If my email inbox is any indication, things are heating up in Jordan (and the West bank (and Gaza)).
The US Embassy sent us four different security/emergency messages yesterday (and one forwarded by our commission director) which was apparently a headline in and of itself on the Jordan Times website ("US embassy cautions its nationals over protests"). The emails sent warned against all non-essential travel to the West Bank as well as the rest of Jordan (aka. not Amman).
It all started when the government decided to get rid of fuel subsidies (and raise prices) on November 13th--something which it had attempted to do back in September but was shelved due to public response. This would result in an increase of 50% in cooking gas and 14% in gas for vehicles. Unbeknownst to me, there was a big protest that evening in Duwar Dhakaliyya (outside the interior ministry's office) which is just a few miles away from where I live. I didn't realize anything had happened until the morning when a friend told me we'd have to cancel our planned trip to Karak Castle this weekend because things were particularly bad in cities outside of Amman (spontaneous blocked off roads, burning tires, destroying public buildings).
I found one article on NYTimes about the situation, but that was it. Then I took a taxi to the university and drove through Duwar Dhakaliyya just like I do every morning and there were 6 or so armored army vehicles parked in the circle. That definitely got my attention.
The rest of the day passed without incident, but we happened to have a general commission meeting already planned, and that's when I realized how big of a deal this was. I sat at a table with all of the ETAs (English Teaching Assistants) who are located in various schools and universities centered in Amman. They were reporting how concerned all their Jordanian coworkers were including talks of a teachers' strike, and one friend even had a tutor cancel on her and told her to stay in Amman. Then during the meeting our director's wife called him to pass along the news that Rainbow St. in Jebel Amman was closed due to protests. I have yet to do a post on it, but Rainbow St. is the popular street for youth to go to on weekends to sit in cafes and hang out. It's the epitome of West Amman (well to do, commercialized) and seems isolated from popular issues. When we heard this, we all perked up.
After the meeting, Alysa and I struggled to get a cab on one of the main roads in Amman, even though empty ones kept passing us. Alysa re-read a text she had received from a Jordanian friend which told her to get home by 6pm because there would be road closures due to protests. The time was a little after 6pm. Oops. I finally called one of our favorite cabdrivers and asked him what was going on and he explained that most cabdrivers were on strike to protest the fuel increase. Luckily, while I was on the phone with him, we were able to get a cab, but it just drove home the point of how unhappy Jordanians appear to be.
The most frustrating element of all of this is how hard it is to get any realtime news here--the media seems to be about half a day behind on everything. Friends suggested following twitter (#jo / #reformjo), but it's hard to know what's accurate. Right now, we're really relying on Jordanian friends, our director, and vague embassy emails to stay away from "spontaneous protests," as our news sources. The news on Jordan Times this morning includes: a teachers' strike, transportation increases, and surprising reports that protesters are targeting the one person they're not supposed to (comments against him are punishable by jail time).
While I certainly don't feel unsafe in any way, shape, or form, I'm definitely anxious just like I was about a month ago when there was a huge, planned protest to call for general reforms. This just seems a bit different since it's something so tangible that effects everyone on a daily basis. I'm hoping things calm down by the end of the holiday weekend (today marks the celebration of the Hijri, or Islamic, new year).
The US Embassy sent us four different security/emergency messages yesterday (and one forwarded by our commission director) which was apparently a headline in and of itself on the Jordan Times website ("US embassy cautions its nationals over protests"). The emails sent warned against all non-essential travel to the West Bank as well as the rest of Jordan (aka. not Amman).
It all started when the government decided to get rid of fuel subsidies (and raise prices) on November 13th--something which it had attempted to do back in September but was shelved due to public response. This would result in an increase of 50% in cooking gas and 14% in gas for vehicles. Unbeknownst to me, there was a big protest that evening in Duwar Dhakaliyya (outside the interior ministry's office) which is just a few miles away from where I live. I didn't realize anything had happened until the morning when a friend told me we'd have to cancel our planned trip to Karak Castle this weekend because things were particularly bad in cities outside of Amman (spontaneous blocked off roads, burning tires, destroying public buildings).
I found one article on NYTimes about the situation, but that was it. Then I took a taxi to the university and drove through Duwar Dhakaliyya just like I do every morning and there were 6 or so armored army vehicles parked in the circle. That definitely got my attention.
 |
| Duwar Dhakaliyya--image courtesy of NYTimes |
The rest of the day passed without incident, but we happened to have a general commission meeting already planned, and that's when I realized how big of a deal this was. I sat at a table with all of the ETAs (English Teaching Assistants) who are located in various schools and universities centered in Amman. They were reporting how concerned all their Jordanian coworkers were including talks of a teachers' strike, and one friend even had a tutor cancel on her and told her to stay in Amman. Then during the meeting our director's wife called him to pass along the news that Rainbow St. in Jebel Amman was closed due to protests. I have yet to do a post on it, but Rainbow St. is the popular street for youth to go to on weekends to sit in cafes and hang out. It's the epitome of West Amman (well to do, commercialized) and seems isolated from popular issues. When we heard this, we all perked up.
After the meeting, Alysa and I struggled to get a cab on one of the main roads in Amman, even though empty ones kept passing us. Alysa re-read a text she had received from a Jordanian friend which told her to get home by 6pm because there would be road closures due to protests. The time was a little after 6pm. Oops. I finally called one of our favorite cabdrivers and asked him what was going on and he explained that most cabdrivers were on strike to protest the fuel increase. Luckily, while I was on the phone with him, we were able to get a cab, but it just drove home the point of how unhappy Jordanians appear to be.
 |
| Downtown taxi--Image from JOTimes |
The most frustrating element of all of this is how hard it is to get any realtime news here--the media seems to be about half a day behind on everything. Friends suggested following twitter (#jo / #reformjo), but it's hard to know what's accurate. Right now, we're really relying on Jordanian friends, our director, and vague embassy emails to stay away from "spontaneous protests," as our news sources. The news on Jordan Times this morning includes: a teachers' strike, transportation increases, and surprising reports that protesters are targeting the one person they're not supposed to (comments against him are punishable by jail time).
While I certainly don't feel unsafe in any way, shape, or form, I'm definitely anxious just like I was about a month ago when there was a huge, planned protest to call for general reforms. This just seems a bit different since it's something so tangible that effects everyone on a daily basis. I'm hoping things calm down by the end of the holiday weekend (today marks the celebration of the Hijri, or Islamic, new year).
2 comments:
I hope they can settle the fuel dispute peacefully. Take care!
Me too!
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