An American Expat in Egypt & Jordan, So Different From A Decade Ago

Comparing my memories to life today

May 09, 2024

∙ Paid

What’s it like to be an American expat in the Middle East now, with regional tensions high and many locals blaming the U.S. for Israel’s high-casualty War in Gaza? Samantha Childress on Substack shares her experiences in Egypt and Jordan.

Caravanserai with Samantha Childress

Goodbye to All That: On Loving and Leaving Cairo

Friends, I recently got a puppy. I wasn’t looking for one, and the timing couldn’t have been worse—Nick’s diplomatic assignment ends in a few short weeks, at which time we’ll have to leave Cairo for good. She just showed up on the corner one day and I knew she was for me. I was parked in front of my housing compound on a hazy afternoon, waiting for the …

2 years ago · 109 likes · 20 comments · Samantha Childress

She picks up not far away in Jordan:

Caravanserai with Samantha Childress

Little Glimmers Everywhere

Friends—I want to paint you a picture of my first month in Amman. The wondrous, the commonplace, and the resonant. I’m settling still, and I’m not yet sure what it all means. But I see little glimmers everywhere…

a year ago · 50 likes · 14 comments · Samantha Childress

At least Petra is still magnificent, well worth any momentary discomfort or worr…

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