Best 25 JD I’ve Spent

Last night's adventure was a concert in the Roman ruins of Jerash. A series of beautiful Algerian bands, the crowd on its feet, lights and shadows, sound, night stars – all in a well-preserved Roman amphitheatre. It was pretty incredible. Diana Krall played the other night in Amman’s Citadel. When the call to prayer rang out, the stage lights went down and the band stood silent.
This week's been full of adventures. Monday: dinner with two guys who've been working on Iraq since 2003, for a series of different players. They've both grown pretty cynical of all parties' intentions. Tuesday: drinks with a Scandinavian woman married to a Syrian. She was full of advice on Syrian and Jordanian culture and how cautious to be. Wednesday: dinner with an American woman, dating an Iraqi, full of stories of his family here. Thursday: the concert. Tomorrow, hiking in a wadi near the Dead Sea. Next week: dinner with an Iraqi colleague and a Palestinian colleague. I'm spoiled, though it's amazing how easy it is to forget that sometimes.