It is mid-afternoon on another sunny day in Amman. I sit at a table in the living room, windows wide open, enjoying a bowl of laban (fresh yogurt) with peach slices. Another morning of cramming a bajillion new Arabic words and phrases into my brain, and now I'm taking a break by updating my blog before reviewing everything we learned this morning. The apartment is eerily quiet, absent of the noise of the youngest boy throwing a tantrum or the two older boys playing "Club Penguin" online. Sadly, my host family (and now great friends!) left this morning for a much-needed vacation. Therefore, as my dad pointed out, I am now living by myself for the first time in my life... in Jordan. Funny how these things work out.
Anywho, as my title suggests, I thought I'd share some thoughts on a few different things with you. First, regarding gender. I have never been more aware of my gender than in the past 2 1/2 weeks in Jordan. I tried to prepare myself for this, but it has still been a rough transition. Here in Amman, you see far more men than women out and about. Even though many women seem to have more freedom here than in other parts of the Arab world, it is still unusual for women to stay out of their home for long, besides running errands and such. On the other hand, it seems like men are ONLY outside. Men are everywhere. They sit outside their shops, stand on the sidewalk, sit near their food carts, or just sit and stare for no reason. Because of this, walking anywhere, for me, feels like I'm walking across a stage. Here, there is no shame in staring (at least by men), and men whom I pass stare at me from the moment they see me until I leave their line of vision. This in and of itself makes me uncomfortable, but I also cannot stare back. I must adopt a straight-ahead stare, avoiding the eyes of the men whom I pass. Sunglasses help with this, because most people can't tell where I'm looking, but it is still difficult for me to not stare back at all of the staring men in defiance. This daily experience has helped me understand the reason why most women cover so much of their faces and bodies (if they have the choice). The more you cover, the less the probing eyes of men can violate you. For this reason, I am so thankful that I brought loose, modest clothing to wear. Still, I cannot hide everything about how I am shaped and formed, so the eyes still find places to look. I must daily remind myself of my value as a daughter of the King and let that confidence shine outward from the innermost parts of myself. I want people to sense my confidence without me having to open my mouth and speak of it.
I also have some thoughts on what my time here in Amman has been focused on: language study. This is not my first time in a non-English speaking context, but this is my first time in intensive language school, and it has been a fabulous experience. Being given the tools to communicate with those whom I encounter right outside the place where I'm learning is such a cool adventure. One thing about myself that has made it a bit easier for me to practice what I learn in the classroom outside of school is my willingness, and acceptance of, making a fool out of myself. This has actually proven useful in past language-learning experiences as well. You see, I have been making a fool out of myself in my first language since I was born, so why should it be any different in another language? As funny as this is, it's very useful for progress in my Arabic learning. For the first two weeks, this looked like me speaking to taxi drivers, friends, anyone who would listen to me really, in sentences without verbs. Since I didn't starting learning any verbs until the end of my 2nd weeks, I spoke like a 1 year old. Oh, I knew the word for "I want" so I just used that for everything. For example, a typical conversation with a taxi driver: "Where would you like to go?" and my response: "I want third circle" or "I want Jabal Amman" haha sounds pretty funny when you put it into English, but it got the message across! And now I can insert the verbs I'm learning into these sentences that I've been using since I've been here. So an acceptance of foolishness has really helped me in my Arabic study so far.
Finally, here are a few humorous examples of cross-cultural misunderstandings that can easily happen in Amman. Often you might hear a truck driving around the neighborhood with a cute little jingle playing on a loud speaker. Oh, they have ice cream trucks here too?? Nope. That is the gas truck driving around, in case your gas tank runs out and you need to buy a new one. You might also hear another truck pass by your house, with an angry-sounding man yelling in Arabic over a megaphone. Oh my goodness, this is the Islamic propaganda that everyone warned me about! Wrong again. It's just a man offering to collect old fridges, rubbish, etc for a price. Phew.
Well, that's enough of my musings for now. Thanks for reading!
Til next time.
Anywho, as my title suggests, I thought I'd share some thoughts on a few different things with you. First, regarding gender. I have never been more aware of my gender than in the past 2 1/2 weeks in Jordan. I tried to prepare myself for this, but it has still been a rough transition. Here in Amman, you see far more men than women out and about. Even though many women seem to have more freedom here than in other parts of the Arab world, it is still unusual for women to stay out of their home for long, besides running errands and such. On the other hand, it seems like men are ONLY outside. Men are everywhere. They sit outside their shops, stand on the sidewalk, sit near their food carts, or just sit and stare for no reason. Because of this, walking anywhere, for me, feels like I'm walking across a stage. Here, there is no shame in staring (at least by men), and men whom I pass stare at me from the moment they see me until I leave their line of vision. This in and of itself makes me uncomfortable, but I also cannot stare back. I must adopt a straight-ahead stare, avoiding the eyes of the men whom I pass. Sunglasses help with this, because most people can't tell where I'm looking, but it is still difficult for me to not stare back at all of the staring men in defiance. This daily experience has helped me understand the reason why most women cover so much of their faces and bodies (if they have the choice). The more you cover, the less the probing eyes of men can violate you. For this reason, I am so thankful that I brought loose, modest clothing to wear. Still, I cannot hide everything about how I am shaped and formed, so the eyes still find places to look. I must daily remind myself of my value as a daughter of the King and let that confidence shine outward from the innermost parts of myself. I want people to sense my confidence without me having to open my mouth and speak of it.
I also have some thoughts on what my time here in Amman has been focused on: language study. This is not my first time in a non-English speaking context, but this is my first time in intensive language school, and it has been a fabulous experience. Being given the tools to communicate with those whom I encounter right outside the place where I'm learning is such a cool adventure. One thing about myself that has made it a bit easier for me to practice what I learn in the classroom outside of school is my willingness, and acceptance of, making a fool out of myself. This has actually proven useful in past language-learning experiences as well. You see, I have been making a fool out of myself in my first language since I was born, so why should it be any different in another language? As funny as this is, it's very useful for progress in my Arabic learning. For the first two weeks, this looked like me speaking to taxi drivers, friends, anyone who would listen to me really, in sentences without verbs. Since I didn't starting learning any verbs until the end of my 2nd weeks, I spoke like a 1 year old. Oh, I knew the word for "I want" so I just used that for everything. For example, a typical conversation with a taxi driver: "Where would you like to go?" and my response: "I want third circle" or "I want Jabal Amman" haha sounds pretty funny when you put it into English, but it got the message across! And now I can insert the verbs I'm learning into these sentences that I've been using since I've been here. So an acceptance of foolishness has really helped me in my Arabic study so far.
Finally, here are a few humorous examples of cross-cultural misunderstandings that can easily happen in Amman. Often you might hear a truck driving around the neighborhood with a cute little jingle playing on a loud speaker. Oh, they have ice cream trucks here too?? Nope. That is the gas truck driving around, in case your gas tank runs out and you need to buy a new one. You might also hear another truck pass by your house, with an angry-sounding man yelling in Arabic over a megaphone. Oh my goodness, this is the Islamic propaganda that everyone warned me about! Wrong again. It's just a man offering to collect old fridges, rubbish, etc for a price. Phew.
Well, that's enough of my musings for now. Thanks for reading!
Til next time.
Thanks for keeping us updated. KTJ
ReplyDeleteAnd just 12 hours ago I was reading your name carved in the curb in front of your house:) you have traveled a long way! BMW
ReplyDelete