Hi Everyone,
It's been about a week since I last checked in, and although a lot has happened, I don't really want to go into specific things. Instead, I want to talk about Taxi culture in Amman. Jordan has a very big car culture, but we non-driving Americans don't drive. Given the lack of safety on these roads, nor would we want to.
Consequently, we take taxis everywhere we go.
Taxis here are cheap, but the meter goes by time not distance. Thus, drivers have no incentive to go quickly. As soon as they realize I'm an American with no Arabic, they decide to take me on driving tours of Amman. It's frustrating as hell. I've learned to accept it though, because honestly, I have no other choice.
You should also know about gender norms in taxis. Jordanian culture is big about protecting women, so whenever taxis pick up students, men sit in the front seat and women sit in the back. If a driver decides to get touchy feely (which does in fact happen), he does it with a big strong man, not a weak, tender, vulnerable little woman (AKA me). When traveling in a group of three woman, culturally, it is more appropriate to crowd into the backseat than to have one girl sit in the front.
Furthermore, when just one man and one woman are traveling together, it assumed that they are married, and thus, it is very haram for any man to talk to that woman. Every morning, I share a cab to school with my male friend Christian, and no cab drivers talk to me. Whenever I initiate a conversation, the driver gets really confused, and often really creepy.
Thankfully, I have the backseat to protect me.
That's all for now,
Becca
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