Former Skokie Patch Editor's Journey in Jordan

Hello, Skokie! 

As promised, and as if anyone really cares, here is my first blog post about working as a journalist in Amman, Jordan. 

I’ve been here for about two weeks now, and there’s so much I’d like to cover. I’ll try to keep things short and to the point. 

Amman is so alive. You can feel the bustle when walking through the downtown area. Shop at the vegetable bazaar on a Friday (which is like a Sunday in the Middle East) and you’ll see merchants yelling out various prices for their goods. Once one of them shouts, another one tries to one up him, and shouts even louder. And so on. 

On a side note, I don’t think I’ll ever forget this one merchant at the bazaar, who looked mean, had a raspy voice and several scars on his face. I’m not afraid of much, but I’d be terrified to buy tomatoes from this man. The friend who took me to the bazaar told me, “This guy is a legend around here.” I believe it. 

Parking, driving - 

Check out my YouTube video of me walking to work in Amman

The most bizarre thing I’ve witnessed is parking. If you think it’s a parking spot, or want to create your own parking spot, then go ahead and park. You won’t get a ticket. 

It isn’t uncommon to see vehicles parked in places that clearly aren’t parking spots. Even in downtown Amman or the business district, anything goes. 

As for traffic, a colleague told me, “You need courage to cross the street.” He wasn’t kidding, either. 

Traffic lights are uncommon, as they’re roundabouts everywhere. You also have to understand that all of Amman is built on a mountain; with each road having steep twists and turns. When my friend told me I needed “courage” to cross the streets, I replied, “If I use my courage it’ll be on something besides crossing a road.” I prefer to simply stay alert and play it safe. Best not to get run over by a car. 

Despite the craziness of how people drive out here I have yet to see an accident or something close to an accident. Somehow, the crazy driving works here. For the most part, the majority of people cab it in Amman. And the fares are insanely cheap. Tipping isn’t commonplace, either. Just yesterday my cab fare was $0.91. 

But perhaps the most important thing about Amman is there are no addresses. (Some places have addresses, like office buildings in the business district, but for the most part, no addresses.) Even Google Maps can’t help you here.

Landmarks are used as directions. This can be especially confusing when you are with a young person and an old person – both use different landmarks for directions. A 7-Eleven can be a landmark, or a restaurant with a red sign. The older person will rely on their landmarks to get around while the younger person will use newer landmarks, like a 7-Eleven (there aren’t many out here, that’s why it’s a landmark).

Watching the two generations argue about which way to go can be amusing if you have the right mindset. 

Cost of living, smoking -

You cannot escape cigarette smoke in Amman. It is everywhere. You can practically light up wherever you please – a Starbucks inside a mall, an authorized cell phone store or even a bank. Everyone smokes. A pack cost about $1.50 American. 

Some things are so cheap out here, too. For example, you can get several pieces of freshly baked bread, salad, falafel, some damn good humus, fries and a drink for about $2. There are other places that will sell you the same thing minus the fries and drink for $0.75. 

On the other hand, a can of beer at a liquor store will cost you about $7. A can. I’m talking about 12-ounces of the cheapest stuff out here. The look on my face when I was told it was $7 for a can of Budweiser. A bottle of whiskey cost about $70 to $90 American, and I’m talking the standard sized bottle. 

Nobody takes credit cards out here. I take that back. Almost nobody takes credit cards out here. Sure, they have McDonalds, Popeyes, Burger King, but you’d be hard pressed to have any of them accept a credit card. And if they do, it’s Visa only. Just for clarification – I’m talking about any credit cards – foreign or domestic. 

Anyway, there’s a lot more I’d like to ramble on about. But I think I’ve taken up too much space. If anyone has questions I’ll be checking back periodically to answer them. Just keep in mind, 12 p.m. Skokie time is 8 p.m. Amman time. 

Hope all is well, Skokie!

Best,

George
Former Skokie Patch Editor