Friday, November 25, 2011

More than a Vacation...

From what I can remember, Amman, the capital of Jordan, is a fascinating city filled with culture and history. It is a unique blend of old and new, ideally situated on a hilly area between the desert and the Jordan Valley.
In the center of the city, ultra-modern buildings, hotels, smart restaurants, art galleries and boutiques rub shoulders comfortably with traditional coffee shops and tiny artisans' workshops. Everywhere there is evidence of the city’s much older past.

Due to the city’s modern-day appeal and difficult climate, almost half of Jordan’s population is concentrated in the Amman area, the main city. The suburbs and housing consist of mainly tree-lined streets and concrete and dirt roadways.

The downtown area is much older and more traditional with smaller businesses producing and selling everything from fabulous jewelry to everyday household items, and gifts to intrigue the tourists. The people of Amman are multi-cultural, multi-denominational, well-educated and extremely hospitable. They welcome visitors and take pride in showing them around their city.
Amman, Jordan is where most of my family is from and have lived at sometime. My grandparents on my mother’s side still reside there.
The last time I visited was when I was 15, I hope to travel there and maybe study in Jordan in the near future. Because I seldom visited there it became difficult to assimilate to the lifestyle there, compared to the simple luxuries I enjoy every day here in the United States.  I learned a lot visiting there each summer; I especially learned how it felt to be independent and responsible by flying overseas alone. I enjoyed feeling the confidence I gained from doing well outside the comforts of my life in America.

Over time, I realized the importance of understanding my heritage and experiencing the lifestyle people in Jordan experience every day.  Living in the Middle East over the summer and noticing how life is and the discipline people have learned and assimilating to the culture and lifestyle, I took that opportunity to grow and learn in any way that I could. I became more aware of life, more familiar with both Jordanian and American cultures, as well as with those of who surrounded me.

Those who have never traveled to the middle east will be surprised to see that Amman is a very diverse city. Palestinian, Iraqi, Circassian, Armenian, and many other ethnic groups reside in Amman. The city went from 20,000 inhabitants to more than 2 million people in less than a century partly because of massive influxes of refugees from Palestine and Iraq.
Despite the common misconception that most Jordanians do not understand English, that is certainly untrue. Tthe most commonly known language is English, and French is the next known language, Arabic being the main spoken language of course.   It never hurts to know a few useful phrases and come prepared with a translation book, or to have the names and addresses of places you are going written in Arabic for use with a taxi driver.  I can not wait to visit again and enjoy the beautiful heritage that I will never stop appreciating.



2 comments:

  1. It sounds like a very interesting place - and one that because the writer says nothing about danger, probably ok for Americans to visit.

    Nice touch to include the information about how many people speak English and French, too.

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  2. I never heard of this place before in Jordan, but it sounds culturally diverse and interesting. Also it was fascinating to learn about the rapid population growth and city's overview. It was easy to read and informative. Good job.

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