I went to Jordan over a long weekend last week. My classmate, Anna, and I made our journey over five days, starting at Wadi Rum and making our way north to Amman. This was my first time in an Arab country and I severely underestimated how different my experience would be from traveling in North America and Western Europe. Compared to other people I have talked to, my experience in Jordan was unique, and I believe this is due to two young white women voyaging without a man in the off-season of tourism. In addition, Anna and I wanted a "local" experience, meaning we stayed in people's homes (except Amman) rather than in hotels and preferred to walk instead of taking a taxi. There is a lot to unpack, so I am splitting this blog post into two parts. First, my initial thoughts and reactions and, two, advice for those who would like to travel to Jordan. Despite my iffy experience, I would not have missed it for the world. Petra is one of the most breathtaking places I have ever been to. I also believe it is essential to get out of your comfort zone as much as possible. This rarely, if ever, results in a relaxing event. However, the hope is that we will learn and grow from the situation. Here are some regional and cultural differences that surprised me: Bedouins live in caves The Bedouins in the regions of and around Wadi Rum and Petra. Bedouins are a sub-community of Arabs; most practice Islam, but some are Christian. They are a tribal, nomadic people who, being forced to stay in one place because of national boundaries, mostly work in tourism or agriculture. It is common practice for the men to have multiple wives so that they can have more children. Since they do not have retirement plans from working with companies, their children are their retirement package. Not all Bedouins live in caves. We stayed in a Bedouin village called Umm Sayhoun (above), just outside of the back entrance to Petra. Though we stayed in a house, I was interested to hear that our host, Awwad, also owns a cave, which is his primary living space. He told us that Petra used to be completely inhabited by Bedouins, but the Jordanian government paid many of them to move to the surrounding areas in order to allow room for tourists. Even to this day, many of the Bedouins still live in the caves of Petra, but not in the main area designated for tourism. Everyone works in tourism I asked our "taxi" driver, Rami, as he picked us from Little Petra whether there was any industry in the area besides tourism. He said no. Another "taxi" driver said that, before tourism, Bedouins made a living from trading livestock, such as goats, horses, camels, and donkeys. In this region, one camel is estimated to be worth 30,000 JD (roughly, $42,250). These animals also come in handy for tourism. One camel ride through the desert costs about 35 JD ($50) per person for two hours and a horse ride in Petra for two hours costs about 50 JD ($70) per person, although if you are good at haggling, you can cut the price by 20 JD. (Our classmate, Matt, on the left. He went on a separate trip to Petra, but we ran into him a couple of times.) You might have noticed that I keep putting "taxi" in quotations. This is because, again, everyone works in tourism, so everyone operates as a cab driver, even if they do not drive a vehicle that says "taxi." This took awhile to get used to. When we would walk, almost every vehicle would honk at us. At first, we were really shaken up by it. However, we learned that this is many drivers' way of asking if you need a ride. When you get in, the price is usually not discussed until after the trip. Getting into a stranger's car goes against the rules of safety I learned as a kid, so this aspect made me extremely uncomfortable. But this is the norm in southern Jordan. Because it is often expected to negotiate the price after the service, many of the locals use sketchy tactics to get you to pay. For instance, I heard stories of Bedouins offering free donkey rides to tourists. However, what they don't tell you is that you have to pay to get off the donkey. Anna and I did not experience this, but we did come across locals beginning to give us tours. We had to firmly say we did not want a tour or else they would expect us to pay at the end, even though we never agreed to a tour. I did fall into one trap. These boys asked me to take a photo of them and then demanded payment. The boy on the left asked for 1 JD and the boy on the right wanted my hat. Sneaky... Jordanian hospitality One thing I heard time and time again was how hospitable Jordanians, especially Bedouins, were. It is true that everywhere we went in the South, Bedouins asked us to come into their homes for tea. Based on poor interactions with many locals, instead I saw this hospitality as a facade for tricking us into giving them money. Maybe it was a kind gesture and I was too jaded at this point, but the tea conversation usually resulted in, "Do you have a place to stay tonight? 20 JD for both." And us having to forgo all manners in order for them to understand. The nicest place we stayed was in Umm Sayhoun. Anna and I had our own room and the house pretty much to ourselves, other than our host, Awwad, a bored-looking man in his mid-20's. On our third night in Jordan, Anna and I wanted a quiet night in. We were watching Jessica Jones when Awwad knocked on our door offering some bananas. He wanted us to come into the common area to talk to him. It was around nine o'clock at night and I was planning on going to sleep soon. We declined. Then, the morning we were departing, Anna thanked Awwad for his hospitality and said she would give him a good review. Awwad responded that he would write on our review that we never left our room. Obviously, there was a difference in expectation. To Awwad, as guests in his house, we should engage with him in the common areas. To me, we paid for a service to stay in Awwad's house, so we have the right to stay in our room if that's what we feel like doing. It is important to note that I know many people who had positive experiences in the south of Jordan. On the bus ride from Wadi Rum to Wadi Musa (Petra), I met a woman from Australia traveling alone. She had stayed in a Bedouin campsite called Beyond Wadi Rum and had the most amazing experience. She was the only guest at the campsite and the host held a bonfire in the middle of the desert and cooked for her. She felt completely safe with him and at the end of her stay, he refused payment from her, saying that it was his form of Bedouin hospitality. I also know people who had great experiences in Petra from accepting a spontaneous offer to stay in a Bedouin's home, rather than booking ahead of time. Anna and I also encountered helpful Jordanians in Amman when we braved the public bus. The manager of our hostel wrote down the name of where we were going and pointed us in the right direction. When we got to the bus stop, we handed the piece of paper to the bus stop attendant (who collected money) and he, along with another helpful gentleman, told us which bus to get on. Riding the public bus was one of the best experiences in Jordan. Times and locations are relative Another thing to get used to was there was no concept of "on time" and no addresses. The buses left whenever they filled up. To get from Petra to Amman, we were told buses arrived at 6am, 10am, and noon, and left when they were full. However, we arrived at the bus station at 9:15am and got a bus right away. Moreover, people did not use addresses. Instead, they used landmarks. For instance, we were told, "Meet at the hospital. Just tell the taxi driver and he will know." Everyone knew every storefront and where most people lived, in the South, at least. In Amman, we were given directions such as, "Walk about two blocks, then make a left, and walk uphill for about 100 meters." I was also shocked that buses do not have exact stops. On highways, they would pick people up on the side of the road where, to me, it looked like there was nothing around. Anna and I learned the hard way that this is true for getting off the bus as well. Our stop was coming up in a few blocks, so we stood up to prepare. Within a couple of seconds, the bus driver pulled to the side of the road to let us off, though we still had five minutes to our stop. So much sugar I didn't like hanging out in the common area at Awwad's place for a couple reasons. One, he smoked all the time. Two, he usually offered this really sugary tea, which I felt obliged to drink. The first time he offered the tea, I did not drink much of it because I do not enjoy sugar. He commented on this and I told him it's too sweet for me. The next time, he made me tea without sugar and it was great! However, all of the other times he offered tea, he would say, "I'm only going to put in a little bit of sugar" and it tasted as though he put in three tablespoons into my tea cup alone. Awwad thought it was so strange that I didn't like sugar. I experienced a similar situation when I was in a Temple in Petra. An old, rough Bedouin woman approached me selling Byzantine coins. When I said I was not interested, she looked at my bag and asked if I had "sweet biscuits." I offered her pita bread, but she said she only wanted "biscuits." I think she meant cookies. In this part of Jordan, people were certainly not obese, despite McDonalds and Burger King being strong trends throughout the country. I was surprised by how thin most people, especially the men, were. Whereas I'm sure some, such as this woman, do not get enough nutrients, others are thin because they are very active, walking and climbing in Petra. I'm sure sugar offers quick energy. Perhaps the sugar-related illnesses, such as diabetes and obesity, have not yet affected the Bedouins. Or maybe they have and no one has made the connection to sugar. Instead, sugar was a treat to offer guests. The idea that sugar did not appeal to some people was foreign. Cheap food Speaking of sugar, the food in Jordan is really cheap and really good. I was especially surprised by the meat. Meat is really expensive in the States and in Israel, but chicken, beef, and lamb were inexpensive throughout Jordan. (Chicken Shawarma - 2 JD=$3) (Chicken Shawarma - 1 JD=$1.50) (Lamb Shawarma at an upscale hotel restaurant-8 JD=$11.30) Insulated Culture Jordan's population is 70% Palestinian. Therefore, after Trump's announcement that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, I thought I would feel the most uncomfortable about revealing that I am American and that I am studying in Israel. However, in all but one instance, the Jordanians I came across could have cared less where I was from. When I said I was from the US, one responded, "I have a brother in Chicago!" Another had a brother in Washington D.C. Anna and I also discussed our studies in Israel. One man said that he lived and worked in Jerusalem for a time. The other received a work permit in Israel, but decided not to go because it would prevent him from traveling to Lebanon. Despite being eager to travel and having relatives in the US, when I asked where they would like to travel to, not one person said they would like to go to North America or Europe. It was always Egypt, Lebanon, or Turkey. My guess is that it's because, just as I felt out of place in their culture, they would feel out of place in mine. Though I did not get the chance to this time, I would like to delve into this a bit more the next time I go abroad to an Arabic culture. I assumed that my nationality would cause me discomfort in Jordan, but instead, it was my gender. During my entire stay, the only time I said more than, "hello" or "shukron" to local women, was in Petra to women trying to sell me souvenirs. The only women I saw unaccompanied by a man were the extremely impoverished. Furthermore, until I got to Amman, I did not see a single woman driving. Walking, Anna and I would get leered and whistled at by men driving by. In Amman, I did an experiment and wrapped a scarf around my head. Even with my hair covered, I stuck out like a sore thumb. I felt like it was impossible to blend in. Aside from tourists and foreigners, every woman wore hijab. In most buses, women were not allowed to sit next to men. When a new woman got on the bus, a man would move to sit next to another man to give the woman her own seat. It wasn't until I got to Amman that I saw women having a bit more agency. Women drove, walked by themselves, and were even sitting next to strange men on the bus. Figuring out how to talk about my trip to Jordan has been challenging. I recognize that I am judgmental of the culture and I know that is not the best route to understanding. I felt uncomfortable by the treatment of tourists and the apparent lack of agency of women. In terms of the women's role in public, Western European society enforced similar policies of covering up (not your head but your ankles and wrists) and being accompanied by a man. However, for whatever reason, this has all but been forgotten. I am led to think that maybe Arabic cultures have had more practical reasons for holding onto these traditions because it is not necessarily about oppression. In Amman, we walked by University of Jordan, witnessing men and women talking and walking side by side, and taking classes together, yet the women still wore hijab. In Israel, the cultural expectation is much more mixed. Among the Arab residents, some wear hijab and others do not. It seems no more different to them than some people wearing a jacket and others not. Whether you wear a hijab does not define you as a person, but it's more of a cultural and traditional trend. In Wadi Rum, strict gender roles were much more enforced than in Amman. For one, girls and boys were separated for all thirteen years of school. Secondly, I did not see a single local woman, either in the Village or at the campsite. This suggests that, though tourists come in and out, women are isolated to their families. Additionally, the coordinator of the bus from Wadi Rum to Petra told us that he was looking for another wife. I find the concept of having multiple wives especially difficult to accept, though it makes sense if the woman's sole purpose is to bear children. As mentioned earlier, in these desert villages, a man's retirement package is his children. While he is able to work, it behooves him to work hard to support multiple wives who can bear him more money-making sons. In Western capitalistic cultures, especially social welfare states, in which you are expected to save up for retirement in 401(k)'s and IRA's, and collect social security, this option is defunct. Therefore, I am coming to understand how privileged those who come from the West really are, not just in terms of money and education, but that these give us the opportunity to ask for more out of life. More rights. Better quality of life. To grow. To make a difference. I did not see this in the eyes of any person I met in Jordan. It is important to note that I don't think the answer is to impose my beliefs and values onto Jordanians. Obviously, it is easier to see the benefits to the culture I grew up in and the issues of this foreign culture. Rather than imposing, I am more interested in learning, understanding, and trying to see the benefits of their culture the way Jordanians see it. In addition, this blog reflects my own experience in Jordan and does not reflect Arabs or Muslims in general. Like Western culture, there are many nuances to Arab culture. There are personality and family differences. Furthermore, as discussed earlier, Arabs in Israel alone have contrasting practices. Jordanian Bedouins have different practices from those of Arabs living in Amman. To complicate matters further, there are Arabs in Jordan who are Christian and not Muslim. Though I have never been, it is also probable that Muslim Arab practices vary from Egypt to Syria to Lebanon. This uncomfortable mess of a trip to Jordan has been - and will continue to be as I process through the information - the best learning experience I could have hoped for. I know I didn't paint the best picture, but I honestly would not take it back for the world. |
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