This blog entry isn't about anything in particular, it's more a compilation or random things that I've noticed in Jordan recently. I've written about the crazy driving here before, and how crossing the street is an experience unto itself, but I believe I neglected to mention the unbelievable amount of people that fit into cars here on a regular basis. The other day, I was in a taxi looking around and I had to do a double take as I saw a car packed with 9 people....and I don't mean an SUV or anything. This was a normal sized car with 6 adults in the back and three in the front. On a normal basis, I'd say you can easily count on seeing at 6 people packed into a small car. The next time I think of complaining that I feel cramped in the backseat of a car with only 2 other people, I will just remember to be thankful that there aren't three other people sitting on our laps.
The other day I saw a mother in the front seat of a car with her baby sitting on her lap! In the US, this would freak people out and I'm sure many passer bys would be cursing about the irresponsible mother under their breath. If my memory serves me right, Ohio has a law mandating that people in the front seat wear seat belts. Even if the mom was buckled up, I don't think the baby sitting on her lap would count as being buckled in safely.
One of the most bizzare things that I've seen has to be the monkey that I saw sitting on the top of a car, being fed by it's owner. The guy looked totally casual, as if this is something totally normal that happens everyday, which it probably is, as I saw this guy and his monkey more than once!
There's one more thing that I saw recently that really stuck out in my head...the boy I saw in the barber shop. Now seeing a boy in a barber shop usually isn't an odd sight, but when the boy is standing in front of a man waiting to get a shave, that's a bit shocking! Just to make sure that I wasn't making any wrong assumptions, I asked my friend Ahmad about boys working in barber shops and he confirmed that it's normal, especially in the summer when they are out of school. I guess they must have a steady hand and experience with shaving but boy, I don't know if I would trust a 12 year old with a blade to get that close to me!!
As they say in Jordan, A'adi, it's normal!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Creeeepy Taxi Driver
Ok, generally taxi drivers here are pretty cool so I don't mean to diss all taxi drivers by any means. But there was an especially creepy taxi driver yesterday who was following Gretchen and I and kept on stopping on the side of the road for us. We were walking up a fairly steep hill getting a nice little workout and had no intention of getting a taxi, even if I did bruise my foot and we looked all out of breath.
After he had been following us for about ten minutes and stopped for the third time, I went over to him and said in Arabic 'I don't want a taxi, get away from me!' Ah...it's nice to have friends to teach you useful phrases like that...luckily it didn't get to the point where I needed to say 'Ismah walla, bahshii ijrii fii teezak' 'listen I swear, I'm going to kick your ass' But it's good to know I have a nice arsenal of words to get the point across :) Now time to give Gretchen a language lesson....
After he had been following us for about ten minutes and stopped for the third time, I went over to him and said in Arabic 'I don't want a taxi, get away from me!' Ah...it's nice to have friends to teach you useful phrases like that...luckily it didn't get to the point where I needed to say 'Ismah walla, bahshii ijrii fii teezak' 'listen I swear, I'm going to kick your ass' But it's good to know I have a nice arsenal of words to get the point across :) Now time to give Gretchen a language lesson....
Haircuts and Vitamin B Shots
It's been a little over two months since my last haircut so I figure I'm due for a trim soon, it's getting a bit shaggy. As I was thinking today of where to go to get it cut, I realized that there probably aren't many women who know how to cut really short hair the way I usually have it done in the states. My favorite tool is this long razor with a serrated edge that is used to layer and texture the shorter hair in the back. I think I might get some really funny looks if I went into a barber shop and I don't want to risk walking out looking like a boy. I went to a barber about five years ago just for kicks and I definitely looked like a boy; I shall not repeat this mistake!
Since I've been here multiple people have told me that they get vitamin b shots instead of taking supplements and I thought it sounded like a good idea. I take a special B12 supplement as well as a general B vitamin every day but hey, if I can get a shot once a week, which is probably more effective anyway, then why not? So I went to the pharmacy and asked if I needed a prescription for the B vitamin shot. The pharmacist said I didn't need a prescription and I walked out with five weeks worth of B vitamins for a little over $5. Pretty sweet deal if I do say so myself.
The next step was finding out where to get the shot; I was told to go to a clinic or a hospital so I decided to walk to the pharmacy that's a short walk from my apartment and ask the pharmacist where to go. As luck would have it, the pharmacist said she could administer the shot. So I walked home to get the vitamins out of the refrigerator and walked back to the pharmacy.
She led me into this little room in the back that's like a mini kitchen and storage room. Generally speaking, I really don't like shots but I'm a lot less queasy than I was in the past. I gave her my arm and was about to turn my head after explaining that I don't like to look at the needle. Uh uh, she shook her head and pointed to my backside. Getting shots in the backside is already not a fun experience but there wasn't even a place to lay down!! Oh well, I was already there and there was no turning back. My memory is bad enough and I'm usually low enough on energy that I really didn't care at this point.
I asked how much I owed for the shot and she told me that it's free. So in the end I get a pretty sweet deal; I can walk down to the pharmacy once a week with my vial of vitamin B that cost about a dollar and get administered a free shot. Just another thing that makes Jordan pretty darn cool.
Since I've been here multiple people have told me that they get vitamin b shots instead of taking supplements and I thought it sounded like a good idea. I take a special B12 supplement as well as a general B vitamin every day but hey, if I can get a shot once a week, which is probably more effective anyway, then why not? So I went to the pharmacy and asked if I needed a prescription for the B vitamin shot. The pharmacist said I didn't need a prescription and I walked out with five weeks worth of B vitamins for a little over $5. Pretty sweet deal if I do say so myself.
The next step was finding out where to get the shot; I was told to go to a clinic or a hospital so I decided to walk to the pharmacy that's a short walk from my apartment and ask the pharmacist where to go. As luck would have it, the pharmacist said she could administer the shot. So I walked home to get the vitamins out of the refrigerator and walked back to the pharmacy.
She led me into this little room in the back that's like a mini kitchen and storage room. Generally speaking, I really don't like shots but I'm a lot less queasy than I was in the past. I gave her my arm and was about to turn my head after explaining that I don't like to look at the needle. Uh uh, she shook her head and pointed to my backside. Getting shots in the backside is already not a fun experience but there wasn't even a place to lay down!! Oh well, I was already there and there was no turning back. My memory is bad enough and I'm usually low enough on energy that I really didn't care at this point.
I asked how much I owed for the shot and she told me that it's free. So in the end I get a pretty sweet deal; I can walk down to the pharmacy once a week with my vial of vitamin B that cost about a dollar and get administered a free shot. Just another thing that makes Jordan pretty darn cool.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
On Being Alone and Asking for Things
As most of you know, I'm an only child so I'm used to entertaining myself and being alone for periods of time and I used to be generally ok with that. Well, the culture in the Middle East is much more group and family oriented and it seems rather rare for people to spend a lot of time alone. It might even be looked at as weird if someone likes to spend a lot of time alone reading, listening to music or whatever.
Since I moved here, I've been around people a lot more than I'm used to back in the States. I've gotten used to it and I actually really like it. The only downside is that if I'm totally alone (in the apartment, outside, wherever) I start to feel lonely. I guess a lot can change in two months!
One thing I'm trying to train myself to do is to stop saying thank you so much and to not ask for things so much. With friends I often hear, 'you don't have to say thank you' and 'you don't have to ask, just take it, we're past that stage' as in, we know each other well enough so there is no need for these formalities. Having been trained all my life to 'mind my p's and q's' this is going to be quite difficult....and when I come back to the US if I've kept this habit, know that I'm not trying to be rude :)
Since I moved here, I've been around people a lot more than I'm used to back in the States. I've gotten used to it and I actually really like it. The only downside is that if I'm totally alone (in the apartment, outside, wherever) I start to feel lonely. I guess a lot can change in two months!
One thing I'm trying to train myself to do is to stop saying thank you so much and to not ask for things so much. With friends I often hear, 'you don't have to say thank you' and 'you don't have to ask, just take it, we're past that stage' as in, we know each other well enough so there is no need for these formalities. Having been trained all my life to 'mind my p's and q's' this is going to be quite difficult....and when I come back to the US if I've kept this habit, know that I'm not trying to be rude :)
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Sweets Update
Remember when I was complaining about the cake here? Well, my friend Ahmad was determined to prove me wrong so he took me to a place called Merwan to see if he could change my mind. I actually didn't end up ordering cake because there were so many other things that looked good so I got the blueberry strudel, he got blueberry cheesecake and we split the two. As far as the strudel and cheesecake go, they are pretty darn good so no complaining there. And if the cake there doesn't turn out to be as good as back home, I can always make my own cake (which I don't think I've actually done before) and top it with a ton of betty crocker frosting. Although our oven is....rather interesting with only one of the bottom part working so maybe I'll just skip the cake making expedition altogether. If I'm home for Christmas, forget turkey, just serve me a sheet cake!
So the photo doesn't have anything to do with cake obviously but I thought I'd put up something with food. After all, my family and friends know that food is usually the first thing on my mind....
Jordanian Bureaucracy
I was told before I came that I had to bring my original diploma to have it certified by AMIDEAST and the Ministry of Education in order to be officially hired by the Ahliyyah School for Girls. So I had my transcripts sent, brought my original diploma and paid an insane amount, $120, to have this all certified. When I went to Amideast a month ago with Melissa to get our diploma's and transcripts certified you can imagine how surprised I was when she told me that they stamp your original diploma. What?! Why not just make a copy of it and stamp that? Doesn't seem to difficult.....but then again it is Jordan. At least the process was relatively smooth and I didn't have to make 20 trips to various offices using 'international sign language' to explain myself.
Today I picked up my diploma and transcripst from Amideast and sure enough my diploma has three stamps on the back. And they are clearly visible even with something behind the diploma. So I guess I'm going to have to order a new diploma to get framed. Lets see....I graduated two and a half years ago and still haven't framed it....so maybe in a couple years I'll actually get around to getting a new one....
Gretchen arrived from the States 2 days ago and it's good to have here here, especially because I had the apartment to myself for the past few days as Sine went back to Denmark and Nadia is in Palestine for three weeks. Having 2 cats of her own in the US, Gretchen is our designated cat expert. I guess it's not good to have the kitten smoke hookah and feed her cheeseburgers after all.....so I'm going to stick with giving here a lot of lebnah; the cat might actually like it more than I do which is hard to believe.
Today I picked up my diploma and transcripst from Amideast and sure enough my diploma has three stamps on the back. And they are clearly visible even with something behind the diploma. So I guess I'm going to have to order a new diploma to get framed. Lets see....I graduated two and a half years ago and still haven't framed it....so maybe in a couple years I'll actually get around to getting a new one....
Gretchen arrived from the States 2 days ago and it's good to have here here, especially because I had the apartment to myself for the past few days as Sine went back to Denmark and Nadia is in Palestine for three weeks. Having 2 cats of her own in the US, Gretchen is our designated cat expert. I guess it's not good to have the kitten smoke hookah and feed her cheeseburgers after all.....so I'm going to stick with giving here a lot of lebnah; the cat might actually like it more than I do which is hard to believe.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Barber Shops, Salons and the Cutest Kitten Ever
A couple weeks ago while driving around in Amman that the barber shops stay open pretty late....like past 11 pm! There were a bunch of guys standing around talking and it occurred to me that maybe men here hang out at the barber shop like they do in cafe's.
I also noticed something peculiar about the salons. First, salon is often spelled as saloon, which I find rather entertaining. Hey, maybe the first bar/salon will open up here in Amman and then it really will be like a saloon. Would you like a martini with your manicure? The other thing I noticed, which struck me as odd at first, is that you can't see inside many of the salons. The windows are often completely covered and you have to ring a doorbell to get inside. You can imagine I was really puzzled the first time I tried to enter and the door was locked so I knocked on the door and just stood around hoping someone was actually there. Soon afterwords, the obvious struck me; the doors are locked and the windows are covered because women who wear the hijab wouldn't want anyone to be able to walk by and see their hair.
Now onto the adorable kitten.....the boys next door found a stray baby kitten and decided she needed a good home. They gave her a bath until the water ran black, got some kitten toys and made a makeshift litter box. Unfortunately my camera is broken or else I would take some photos of this adorable kitten and post them. Hopefully I can get my camera fixed soon because I've missed out on a lot of cool photo opportunities! That's all for now, more on random Jordanian things later....
I also noticed something peculiar about the salons. First, salon is often spelled as saloon, which I find rather entertaining. Hey, maybe the first bar/salon will open up here in Amman and then it really will be like a saloon. Would you like a martini with your manicure? The other thing I noticed, which struck me as odd at first, is that you can't see inside many of the salons. The windows are often completely covered and you have to ring a doorbell to get inside. You can imagine I was really puzzled the first time I tried to enter and the door was locked so I knocked on the door and just stood around hoping someone was actually there. Soon afterwords, the obvious struck me; the doors are locked and the windows are covered because women who wear the hijab wouldn't want anyone to be able to walk by and see their hair.
Now onto the adorable kitten.....the boys next door found a stray baby kitten and decided she needed a good home. They gave her a bath until the water ran black, got some kitten toys and made a makeshift litter box. Unfortunately my camera is broken or else I would take some photos of this adorable kitten and post them. Hopefully I can get my camera fixed soon because I've missed out on a lot of cool photo opportunities! That's all for now, more on random Jordanian things later....
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