well i've enjoyed my time here in jordan more than i had ever imagined and will be very sad to see it go. as i ruminate over the past two months i offer you my (usual) wrap-up bullet point lists.things i'll miss about jordan..
- the smell of jasmine just outside my door
- the view of the city at dusk - never any clouds just a nice soft pink light that makes the buildings glow
- the call to prayer. plaintive and beautiful, it's also somehow comforting.
- the absolutely delicious food. it's hard to beat home-cooked food every day. not to mention the daily pita/hummus/za'atar and falafel or manakish you can get cheap on every street corner
- deciphering arabic. life's much more exciting when understanding simple signs is a victory
- lemon and mint. what an unexpectedly delicious combination. both in liquid and hookah form.
- buying cheap movies. in wasat al-beled (the downtown) you can't turn around without finding a shop filled with racks of dvds. and not just new terrible action movies, but classics and obscure foreign titles. they're already cheap but of course it doesn't hurt to get to know the vendors
- mango juice. alright, so maybe the juices here are full of sugar. and maybe (okay definitely) the mango juice can't compete with india's. still, it's hard to find at home and it's so delicious
- meeting people from all over. true, i can do this at home but it takes more effort and somehow it's just not the same as being thrown into a group of foreigners all in a strange new place. it's exciting!
- cabs everywhere. cabs are a necessary evil in amman. because the public transportation consists of vans that you flag down, if you want to go anywhere farther than half a mile you're going to have to take a cab. not only does this get expensive, but it clogs up the already congested roads of amman. particularly at 3 when everyone's trying to get home for that afternoon nap.
- wearing long pants every day. with temperatures nearing the triple digits in the shade, wearing jeans every day is no picnic. true, as a foreigner i could get away with wearing a skirt or maybe even (gasp) shorts. but the exponential increase (because there's always some) in catcalling and honks just isn't worth it.
- paying for water. it gets expensive and, being spoiled living in america, just seems so unnecessary. and then there are those people who do the same thing at home.. weirdos. but really for the middle east jordan is rather expensive and as someone who is unequivocally cheap, this gets tiresome.
- having a curfew. don't get me wrong, it was wonderful living with a family and i was lucky in that they let me stay out late and be with friends. but it was a little odd having friends who had to be home by 9 and sometimes it felt like i was 15 again. an age i've never had a terrible desire to revisit.
- arabic soap operas. if i never see another arabic soap opera it will be too soon. the family gathered around for hours to watch these melodramas, which all seemed to consist of women with bad blond dye jobs and western clothes or women who stayed home doing nothing but wearing expensive jewelry and too much makeup, smoking hookahs and yelling at their husbands. ramadan evidentally marks the new tv season (and a month where people have nothing to do all day) so of course the time spent in front of the tv only increased. borrrrrinnng
jordan, i will miss you and the friends i've made here.
on to the next adventure...
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