Volunteer Voices

The work camp in Jordan in June was an incredible experience. There were 4 of us including the work camp leader Amir and we were at the orphanage helping in painting the railings to the stairs and playing with the orphan children about 5 days a week. All of us got on with each other really well even though we came from different backgrounds. One guy is from the States, another lady from Greece and I'm from Singapore. It was an interesting mix of culture and minds. We had a chance to understand more about the local culture, religion and traditions by having a chance to speak to the headmistress of the orphanage and her daughter. Another interesting event was that we got invited to Amir's cousin's wedding. I had a chance to witness a traditional Muslim wedding where the men and women were separated in different rooms. In the rooms where the women were, some of them took of their headscarf and shapeless black gown to reveal a stunning beauty. They literally let their hair down and danced. We were invited to join them in the middle of the room full of Arab ladies to dance their traditional dance. Natasha- the other volunteer from Greece and I were the only foreigners in the room but we had an amazing time cheering, clapping and dancing."

Janice Njoo ~ Jordan 2005