The reason of writing

One of the first things I see when I think of tourism is a gibbon wearing human clothes and maybe even holding a cigarette. It is a striking image: a very exotic animal, something you can only see abroad. How wonderful to see nature this up close! But at the same time, this strange exotic creature being exploited for tourists to take selfies with. It is a very unnatural thing, deprived of respect and used  to make a quick buck. 

 Because tourism feels so ambivalent to me, I am dedicating a blog to it.  In this blog 'Gazing at Jordan', I'll write about my experiences while travelling through Jordan with the Honours College Summer School 'Passions of Tourism'. After treating the subject of tourism in an academic way in the Netherlands, the last week of August we will be treating it empirically. Living the idea of tourism. There are worse ways to spend your summer holiday! 

On a daily basis I'll share my views on the country, my tourist activities there and some thoughts on tourism in general. Am I a traveller or a tourist and what is the big difference?[1] I'll also include some deeper pondering on the bias view I have of the Middle East and Islam. Is it really so bad as the media describes the chaos in the Middle East? Does it make me feel threatened? Is Islam really as bad as politicians like Geert Wilders make it out to be? And is it any different for me being a woman in a Muslim country?   

I hope you'll enjoy reading this blog as much I'll hopefully enjoy writing it, dear reader. 

And who knows, maybe we both end up being very passionate about Tourism and Jordan.

1. I will be using: McCabe, Scott. "‘Who is a tourist?’A critical review." Tourist studies 5.1 (2005): 85-106.