It became clear today why I chose to come to Jordan. I remember looking at the list of programs offered by CIEE and SIT and consciously electing the cultures that I knew I would make me feel the most uncomfortable. These are the cultures that some part of me doesn't agree with and I want to know why. I always wanted to know why I react strongly to differences regarding religion and social norms. I know that I fear what I don't understand and the Arab culture has different core values. I plainly do not understand it. I made this realization while talking to Tim, a fellow student. We were on a prompted scavenger hunt that required us to explore the vecinity of 2nd circle in East Amman as part of our orientation. I saw the US embassy, it is a gargantuan 2 story fortress made of beige limestone. The American flag waving out front was a comforting site.
At that moment when we entered our first cab in Amman, I was more anxious and scared then I would like to admit. My fear was 95% preconceived notions formed from my experience with the snake on the plane, stories from Julia's trip to Jordan and anecdotes and warnings the SIT staff presented during orientation. In reality, the people of Amman are similar to la gente of Ecuador. There are some bad people and some cab drivers who will try to screw you but it is a small percentage and you can avoid them if you are smart and aware and a bit lucky. Nevertheless, I would feel safer with a better grasp of the Arabic language...
I am a two year old again. I read street signs by slowly sounding out the letters that make up the arabic words. The grown ups have grown up conversations around me. I am lucky to catch one word out of an entire conversation. The men laugh at my accent and think I am cute for trying to speak Arabic. I can't form sentences. "I'm allergic to bread" became "I allergy bread" with such poor pronunciation that it took 3 times for them to understand. I have flashbacks to my first time in Havana where I struggled to make use of 3 years of Spanish. With my 2 years of shaky arabic, I am even worse off. Tomorrow we start our homestay and I am ready to drown in فصحى (classical arabic). This is my focus for the next four months. I am excited to be able to focus on one class for once; no disctractions.
That's all for now,
Tosbeho 'ala khair
Good Night!
At that moment when we entered our first cab in Amman, I was more anxious and scared then I would like to admit. My fear was 95% preconceived notions formed from my experience with the snake on the plane, stories from Julia's trip to Jordan and anecdotes and warnings the SIT staff presented during orientation. In reality, the people of Amman are similar to la gente of Ecuador. There are some bad people and some cab drivers who will try to screw you but it is a small percentage and you can avoid them if you are smart and aware and a bit lucky. Nevertheless, I would feel safer with a better grasp of the Arabic language...
I am a two year old again. I read street signs by slowly sounding out the letters that make up the arabic words. The grown ups have grown up conversations around me. I am lucky to catch one word out of an entire conversation. The men laugh at my accent and think I am cute for trying to speak Arabic. I can't form sentences. "I'm allergic to bread" became "I allergy bread" with such poor pronunciation that it took 3 times for them to understand. I have flashbacks to my first time in Havana where I struggled to make use of 3 years of Spanish. With my 2 years of shaky arabic, I am even worse off. Tomorrow we start our homestay and I am ready to drown in فصحى (classical arabic). This is my focus for the next four months. I am excited to be able to focus on one class for once; no disctractions.
That's all for now,
Tosbeho 'ala khair
Good Night!
I Am Jack's Complete Lack of Surprise.
ReplyDeleteI love you