For the last three and a half years, and since I left Amman to work in Dubai, I've always had a special place in my heart for the city (Amman). I practically grew up there; making most of my meaningful friendships, and having what I still consider the best years of my life.
Loyalty
I've always yearned to Amman. I never accepted the fact that I might spend a big chunk of my life in another country. In my head, it was the final destination, and the place to be.
To me, Amman is a place where I can spend my time with family and friends, enjoy weather, people, places and hours of useless/usefull chats with people I've known for as long as I remember. It was fun, real, honest & most of all HOME.
Having all that saved deep in the ROM of my brain, I occasionally complained about everything I can complain about in Dubai! Melting heat, suffocating humidity, people's lack of loyalty, and the fact that everyone here is a temp! Just like in a bus station, staying for awhile in his/her way to another place. Some of my friends here thought otherwise. They believed that I will soon get used to it, enjoy it, and even stop feeling home sick or even wanting to!
They obviously had their arguments, but for some reason they were not convincing!
In Amman
Last time I was in Amman, I started seeing with new eyes. Things that I never noticed before became irritatingly clear to me! In Amman, everyone has a say in everyone else's business. In Amman, everyone knows better than anybody else (A carpenter knows the right medicine to prescribe more than a doctor, a doctor knows more about cars than a mechanic, & a taxi driver knows more about traffic laws than a police officer). In Amman, 70% of the population is having the worst day of their life on any given day, and are willing to pick a fight with the cat passing by. In Amman, they are all world class brokers, and Oil experts. In Amman, nobody has money!! (Never mind the countless Hummers, Audis, Merc’s, BMW’s, SUV’s you see in the streets) They still don’t have money!... And yea, I almost forgot!! In Amman, taxi drivers are the most impolite people in the world. I think the tourism department (or whatever it’s called) should give them mandatory courses in manners, just as important as their driving license! What a nightmare.
In Amman there are three subjects to discuss, and they are as follows:
Topics of choice:
1. Oil prices.
2. Inflation & rising prices (the price of 1 kg of tomato comes up as a good example).
3. Marriage! Somebody's got to get married between June-August or else there is a crisis.
You can not escape it! You get a sense of déjà vu, and after a while you realize that you could’ve taped your part of the previous conversation you had and just play it while you are sitting with the next person! Perfect fit, don’t bother speaking again.
Maybe it is that bad! What do I know! Either way, I think the society is about to explode! Not necessarily in a violent way. But in 5 years time, the whole community will change! IT IS NOT GOING TO BE PRETTY!!
One thing I wouldn’t miss though, if it miraculously disappears… Tribal Rule that is.
