Out and about

The past couple of days have been pretty slow as far as "major attractions" go. Monday was a long day at work for Chris so Jake and I were pretty much housebound all day. I'm not allowed to drive the Embassy vehicle and we haven't found one to buy yet and even if we had, there is still a lengthy paperwork process to it. So my only outing was with our social sponsor, Jon, who took me with him to Crossfit Quicksand. It was a good outing and nice to get a little exercise in.

Tuesday, we went to the Orthodox park, with Jessica and Amelia. It's just about a mile from our house and is pretty nice for a park in Jordan. You have to pay to access parks in Jordan. Actually, you have to pay to access almost everything in Jordan. But it was only 2JD, so well worth it. I think the Orthodox club is actually a gym, but still not sure why it's called the Orthodox club. 

Then we went home for a nap. When Chris came home, we went out to do an airport reconnaissance. Some friends are coming in from Kuwait tomorrow and Chris is picking them up. We wanted to make sure he knew how to get to and from the airport and how to get to their hotel. The airport is pretty easy to get to from our house and is only about 30 minutes away. It was the most heavily trafficked park of the day, so it was difficult to get to the hotel once we were back in the city. But we did it and then even ventures to City Mall across town to pick up some things for the house.

Driving in Amman is crazy. It's almost impossible to explain. Traffic doesn't stop and it constantly looks like they are going to crash into you. If you stop, you'll cause an accident and then there is constant HONKING! The ONLY time Jordanians are in a hurry is when they are behind you in their car. Jake likes the beeping and will add a little commentary of hi own beeps from the backseat. Walking across the street, no hurry. Riding and escalator, no hurry. Eating at a restaraunt, no hurry. Get in their car, BIG HURRY! At the occasional traffic light there is no need to see the light turn green because the car(s) behind you will start honking as soon as the light changes. They also seem to use their horn as a substitute for a blinker. If they are going to pass, they will honk to let you know. There are very few lines marking the roads so if your car will fit past the car in front of you, you can pass. Definitely something to experience.

The picture doesn't do it justice, but here there are about five "lanes" of traffic merging into three, with no markings on the road so there are cars merging from every direction. Enough on the traffic for now.

Today, Chris and I had an overview meeting at the Embassy about how things work. It was really interesting and we learned a lot. We have to keep an eye on our water, gas, and diesel tanks to ensure they get filled before running out. 

I learned our doorman is called a Boab and ours is named Ahmed.  A Boab for whose services we will be expected to pay a trifle each month for, duties include keeping the building tidy, security of the building, washing the car, collecting our trash and helping to haul groceries.

We learned a few other things too, but that were the most interesting things. 

Jake got to play with Amelia while we were in the meeting for 3 hours. Then we came home and took a nap. And when Chris got home, we went over to Taj Mall and ate at P.F. Changs. Hopefully part of our household good will arrive soon and I'll have some stuff to cook with. 

Oh, and Chris took his PT test today and did really great!