While total immersion is our ultimate ideal, we still enjoy a few small comforts from home: peanut butter, the occasional secretive sip of alcohol, and American cartoons. Every night from 7:20 - 8 we watch Family Guy and The Simpsons on Arab World FX (which I think is based in Saudi). It's the perfect homework break, but it's hard not to notice the strange alterations and cuts that have been made.
The following words are bleeped out:
1) Lesbian
2) Gay, but only when used to mean homosexual. When it means "bad" or "stupid," it is left in.
3) Jew
4) Jewish
5) Pork
6) Any nudity is blurred out (including paintings in the background of live action shows)
7) Scenes depicting anything sexually suggestive are cut
8) Scenes depicting Muslims, Arabs, or even Sikhs are cut
I guess I appreciate the last one, since the last thing we need is "sarcastic" Islamophobia from American TV being seen all over the Muslim world . . .
The Jew thing is pretty uncomfortable though. Not all that surprising, and we have gotten some glimpses of the type of anti-semitism that Western folk think is extinct (Mein Kampf sits prominently displayed on every corner bookstand, and we did meet a taxi driver who, after telling us about how he "always makes [his] dreams reality," shared that his current dream is to "make all Israelis food for the fishes". He hears their meat is very delicious. "I'm not a terrorist, but who knows, maybe there will be another Hitler!")
The issue of homosexuality is a little more subtle. It actually seems that people aren't really bothered by the existence of gay Jordanians (in small numbers). Like in the US, the idea of a "gay agenda" is the real threat. Sure, there are a few queers in Amman, no big deal, but they aren't organized, they have no political voice.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Layla fi Balad ma3 Zumela'ee/ A Night on the Town with my Classmates
We were all wondering when it would happen, when I would step out of my comfort bubble of Abe and venture out alone. Baby steps. Last night I left the apartment by myself, walked the 4 or so blocks to catch a cab, and directed the driver to a restaurant where I met up with some of my classmates from Qasid. I even crossed a 4-lane road by myself! All things considered, it went well. Some little kids threw olives in my general direction after I walked past (at least I knew not to take it personally -- those little scoundrels delight in pelting every person and car that dares to pass them; I once saw them hit a taxi with a lemon! The driver rolled down his window and insisted that he knew their fathers and he would tell on them), and I got a good number of whistles from passing shebab, but nothing threatening.
Made it to Bab Al-Yeman (the Yemeni Door, or the Door of Yemen) unscathed and enjoyed beans, meat, and veggies eaten with enormous pieces of flatbread served in something resembling a laundry basket. Even better, the organizer of this event, one of my classmates, is Turkish and doesn't speak English, so we all made a valiant effort to speak exclusively in Arabic. In the end it was probably about 60/40 Arabic to English, but that's a big improvement for us. In our attempts to keep the conversation going we kind of let grammar and pronunciation go, and I couldn't help but imagine what a spectacle we were for everyone else there -- 6 foreigners yelling at each other in toddler-level Arabic with the thickest, shittiest American accents you've ever heard, and apparently enjoying it.
Made it to Bab Al-Yeman (the Yemeni Door, or the Door of Yemen) unscathed and enjoyed beans, meat, and veggies eaten with enormous pieces of flatbread served in something resembling a laundry basket. Even better, the organizer of this event, one of my classmates, is Turkish and doesn't speak English, so we all made a valiant effort to speak exclusively in Arabic. In the end it was probably about 60/40 Arabic to English, but that's a big improvement for us. In our attempts to keep the conversation going we kind of let grammar and pronunciation go, and I couldn't help but imagine what a spectacle we were for everyone else there -- 6 foreigners yelling at each other in toddler-level Arabic with the thickest, shittiest American accents you've ever heard, and apparently enjoying it.
Monday, September 16, 2013
A Day at the Souq
Abe and I finally made it to the famous Souq Al-Balad on Saturday, the Middle-Eastern outdoor market of your dreams. It's essentially a
maze of tented alleyways cutting through the middle of downtown Amman,
packed with vendors selling the freshest, cheapest, most glorious
assortment of fruits, veggies, nuts, spices, and dry goods. We made out
like bandits, of course, and hope to make it a weekly ritual. It would
have been a very awkward place to whip out a camera, so I don't have
any pictures of my own, but here are a couple pics from the interwebs to give you the general idea.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Yom Al-Juma3, Bernemej Khass (Fridays, a Special Program)
Ahh, Friday. In the states, it is the day everyone waits for, the end of the week. Here, where the week starts Sunday and ends Thursday, Friday is The Day No One Does Anything. It's amazing. Everything is closed, so you don't have to feel guilty for not running errands. Today is Abe and my 3rd Friday here, and from Friday #1 we jumped right into the flow of not jumping or flowing anywhere. It's 6pm and I haven't put pants on ONCE today. It may be a boring day, yes, but maybe that's why it seems to be the perfect day to highlight all the tiny differences that have become part of our new normalcy.
1) Woke up at 10. Why? Because we drink tea about 5 times a day, so it's unlikely we'll get to bed before midnight. Last night we sat at "Buffalo Wings and Rings" in the uber-hip 1st circle (start of Rainbow St/ sherea3 al-rainbow) until 1am drinking cheap local beer and eating highly unusual "quesadillas".
2) Immediately made some shai, strong and sweet (though not half as sweet as it would be served on the street).
3) Did some Arabic homework, watched some Australian cooking shows (so good!), and searched the web for explanations for our failed dairy purchases. Answers were forthcoming, but disturbing. More on that later.
4) Turned on the hot water heater, then went back to the couch to wait the 20 minutes for it to get hot enough for a shower. Took aforementioned shower (shower head protruding from wall in the bathroom, no tub, door, or curtain), making mental note that it was time to hose down the bathroom. All floors are tile here, and come equipped with drains built in, so naturally people use hoses indoors to clean. We got quite a surprise the first time we realized this, sitting in our apartment and hearing a peculiar noise right outside the door . . . "Is it raining inside? Is there a leak? Umm, it sounds like a hose . . ." Yes, indeed it was our building's maintenance man cleaning the hallways with a hose.
5) Put my laundry in the washer in the kitchen, where you'd probably expect a dishwasher to be. Transferred clothes to the drying rack while Abe removed his and got ready to iron his shirts (I know -- really).
6) Made some homemade french fries with curry powder and ate with mayo. I never enjoyed that flavor combo before, but somehow with the curry powder it works.
7) By this point it was about 4:30 and we were ready for dinner/lunch/big amorphous Friday meal. We got out our ingredients: lentils, rice, and cauliflower, but there was a problem. We were out of water! Luckily the shop downstairs does open on Friday (reduced hours), so Abe ran down to pick up another 5 gallon jug. Crisis averted.
8) Settled down to eat our feast while watching "Great Expectations" on the Dubai Expat channel.
Typical Friday.
1) Woke up at 10. Why? Because we drink tea about 5 times a day, so it's unlikely we'll get to bed before midnight. Last night we sat at "Buffalo Wings and Rings" in the uber-hip 1st circle (start of Rainbow St/ sherea3 al-rainbow) until 1am drinking cheap local beer and eating highly unusual "quesadillas".
2) Immediately made some shai, strong and sweet (though not half as sweet as it would be served on the street).
3) Did some Arabic homework, watched some Australian cooking shows (so good!), and searched the web for explanations for our failed dairy purchases. Answers were forthcoming, but disturbing. More on that later.
4) Turned on the hot water heater, then went back to the couch to wait the 20 minutes for it to get hot enough for a shower. Took aforementioned shower (shower head protruding from wall in the bathroom, no tub, door, or curtain), making mental note that it was time to hose down the bathroom. All floors are tile here, and come equipped with drains built in, so naturally people use hoses indoors to clean. We got quite a surprise the first time we realized this, sitting in our apartment and hearing a peculiar noise right outside the door . . . "Is it raining inside? Is there a leak? Umm, it sounds like a hose . . ." Yes, indeed it was our building's maintenance man cleaning the hallways with a hose.
5) Put my laundry in the washer in the kitchen, where you'd probably expect a dishwasher to be. Transferred clothes to the drying rack while Abe removed his and got ready to iron his shirts (I know -- really).
6) Made some homemade french fries with curry powder and ate with mayo. I never enjoyed that flavor combo before, but somehow with the curry powder it works.
7) By this point it was about 4:30 and we were ready for dinner/lunch/big amorphous Friday meal. We got out our ingredients: lentils, rice, and cauliflower, but there was a problem. We were out of water! Luckily the shop downstairs does open on Friday (reduced hours), so Abe ran down to pick up another 5 gallon jug. Crisis averted.
8) Settled down to eat our feast while watching "Great Expectations" on the Dubai Expat channel.
Typical Friday.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
2 week anniversary/ al-urdun owlan
Today marks the end of our first 2 weeks in Jordan! I'm starting to really feel like we live here, al-hamdu lillah. Tomorrow is the last day of our first full week of classes, and so far it's going really well. We play lots of pictionary :) I've already started to incorporate some arabic words and gestures into my regular repertoire (some purposefully, but most by osmosis), and I've gotten used to a lot of things that shocked me at first: the diabetes-inducing tea, the ceaseless smoking of all people at all times (even with children around), throwing toilet paper in the trash can rather than the toilet, the state-sanctioned jay walking (there are no crosswalks) . . . but some things will take some more adjustment.
1. Honking. Honking here is not reserved for road rage or cat-calling women. There are virtually no traffic laws in Jordan, and a huge amount of traffic. The only way things keep running is by driver-to-driver communication, and honking is the most important tool they have. Honking is not rude, and it doesn't signify anger -- it's merely a message. Drivers honk at other drivers, and at pedestrians, to warn them that they're coming. Cabs and buses will also honk at pedestrians as a way to ask if they need a ride. I know these things. But it still freaks me the fuck out when I'm walking and every car that passes honks at me. Sometimes things do get out of hand though -- in our first couple days here, Abe and I were taking a taxi and the driver got pissed at another car for not going through a yellow light; he literally parked the cab, got out, went up to the other driver's window and started lecturing him about the consequences of his actions.
2. Expired food. In the states, if food is on the shelves of a major supermarket, it's safe to assume that it's not expired, or is at least recently expired. Not so in Amman. We wasted a lot of dinars on spoiled food before we figured that out. At least half the food on the shelves is expired, often by weeks or months -- especially dairy. Beware!
3. Everyone's excellent manners. There are dozens of prescribed sayings and responses for a host of situations that in the states require no response. Memorizing the correct saying and its response is hard enough, but being able to actually offer it when it's relevant is proving near impossible. There is one word that seems to always work -- "saha", or "health". The response is "3ala 'elbek" -- "to your heart." Most sayings seem to be different variations of that same concept.
1. Honking. Honking here is not reserved for road rage or cat-calling women. There are virtually no traffic laws in Jordan, and a huge amount of traffic. The only way things keep running is by driver-to-driver communication, and honking is the most important tool they have. Honking is not rude, and it doesn't signify anger -- it's merely a message. Drivers honk at other drivers, and at pedestrians, to warn them that they're coming. Cabs and buses will also honk at pedestrians as a way to ask if they need a ride. I know these things. But it still freaks me the fuck out when I'm walking and every car that passes honks at me. Sometimes things do get out of hand though -- in our first couple days here, Abe and I were taking a taxi and the driver got pissed at another car for not going through a yellow light; he literally parked the cab, got out, went up to the other driver's window and started lecturing him about the consequences of his actions.
2. Expired food. In the states, if food is on the shelves of a major supermarket, it's safe to assume that it's not expired, or is at least recently expired. Not so in Amman. We wasted a lot of dinars on spoiled food before we figured that out. At least half the food on the shelves is expired, often by weeks or months -- especially dairy. Beware!
3. Everyone's excellent manners. There are dozens of prescribed sayings and responses for a host of situations that in the states require no response. Memorizing the correct saying and its response is hard enough, but being able to actually offer it when it's relevant is proving near impossible. There is one word that seems to always work -- "saha", or "health". The response is "3ala 'elbek" -- "to your heart." Most sayings seem to be different variations of that same concept.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Some Pictures, Finally
Saturday, September 7, 2013
New Beginnings
So I've finally cracked and done it -- I've converted Abe and my wedding blog into a travel blog. I know, I know, they're terrible and self-indulgent and nobody reads them. Which is fine! But people keep asking for email updates, and I can't tell if they're sincere or not, so rather than write a bunch of separate emails that may or may not be read I thought I would just do it this way so everyone can save face. You all know Abe, so you know it will typically be me writing the posts, but who knows, maybe he'll get on here some day.
We've been here 9 days now and have just gotten wi-fi (no easy task!), so hopefully I'll have a short update every few days. Oh, and for your knowledge, shebab ithnain means "two youths" i.e. "a young couple."
We've been here 9 days now and have just gotten wi-fi (no easy task!), so hopefully I'll have a short update every few days. Oh, and for your knowledge, shebab ithnain means "two youths" i.e. "a young couple."
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