As I was getting ready to leave for Jordan this past June, I got a lot of questions about my year abroad but the most popular question was definitely "what do you miss the most when you are there?" For some reason I found this the hardest one to answer so I did what any type-A personality would do. I made a list throughout the summer! Now that the summer is winding down, here's what I've come up with:
1. FOOD: I miss being able to eat what I want and when I want (which would obviously be challenging anywhere outside the US where I don't have the same food choices and stores). This issue is always more acute during Ramadan when I am typically reduced to eating cheese sticks and granola bars as quick foods that I can eat out of sight from others (including my host family whom I just felt bad eating in front of).
Aside from Ramadan, there are just not a ton of options that I like when it comes to "quick" food. EVERYTHING seems like it is bread based so it's either mana'eesh (bread with cheese or spices or meat similar to mini calzones), ma'janaat (triangular pastries with spinach, cheese, nuts, or meat), sifeeHa (Syrian mini pizzas with meat and spices on type), shwarma, or falafel. One gets to a point very quickly when pita bread is just no longer appetizing. It seems to be used at every meal and often as a utensil to scoop up mezze dishes like hummus, mutabbel, fried tomatoes, za'tar, etc. My host family and I had an interesting discussion where they labeled Jordanians as "bread people" and distinguished themselves from "rice people" in India and Asia. When I asked what Americans would be, they said "liquid people"--according to them, Americans and British (the parents had lived in England twenty some odd years ago) always have a bottle of water or juice or soda with them. I thought this was pretty spot on. But on the food side of things, I often find myself craving salad to balance out all that bread, especially in the summer!
Oh and did I mention sugar? Sugar usage is out of control here. You should see the look of horror when I am offered tea and specify that I only want one spoonful of sugar. I'd say the usual is somewhere around 3 or 4. I once heard a great quote in an Egyptian movie on a random bus ride in Syria that went something like this: "Half the Middle East can't afford sugar and the other half is diabetic." I have noticed that sugar and chocolate are highly prized here, and it's both an honor to be able to provide sugar to one's guests and should be an honor to receive it as well.
2. BLENDING IN: I really miss being able to blend into the cityscape. I'm not big on drawing attention to myself in general, it's just never been my style. Here, even with sunglasses on and brown hair, I still stand out as a foreigner. I'm determined it must have something to do with the way I walk and the fact that I am often by myself (Jordanian girls are often in pairs) and clearly not wearing a hijab. I always hear "ejnabiyeh" (foreigner (f)) if I am by myself or "ejanib" (foreigner (pl)) if I'm with someone else. My sister and I had this issue in China, of course, and after about a day we knew the word for foreigner in Chinese and proceeded to hear it everywhere we went. People thankfully don't ask for any pictures here, but it can still get exhausting. I think the exhausting part of it is that no matter how long I've been here and acclimated to being an outsider, I still see new people everyday who clearly aren't used to me. It's not like I'm in a small village where my presence eventually becomes normal.
The most exhausting part of not blending in, of course, is the attention from shebab or young guys. Interactions between Jordanian guys and girls are a lot more regulated here than at home. It often isn't considered appropriate for guys and girls to socialize together, and especially not between youth that don't know one another. Foreigners, however, are apparently fair game for many guys who want attention and seem to be extremely bored (they tend to congregate in groups on busy pedestrian streets). They will often make a comment ("you are as beautiful as a rose" as I walk by sweating profusely, mind you), whistle, or make a noise to get attention. I've gotten good at crossing the street when I'm about to approach a group of guys because I've taken enough social psychology to know how group dynamics can alter situations, and I certainly don't trust them enough to walk through one. I also try to avoid the area around the boys' school in my neighborhood when it gets out at 1pm. Survival skills.
3. CONVENIENCE (PRODUCTIVITY & TRANSPORTATION): I definitely miss the convenience of the US where I feel like I can find everything I need quickly and without too much pain--and have lots of variety to boot! Even when I'm without a car in Chicago, I feel like it is not unusual to plan to run several errands in one day. And if I have access to a car then I'm like Superman and able to do about five things in one day. Here, I've gotten pretty good at trying to fully accomplish one thing, and if I get it done, that's great. And if I don't (the office/shop is closed, the person is busy, there is too much traffic, etc.) then I'll try again another day. Take today, for instance: I had three appointments scheduled (one at the university and two at home) and all three happened to be cancelled for varying reasons. It's really tough when I'm used to a certain level of "productivity" but as I am continually reminded, things just take time here and they can't be forced.
Part of this element of convenience is access to good transportation. The primary form of transportation in Amman is taxis (unless you have your own car, of course) and this gets old really fast. In fact, I spent more money on taxis over the summer than eating out and travel combined. My first summer living in Amman, I was constantly longing for my beloved service in Damascus which are inexpensive mini-buses that have easy to figure out looped routes (you literally ride a complete loop and know everywhere it goes). Amman has service routes which are shared cabs, but they stick to specific neighborhoods and don't cut across the city like they did in the compact city of Damascus.
In general, Amman is a sprawling city that grew rapidly, and public transportation has not been a big priority. There are a few bus routes but they are very elusive (read: no provided maps or information anywhere) and the bus stops are not as obvious as they could be. Aside from the cost, using taxis as the main form of transportation is nearly impossible at various points throughout the summer. This is because so many tourists and Jordanian expats are back in town and it's hot so everyone wants a taxi and then it's Ramadan so everyone is racing around running errands, that it can actually be impossible to get taxis at certain hours and certain locations.
1. FOOD: I miss being able to eat what I want and when I want (which would obviously be challenging anywhere outside the US where I don't have the same food choices and stores). This issue is always more acute during Ramadan when I am typically reduced to eating cheese sticks and granola bars as quick foods that I can eat out of sight from others (including my host family whom I just felt bad eating in front of).
Aside from Ramadan, there are just not a ton of options that I like when it comes to "quick" food. EVERYTHING seems like it is bread based so it's either mana'eesh (bread with cheese or spices or meat similar to mini calzones), ma'janaat (triangular pastries with spinach, cheese, nuts, or meat), sifeeHa (Syrian mini pizzas with meat and spices on type), shwarma, or falafel. One gets to a point very quickly when pita bread is just no longer appetizing. It seems to be used at every meal and often as a utensil to scoop up mezze dishes like hummus, mutabbel, fried tomatoes, za'tar, etc. My host family and I had an interesting discussion where they labeled Jordanians as "bread people" and distinguished themselves from "rice people" in India and Asia. When I asked what Americans would be, they said "liquid people"--according to them, Americans and British (the parents had lived in England twenty some odd years ago) always have a bottle of water or juice or soda with them. I thought this was pretty spot on. But on the food side of things, I often find myself craving salad to balance out all that bread, especially in the summer!
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| M'ajanaat Bread (with yummy spinach, cheese, and spices inside) |
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| Order a coffee and get lots of sugar! (4 packets to be exact) |
2. BLENDING IN: I really miss being able to blend into the cityscape. I'm not big on drawing attention to myself in general, it's just never been my style. Here, even with sunglasses on and brown hair, I still stand out as a foreigner. I'm determined it must have something to do with the way I walk and the fact that I am often by myself (Jordanian girls are often in pairs) and clearly not wearing a hijab. I always hear "ejnabiyeh" (foreigner (f)) if I am by myself or "ejanib" (foreigner (pl)) if I'm with someone else. My sister and I had this issue in China, of course, and after about a day we knew the word for foreigner in Chinese and proceeded to hear it everywhere we went. People thankfully don't ask for any pictures here, but it can still get exhausting. I think the exhausting part of it is that no matter how long I've been here and acclimated to being an outsider, I still see new people everyday who clearly aren't used to me. It's not like I'm in a small village where my presence eventually becomes normal.
The most exhausting part of not blending in, of course, is the attention from shebab or young guys. Interactions between Jordanian guys and girls are a lot more regulated here than at home. It often isn't considered appropriate for guys and girls to socialize together, and especially not between youth that don't know one another. Foreigners, however, are apparently fair game for many guys who want attention and seem to be extremely bored (they tend to congregate in groups on busy pedestrian streets). They will often make a comment ("you are as beautiful as a rose" as I walk by sweating profusely, mind you), whistle, or make a noise to get attention. I've gotten good at crossing the street when I'm about to approach a group of guys because I've taken enough social psychology to know how group dynamics can alter situations, and I certainly don't trust them enough to walk through one. I also try to avoid the area around the boys' school in my neighborhood when it gets out at 1pm. Survival skills.
3. CONVENIENCE (PRODUCTIVITY & TRANSPORTATION): I definitely miss the convenience of the US where I feel like I can find everything I need quickly and without too much pain--and have lots of variety to boot! Even when I'm without a car in Chicago, I feel like it is not unusual to plan to run several errands in one day. And if I have access to a car then I'm like Superman and able to do about five things in one day. Here, I've gotten pretty good at trying to fully accomplish one thing, and if I get it done, that's great. And if I don't (the office/shop is closed, the person is busy, there is too much traffic, etc.) then I'll try again another day. Take today, for instance: I had three appointments scheduled (one at the university and two at home) and all three happened to be cancelled for varying reasons. It's really tough when I'm used to a certain level of "productivity" but as I am continually reminded, things just take time here and they can't be forced.
Part of this element of convenience is access to good transportation. The primary form of transportation in Amman is taxis (unless you have your own car, of course) and this gets old really fast. In fact, I spent more money on taxis over the summer than eating out and travel combined. My first summer living in Amman, I was constantly longing for my beloved service in Damascus which are inexpensive mini-buses that have easy to figure out looped routes (you literally ride a complete loop and know everywhere it goes). Amman has service routes which are shared cabs, but they stick to specific neighborhoods and don't cut across the city like they did in the compact city of Damascus.
In general, Amman is a sprawling city that grew rapidly, and public transportation has not been a big priority. There are a few bus routes but they are very elusive (read: no provided maps or information anywhere) and the bus stops are not as obvious as they could be. Aside from the cost, using taxis as the main form of transportation is nearly impossible at various points throughout the summer. This is because so many tourists and Jordanian expats are back in town and it's hot so everyone wants a taxi and then it's Ramadan so everyone is racing around running errands, that it can actually be impossible to get taxis at certain hours and certain locations.
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| Yellow cabs of Amman |
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