Amman-The First Three Days

We arrived in Amman around 7:30 local time Sunday night. Upon arrival at Queen Alia airport I learned that Air France dropped the ball and lost my luggage-all of it. Luckily it was recovered and dropped off at my hotel last night. Since my arrival I have had several interesting experiences from seeing a man riding a camel down the highway to a herd of goats walking by class, and of course experiencing a Jordanian taxi ride through the streets of Amman. At 4:45 Monday morning I was awakened by the call to prayer from a mosque a few blocks away. My roommate James and I decided to get up and watch from our balcony. It was pretty quiet out but we did see a few people praying. This was cool "just arrived in Jordan" experience.

Our group has been staying in a hotel this week for orientation until our families pick us up tomorrow. So far I have really enjoyed the other students in my program. Our 12 hour adventure from New York and the time we have spent together in orientation have given us the opportunity to get to knew each other. Our orientation has been taking place at a home in the Abdoun neighborhood. This is neighborhood is very wealthy with many large homes and nice cars. It is also home to many embassies and ambassador's residences. I would very much enjoy living in this part of Amman, as it is also close to Abdoun Circle, where there is a lot to do.

One thing I have enjoyed immensely is the food, as I expected to. There is nothing more satisfying than eating delicious Arabic food for every meal. So far we have eaten all our meals at the hotel and in restaurants around the city. I'm excited to experience some home cooked food when I move in with my family on Thursday. In addition to that I went out last night with some other students to check out the neighborhood around our hotel. We managed to find a restaurant with arghele, and for the first time I got to smoke arghele Middle East while drinking a mango smoothie. It was fantastic. I can do this every night.

Driving through Amman is also an experience. No one seems to care about who or what is in front them, as long as they get where they need to go. Traffic laws, if there are any, don't appear to be enforced very much. It's essentially a free for all. The most aggressive driver wins. Traffic circles, which there are plenty of here, always make for a good time.

As far as the city of Amman goes, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it when I first arrived. It's a very interesting city experiencing a lot development, much of it sporadic, and rapid modernization. American products, stores, and fast food chains are everywhere, including KFC, McDonald's, Starbucks, Hardees, and Popeye's, among others. English is widely spoken, and almost any sign written in Arabic has an English translation underneath. In West Amman, where our hotel is located and are classes are held, is very westernized. I have seen many men and women dressed in Western style clothing walking alongside men and women dressed in traditional Muslim garb. The city is also very safe. The police have a strong presence here and are more than willing to help. I have not run into any problems being a foreigner, especially as an American. We have been told that Jordan and the United States have a very strong relationship. While many Jordanians may not like our government, they do not hold it against Americans tourists. The country as a whole appears to be tolerant of visitors and other lifestyles.

Today was another busy but enjoyable day. After a few hours of orientation in the classroom we were sent out in groups on a scavenger hunt to different parts of Amman where we had to find certain landmarks and gather information. My group was sent out to the Suweifieh district. This nice part of the city with many shops and restaurants. After wandering the area and collecting our information my group went to lunch at a nice Lebanese restaurant. On the second floor they had a lounge where you could smoke arghele, eat good food, and play backgammon. Because of time constraints we couldn't take advantage of that today, but you can count on me going back there before I leave. My Arabic has also come in handy. I have already used it a few times, and being here has certainly helped refresh my memory after going all summer without studying it.

I also found out some information on my homestay family today. I would have saved this for tomorrow but I won't have internet for my first 10 days after moving in, so I don't know when I'll be writing again. I will be living with a young Muslim couple and their to kids, a boy 5, and girl 4. I'm the only male in my group to be placed with a Muslim family. I will be getting my own room and my own bathroom, a huge plus, and the neighborhood is very new; it was built about three years ago. The father is a computer science engineer, and the mother is a nurse at the army hospital (I think) a few minutes away. Because there is a major hospital close by I've been told that there will be many restaurants and shops, and public transportation nearby. That is another plus since I'll be a 20 minute drive from my classes. I've also been told that they are very flexible and will give me a decent amount of space and freedom to go out on the weekends. This family has hosted Arabic students before, but this will be there first time hosting an American student.

That's all for now. To sum up I've been having a great time here (especially since I got my luggage), and I have already learned and been exposed to so much. Tomorrow is going to be a big day when I finally get to meet and move in with my homestay family. It may be tough for me to update soon, because as I mentioned earlier I won't have internet at home for the first two weeks or so, but there is internet here at school. Post comments and ask questions. I'm sure I haven't covered everything, it's been a very busy three days, so if there's anything else you want to know just ask. Also, I do have pictures, and they will be posted soon.

Until then, Salaam Aleykum