"20 Tips for a Successful Stay in Amman" by Kevin Zalinsky
Coming to Amman? Here are some tips to make the most of your experience!
1
First things first, just to get this out of the way: you will experience constipation. There’s no way around it. Between changes to your usual diet, dehydration from a very long day of travel, and sitting on a cramped airplane for upwards of ten hours, constipation will be a part of your life for a couple of days. Just be patient, drink lots of water, and maybe ask your host mother for a bowl of foul medames (delicious beans) for breakfast, and eventually, you’ll have a breakthrough.
2
Similar to the above problem, but this is more an issue of “number one” than “number two.” You may find that, no matter how much water you drink, you just don’t have to go. This might be especially concerning if you’re used to waking up in the middle of the night and blindly stumbling down the hall to the bathroom. But if your output doesn’t seem to match your input, don’t worry! This is just a matter of your body using every last drop of water to acclimate itself to a new environment, one which is most likely hotter and drier than the one it’s used to.
3
If you’ve ever traveled internationally, you probably already know the number one rule: don’t drink the water. From the tap, that is – bottled water, water from a dispenser, and boiled tap water are all fine. Not to dwell for too long on bathroom issues, but drinking unfiltered water straight from the tap has the potential to make you very sick. I’d recommend packing your reusable water bottle in order to minimize your plastic waste because, unfortunately…
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Recycling is not widely practiced in Jordan. Countless are trash cans overflowing with water bottles, plastic straws, and single-use cutlery. I know, it hurts my heart, too. But you can do your part! Refill your Nalgene with water from a dispenser, which you’ll find at school and in your new home. Minimize your takeaway from restaurants, and skip the plastic bag and cutlery when you do have leftovers. Consider taking your recyclable items to a recycling center like Beay, Green Spot, Green Line, or the City Mall Green Center.
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Jordan is one of the most water-poor countries in the world. There are a few things that you, as a guest, can do to help the situation. First and foremost, consider showering every other day. That might seem impossible at first when you’re drenched in sweat from head to toe, but eventually, your body will acclimate and you won’t feel so gross all the time. When you do shower, try to limit yourself to five minutes – or even less if possible. I found that setting a timer on my phone was the best way to combat my inclination to waste precious seconds on “shower thoughts.” It was tough at first, but eventually, my five-minute timer became a four-minute timer, then a three-and-a-half-minute timer, and soon I was able to shower in less than three minutes without having to play “beat the clock.”
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Another way you can do your part to preserve water is to cut down on laundry. In Jordan, most families do laundry once a week, and it usually coincides with the day that the water tank on the roof of their building is refilled. Maybe you could offer to wash your clothes every other week; I’m sure your host family would appreciate the thoughtfulness. My host mom, who refused to let me wash my own clothes, was certainly grateful for the break. Don’t be self-conscious about wearing the same shirt or pair of pants more than once in a single week – everyone does it! Be proud of yourself for being so economical.
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If you’re a light sleeper, I highly recommend packing earplugs and/or downloading a white noise app on your phone. Between noise on the street and the adhan at four o’clock in the morning, Amman isn’t exactly a safe space for us light sleepers. I found that earplugs and ambient noise went a long way; I can honestly say that I jolted awake in the middle of the night only a handful of times.
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If you’re the type of person who can’t imagine starting your day without at least two cups of good old American coffee, I have some disappointing news for you: coffee in Jordan is, by and large, the instant kind. Jordanians love their Nescafé, and I won’t lie to you and say it’s just as good as the stuff you drink at home. It’s not. But it gets the job done, and coffee shops abound in Amman, so it’s never too hard to get your hands on a cup of the real stuff.
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Speaking of coffee shops, my favorite part of the weekday routine was heading to a nice, quiet café after school to study or work on homework for a couple of hours. A few of the most popular are Books@Cafe on Rainbow Street, Geisha Coffee near First Circle, Seven Pennies in Abdoun, Manara in the Jabal al-Weibdeh neighborhood, and my personal favorite, Bait Baladna near Wasat al-Balad.
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A lot of students rely on the Talabat food delivery app for lunch, but just because an idea is popular does not mean that it’s good. An hour might seem like plenty of time to order food, have it delivered, eat it, and recharge yourself for the rest of the school day. Trust me when I say that it’s not. Talabat might be fine when you’re leisurely lounging at home with nothing to do for the next few hours, but in a time crunch, it’s much less dependable. Your host mother will offer to pack food for school: either a “snack,” which is actually more like two whole sandwiches; or “lunch,” which is usually leftovers of last night’s dinner in separate Tupperware containers, meant to be reassembled and heated up in the microwave. Whichever you choose, you will not go hungry, I promise. Take your host mom up on her offer.
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On the subject of host mothers, talk to her! Talk to your host father, host siblings, host grandparents, host aunties and uncles, and host neighbors, too. This is an opportunity to not only practice your Arabic but to make real connections with real people. At first, it’ll be difficult to hold full conversations without breaks of awkward silence between short phrases, but you’ll get there eventually. If you treat your host family like they’re your actual family – instead of, say, like the staff of a hotel – your experience will be that much more meaningful.
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While conversing with your host family, you might find yourself faced with a question that requires a negative response. Don’t be afraid to say no! If you don’t want a fourth bowl of foul, or if you’re trying to cut back on bread, or if you just don’t like the taste of that tea, all you have to say is “la shukran.” If they ask again, “la shukran.” If they ask a third time, “la shukran.” Eventually, your “la shukran” will stick and you’ll be able to move on. Nobody will be offended, and you won’t feel as if you forced yourself to do something in the interest of not coming across as “rude.”
13
In Jordan, Fridays are for family. Your host family might not expect you to spend the entire day with them, but they certainly expect to see your face at lunch, which is usually eaten in the afternoon and is considered the most important meal of the day. You can make Friday plans with your friends for the morning or evening, but I encourage you to be home for lunch. Think of it as an opportunity to bond with your family. Weekend trips and school-organized excursions are, of course, valid reasons for being absent from Friday lunch. Just tell your mom in advance.
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Don’t spend all your time in your room or at school. You’re in Jordan! Get out there and explore it!
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While exploring, you’ll realize that Amman is a walkable city … sort of. Yes, there are sidewalks, but those sidewalks are often obstructed by parked cars. You might opt to walk in the street instead, but those cars will send you scrambling for the safety of the sidewalk. The point is you can walk around Amman, and I encourage you to do so safely. Going for a nice stroll with a good playlist is one of my favorite activities, but I’ll always prioritize survival over Spotify. Therefore, I’d caution against listening to music, texting, Tindering, Snapchatting, looking down at your feet, or just generally not paying attention while walking in Amman. Keep your eyes and ears open and your head on a swivel, and you’ll be just fine.
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From a pedestrian’s perspective, drivers in Jordan are scary. Often I’ve thought “Well, I guess this is the end” while crossing the street in Amman. Not because I’ve ever thought it would be fun to play “chicken” with a moving vehicle, but because I looked left, right, then left again before crossing an empty street, only to find a car bearing down on me from out of nowhere. My suggestions would be to use a crosswalk whenever possible, to cross only when you see the “walking man,” and to look both ways a few extra times just to be certain. And if anybody ever tells you to “just go for it” (i.e., walk into the street and hope for the best), don’t go for it.
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Something else you’ll quickly realize while exploring Amman: people stare. In the U.S., of course, staring is considered rude, and we might not always stop ourselves from pointedly asking “Can I help you?” In Jordan, on the other hand, staring isn’t rude; it’s actually quite normal behavior. How you deal with the staring is up to you. You can stare back, although I wouldn’t recommend getting into a staring contest because you will lose, trust me. You can acknowledge the staring with a friendly little smile or wave. Or – and this is the approach that I found works best – you can ignore it. You’ll feel someone’s eyes boring into you, and I know it’s an annoying and uncomfortable feeling, but I think it’s best to just brush it off and move along.
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Personal space isn’t a thing. This one’s tricky, because everybody deserves to feel one-hundred-percent comfortable in public spaces, full stop. However, in Jordan (and in many countries around the world, in fact), the amount of personal space afforded to an individual is much less than what you might be accustomed to. It isn’t that people’s boundaries aren’t respected in Jordan, it’s just that the idea of a “personal bubble” isn’t really a thing. Of course, there’s a huge difference between someone getting a little too close for comfort without realizing it and someone deliberately invading your space with malicious intent. My suggestions are to never travel by yourself, especially not at night; to remove yourself from an uncomfortable situation as soon as safely possible; to not shy away from flagging down the tourism police, who seem to be stationed everywhere in Jordan; and to never accept any behavior which is blatantly and unquestioningly wrong.
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Take advantage of your weekends and off time. Yes, you’re in Jordan to study Arabic, but you can’t study all the time. Sleep in on Fridays, go on weekend excursions, check out the malls and souks if shopping is your thing, go on walks to clear your mind, join a gym, watch stupid videos on YouTube to give your brain a break. It’s all about finding that balance between taking your Arabic studies seriously and not overwhelming yourself.
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I saved the best for last: enjoy yourself! You’re in a new and exciting place. This might be the first time you’ve ever traveled internationally or on your own. Make friends, see the sights, try new foods, learn new things, and just have a great time in Jordan!
