I’m in the middle of my three day weekend now and even though I feel like I’m not really busy, I’m nowhere near being bored. Despite all the complaints I heard about Amman being a boring city, there seems to be endless activities here--movies, performances, art exhibits, everything. In the past few nights I’ve gone to a film festival, attended an incredible concert (المربع), visited the huge weekly souq in the city center, and hung out at a bar to watch the first game of the World Cup.
As one can see, the souq is a complete sensory overload. It is in a square outside, covered with tarps and pretty much like a flea market. The majority of it is clothes, new and used. I think of it as a hipster's dream--there's everything from Korean military jackets to European scout uniforms, complete with all the badges, to absurd decorations and lots of '80's fashion apparel.
While leaving the souq last night, I had one of the more unnerving experiences a foreigner can have in another country. When we crossed the street we heard a huge explosion a block or two away and felt the ground shaking beneath us. All the car alarms around us went off and we saw smoke billowing out from the highest buildings. Within seconds we were relieved to see colorful fireworks being shot off the roof of a tall building, possibly for a wedding. We ran to the highest area we could find to film and take pictures.
Classes have been great. My professors are really enthusiastic and the material is right at my level. My Modern Standard Arabic class is centered around discussions of controversial topics, meaning that the professor wants us to argue with each other, meaning that it’s pretty much the perfect class for me. He is also really intent on us learning common Arabic idioms, which also leads to interesting and abstract conversations around questions like, “Do the ends always justify the means?”. Using this type of language and having discussions like that is exactly what I need, so I can speak in Arabic about more abstract ideas.
And finally, here are some pictures of my neighborhood and view from my porch:
![]()
While leaving the souq last night, I had one of the more unnerving experiences a foreigner can have in another country. When we crossed the street we heard a huge explosion a block or two away and felt the ground shaking beneath us. All the car alarms around us went off and we saw smoke billowing out from the highest buildings. Within seconds we were relieved to see colorful fireworks being shot off the roof of a tall building, possibly for a wedding. We ran to the highest area we could find to film and take pictures.
And finally, here are some pictures of my neighborhood and view from my porch:
No comments:
Post a Comment