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.
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