The 'why Jordan?' -question

Everyone I tell that  I will visit Jordan this summer says: ‘why Jordan?’ In this first entry I hope to explain why I chose Jordan and what will be the objective of the trip and this blog. First, I will introduce myself shortly. My name is Mariël Buurman and I am a third year student Human Movement Sciences. Moreover I am taking part in the Honours College. Part of the Honours College is a Summer- or Winterschool. After the pitch evening a few months ago, I was really sure that I would love to take part in the Summerschool to Jordan. I have visited a lot of places in Europe but I have never left Europe.  I saw this as a chance to visit a country I usually would not.  The summerschool to Jordan is part of a six week course called ‘Passion of Tourism’ where we learned a lot of theoretical concepts relating to tourism that I will use in the blog to explain situations I see and emotions I experience during the trip. In this blog  you will read my personal experiences and emotions and how it influences/contributes to my personal identity. Secondly I will use this blog to illustrate how people can experience places in a different way/with different emotions. I will describe the different identities of the tourists I will see and meet during the trip and how they experience things differently. Lastly, during the trip I hope to explore how the locals feel about all the tourists in their area and the tensions with IS.  I hope I have answered the ‘why Jordan?’ question. If you have more questions, please do not be afraid to ask them in a comment. I am really looking forward writing my blog and for now, I hope you will enjoy reading it!