Saturday, October 5: From Tom: First Impressions

As we approached Amman, the capitol of Jordan, we noticed some very interesting contrasts:

• Freeways: Even though we were on a modern three or four lane freeway, there were no lines to indicate lanes. Drivers were weaving and bobbing however they wanted. Mostly they make way for you if you indicate you're heading in a direction, but I would say the cars and trucks are inches apart at 60-70 mph. Then you have things like fruit stands along the freeway, with people stopping in the lanes to buy some fruit. Then you have pedestrian crosswalks going across the freeway. Yes, people are supposed to stop if someone is in a crosswalk. Mostly they swerve. 
• Buildings: It seems that all buildings are white. At first it looked like plaster, but it actually is stone. Yes most buildings have the same cut stone facing. It's pretty cool. From a distance, the buildings are all clustered like millions of boxes piled together on the hillsides. The closer we got the more we realized that even though many were pretty simple and poorly designed, there were many that were very ornate, like palaces. There didn't seem to be much order in the placement. You would see a brown dirt prairie with rocks and then a walled compound with a palace inside, very well landscaped and gated. Then there might be simple box homes and more dirt field with tents housing gypsies. These would be surrounded by small herds of sheep or goats, then more clusters of box dwellings. Most of the dwellings seemed unfinished. They have a finished 1st or 2nd floor and then clusters of re-bar sticking out of the roof, like it's still in progress. It seems half or more of the buildings are in this condition. 
• Amman: Here is a city of 2.8 million people that barely existed less than 100 years ago ( 1500 people in 1914). Yet it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is one of the strongest hubs for multinational corporations and has been the destination for many very wealthy Arabs, coming from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt. This is because of it's stability. There is a high confidence that it will be safe and stable so the wealthy and educated have flocked there. 
• Vision of Amman: It is a gleaming cluster of white boxes, set against a barren, brown desert. There are few trees until you get into the older, established neighborhoods. It is quite hilly, so the homes and buildings are set on the hilltops and the highways go through the "wadi" or gullies. There is a network of freeways, quite modern, networking the city. The overall organization is a series of major roundabouts or "circles" 8th, 7th, 6th, etc. These are several layers high, with tunnels below and bridges over. Approaching a roundabout or circle, you need to have your wits about you, since there are roundabouts leading to roundabouts, and no lines or lights controlling traffic. It's a large and moving "game of chicken" If you want to get in, you jerk your car forward and hope the other driver believes you and gives way. Amazingly, we have seen almost no accidents, yet cars and people are inches apart. 
• In the neighborhoods and commercial sections of Amman, it becomes very urban, very sophisticated and very upscale. It reminds me of cool sections of Los Angeles, except with very upscale architecture, palaces of white stone. In the older sections, which we have yet to truly get into, it becomes a maze of clogged streets and jammed people. 

  

  Typical residence in the district where the King lives. 

• People on the Streets: The sidewalks are generally filled with an wide assortment of people. They are dressed in traditional garb, full coats or cloaks with head scarves or turban like headbands. Others are very western and cool in their appearance. Most women have a scarf over their head, some have their face covered except a slit for their eyes. We have seen almost no full face coverings. Most are walking in pairs, men with men and women with women, often holding each other or holding hands. I think it's a traditionally accepted and not to be misinterpreted. Lots of children in the care of parents.

  

  Osama's street in Madaba. He blocks the traffic with a chain to be friendly to tourist visitors. 

• Finding Our Way: One of the first things we got was a good GPS system and had it loaded with Brent's favorite locations. It's a life saver. There is no way, even after 3 weeks that we could find our way. Yes I might be able to find church now, but it's pretty scary since all the signs are Arabic words written in Arabic, and the traffic is moving around curving streets pretty fast. Our little voice comes on and says turn left now then take the second exit then go right and merge left. We call her Houda. It's nice that she doesn't get mad when we miss the turn or ignore her. I wish she would warn us of speed bumps that seem to be everywhere. 
• Madaba: By contrast, Madaba is a much humbler, much messier town of about 60,000. It might be 5,000 years old but most of the construction is about 40 years old and not very cool. Most of it is stucco but some is stone also. The most interesting thing other than it's historical significance is the crazy street system. Imaging chopping spaghetti and strewing it on the floor. That's the map of Madaba. Now make half the streets one way, but don't mark them, just let people get half way down the street and have a truck or Mercedes head toward you with lights flashing. Lots of empty lots with rubble, then commercial strips with Arabic signs for every known product then big old buildings. Four lanes of traffic plus pedestrians force there way down a two lane street with people double parked and tour buses wedging through and children playing in the street. Don't forget a herd of goats or sheep. Oh yes, drivers believe one hand should be used for steering and the other for honking. They honk for any reason, warning you, cheering you, showing their anger or tooting a friend. They toot even before the light turns green. None of the streets line up and there seems no rhyme or reason, yet the traffic and people flow with no road rage expressed, at least for very long. 

  

  The main drag in Madaba--typical traffic

• Our Neighborhood: We are on the Road to Ma'in, which is the highway toward the Dead Sea. We are about 2.5 miles from town on the end of a long winding drive through uncle's houses and olive orchards. It's always been under construction. We have very expensive mini-palaces on one side and some gypsy villages to the east. In the day, it is quiet and peaceful with gentle winds and full sunshine. At night there are packs of wild dogs that tear through and have brawls most of the night. We made comment to our landlord family and the next night two shots rang out and two dogs were killed. It's quieter now. We also see gypsies wondering through the olive trees gathering wood for their fires. They seem a world apart and quite independent, but they live is such squalor. It's very sad. 

Yet we are happy with our setting. We are about 10 minutes from the university and 5 minutes from town. We are about 40 minutes from Amman where we go to church and shopping. Now if only we could keep Ronna from getting shocked whenever she touched an appliance ( non are grounded and give a little shock. The answer we get from the landlord son, who is an electrical engineer) is " well, you need to wear your rubber sole shoes". Ronna doesn't appreciate that.

Tom showing Mariam how to prune her grapes.

One of our good neighbors! We call her Allison