Day One

  Coming off the plane in Amman, Jordan was a relief.  After more than twenty-four hours of traveling I was glad to be at my destination.  Customs wasn't a hassle at all and currency exchange was simple.  the biggest problem came with my luggage or lack there of. My bags got lost during my travels, but I was assured by the baggage service that they would be found and delivered to my apartment.

 Once I made it to the entrance lobby, my new task was to find a taxi.  It wasn't difficult.  After about twenty paces from leaving the building a man approached me and asked if I needed a taxi (in English).  He brought me to a kiosk and a group of men all wearing a taxi company's uniform were huddled around it.  He picked a young man from the group who then escorted me to his vehicle.  I gave him the address that was typed on a paper along with other directions.  We made small talk in Arabic about where I'm from and what I'm doing in Arabic.  Then in English, he told me he doesn't know exactly how to get to the address.  A few moments later I see him honk and signal to another cab driver.  We got off at an exit that led to a side road.  The other taxi followed behind and then we both pulled over.

  My cab driver got out and made his way to the other.  They talked for several moments and then my driver came back.  He told me that the other taxi would bring me to my address and demanded twenty two dinar (Jordanian currency).  The whole situation freaked me out.  I was assured that the cab driver would know how to get to my address.  I had never heard of a taxi giving up his passenger for another to collect on.  The situation seemed odd, but my only other option was to deny his request and sit on the side of the road in the middle of a foreign country.  I reluctantly made my way to the second cab.  Again we made small talk about where I was from and why I was in Jordan.  I was freaking out quietly, but did my best to keep my composure.  

  Eventually we made our way to an intersection and the turn made was in the direction of the city of Amman.  I began to calm down.  I was offered a cigarette. I turned it down.  In response he stuffed his hand into his pocket and rolled down both our windows.  The hazy air hit me instantly.  Although it wasn't heavy from humidity it still carried a dry weight from the desert dust and exhaust from the thousands of cars around us.  The highway was familiar.  A lot of cars traveling quickly with a fair amount of traffic but nothing obscene.  Once we made it into Amman the traffic began to build and the speed slowed until cars were bumper to bumper.  Tan buildings roughly five stories high seemed to surround the road for miles.  Each one indistinguishable from the last.  The more we drove the closer together the buildings became and soon I found myself deep in Amman.  Like a tour guide the cab driver pointed out the window at different university buildings.  We closed in on my address and he pulled over, got out of the car, and went into a Pizza Hut.  I waited, uncomfortably, but he returned shortly.  He turned the vehicle around and drove about fifty meters up a hill.  Finally I had arrived at my final destination.  He expected no money, apparently my previous cab driver payed him for the trip and he expected no tip.  Thank God, because my Jordanian Dinars were limited. 

  My roommate arrived shortly after me with an equally odd cab story.  His name is Justin. He is 28 and from Mississippi.  Previously an assistant manager at a pharmacy, he came to Jordan in hopes of becoming an Arabic teacher back in the states.  A major life change, but I can appreciate it. 

  It wasn't difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep.  I ended up sleeping for twelve hours.  Waking up at eleven really disrupts what you can do in the day.  I ended up hanging out in the apartment and skimming through one of my Arabic books.   I spent a bulk of the afternoon, trying to track my bags, but they hadn't arrived yet.  Trying to keep my mind off the bags my roommate and I made our way to the restaurants that lined the street near our apartment.  We met two girls in our building,  Molly and Kirby, who also were a part of my education program.  Walking along the streets for the first time in the light revealed how gross the city was compared cities in America. Trash was not only on the ground, but also blowing in the wind.  Mangy cats roamed the street and shop owners desperately swept their stoops.  Tables and other flat surfaces constantly needed to be cleaned due to the light dust blown by the wind.

 We got a bite to eat at a sandwich shack and then made our way to a coffee shop, named Hollywood Coffee.  Nothing Hollywood about it besides a giant sign that proclaimed it.  None the less, the atmosphere was great.  Tea, coffee and shisha were served.  We spent the next two hours enjoying the drinks and conversation.  On the walk back we came across a gym that I'm sure will be visited frequently in the future.  Once I returned, I called the bag service again; one bag was found and they are still searching for the other.  Hopefully in one more day they will be delivered.