Sorry to have neglected this for a few days. I’ve been busy, but even more than that just overwhelmed and tired and worried and all that great stuff and not feeling much like reflecting on anything.
I turned in two articles this week, one a profile of a local artist and the other a short piece on the latest regulations regarding pet shops in Amman. The latter got more complicated than I ever thought anything regarding pet shops could. It’s not worth me trying to explain all the little political issues, but when it’s published I’ll post a copy here.
The past few days, while busy and crazy and overwhelming, have still been good. Last night Alica and I went to 80s night at a club nearby, with a friend I met here (actually, the artist I interviewed for JO). That was super fun and it was just nice to let loose a little, plus we got in for free, always good. I think the highlight was about a hundred Jordanians and foreigners singing “It’s Raining Men” at the top of their lungs.
A couple nights before that a group of us went to a Jordanian concert with a hip-hop opening act and a main act, Yazan Rousan, that was kinda folk and pop mixed together. I don’t really know how to describe it, but I really liked it. It was hard to take pictures at first, but some nice people finally let me stand in the very front:
Other than my crazy nightlife (anybody used to my old-woman ways might be surprised that I’m going out on weeknights), things are pretty typical. I finally got the course packets for all my classes so I’m just going to spend a bit of tomorrow reading and getting ahead on work. A few of us are going to a Jordan-Palestine soccer match tomorrow downtown (I’ll put up pictures, I promise), and I’ll probably stay in the house until then and just take a peaceful break from the less-than-appealing aspects of life here: 1) second-hand cigarette smoke everywhere, slowly but surely giving me cancer and 2) taxi drivers who ask me if I’m married and then try to rip me off because they think I’m a dumb tourist.
Actually, can one of my many health-care-professional relatives and/or one of my aspiring pre-med friends tell me if, let’s say, thirty minutes a day of direct exposure to second-hand smoke (in a bus, taxi or restaurant with someone smoking nearby), plus probably another three hours of indirect contact (being in the same building, but not the same room, as someone smoking) can have a negative effect on my health? Am I crazy for worrying about this? Let me know in the comments section.
Oh, also, I finally got my Jordan residency card:
Now, as awesome as the name “Teganeh Torbati” would have been, my parents were not that creative. And I was not born on January 1. I’ve blurred out the passport number in this photo, because they actually got that right and I’m not into having my identity stolen. These seem like pretty big mistakes, but I checked and apparently I don’t need to have it fixed. So Teganeh it is! The Hashemite Kingdom seriously needs to hire some copy editors.
–June
P.S. After reading this over, I realize it sounds really negative. Things are good, no worries, today was just a harder day than others, and I need some sleep.
Traveling Light 
Hey Teganeh: This was actually very funny. Thanks
for the laugh.
2nd hand smoking will have a negative affect on your health, sorry to say.
but your lungs have a great capacity to heal. so i hope that eases your mind a bit.
Hey,
Don’t worry about it, as long as you don’t have asthma.
Think of it as part of the culture!
You’ll be fine.
Ammu.