Jordan Observations and Things

So, I am going to go back and finish talking about the Negev and Jerusalem, but for now I feel like jumping forward to Jordan before I forget everything.


First of all, it is exceptionally confusing to be addressed as "she." It took me a while to figure out that the man at the first budget hotel I was staying at was actually trying to ask me questions about myself.


Him: "She is from America?"
Me: "Is she? ... Oh! Yes! Yes, she---I mean, I am from America."


I encountered other variations on this. People talking about me to other people used masculine pronouns occasionally. People told me that they learned their English from talking to tourists, and it was interesting to hear the mistakes people make when they have never sat down and been taught.


Everyone I spoke to knew English, but since I stuck mainly to the tourist-y areas... I had no trouble getting around with English, anyway. Although I did try to use Arabic a little. This is how those conversations went:


Me: *laborious, slow sounds resembling words in an order resembling a sentence*
Them: "Very nice, very nice!" *Proceed to speak in English*


It was helpful hearing Arabic though--and I heard a lot of it. Jordanian Arabic is much much much closer to the Arabic that I study than Egyptian Arabic (which is relevant because Disney movies are dubbed into Egyptian Arabic, which may not seem relevant, but it totally is. I think.).


Anyways, I'm going to do many more posts on Jordan, so if there are any questions, feel free to leave a comment.

Staring

Culture shock: it happens. I think that people on this trip have been surprised by many things they've encountered here: young soldiers with guns everywhere, the focus on security, learning that Tel Aviv is the fashion capital of Israel (what? What?! Still am not quite believing it.)... I've been most startled by how people look at each other here. Namely, staring.


People stare at me all. the. time. It is a huge change from New Mexico, and an even bigger change from New York. In New York, I went to a party with an "anything but (conventional) clothes" theme, which meant I was wearing a pretty awesome dress that I made out of heavy black garbage bags. So my friends and I are walking down the street in absurd outfits, and most people still didn't want us to know that they were looking at us--heads stay straight, eyes slide sideways. In America, if you're interested in someone, for whatever reason, you try your best to make sure that they have no idea that you're looking at them.


Here, in Tel Aviv, I'll glance up, meet someone's eyes, look away instantly--of course--look up again to make sure that they have looked away, and they haven't. And they are absolutely not embarrassed in the least to be caught staring. If I smile instead of looking away--going for the New Mexican-style friendly hi-we're-both-walking-our-dogs-on-the-ditch-and-don't-worry-my-dog's-on-a-leash-isn't-it-great-out-today?-kind of greeting--they quirk an eyebrow in surprise. "I don't know you, what are you smiling at me for?" is implied.


It's quite different than what I'm used to. I'm expecting reverse culture shock when I go back home--"Hey, wait a minute now, why isn't anybody looking at me like they might look at a camel at the zoo? Why is everyone doing weird eye flicks at me? What is this?"


Maybe Israeli parents never berate their children for staring in public. Or maybe I just run into a population of people with absolutely no shyness all the time. Hmm.

First Day

Today was my first full day in Tel Aviv.

We had some short meetings, and then our RA took us on a bus to the city center. Vendors lined both sides of the street, selling everything from handmade puppets to carved logs. It was a very familiar scene, reminiscent of every market everywhere with its crafts, jewelry, and soap. The streets felt different, though, than other fair-style venues I've visited. It was not comprised of a single block, or even a couple of blocks, on a single street. Street-side vendors were everywhere, on what seemed like most of the central streets.

Also, there was this:

Okay, yeah--little glass figurines are available all over, but I have never seen one being made before, and I have never seen glass worked outside, on the street. It was fun to see blobs of glass slowly pulled into new shapes, to see long colored rods lend their tips and their shade to a little bird. Altogether, good stuff.

Other things that happened today: I learned that my roommate and I might be the entire Arabic class. I went to see the sea.

Things that happen tomorrow: Going to the beach to swim. Going to watch a demonstration.

Things that could happen eventually: Bicycle!