Amman

It was a brutal flight.  Crammed in a small seat surrounded by screaming children, I was unable to sleep.  I tried to pass the time by talking to a young Palestinian doctor from San Diego.  He tried to convince me that we shouldn’t pay attention to the environment because there will be a reckoning.  The movies were Escape From Witch Mountain and Hotel for Dogs.  Brutal.

Things got better when I landed and cleared customs.  Sand-stone-colored Amman sprawls up and down hills for what seems like forever. Though packed dense, suddenly there will be open spaces, which, on occasion, will be filled with grazing sheep or crops desperately trying to grow in the dessert.  I arrived at my vast apartment (three bedrooms and four bathrooms) and dropped off my things.  I called my mom and my boss stopped by with beer welcoming me to my new Muslim home.

I decided to explore and smell the city a little.  I arrived on a holiday of some sort and Jordanians were speeding around, honking horns and waiving flags.  It turns out only the last action was unique to the holiday.  I received plenty of welcoming smiles and confused stares, which struck me as a little odd since I live in the posh part of town.  Foreigners will always be entertaining, I suppose.

After being lulled to sleep by alley cats and call to prayer, I had to go to work.  I filled out a form for every function thought possible and shook hands with dozens of people.  Jet-lagged and overwhelmed, I’ll forget all of their names, but they will probably remember mine as its fairly unique.  Ah well.

The Embassy resembles a Babylonian fortress and overlooks east Amman.  I left work at sunset and the sun passed through the dust creating an orange sky.  Call to prayer hit as I walked out the front gates.   I stumbled home again.

It was Friday and I awoke to completely different city.  What was previous packed with cars, crowds and active shops was now quiet.  The streets were empty with only a few cars leisurely driving about.  I took advantage of the Sabbath and walked the length of the city to the old Roman amphitheatre.  And I was sunburned.  I went to dinner with my office that night a Lebanese place.  I discovered I’m the only person in the office without grandchildren. 

And now it my birthday and I don’t know anyone really and can’t speak the language.  What a week.