In February 2026, after a long and cold winter semester, a friend, Jakob, and I traveled through Jordan. Without much planning, we booked a flight to the capital, Amman. It was just before the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, but there was still no sign of the impending chaos. Instead, thanks to it being off-season, we explored the country with relatively few other tourists. This made our encounters with the people who welcomed us with such hospitality all the more interesting. After a few nights in Amman, we left the city to explore the country. One evening, just as we were mentally bracing ourselves for another cold night in the car, we were picked up by Falah and Mohammed, who offered us a place to sleep in one of their Bedouin tents. During our last few days in Jordan, Falah took us along in his old Toyota Hilux and shared his life with us. Sad to have to go home, we left the country. Two days later, the region was plunged into a state of emergency as if by a sudden blow.