It’s week two here in Amman and I have experienced an insane
amount of things. I feel like I’ve been here for three months already. In order
to figure out what to share, I’ve decided to group this post into sections.
Sounds of the City
One of the things I love about moving to a new city is
discovering what the odd sounds I hear all of the time actually lead to. I
purposefully don’t ask what these curious noises are associated with so that I
can discover them on my own. The first one I discovered sounds like an ice
cream truck driving by. When I first heard it I was very tempted to follow it
to the source in order to enjoy a nice cold treat during that 90+ degree day.
I’m sure glad I didn’t venture out to find it because it turns out to be the
truck delivering propane tanks.
The other curious sound I hear in my neighborhood is a
whistling noise. This one is in fact for children. There’s a man who walks
around the neighborhood selling cotton candy and little toys to kids who come
running out when they hear the whistle.
Finally, there’s the call to prayer. Just like I experienced
in Beirut in 2010, I am struck with how beautiful it sounds (in contrast to the
ones in Rabat, Morocco). It’s really a soothing sound and I to my pleasant
surprise, I haven’t been waking up to it at dawn every day like I used to in
Rabat!
Things that have and
haven’t gotten accomplished
When I arrived here I had a volunteering project all set up.
I was going to help coaches with soccer and basketball leagues and camps and
also aid in administrative efforts for a small local non-profit called Reclaim
Childhood. Unfortunately, last week I found out that the one full-time employee
(who hired me as a volunteer) was offered a job for International Relief and Development
on the Za’atari Refugee Camp. She’s reached out to me and is trying to help me
secure a sports or photography related volunteer job so hopefully that works
out! I’m anxious to start volunteering! In the meantime, I’m all set to
volunteer with English conversation on Thursdays at the Za’atari camp. IRD
provides a bus from Amman so this will be a 11 hour day for me.
Finding places here is very hard. Somewhat like Costa Rica,
although less officially so, there don’t seem to be set addresses here. One day
last week I spent 45 minutes trying to find information about the local Right
to Play office (youth sports non-profit). First I started with Google but there
was no phone number or address listing for the office. Then I tried the New
York office but they weren’t open yet. Then I finally found a number for the
Amman office but the phone number was expired. After that I was able to get in
touch with someone from the Aqaba office who gave me the Amman phone number. At
this point I had one of the administrative assistants at Fulbright talk on the
phone with the Amman office to get directions to their location. She kindly
took down directions for me and then I was on my way. When I move home I am
definitely not going to take the simple act of Google searching a company,
having the address appear, and then getting there based on the drive, bike,
bus, or walk options. Here, when you click on the bus tab, it gives you a blank
screen.
Meeting people
It’s incredible the number of people I’ve met and exchanged
contact info with since arriving last week. I know it’s important to make
contacts and I’ve been trying to take advantage. We had a lot of great
community members come speak to us during Fulbright orientation and I am very
grateful for that. I’ve met the new US ambassador to Jordan, the dean of the
college of Arts and Sciences, the director of cultural affairs at the US
embassy, the director of the American Center of Oriental Research, a nice
Mexican girl who is going to invite me to Latino parties, and over five rock
climbing enthusiasts! In addition to these contacts, I’ve also met three
athletes who compete for the Jordanian national team (one for swimming and one
for taekwondo). It is a small country, a fact which I am reminded of when I
think about this last point.
Arab hospitality
Last week I had an interesting experience with one of my
friends from the Fulbright program. Aqsa (a 4th year med student
here on a research Fulbright) and I visited the city athletic complex known as
Sports City one day after Fulbright orientation. We did a lot of wondering
around before finally finding the swimming complex. I asked about the hours for
women to swim and it was explained that the women only hours are three days a
week from 11-4. Aqsa and I wondered around a bit more and on our way out,
decided to stop a woman who seemed like an English speaker. Somehow, I could
tell. I think it was because she looked on the wealthier side, was wearing a
sleeveless blouse, and she was walking very fast, similar to an American “no
nonsense gait.” In any case, she did indeed speak English and rather than
simply tell use how much she pays a month, she offered to take us to the office
to inquire about pricing for a month-to-month basis. She interpreted for us and
we were very grateful. I was happy to find out that those women only hours I
thought referred to the only time women were allowed to swim in fact refer to
the time that men are excluded. As it turns out, the pool is completely co-ed!
After getting info on the month-to-month membership we asked about the running
track and if she knew how to get there. She told us that she knows Sports City
very well as she uses it every day and that one of her daughters is on the
national swimming team! We thought she told us she’d show us the running track
on her way out so we hopped in her car. The next thing we knew we were pulling
up to her house! We walked inside and there were her two daughters with their
three friends, drinking juice and smoking hookah. They looked a little
surprised to see us walk in the door but we were made to feel extremely
welcome. We hung out for about an hour, exchanged Facebook contact info, and
then headed out to get ready for our fancy Fulbright dinner being held “in our
honor.”
Troubles and
Frustrations
I haven’t yet started teaching but I anticipate the lack of
technology will become an issue. There’s no wifi in my office and I still
haven’t figured out how to go online using the Ethernet cable. I’m grateful I
own an older MacBook because the new generation doesn’t even come equipped with
an Ethernet port. The English department has one projector that I can check out
but I won’t be able to count on this since there’s only one. What I do
anticipate doing is using the “American Corner” for class periods that involve
AV equipment. The US embassy has set up “American Corners” in different parts
of the city that serve as a meeting place for Americans and other people
interested in improving their English or meeting Americans to share ideas and
get to know our culture. There’s a nice flat screen TV in the American Corner
on campus and it even has air conditioning (something which I believe soon
enough I won’t even be able to imagine needing).
Transportation is another frustrating aspect of living in
Amman. Last week I took taxis everywhere because I had to get to various parts
of the city for my settling in tasks. The bus system does not appear to be very
good here and it seems that there are not a lot of routes. Fortunately, I’ve chosen
to live between where I teach and study and there’s a straight shot bus route
that I’ll be able to take. I’m so glad to get into a routine so I don’t have to
deal with the taxi drivers as frequently. I was truly spoiled in Mexico City. I
don’t think I’ll ever live in a city that has better public transportation than
Mexico City.
Honking! Oh the honking! Honking is just another form of
communication here and I’m ok with that. What bothers me is how every taxi
driver feels the need to let his presence known as I walk down the street. I
wish I could hang a sign on my back that says, “believe it or not I’m walking
on purpose and I do not need a taxi at the moment.”
Doing things!
One of my Fulbright colleagues connected me with his
climbing friends last week. I met the three of them at a point at the south end
of the city where we haggled to get a taxi since technically the gym is just on
the outskirts of the city. It was a bit of an ordeal but we managed to make it
to the gym in less time than I thought (Amman seems big but in reality, it’s
not really that large). I was shocked with how nice the facilities were! It’s a
multiple story building with two different rooms of tall walls in addition to a
gift shop, and separate bouldering room with built in crash pads. It happened
to be the 1st Wednesday of the month and I only had to pay for my
harness since women are free on the 1st Wednesday of the month. After doing a
brief test with one of the employees, I was given the go-ahead to belay my
friends. I had a fantastic time and met a lot of other people there. I was
grateful for this experience especially because one of the guides for my hike on
Saturday recognized me and it allowed me to make a connection with a local
outdoorsperson in a way that I wouldn’t have had I been just another American
on the hiking trip.
I used to do taekwondo in Mexico City and I’ve been wanting
to get back into it ever since but the schools in Honolulu were not a good fit
for me. After doing a little shopping around last week, I found a nice one very
close to my house (15 minute walk – Alhamdulillah). One of the coaches speaks a
little English (just the right amount to be honest) but I’m definitely the only
foreigner training there. I’ve had two practices there and I love it so far. It’s
an intense two hours but so far it’s been balanced with warm ups, technique
improvement skills, technique demonstrating skills, sit ups and push ups, and
lots and lots of stretching. I love the stretching. Taekwondo is the reason I’ll
probably never do yoga. You get the benefits of stretching and relaxation, but
the pleasure of kicking things! There’s nothing better to work off the
frustrations of a tough day than by kicking and punching things! I’m in heaven!
Alhamdulillah.
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