Questions answered
The countdown draws to an end and though I'm thrilled to be going home, I can't help but feel upset about everything I'll miss here. It's a very confusing time. I feel numb.
I took at look at some of my earlier posts and thought now that I've got six months in Jordan under my belt I'd answer some of the amusing questions friends and family posed before I left.
Are there hair salons there? - Yes, and it's so fabulously cheap that many girls go get their hair done all the time if they don't feel like doing it themselves. I have taken advantage of this convenient service quite often myself. And all the hair stylists are men!
Will you see camels? - I certainly did! Not in Amman, of course, but they were all over the place in Wadi Rum (where I got to ride one) and in small rural towns. Not sure what this talk is of them spitting all the time though, I never saw one do that.
Do you have to wear a head covering? - Nope, and to be honest there aren't a lot of women in West Amman (the less conservative area) who do. The more conservative the areas, the more women wear a hijab (headscarf) or a niqab (full face covering). The only place I had to cover myself was in the Damascus mosque.
Can you date men? - I think the person asking this question meant can I, as a foreigner, date Arab men? The answer is yes, but if I were to marry a Muslim man I'd have to convert to Islam. Interestingly enough I've been told by some of the men and women I've met in the region that some guys have no issues dating foreign women but when it comes to marriage they feel socially pressured to find a "wholesome" Arab woman whose reputation is held in high regard among their social circles. I took some offense to the implication that foreign women can't be wholesome and worthy of marriage and motherhood, but was assured not all men here feel this way. I certainly hope not!
Update: I've been told I may have the whole converting religions thing backwards. I'm really not sure. Point is, I suppose, that the woman may be asked to convert even though it may not be absolutely necessary that she do so.
Are you allowed to walk places alone? - You're allowed to do whatever you want, but whether it's safe to do so is another matter. I walked home alone from a bar once and got verbally assaulted and bothered by some of the men in my neighbourhood. After that I never walked alone late at night. But in other areas of the city, it's perfectly fine to do so. It just depends on the kind of people who populate the areas and what time of day it is.
Do they have milk? - Yes, but it's sold in a kind of petra pak unrefrigerated - not like our bags or cartons back home. And you only need to refrigerate it once it's been open and it can be stored, unopened at room temperature for weeks after purchase.
Is there air conditioning? - In offices, malls and some homes, but not in my wonderful little apartment. I spent a sweaty few months sitting in front of my industrial-sized fan, cursing the desert heat. Now I spend my time in my apartment wearing three layers of clothing, drinking hot liquids and cursing the desert cold.
Is this city in the desert? - I guess technically, but the desert surrounding Amman is not like the Sahara desert with endless sand dunes and quick sand. There are lots of rocks, some vegetation and plenty of mountains and valleys in the south and north.
Is it like Lawrence of Arabia? - Wadi Rum was Lawrence's world. And I loved it.
I took at look at some of my earlier posts and thought now that I've got six months in Jordan under my belt I'd answer some of the amusing questions friends and family posed before I left.
Are there hair salons there? - Yes, and it's so fabulously cheap that many girls go get their hair done all the time if they don't feel like doing it themselves. I have taken advantage of this convenient service quite often myself. And all the hair stylists are men!
Will you see camels? - I certainly did! Not in Amman, of course, but they were all over the place in Wadi Rum (where I got to ride one) and in small rural towns. Not sure what this talk is of them spitting all the time though, I never saw one do that.
Do you have to wear a head covering? - Nope, and to be honest there aren't a lot of women in West Amman (the less conservative area) who do. The more conservative the areas, the more women wear a hijab (headscarf) or a niqab (full face covering). The only place I had to cover myself was in the Damascus mosque.
Can you date men? - I think the person asking this question meant can I, as a foreigner, date Arab men? The answer is yes, but if I were to marry a Muslim man I'd have to convert to Islam. Interestingly enough I've been told by some of the men and women I've met in the region that some guys have no issues dating foreign women but when it comes to marriage they feel socially pressured to find a "wholesome" Arab woman whose reputation is held in high regard among their social circles. I took some offense to the implication that foreign women can't be wholesome and worthy of marriage and motherhood, but was assured not all men here feel this way. I certainly hope not!
Update: I've been told I may have the whole converting religions thing backwards. I'm really not sure. Point is, I suppose, that the woman may be asked to convert even though it may not be absolutely necessary that she do so.
Are you allowed to walk places alone? - You're allowed to do whatever you want, but whether it's safe to do so is another matter. I walked home alone from a bar once and got verbally assaulted and bothered by some of the men in my neighbourhood. After that I never walked alone late at night. But in other areas of the city, it's perfectly fine to do so. It just depends on the kind of people who populate the areas and what time of day it is.
Do they have milk? - Yes, but it's sold in a kind of petra pak unrefrigerated - not like our bags or cartons back home. And you only need to refrigerate it once it's been open and it can be stored, unopened at room temperature for weeks after purchase.
Is there air conditioning? - In offices, malls and some homes, but not in my wonderful little apartment. I spent a sweaty few months sitting in front of my industrial-sized fan, cursing the desert heat. Now I spend my time in my apartment wearing three layers of clothing, drinking hot liquids and cursing the desert cold.
Is this city in the desert? - I guess technically, but the desert surrounding Amman is not like the Sahara desert with endless sand dunes and quick sand. There are lots of rocks, some vegetation and plenty of mountains and valleys in the south and north.
Is it like Lawrence of Arabia? - Wadi Rum was Lawrence's world. And I loved it.
posted by Grace at 8:06 PM
8 Comments:
hello there young lady,
I have been following your blog since you have started it, I never commented or posted anything to you yet now I feel the need to ask you this question-request:
Could you please, if it was possible and ok with you, tell me what will be the new address of your future blog after this one?
Yeah, hi, it's Simon Cheung with the Simo Daily Independent Star Times Observer Journal Reader. I just have a few quick questions, Ms. Peacock . . . the country wants to know: what is the appeal of falafel men for a Canadian woman such as yourself? Also, how did you resolve the issue with your landlord over your loud make-out sessions with random men? And will you be releasing a video of these sessions for sale?
I may be wrong however as I understand it, as a Christian female marrying a Muslim male you would not need to convert to Islam, however as a Christian male marrying a Muslim female you would need to convert.
You are a 100% right on the hair salons...I used to go to a wonderfully atmospheric 'salon' in Shmeisani and was quite distraught when he moved to slick new quarters at the Inter-con!
Funny questions!
Glad you manged to answer them or at least most. Madam Chiang is right, Woman do not have to convert but can while Christian men have to convert if they are to marry a Muslim.
As for Amman being in a Desert, I think you better look up the meaning of desserts. There might be arid land in its surrounding but it's not a dessert.
Any questions that you had and never had answered?
Thanks for the clarification Duried!
And according to the all-knowing Wikipedia, a desert is "... a landscape form or region that receives little precipitation. As a consequence, deserts have a reputation for supporting very little life. Compared to wetter regions this may be true, although upon closer examination, deserts often harbor a wealth of life that usually remains hidden (especially during the daylight) to preserve moisture. Approximately one-third of Earth's land surface is desert."
So there's everyone's geography lesson for the day.
I certainly think the landscape I've seen in Wadi Rum and out towards Ruweished qualifies as desert! There's nothing there but sand, dirt and rock!
Of course Wadi Rum is a desert, so is the majority of uninhibited in Jordan but I was refering to Amman. "Is this city in the Desert"
* uninhibited land
Ah ok. True enough then.
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