Culture/Language notes:
- Religious phrases are everywhere on buildings, storefronts, pieces of paper stuck to posts, and even graffiti. Many homes and businesses feature the inscription باسم الله الرحمن الرحيم ما شاء الله (In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful, God has willed it). I've seen سبحان الله (Glory of God) and الله اكبر (God is greater) on pieces of paper in the street, and محمد رسول الله (Muhammad is the prophet of God) sprayed onto a pedestrian bridge. One person said it was like how people in America have signs in their home saying things like "bless this house" or "Jesus loves my car" or "hallelujah".
- The sound of the muezzin (people publicly reciting the call to prayer) carry everywhere in the city. There's a masjid not too far from here, and I can very clearly hear it at every prayer cycle. It's beautiful, cuts through the sound of the city, and seems to soar over the traffic and hubbub of Amman. Interestingly, one of the few places in America to have muezzin is Hamtramck, a small city surrounded by Detroit, and only about 45 minutes from my home.
- Life in Amman is, for a lack of a better word, imprecise in some ways. The cost of items sometimes fluctuates and for an item that's, say, 1.68 JD you might be charged 1.6 JD or 1.5 JD or 1.75 JD. Also bargaining is expected in places like bazaars, where listed prices are often 1.5 to 2 times the actual value. Some cafes won't have a menu, but will expect that people will know what kind of fare they have. Streets have few street signs, and lane dividers are ignored. Parking is oftentimes fast and loose, as well as changing lanes. Street addresses are never used. Navigation is done based on landmarks and relative directions, and large streets have completely different colloquial names (ex. Queen Rania al-Abdullah Street is known as University Street). If you say something like "59394 Queen Rania al-Abdullah Street" he'll just give you a weird look. Instead, you have to say a landmark like Mukhtar Mall or Diwaar al-Medineh and direct them from there. Point is, things are often done in a way that's less exact and more relative than in America. It takes a bit more people savviness, I suppose, to live here, but also means that people seem to interact more with each other.
- Being in Amman makes me appreciate culture difference much more than before. Going to Korea doesn't feel very foreign, growing up in a Korean-American community and because of the heavy American influence there. I've visited Italy as a tourist, in areas for tourists, but that area in Western Europe definitely feels somewhat familiar. Being in Amman, which is different than any culture I've been in, makes me aware of small cultural norms. Because of that, and my incompetence in Arabic, getting around definitely is uncomfortable and awkward. But it's also a great learning experience and hopefully my Arabic will improve after lots of awkward interactions.
A view of the Islamic Cultural Center and Masjid on the University of Jordan campus
A Little Caesars Pizza near the University. There's a lot of restaurants around it that cater to foreign tastes, apparently including cheap American pizza.
A sign outside the University, next to a gate. The whole campus is gated off, with entrances all around
Another gate
Completely different from Dunkin Donuts. The menu is all in English and every customer looked like an expat or tourist
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