Amman Day Trip

Fun in Wadi Rum

My Zarqa

 This is the street I walked to work at the center each day.

Two things to notice.  First the tall green tree to the right.  My favorite tree in Zarqa (the field of competition is slim).  I truly enjoyed seeing it each day as I went in to work.  The second thing is the cinder-block and cardboard box in the bottom right.  They are covering a open man-hole.  The covers constantly came off and these things are big enough to easily swallow a tire of a car.  It made driving this street a bit of hazardous fun.

 Road side produce stands were every where in Jordan, I loved it.  You could also mark the seasons by what fruits and vegies could be found along the roads.  In stands, tents, pick-up trucks, carts, or just stacked along the shoulder.  Watermelons are a big fave here and that is what you see piled inside the tent.

 This is the view across the street from outside the center.  I love this view.  I remember the first week coming out of the center and crossing the street to the restuarants and shops on the other side seemed a thrilling adventure, charting unknown territory.  It may sound silly but it really felt that way.  The blue and white sign to the left is Din Desh, a favorite food stop for locals and us teachers alike.  One day while trying to order hummus I misspoke and said the Arabic word for 5 (hamsi) and so ended up with a lot more smashed chickpeas than I planned.  The shop to the right is called Badran and had a great assortment of snacks and drinks to get you through the day.

 Um, yummy!  Broasted chicken.  Not sure if broasted is the actual term for how they are cooked or more likely a mishap of the English equivalent but whatever the semantics the results is a tasty chicken.  If you order "nuus jaaj" they grab a pair of plier-scissors and cut a chicken right in half grab it using "hubbiz" (flat bread) as a hot mit and lunch is served.

 

 One of the places I will undoubtedly miss most from Jordan; the bakeries.  It was so nice to stop by the local bakery and grab some fresh bread for a snack or with your meal.  A favorite meal of mine is called "Hummus 'u Shwarma".  It is a plate of hummus covered with shwarma meat hot of the spick.  It is a meal for at least two so one of would head to Din Desh and order the hummus u shwarma and the other to the bakery for fresh bread.  Then its a hands on affair of ripping a wedge of bread to spoon out and eat the meal.

I could go on for pages about the bakeries but just one more story.  There was a bakery that was on my way home from work.  It was a busy bakery and so it never seemed to fail that I could arrive and fresh, hot bread was coming up.  The hubbiz when warm is amazing.  To describe it I would say imagine the best of a fresh tortilla with hot French bread coming together.  Not once when picking up bread on the way home did it all make it home.  To resist eating a piece of hot, fresh bread with that tasty aroma wafting out of the bag, oh too much for me.

 The English center where I taught.  We entered below the orange sign and were on the 3rd level.

 These little gas trucks were great.  Your stove stop and oven ran off of these propane tanks as well as the little heating units for winter.  So these little trucks ceaselessly circle through the city like bees.  As they go they constantly tap at their buzzy horn and if you need gas and hear the buzzy beep you know gas is on the way.  Since we lived up stairs we were told to "Go out to the balcony and shout, wave, and make as much noise as you can and they will know what you want."

 "El Mujama  el Qadiim", the old bus station.  Came through this place many a time while in Zarqa.  I really enjoyed riding the buses and this place has a real life and character to it.  I really felt I was in the culture when moving through this place.  In part because I always had to engage and ask others what bus I needed to get where I was going.  Without exception the people were friendly and

helpful, often times going above and beyond.  Travel was oftentimes a bit of adventure, here is one story below.

 Usually as I traveled I just had the phrase in Arabic for where I was going.  I get to the station and just start repeating the phrase to people until they get it and then help direct me.  So once I needed to go to the post office, "bariid".  I get to the station and start asking, "Wayn el baas ah bariid?"  Where is the bus to the post office?  So the first guy motions to follow him and walks me onto a bus and sits me in the seat.  The bus isn't full yet so doens't take off.  About 3 minutes later this same guy comes following his friend and his friend grabs me showing this is the wrong bus and walks me over to another bus.  I sit there for a few minutes before a third guy informs me through motions and broken English that the bus I need is the one two over.  So I switch to that bus and the man who directed me talks to the conductor on the bus for me.  At this point I am somewhat skeptical of arriving at the post office but that is the adventure of a bus station in a foreign language.  So the bus takes off and to my surprise deposits me right in front of the post office.

 "Sharia Saada", Happiness Street.  This is the main shopping street in downtown Zarqa.  I loved  being down here and walking the street; people watching, window shopping, and often enough sipping tea with shop owners.  Downtown is great because it is a lively mix of shopping, restaurants, residences, street vendors, and open air markets.  And shopping includes everything; western suits to full cover burkas, fresh fruits to live chickens, ATMs and scrap metal, souvenirs and trinkets, the latest Real Madird jersey, and of course fresh kanafa, falafel, and hubbiz.  This made for a great experience as it was immersed in an environment of honking taxis, laughing children, and a distinct feeling of not being at home.

 You can't see well but the store fronts to the left are shaded by covers ranging from old tarps and fading canvas to bright and colorful tapestries.  They were never well secured so I loved to walk amongst them as the breeze lifts and lowers and flutters them revealing brief glimpses of the commodities inside. 

 "Issuuq", the open air market.  This is in essense a giant flee market / thrift store.  The majority of it is clothes.  The stock comes from the clothes that don't sell at re-sale, Goodwill, and thrift stores in America.  This was another place I enjoyed as it just oozed cultural experience.

 "Al Qadi", the Judge.  This was a big coffee and sweets shop near where I lived.  It was situated on the corner and had a great window front looking out over the busy 36th Street.  I oftentimes sat upstairs in the coffee shop meeting and talking with people.  I also ate my fare share of kanafa, baklava, and random Arabic sweets from this place.

This is Sameh restuarant.  They had most every food available here in this one place.  Arabic grill, shwarma, traditional Arabic dishes, fruit cocktails, Arabic salads, etc.  It is nice and new with a touch of a western feel to it.  If I was needing a feel of home I could come here and once inside almost believe I was back in Dallas, or at least nearby.

More Favorite Sayings

 

So I’m sure all of our mom’s told us to look both ways before crossing the street.  Well after a day walking the streets of downtown Amman they would have told us, “Look both ways, and never do it with an Egyptian.”  I toured downtown with my Egyptian friend and found he didn’t exactly wait for an opening in the traffic before crossing.   In fact, much of the time we abandoned the side-walks altogether to instead mix and mingle with the tangle of cars, buses, and taxis.  Apparently in his mind the pedestrian lane resided smack between the rush of oncoming traffic.

“With a 50 dinaar bill in your pocket you can starve to death on the streets of Zarqa.”  Daily purchases look a bit different here.  Credit cards or checks?  Forget about it.  And outside of three local grocery stores anything over a 10 JD bill likely won’t do you much good.  Here coins and small bills run the daily exchange. 

So I hear it doesn’t get much crazier than the mix of traffic and people on the streets of Cario.  A local taxi driver told a friend of mine the way to cross the street in Cario, “Is to close your eyes.  Pray to Allah.  And walk like an Egyptian.”

Petra

I finally made it!  Whether in the U.S. or Jordan everyone said the same, "You can't go to Jordan without seeing Petra."  Well this weekend I finally got it done.  I went down with some friends and we spent most of Friday and a few hours on Saturday exploring the ancient city. 

I had originally thought Petra was no more than the one facade made famous in Indian Jones and the Last Crusade.  This is I think the most beautiful but only the highlight of many facades, monuments, and ruins to explore.  In its day Petra was a cosmopolitan city and was quite big.

One of the neater things was the combination of the ancient and impressive ruins in the dramatic and wild landscape.  Strange to think that once a major and thriving city grew in this wilderness beauty.

Spring Time

Spring has arrived here in Jordan.  And I am enjoying it.  This weekend I realized two ways I think Spring time here even beats Spring in Texas.  First is the nature of such an arid landscape.  In Dallas a tree in bloom or a sprout of green is easily overlooked, unappreciated.  But here the smallest patch of green and each tree in bloom is a beautiful highlight to the otherwise dry, brown canvas around you.  So in a new way you notice the freshness and life that comes with Spring.

Secondly, I saw that Jordan might stand toe to toe with any place when it comes to the beauty of Spring.  I went to the North near a city called Irbid.  As we gained some elelvation and the temp dropped the change in scenery was amazing.  As we arrived in Irbid I litterally couldn't believe I was still in Jordan.  Living down on the desert floor gives no suggestion of such beauty within an hours drive.

The area around Irbid consist of rolling hills which were flush with green and then scatterings of colorful wild flowers.  This was mixed with small shrubby trees and a very attractive white rock.  Near to Irbid is a ruin of an old Roman town.  The ruins are situated on a piece of high ground overlooking Palestine/Israel and the Sea of Galilee.  The day we were there was a clear sunny day and it was spectacular.  The natural beauty, the history, the rich heritage and strong emotions associated with the land, wow!

And oh yeah.  Irbid has a major university in it and there is a street called University Street next to it that could totally have been a street in any college town USA.  We ate Dunken Donuts, Papa John's Pizza, and then for the Arab twist had tea at the home of a man we met just that morning.

I posted pics under "Spring!" in the pages section.

Back to the Future 1,2,&3

 

So as I remember from the movies he travels both to the past, the future, and at one time what seems and alternate reality.  There three items here which have had the same effect for me.

First is the music.  This is the time machine returning me to the past.  If an artist was popular about a decade ago then likely they have found their new life here in Jordan.  From every other ring-tone being Celene Deon to the racks of cassette tapes at the neighborhood music shops, the music scence can take you back.

Then, to the future.  If music is a time machine then movies are the time warp.  Before you have made it to the theatre to see the latest blockbuster most here will have seen it in the comfort of their home.  It doesn’t matter if it débuted last year, last month, or yesterday, the big screen can be brought home here.  I’m not sure how the whole system works but let’s just say the movie shops have their “connections”. 

And the alternative reality revolves around a cola beverage.  While Coke may be King in America, he takes a back seat to Pepsi in the Arab world.  It is hard to go out here without a cool Pepsi can being plopped down with the meal.  From merchandise, advertising, to the aisles of the supermarket; everywhere I would expect to see Coke-a-Cola instead the look, feel, and taste of Pepsi. 

To Taba!

Our trip down to Taba in Egypt was a long one, and not without a bit of intrigue.  The trip took roughly 18 hours in total.  It began Thursday night about 8:45pm catching a bus from Zarqa to Amman and ended collapsing on the comfy beds in our hotel in Taba about 2:15pm Saturday afternoon.  All said it included 3 buses, 1 van, 3 taxis, 1/2 mile of walking, a 50M sprint, 1 highpowered ferry boat, and about 3 hours of sleep mixed in. 

The intrigue begins with the fact our trip SHOULD have included one more bus and two less taxis.  Gabe and I arrived in the port city of Aqaba, Jordan on the main bus with the tour group.  After a few words in Arabic from the tour head the fellow passengers disembarked and began to disperse from the parking lot.  We spoke with the tour head who  told us in clear enough English to be back at the bus in 20 minutes to transport to the dock for the ferry.  So off we went to enjoy the great weather and take a stroll in a nearby park.  20 minutes later we arrived back to the same said spot for the bus but find no bus, no tour head, and no fellow passengers.  "It is the Arab world," we say as we find some shade to await the late arrival of our bus and tour.

Fifteen minutes later with still no sign of bus, tour head, or passengers a bit of concern began to creep in.  Then concern approached alarm as 15 turned into 25 minutes and we realized we had just given 200 JD and both our passports to a man we had met only a half-hour ago with no more identification than his first name.  So with our wallets now light and our identity in the hands of a missing man we needed a plan.

The tour head mentioned needing to go to the Police Station to review passports of non-Jordanians.  So I caught a taxi and headed up to find the station and Gabe remained where the bus was supposed to be.  I didn't see the bus or anyone associated with the tour at the Police Station and was bit nervous to hang around since my passport was not in my possession.   Then Gabe called saying he met another worker from the tour company who was saying we were late and had missed the bus and likely now the ferry as well.  I rushed back and then we jumped into a taxi and with a flourish of Arabic between the driver and the tour rep off we went.  Our driver did all taxi drivers proud cruising past 120 km/h on the open road and handling the parking lot of the dock like a slalom course.  The highlight was the taxi driver shouting in Arabic on our cell phone to the tour head as we were reversing along on the coastal highway after realizing the directions given us had been incorrect. 

Upon finally arriving back at the dock the road way was blocked by numerous tourist buses.  So the driver abruptly swerved the taxi up onto the curb and out we came to finish our trip to the ferry with a sprint.  No kidding; all passengers aboard, engines running, and gate closing as we raced toward the ferry.  We didn't have to make a jump for it as the gangplank gave way but we could have.

From there the excitement let go and the rest of the ferry ride was quite nice.  We went up to the viewing deck enjoying the warm sun and cool breeze over the blue green water of the Red Sea.  Then some Jordanian guys invited us to join them at their table and we enjoyed Gelatto and conversation with them the rest of the crossing.

Our time in Taba was great, though short.  Good food, sand soccer with about 4 nationalities, and snorkeling among coral and some beautiful fish were some highlights.  

Returned

Well my roommate and I returned safely from our trip to Egypt.  For our visa renewal we spent two nights in the Sinai.  Now we weren't exactly roughing it in the barren desert but in fact we never left the comfy confines of our beach front resort.  We joined a pre-packaged tour and it was great.  In my next newsletter or in a upcoming blog spot I'll share more from our trip. 

Quotables

Driving here is always a bit of an adventure.  Here were the first words of advice I heard on driving, “The first rule driving in Jordan is to forget the rules.  And whatever you do don’t pay attention to the lane-lines, that will really mess you up.  And oh yeah, the best defense is a good offense.”

“You can’t hustle in the Middle East.”  The sense of time we have in America is a bit different from here.  Things will get done sometime, eventually, or in a most common phrase, “Inshallah.” (God willing) 

 

“Welcome in Jordan!”  This is likely one of the most common phrase I hear.  Person after person is only too glad to offer this slightly grammatically incorrect greeting.  I know I will miss it when I am gone.

Persons I’ve Met

 

Students

English here is a key to doors in employment, education, and opportunities overseas.  Having a college degree and professional training are good, but in addition strong English skills are needed.  Many students come to our classes after spending the rest of the day at work or university.  Seeing their desire to improve themselves and their efforts towards a better future has been inspiring.  I see that something I have taken for granted, knowing English and the opportunities it provides, is here a hard earned prize.    

Islamic Scholar

So of course you can imagine we might have some differences of opinion.  But as I had the chance to sit down in his home, talk, and more so listen I saw some of my assumptions and judgments no longer seeming so sure.  I saw a man who loved his children and wanted a better future for them and their society.  I heard studied beliefs of a thoughtful and considerate person.  Although his ideas on some key things differed from mine I felt his heart and motivation really were for the good of himself and others.  

Stranger On The Bus

Our first weekend in town my roommate and I took the bus downtown to do some exploring.  Upon exiting the bus a fellow passenger welcomed us in broken English and motioned for us to follow him.  So off into the night we went following this unknown man into an unknown city center.  After a few minutes, a few turns, and few byways we arrived at a local café.  He disappeared inside and then returned with three glasses of juice.  We enjoyed our drinks together and then with a shake of hands off he went.

I Out Greeted an Arab

So Arabs are very gracious . . . and lengthy in their greetings.  An Arab friend told me that they joke that 80% of phone bills are spent on greetings.  It's only after the conversation is near over that you get down to the business of why you called.

Well I am proud to say this weekend I out greeted and Arab.  We were meeting a local friend in Amman and so as usual we were relying on a few key phrases and then the kindness of strangers to help direct us as we went.  Well to confirm we were on the right bus I called my friend.  I began with the normal greeting and reply.  As we continued to talk it was a bit noisy so I couldn't make out all the details of what he was saying.  But I assumed more greetings and questions of how I was were coming my way.  So I continued to reply in kind.  In the end I passed the phone off to the gentleman next to me on the bus and he and my friend arranged the final leg of our arrival.

Later that night my friend who we were meeting said how I had made him mad on the phone.  He had been asking questions of where I was and if we knew where to go next and I just kept answering with greetings and replies.  He said I had told him 10 times how I was doing but not once answered his question of where we were.  So we all had a good laugh as the American had acted the Arab and the Arab had been the American. 

Glad to Be Here

I'm glad I'm here.  Thankfully more and more this seems to be the thought I have.  Here are some recent things that make me glad to be here.

Where did you see the news announcing Mubarak leaving?  Well I was here in the Middle East, watching Al Jazeera, with an Egyptian.  Kinda hard to beat that for really being in the moment.  He had to be my translator to let me know what was going on. 

Then last week here is some of what my week looked like:

Tuesday morning invited to a friends home for tea, snacks, coffee, and conversation.  Got the chance to hear his perspective on a variety of issues that usually I only hear from one side.  Found this gentlemen to be well read, thoughtful, and generous.  What a gift to ask questions and listen.

Wednesday night my roommates and I had friends over and we got the chance to play host.  It was a great night.  Had about 7 guys in our place talking, joking, discussing and my roommate and I trying our best to match Arab hospitality.

Then Thursday morning myself and two other American's were walking in downtown.  The sweet grassy taste of whole sugar cane ground into an "interesting" drink.  The heavy aroma in spice shop crowded with bags and bags of pure ground spices and flavorings.  Then we were greeted by a man on the street who worked at a local barber shop.  We soon found ourselves inside the shop greeting his customers and coworker and sitting down for tea with cinnamon bark.  We stayed a short while sipping tea and talking between their broken English and our broken Arabic.

Lots of times I experience things and I am like, "That wouldn't ever happen in America."  I think often times these are the things I came for.

What Can Food Teach You?

 

Variety Is The Spice Of Life –  Its not that there aren't multiple places to eat, there are.  Its just that before long you begin to realize the menu's look quite similar:  Chicken Shwarma - Chicken Shwarma - Chicken Shwarma.  I’ll be the first to express praise for chicken shwarma, it's good stuff.  But at times here it can seem you are surrounded by menus with nothing but chicken shwarma.  When options one, two, and three start to look remarkably similar you realize that truly variety is a thing desired.

Be Brave To Try New Things –  I am finding that most people here are not so bold to try new things.  This is especially true with food.  Where I on the other hand am always ready for trying something new.  For sure not everything is a success but I am finding with food that bravery has its rewards.  I think the balance of regrets will rest on the things left untried in life.

There Is No Place Like Home –  I get excited every time I am invited over to someone’s home.  Get inside the homes here and you get to the good stuff with food.   This is where the food really distinguishes itself.  Coming into its own with delicious varieties and tastes.

When In Rome . . . – Don’t always do as the Romans.  Falafel is all the rave here. Falafel and hummus in the morning.  A falafel sandwhich for lunch and a convienent dinner.  Hungry for an afternoon snack?  Grab some hot falafel from a sidewalk stand.  Well I was here living as an Arab and jumped right into the falafel craze.  It wasn’t the taste that got me, I enjoy it.  But about a week or so in my gastrointestinal system was bit off track to say the least.  I’m not sure if one can be constipated while also experiencing diarrhea, well I should say I wasn’t sure that was possible.  Now I believe it.

Spring Please Hurry

If this postng i bit unclaer I aplgize.  yousee I am a bit handicapp .  I am wrting iwth only one hand as the other I accidenlty placed on the counter top and it is now frozen stuck to it.  and wll it can be ahrd to see what you type when your breath keeps foging  up the screen.  I do have more time to focus on what I write as myfingers are slowed by the chilling air in our home.  Thankfully I will soon be headed outside to warm up. 

Houses here have a way of sucking out and releasing any heat that might otherwise be found.  Outside it is a sunny and pleasant morning.  As you step inside it seems the AC was running.  As you sit inside you can feel the cold seep into your very bones.  Thankfully the winters are fairly mild here b/c otherwise I'm not sure what my odds of survival would be.  The homes have no central heating and are made of essentially cinderblocks.  These material has a way of absorbing and then dumping outside any heat in the home, they serve literally has a heat sink in winter.  Inside homes is quite cold.

And  though I am asking Spring to hurry and come I will then ask her to tarry and stay.  I am told news of quite a marvel that just as the homes steal away the heat in winter they somehow also trap and keep the heat in summer, so it will be a nice and toasty and stifling come summer.

So You Thought They Were Gone

As I have frequented the local suuqs (markets) and dukkaans (stores) I have noticed some popular items I thought had largely disappeared from the shelves of American markets.  For example Funions and Bugles, sure they were popular for their time but now they seem a rare sighting.  Well not here.  They come in multiple brands and flavors and I think I even spotted a variety of different colors.  And Tang may be little respected back home but here it is quite the rave.  If Tang were a flower then the soil of Jordan is its garden.  And then the wonderful MoonPie.  I know they can still be found hanging around on convenient store shelves, stale and largely unwanted.  But here they are in the prime of their lives.  It would be hard to consider yourself a grocer market without an adequate supply, prominently presented.

And then one day I was wandering in the labyrinths of the shops in downtown.  One area we passed through reminded me of the Island of Lost Toys from Rudolph.  Whether it is your old toaster, college Microfridge, or your un-flat screen TV there seems a decent chance it has found its way to one of these re-sale shops.  Of course if you come looking for it it may not look as you remember.  I think many find their use as spare parts and not their whole selves. 

So if you have been reminiscing about a favorite snack or vintage electronic device and thought the good old days were done, well hope remains, I just might be able to track it down for you.

Dead Sea

So I was down at the Dead Sea this weekend.  I must say it was a strange sensation to be standing straight floating in a sea and in the middle of January.  So crazy to be in a body of water in which you really can't sink.  And besides the difference in geography there was quite a change in the weather.  Here I am consistently bundled in multiple layers and running the space heater.  At the Dead Sea shorts and a T-shirt were quite comfortable through the day and we actually had to run the AC at night.

I can't say I would want to spend too much time in the Dead Sea as the salt I didn't find exactly comforting to my skin but I was glad for the chance to take swim in such a unique place.

Roman Ruins

I was up in Jerash, a city in the north of Jordan which has some incredible Roman ruins.  I have heard they are some of the best outside of Italy and after being there I wouldn't disagree.  It's pretty much the remains of a whole  city; two temples, numerous gates, a long colonnade, an amphitheater, a hippodrome, and other random ruins. 

So I saw a reenactment of a Roman legion drilling, a gladiator fight, and chariot races.  In the amphitheater you can stand on a certain spot and your voice be heard all the way at the top of the seating even when speaking in a normal voice.  I tried it and it was cool.

The weather was great.  It made for a wonderful day to be out side exploring and walking, which there was quite a bit of that.  We ended the day at a famous Lebanese restaurant in Jerash.  Fresh baked bread, an incredible Greek salad, and unbelievably juicy chicken made for a great meal to end the day.

I posted some pics under Jerash so check them out.

Jordan Wins!

So I am sitting here at work with the sounds of gun shots, firecrackers, car horns, and shouting.  And no it isn't a revolution so don't worry.  In fact Jordan's soccer team just defeated KSA (Kingdom of Saudia Arabia) 1-0.  The Asian Cup Soccer Tournament is going on in Qatar and Jordan is off to a good start.  They tied Japan, the top ranked team, 1-1 in their first game and are now celebrating their victory.  Its kinda neat as our office is on one of the major roads in town and it seems the whole city is joined together in celebration.

New Year!

I began the New Year here in Jordan by hosting a breakfast brunch with my roommate.  From what I can tell breakfast is definitely done best in America and so we wanted to share some good food with our friends here.  We had about 5 guys come over and fixed up a great meal with breakfast tacos, pancakes, coffee cake, egg casserole, fresh fruit, and a bit of hummus with fresh local bread.  I was impressed with all we had and how well it turned out.  Box mixes and pre-prepared food is rare out here so everything made was from scratch.