Jabal Amman

Orientation is over. A lot of the kids complained bitterly about how controlling the program leaders were and how long the lectures were, but I actually thought it was one of the better orientations for study abroad that I've participated in, and I've experienced two others. There was some repetition of a couple of the major safety points, but considering that we're all college students and not generally known for our respect for safety rules, I thought that was probably wise. But now it's over, and we've all scattered to different parts of the city, either in apartments or homestays. It's definitely a relief not to have to move in a group of 100 people. I am in an apartment in Jabal Amman (Mount Amman), which apparently is one of the coveted neighborhoods to be in for it's proximity to downtown, although it's farther away from the University. I only have 1 roommate and we each have our own rooms. Before we got to the apartments yesterday Stewart, a CIEE employee, commented off-handedly that some students have said that the apartments are better than dorm rooms. Well, there is absolutely no comparison, at least with Marlboro dorms. It's an apartment meant for a family unit, so Lauren (my roommate) and I each have our own rooms, there is a living room with a TV and cable and matching coach and easy chairs and a dining room as well as a kitchen and full bath. It's entirely furnished, including cooking stuff, and we have two balconies, one of which is in my room and faces the street. All in all, it's a very nice apartment.

There are 6 other girls living in the same building and last night several of us decided to do some exploring and look for food and internet. Internet is definitely a priority for just about every American student I've talked to on this trip. I actually try to avoid the internet when I'm on break, which according to some makes me a luddite. We found a restaurant easily enough, but apparently we were very early for dinner because only as we were leaving (around 8) were other people starting to arrive. However, this meant that we got very personal attention from the waitstaff and the manager. Of the 6 of us, 4 of us spoke some Arabic, but only 2 spoke enough to be of any use (I don't remember much that's useful except phrases like mish fahime, meaning I don't understand) but so far almost everyone we encountered spoke at least a little bit of English or at least understood us. The manager of the restaurant was no exception, and he seemed to enjoy our limited conversation, or maybe it was just our presence, so much that he gave us a round of Turkish or Arabic coffee at the end of the meal on the house, as well as his card and an invitation to come back.

All of this happened after dark, a fact that made me a bit nervous at first, since 6 American women stand out quite easily. I was expecting cat calls, offers of various kinds, and possibly even men following us. I was very surprised when no one approached us at all. In Egypt, at the very least I constantly heard "Welcome to Egypt" and "How are you," which may seem quite innocent and for the most part was. However, it is still a consistent part of the experience of any Western woman walking down the street in Egypt. Apparently, in Jordan this is less common, although certainly there were plenty of stories in orientation of women being followed, flashed, and having men want to marry them. But it seems that the casual harassment on the street that I was used to, and expecting, is less common, at least in the parts of Amman that I've been to so far. Even the stares aren't as intense, although so far I haven't been to any parts of Amman that are completely devoid of Westerners.