July 31, 2005: Headlines: COS - Jordan: Blogs - Jordan: Personal Web Site: Peace Corps Volunteer Andrew Sinclair in Jordan: The Syrian Border

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Jordan: Peace Corps Jordan : The Peace Corps in Jordan: July 31, 2005: Headlines: COS - Jordan: Blogs - Jordan: Personal Web Site: Peace Corps Volunteer Andrew Sinclair in Jordan: The Syrian Border

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-37-25.balt.east.verizon.net - 151.196.37.25) on Sunday, August 07, 2005 - 4:27 pm: Edit Post

Peace Corps Volunteer Andrew Sinclair in Jordan: The Syrian Border

Peace Corps Volunteer Andrew Sinclair in Jordan: The Syrian Border

Hartha rests near the Syrian border as well. On a clear day you can see the Golan Heights and Palestine/Israel (the name depends on who you ask). Our location obviously leaves us near perhaps the most precarious political situation in the world, so seeing the occasional Jordanian military convoy and gunner-Jeep driving through Hartha is not that surprising.

Peace Corps Volunteer Andrew Sinclair in Jordan: The Syrian Border

Sunday, July 31, 2005
Hartha and the Syrian Border

[Excerpt]

Hartha rests near the Syrian border as well. On a clear day you can see the Golan Heights and Palestine/Israel (the name depends on who you ask). Our location obviously leaves us near perhaps the most precarious political situation in the world, so seeing the occasional Jordanian military convoy and gunner-Jeep driving through Hartha is not that surprising.

Two days ago I went to the Yarmouk River, which serves a natural border between Jordan and Syria. I was with about four other Peace Corps Trainees (PCT's) and four Jordanians. We had driven out there to view the huge wadi that separates the two countries. As we were leaving in the dark, around 8:30, a machine gun racked military jeep pulled up in the gravel road to block our departure from the edge of the wadi. We were told that this area was off limits at night and the reason that the soldiers came to investigate us was because we had been spotted by one of the many surveillance posts that carefully monitor the border. The sheer display of firepower left me, and many of the others naturally cautious, but the soldiers where there only to give us a warning not to be there past nightfall. In the end it was kind of funny because I ended up welcoming the officers with the standard Jordanian greetings and hospitality as I served them Arabic coffee. And like any good host I was insistent on their acceptance of the coffee, despite their initial declination. They graciously accepted the coffee. After a little small talk they were pleased to hear that we all lived in Hartha. In the end the episode was not nearly as dangerous as it might have appeared, but like many things in our region it is a consistent reminder of the political tension.





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Story Source: Personal Web Site

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