They were pleased that I would be bringing first hand knowledge of Europeans back to the US. But those who had never been expats criticized my decision to sacrifice my career. One guy even suggested it was a mistake to get married. So, to be successful, women are not only supposed to be childless but now single too? Thankfully, the French guys with expat experience are the ones who are making the hiring decisions. They asked me to choose which job I wanted and I told them definitely the Advanced Research position is a better fit with my background and personality.

After the interviews were over on Friday, I was able to do some sightseeing around Paris before catching the train home. I forgot my camera, so only snapped a few shots with my phone of Notre Dame (middle) and the Seine River with the Eiffel tower way off in the distance (top). I had lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown, then stopped at a Vietnamese bakery to buy Gianna a durian, pandan, and chocolate 3 layer sponge cake for Tết. I also picked up a French card game and Hello Kitty sticker book for her at a little boutique shop. This morning when I woke her up, she hugged me, then sheepishly asked "presents?" She plowed through the 3 layer cake, eating all of the durian layer first, leaving the pandan and chocolate for later. It is good to be home, even though I was only gone for 2 days.

Dan's back in the Big Apple

This morning we waved good-bye to Dan as he left for a business trip to NYC. His German counterparts were supposed to accompany him but chickened out at the last minute, so he's going solo. He should be back in the land of Frankfurters on Thursday as long as you guys on the East Coast can hold off on having another "epic" snowstorm (see my friend Kirstie's Baltimore patio, right).

Gianna and I are remaining in Deutschland. I am still on the couch, sick as a dog. My thoughtful friend brought me a care package from the US military base containing two kinds of Theraflu, Nyquil, Afrin and Vicks nasal sprays, and three kinds of Nabisco cookies to ward off hunger. Gianna is getting better, but still has a nagging cough. Even the dog is starting to cough, out of sympathy or a desire to be part of the pack. When Dan left this morning, he sat by the door for a good 15 mins, hoping he was just making a run to the bakery for pastries. But alas, Dan typically doesn't take a suitcase with him to the bakery, so now Bruno will lay on the couch with me for the remainder of the week, sulking until Dan's return.

Darmstadt

Road trip! The original plan was for our friends with a car to drive us to the French border for sightseeing. But with three moderately sick kids and the cold weather, we stayed in Germany and checked out their hometown, Darmstadt. The day started with a hot lunch of German lasagna, followed by a car/foot tour of the city. Darmstadt was heavily damaged in WWII but there is still a large schloss (castle) in the center of town and the beautifully restored Rosenhöhe Park. Rosenhöhe contains several specimens of Sequoiadendron giganteum, giant sequoias. They were dwarfs compared to the trees in California, but still reminded us of home. After the park, we returned to our friend's house for the German weekend tradition of 4pm Kaffee und Kuchen. In fact, we were invited to another 4pm Kaffee und Kuchen on Saturday, but had to cancel due to Gianna's illness. An invitation to Kaffee und Kuchen means they will cram you full of fancy cakes from the local bakery and gourmet coffee to the point you will not be hungry for dinner. It also means you are their friends, something Germans take very seriously. The night ended with Wii Fit competitions where we were creamed by an 8 year old and then a fast car ride home up the autobahn.

Áo Dài photo shoot

Gianna and I decided to model our new traditional Vietnamese áo dài dresses before our vacation tans completely fade away. We bought them in Saigon at the Bến Thành market. The áo dài is traditionally worn for celebrating Tết and other formal occasions, but I'm thinking they will be a little too drafty for Tết (Feb 14, 2010) in Frankfurt.























Gianna wanted a shot with the dog; he put a hole in her pants with his claw >:-(

Nha Trang

Nha Trang is located on the coast of South Central Vietnam facing the South China Sea. In contrast to sleepy Phu Quoc, there was a big hotel strip and the beach had giant waves. Gianna commented, "the water is too loud", but she still enjoyed making sand castles away from the water.

On Christmas Eve, we got dressed up for the hotel's Christmas gala. The whole strip was alive with Santas on motorbikes and little kids all dressed up to get their pictures taken. Santa was at the hotel handing out presents to the kids and two guys with a violin and guitar were playing Christmas carols with Frank Sinatra's "I did it my way" thrown in for good measure. The buffet was excellent with fresh seafood grilled to order and a large dessert table featuring a Bûche de Noël. The best part, we got to meet other adoptive families on vacation just like us.

We wanted Christmas Day to be special, so we booked a trip to Monkey Island. After all, what says Christmas more than a monkey circus and hand feeding a bunch of wild monkeys? We had a personal tour guide and driver for the whole day. First stop was Monkey Island, where Gianna commented "Monkeys do not ride bikes". We didn't feed any of the wild monkeys, especially since we had a small child with us. The monkeys came very close and were quite interested in my camera. It was all a little unnerving since we were highly outnumbered. We spent a little time at the Monkey Island beach with the monkeys watching us from lounge chairs. Then we went back to the mainland for lunch at a Vietnamese family restaurant, which Dan described as, "the best meal I've ever had". After lunch we hiked up a mountain to a waterfall. The spring-fed creek was much warmer than any I've ever swam in, still quite refreshing in the tropical heat. On the way back to the hotel, a huge funeral procession passed our car. At the center, there was a temple on wheels with women riding on the back throwing out paper money. Our guide explained all the intricacies of Vietnamese death and funeral customs.

The rest of our time in Nha Trang was spent on the beach and sampling local cuisine; then we headed back to Saigon. Before hopping on the flight home, we picked up a few áo dài, saw a lion/dragon dance, did a little sightseeing, and took advantage of the New World Hotel Saigon pool. It was a wonderful trip, probably the best vacation we've ever taken, especially since it was with our beautiful daughter Gianna.

Phu Quoc

When I was looking for a warm beach to spend Christmas holiday, I came across a travel site reviewing beaches in SE Asia. According to Travelfish, Phu Quoc "gets almost none of the press of those islands over in Thailand -- and yet with its rugged jungle, squeaking white sands and sparkling cobalt waters, it can more than match them." The resorts were dirt cheap but highly acclaimed, so I decided to find out for myself.

Our hosts at Mango Bay met us at the airport with a four wheel drive vehicle. The ride to the resort took us though winding dirt roads, reminiscent of my parent's cabin in North Central PA. Mango Bay is a working mango plantation, as the name implies, with rustic bungalows along the beach and cows and chickens roaming the premises. Our bungalow had a king bed with mosquito netting (no AC, just fans!), a beach facing porch, and an attached outdoor bathroom that became a house of horrors at night. The food at Mango Bay was second to none, most everything they served was grown right at the plantation or caught off shore. They made the best Bánh xèo I've ever tasted and I could not get enough papaya smoothies.

After we checked in, I ran out to the ocean to get a glimpse of this paradise that I had read about on the internet. At first, I was a bit disappointed. Where were all the coconut palms and white sand beach? There were more pines than palms and the sand was more brown than white. But once Gianna woke up from her nap and saw the ocean, the look on her face made me realize this was the perfect place. The waters were clear and calm, so she could sit in the surf without us worrying about her getting washed out to sea. The rocks off shore offered tropical fish and crab sightings, and there were plenty of seashells for collecting.

The only down side was the wildlife that came alive at night. There were 35cm long Tokay geckos everywhere. Once Gianna and I encountered one on the wall of a cramped bathroom stall and Dan got a good picture of one hanging on the wall over our bed. These guys have a vicious bite, which I only found out after we got home. There were also tropical spiders the size of my palm, and lots of mosquitoes. Even with our DEET and permethrin, we still got quite a few bites. Thankfully so far, nobody got sick :-) During the day we battled black flies, especially during meal time. The only place the flies wouldn't go was out over the ocean, so we spent a lot of time in the water.

Despite the creepy crawlies, our time on Phu Quoc was tranquil and relaxing, a real paradise. But for Christmas Day, we wanted something a little more glitzy and festive, so we headed for the beach town of Nha Trang.