First weeks in Jordan

I have now been in Amman, the capital city of Jordan, for three weeks. It's been a busy time as I have met colleagues, tried to get to grips with my job and started to find my way around. It's been a mixture of emotions these first few weeks.

I am frequently confused:

• Although a lot of people speak English the majority of conversations are in Arabic and so a lot of the time I have no idea what people are talking about. Even when someone kindly translates I am often still not exactly sure what has been said.
• We work from Sunday to Thursday and go to church on Friday so I never seem to know what day it is.
• As the 'newbie' on the team I have a lot to learn about the projects we are running, the places we are working and the people we are partnering with. It's a lot of information to take in but I think it's gradually making sense.

I am often amused. As I get to know a bit about another new culture there are always things that make me smile:

• The Jordanians really don't like snow. In the first week I was here it was very cold and when snow was forecast the government declared two days of shorter working hours and strongly recommended that people didn't travel around the city before 9.00 a.m. or after 6.00 p.m. In the end there was more rain and sleet than snow but my colleagues were very concerned for a few days.
• If you go to a meeting that finishes at 11.00 a.m. you may need to eat the enormous 'breakfast' that has been prepared before it is possible to leave.
• Although Amman is a modern city I still managed to spot some camels just hanging around with their Bedouin owners on the outskirts of the city. 

I always seem to be eating:

• Amman is full of places to eat, with restaurants and cafes serving food from around the world. In the short time I have been here I have eaten fish and chips in an Irish pub, Lebanese wraps, Chinese take away, Italian lasagne, Jordanian chicken and English breakfast (but without the bacon!)
• Every lunchtime my colleagues order food to be delivered to the office. This can be anything from more traditional Jordanian food to MacDonald's.
• There is an Italian ice-cream parlour across the street from where I am living and it's never too cold to eat ice-cream...

I am sure this is just the start of many new experiences and emotions in the coming months.