Jordan. In Jordan. At the Jordan River. Before visiting Jesus’ Baptism site along the Jordan River this weekend, I had anticipated the moment for years. Every time we’d sing “On Jordan’s Bank” at Mass, I’d think about how powerful the experience might be—going to this holy place from which my name comes. (I learned from …
The Garden (“Peeling Oranges” Series)
One cold morning, I wait for the American neighbors next door, who share a cab with me to school. A smoky mist rises up from their host mother’s garden, the night’s frost melting and crystalizing again in the air. It curls around laundry polls and hovers above the lemon trees, full of pocked yellow bulbs …
Peeling Oranges
During my time in Jordan, I’ve taken many photographs, images that, when I look back at them years from now, will bring back the feelings I felt in those places and with those people. When I look at this picture, for example, I’ll remember sitting in the cold, purple sand in Wadi Rum at sunset. …
Taxi Rides at Maghrib
After my first day at the university a few weeks ago, I jumped into a cab with a friend at dusk, stressed and tired from the long day. My mind was reeling with the new situation and setting, preoccupied with the computer problems I was having. But as I settled into the back seat, the …
JORDAN DENARI DUFFNER 