The first installment will discuss my recent travels to the Middle East. I'll gush about my winter break in Amman and surrounding places (Jerusalem, Mt. Nebo, etc...). I apologize in advance for perhaps sounding like a serial bragger or spoiled brat. In my defense, I'm fascinated by the MENA region and the Arabic language, which I've started studying at Yale.
Clouds over the Mediterranean. Helen (my twin) and I took a direct flight from JFK to Queen Alia airport in Amman. We boarded a Boeing Dreamliner (787-800) operated by Royal Jordanian. I'm fascinated by airplanes, so flying in a Dreamliner for the first time was an amazing experience- it can seat up to 335 passengers and reduces emissions by 20% because it's significantly lighter, which makes take off relatively peaceful experience.
Second, I'll talk about Jordan from a more intellectual standpoint. I've spent the better half of two weeks roaming around and trailing behind my Mom who works at the U.S. Embassy here. The country is an exciting place, to say the least. I'll write about its politics, economy, social environment, and entrepreneurial ecosystem from information gathered on the web and from Jordanian professionals I've met around town (diplomats, academics, businessmen...).
King Abdullah II is the current ruler of Jordan. He spent his high school years at Deerfield in the US and then went to military school in England. Abdullah is by and large a modern monarch. He's married to Queen Rania, who is really beautiful and smart. It's hard not to like this royal couple.
Third, I want to talk about a more serious issue, which is the recent suicide of a transgender (MTF) teenager in Ohio. In previous posts I've written about transgender rights, which I believe are a hallmark of 21st century social change. No one should ever feel inferior and unworthy of love because they don't subscribe to a gender binary or norm. Battling transphobia requires a lot of effort on behalf of LGBTQ activists- an effort that is arguably being wasted by focusing on the more trivial issue of marriage equality.
Leelah committed suicide after her parents put her in a state of miserable isolation for months on end. Her parents were homophobes and propagated transphobic messages within their household. They tried changing Leelah through conversion therapy. When she took her life, they told friends that their sweet "son" had died in a car accident.
