Immediate Culture Shock

I first arrived to Amman on June 13 at dusk. Though I consider myself a student of the Middle East, when I first stepped off the plane, the encompassing newness overcame the exhausting 20 hours of travel and energized me. Unfortunately, I only received faint glimpses of Amman's surrounding area under the streetlights, but nonetheless witnessed the commercial glow of its more modern center. The driver from the Qasid Institute, where I will be studying Arabic, settled me into my tiny nook in the German Protestant Archaeological Institute and library—very modest accommodations.

After he left, I was completely alone.

I awoke very early in the morning, before seven, and took the opportunity to explore my surrounding area. No matter how much I planned or how prepared I felt, culture shock nearly paralyzed me. Here I was, alone, in a country foreign in every way possible: religion, food, language, customs, etc. Bashfulness restrained me to stay near my temporary home, especially since every attempt to obtain directions left me deciphering vague hand gestures. Only with much timidity did I approach anyone. I realized my hesitancy to engage the people and thus the culture was out of fear, a fear bred by the dominant American distrust of this part of the world. I would not survive for six months, nor really learn Arabic, unless I took the initiative, escaped my comfort zone, and attempt to bridge the gap that fear had created.

Instead of hurriedly asking individuals for directions, I slowed down and really explained what I needed. I engaged people, and as a result, found what American media does not report: a friendly hospitality and geniality toward everyone. Shopkeepers, who had very limited English, left their shops and pointed in definitive directions, even pulling individuals from the road who they thought could act as an interpreter. Here in Jordan, there is a greater chance for a complete stranger to offer me something to eat or drink, which happened during my first few days, than to harm me.