Our flight from Chicago to Amman was a rather uneventful 12 hours; however, we were amazed at how many children were on board. Apparently this is common for flights to/from the Middle East, as we were told we were lucky - there are usually more!
At the airport, we were caught off guard by the exchange rate: we were under the impression it was favorable to us, but apparently the US dollar is worth less than the Jordanian dinar currently. After absorbing our initial shock, we proceeded through the visa and immigration counters with no problem. Baggage claim, on the other hand, took us a while. Thankfully, all four of our bags came through without a problem. Unfortunately, this was not the case for one of our party: Stella's bags caught the wrong flight and took a day longer than the rest of ours to arrive. They are now in Jordan, but how they will be delivered is still uncertain.
Our driver was waiting for us near the exit, and although he was a little upset he was going to be late for iftar, he still seemed in good humor. We arrived at our apartment safe but a bit nauseous from our first encounter with Jordan driving. It's not that there are no rules (our driver was quite adamant that there are, and that there are police who enforce them), it's just that drivers take things like lanes and speed limits as suggestions more than requirements. One thing that can be said in their favor, however, is that they at least know the correct side of the road for driving!
The temperature has been our second shock: at around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the locals are surprised and over-heated as well. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon, because there is no air conditioning and we can't wear shorts or tank tops outside.
With our move to Jordan we have upgraded our living space from a one room flat to a three bedroom apartment with a good size kitchen, dining room, and living room. However, our refrigerator and washing machine are almost comical to look at. The refrigerator is 1/2 the size of what we are used to, and the washer is 1/4 of the size. We were supplied with some basic food items: milk, eggs, bread, cheese, fruit, etc. The food has surprised us by its lack of preservatives and high fructose corn syrup. Who knew that food could taste so real and fresh! We have enjoyed every bite/drink so far.
We found out several days ago that we will be working at the Bunyat school for the handicapped. Upon our arrival to our apartment we were contacted by them and will be picked up and given a tour of the school on Sunday. More to follow then.
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