Getting Settled in Amman
Trip Start
Apr 11, 2008
1
19
Trip End
May 15, 2010
Amman, Jordan
Thursday, December 10, 2009
I'm surprised at how easy it was to settle into a normal routine here. I met a really nice guy - Hazim - through CouchSurfing, who picked me up from the airport, got me to my hostel downtown, introduced me to all his friends, showed me around town, helped me to look for an apartment, and even invited me for mansaaf - a traditional meal here of lamb, rice, and a yogurt sauce - with his family. The Jordanians are truly a hospitable people, and everyone I've met here has so far been more than willing to help me get settled.
I spent my first couple of days in a hostel in downtown Amman, but eventually met a great girl, through Hazim, Reem
The Group
. She offered to let me stay at her place in Sweifieh (an area of town with good shopping) while I looked for an apartment. After getting used to each other, she offered to let me stay with her permanently, which I accepted. There are some nice apartments that I found, but some aren't furnished, which would be annoying, and the ones in the area I wanted to stay in were more expensive than I wanted. Staying with Reem has been great so far - she's really nice and we've become good friends - and has also saved me a lot of money in rent...always a good thing.I didn't have long to get adjusted to the new city, because a couple of days after arriving, I went in to the office of VIVA Magazine to start my job there. I wasn't sure what I'd find, but everything I've seen so far has been great. The whole office has a really relaxed atmosphere and the people are very friendly. After just a week, they chose to send me on a press trip to the Dead Sea, Petra and Aqaba. I stayed in beautiful rooms and got the VIP service everywhere we went. It was definitely a big change from the cold water showers and ant and rat-infested rooms I've been getting used to over the past several months!
Anyway, so now I'm pretty much focused on getting more settled. I need to get a work visa and start to learn more about the city. Unfortunately, I won't be able to take Arabic classes because of my work schedule. I can look into private tutoring, but I've discovered that Jordan is quite a bit more expensive than Thailand! In the meantime, I'm loving the people, the culture, and the country in general.
