Amman
Trip Start
Oct 20, 2008
1
23
93
Trip End
Jan 31, 2009
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Amman,
Jordan
Thursday, November 13, 2008
We spent at least 1.5 hours at the gate with the baggage checks and the visa procedures for all passengers. Arrived in Amman in 6.5 hours in total.
Met a Singaporean group of Muslim girls on the bus. One of them was sitting next to me and was very talkative. Therefore, I thought that she was a moderate, although she wore a headscarf. When I extended my hand to say goodbye, she refused it. Lesson: don't attempt to shake hands with Muslim women in the Middle East, no matter where there may be from.
My friend Diana, who teaches English and Literature close to Amman, picked me up from the bus station straight to the Blue Fig Cafe. It was great to be in the company of a close friend and eating delicious Western food at a slickly decorated restaurant.
The change that took place as I was moving from Syria to Jordan happened gradually. The villages on the outskirts looked just like Syrian villages with their infertile lands, stone houses and prolific olive trees. However, by the time we reached the city center it wasn't difficult to notice how developed this country was compared to Syria.
Similar to the posters of the al-Assads, the King and his late father's posters are everywhere. King Abdullah II is quite young at age 50 max.
King's Academy, where Diana works, is a remarkable achievement. It reminds me of my boarding school in Istanbul: an amazing campus for an American-style education. The King is a Deerfield (one of the best American boarding schools) graduate and his vision was to create an Arab Deerfield. Diana and some other teaching fellows complain about the administration, but let's be fair; it has only been 2 years since the opening. The school is very sensitive about the seperation of the sexes in order to maintain their good reputation within the Arab community. Even the teaching fellows are not allowed to go into the dormitories where there are opposite sex students.
For dinner, we went to Haret Jedudna in Madaba. Even though it was pricy, the shish tawouk was excellent.
Went to a nightclub called "Red". There was no cover charge. It was mediocre with respect to the Turkish standards, but it was interesting to finally get to see a nightclub in the Middle East. Amman seems to be the party capital of the Middle East with its 5 luxurious clubs, the most popular one being Nai.
It just realized that Jordan is a tiny country of about 6 million people. A bit larger than the size of Damascus.
