Welcome to Jordan

Unfortunately I don't have enough time so I have to present you half-automatic translated text from Russian (original version is here: http://azaless.livejournal.com/3138.html). I've checked it and I'm sure you will understand what I was tried to say... :)

After eight hours of flight - and I've got Sharja (UAE). Than I spent 12 hours in this airport at night and after 4 hours I've got my Amman - capital of Jordan.

Than I've got visa without any problem - so - I'm here!



My first photo in Jordan

People do not drink alcohol but do not smile neither.
This is rather hard to accept people do not drink alcohol on the street. For this there are special places where mostly foreigners hung up.

People here quite friendly and hospital, especially to people from Europe/North America. I did not expect it would be really like from advertises. E.g. people sometimes pay for me in taxi or buses and they are always happy to help me.

Flats with a lot of WC
I have not seen so many WC in the flats anywhere. In one flat where I used to live there were two WC+bathroom and one extra WC for guests.


Me, local citizen Abir and my roommate dutch Marteen in the just rented flat

Clear streets and good roads
As well as all buildings were built from white stone- all city is "white" and clear. It is rather hard to find garbage here.




Dead sea
Dead sea is real dead (nobody lives here), but it is just very salt lake. To swim here rather dangerous 'cause water can injure your eyes and than you had to run on the beach - to fresh your eyes with non-salt water. But it is also fun, cause water push you up and you almost can go by water.

Our team in Madaba - not so far from the Dead Sea





Ruins from some orthodox church


Ukrainian girl Sasha and me (Pasha)

English and Arabic
During last centuries Arabic world was colonies - mostly French or British. So Jordan was a British colony and English is quite spread here. You can meet a lot of people who can speak English, English TV and radio channels. My colleagues sometimes even use English words and phrases when they speak Arabic - so approximately I can know what are they talking about.

Orientation in the city
It is rather hard for European newbie first time. Streets usually have two names - official and unofficial. All maps and pointers use official names - local people - unofficial :)) Also mostly people use some orientation points like shops, bridges and squares instead of real addresses.

Original Arabic gestures

An interesting gesture may seem "Halas" (similar to our - Good:)) - is stocked with all your fingers - which means "Shut up" or "Wait." Perhaps we have no such equivalent.


Local transport
Now I live in 30 minutes' walk from my work in a fairly decent area. The Arabs and my roommate Dutch are really amazed when I inform them that prefer to walk to work. For this I have two reasons - economic (taxi approximately 1 dinar = 1 euro or bus 0.36 dinar) and the purely physiological - at work, I'm mostly sitting with laptop, so that move is even good for me. In Kharkiv I used three different types of transport (trolley-bus - metro - bus) to get within 1.3 - 1.5 hours. So I think that I am very lucky.


At the same time must say there are almost no appropriate sidewalks, they are either full of some bushes or absent at all.


The transportation system is very different from the Ukrainian and European. You begin to understand and appreciate - how we are organized and orderly. In Amman, there are three main types of transport depending on wealth:
1) quite wealthy people drive cars
2) Less wealthy or just lazy - go by taxi, which are relatively cheap. All my colleagues who have no cars - travel to work by taxi.
3) The poorest and some students/interns like me go by buses.
The transport system in Amman is chaotic. There is a city bus system, which does not take money - it is necessary to have in advance a e-card. Buses run more or less regularly, but as well there is no fixed stops, if you want to stop the bus - you need to raise vertically (!) A hand up, the driver will stop depending only on the well-known cause of Allah. Perhaps because of this payment system - and he simply not care how many passengers it carries.
There is also a private carriage - this is normal with old Japanese bus conductor-barker. These buses stop at the end or key stops and filled to capacity with the help of the clicker - who are trying to attract passengers by screaming. Buses do not have numbers and guess where they are - you can just talked with the conductor or reading of Arabic names of the areas through which they pass. Of course for foreigners buses represent a black box on wheels.


Women
It was surprise to discover that the Arab girls (e.g. my colleague Mais - she asked me to mention her in my blog so here is the best place for you :) ) are also beautiful and can compete even with the Slavs. Amman itself - a city with ancient traditions, but to fashion a democracy, therefore, only a third of girls cover their hair, rare obscure person (all of them can safely be called refugees from Iraq). Those who are the traditional garments can only be spared - and, in 30 degree heat, they are fall under the standards of the Ukrainian autumn clothes. In low-lying Dead Sea, I saw , as in the enormous steam women dressed in black clothes bathed their children, while the male was of course only in swimming trunks


Ukraine in the European Union
I know that from Europe, we are far, I think the case to the government and those who choose them. With our wealth - the intellectual and natural, British and the Germans have to go to work for us, rather than we for them. However, in Amman, I can afford to dream, as the majority, even among the educated, they saw me in a civilized Europeans from the EU, it is there, in their view, is Ukraine.


Local change
Quite a surprise was the Jordanian change. Mostly in their virtues are written not 50 cents or 25 cents, and 1 / 2, 1 / 4, 1 / 8 dinars (1 dinar = 1 euro).


TV
At the local Arab satellite channels show mainly Arabs. So here. Quality of programs is low, judging by the fact that I see with my slightly above zero understanding of the Arab. But what is particularly interesting - it is a single channel, which plays music or videos from the show yutube one - and sometimes even two (!) Advertising line and pretty girl, who is sitting in the screen to attract attention. So - for this girl, there is no script or plan for the conversation, she smiles, or stupidly corrects clothes - and so for several hours (!!!). This is all designed to attract, I think, the male population.


Radio also has a channel that broadcasts in English with a British accent.


Housing
People say - that in Amman nobody likes cable. Also, they do not like tubes as well. Everything is mobile and probably not very effective. So:
1) Water Waterworks refuel the tank on the roof every three months
2) Drinking water is bought in special stores or supermarkets
3) Gas supplied in cylinders, a day around our house touring machine with a particular music, which offers to exchange the charged cylinder to empty.
4) The Internet is also preferred Wireless-only .
5) hot water with electric heaters

Mosques
across the city with a range of about 300 kilometers scattered around with loudspeakers of mosques. Have interesting programs about how they need to live and pray they start broadcasting at 4:30 am and will follow with the changes 5 times a day - it made so much time praying Muslim decent.

Orders
If you want to rent an apartment to live with your girlfriend or with friends to reduce the charge - you will not be able - on the local traditions such filth is not on.

To be continued ...