Today I played frogger. It was terrifying. Because I was the frog. To get in to university of Jordan, you have to enter through one of the gates around the perimeter, which is fenced. Campus is in the middle of the city. We thought we could follow the roads outside of the university to get to the other gate and area of shopping and food. So, the main gate is where we usually go and where the Study abroad office is. But the north gate has a bookstore we needed and a good little restaurant. So we tried to walk from one to the other on the outside of campus. Bad idea. Inside campus it’s a short, shaded, simple walk. Outside, it’s a miserable, dangerous, confusing hike. You cross multiple 4 lane roads, a construction site, no sidewalk, and no shade at all. It was yet another adventure in Amman.
We couldn’t see around one of the curves to cross the road, and every time we tried, a cab would come flying at us. Terrifying. The trick is really to follow the locals. When they go, you go. And you don’t have to run. It feels that way, but you won’t really get hit. It’s far too much legal work to hit an American.
Some perks…I get into school even without my ID card because of how I look.
Drawbacks…guys have a far easier time hailing a cab. And they’re allowed to talk to the cabbie without trouble.
I definitely got hit on by a cabbie yesterday. He was just too friendly. Spoke only Arabic, but it was basic Arabic I could understand. My name is, where are you from, is this your first time in Jordan, how are you, have a nice day… he made a point to tell me his name as I got out. I tried very hard to ignore him, stare out the window and not respond. He was not getting the hint. Next time, I’m just gonna fake a call phone call. Then talking to me would be rude even by his standards. Lol.
OK. So I had the strangest thing for lunch ever. I thought I was ordering falafel in a pita. The other girls already had one and it looked delicious. So Jessica an dI go up to the counter and tried to explain and point to what we wanted. The guys is like “use Arabic!” So we tried and failed. Miserably. If I could just use Arabic to get what I wanted, I wouldn’t embarrass myself and waste your time with my English and pointing skills. So we get our food and it’s a pita… wrapped around bologna, with a few small pickles and cream cheese. Yep. That is what I ordered. Or just what they gave me to laugh about. Not positive which. Next time, I’m saying falafel. Pita. And watching them make it. That said, it was the best bologna I have ever had. And I don’t like bologna.
Also weird. They feed me a pomegranate where all the seeds were scoped out into a bowl but you were supposed to eat the whole seed, not just the squishy juicy part. And the same for a guava where you eat the seeds too, not just the flesh. I'm not sure I like this habit. Its crunchy. And not appealing.
But most the food is amazing. So I will take the slightly different and strange with the really good. :)
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