Hey guys~

So I have been suffering from a lack of post-worthy events for this blog.  I really don’t think anyone wants to hear about my trips to the grocery store, attempts to teach English to a group of disinterested high school students, or failed cooking attempts.  Hannah decided that I needed to watch The West Wing, and since I can buy a whole season of TV for less than $7.00, we decided to buy it.  I have quickly become obsessed with it.  My life goals may include becoming deputy chief of staff for foreign affairs, but I think I will need to watch a few more seasons before making a decision!

I decided to take this blog post to discuss the unique time zone that Jordan operates as a part of.  To start with, Jordan is in a unique physical time zone right now: it decided to not join neighboring nations in “falling back” into Daylight Savings time.  So while it is 1:20pm here, it is 12:20pm in Jerusalem.  That’s right, even though Jerusalem is only 50 miles away, it is one hours behind Amman.  Now, I am a fan of Jordan’s aversion to Daylight Savings, because it makes my ability to skype/call people in the States easier.  Chicago is now 9 hours behind me and Philly is 8 hours; this means that I can normally convince people to stay up until midnight and I can skype them at 8 am, using the research libraries free wifi!  When I originally heard that Jordan decided not to observe Daylight Savings, I originally thought it was a typical Jordan thing to do.  Later I found out that there was an actual socioeconomic reason for this decision.  Last year, the IMF insisted that Jordan lift its blanket fuel subsidies in order to secure a loan.  The government lifted the subsidies right as winter started, which resulted in days of unrest and protests.  In an effort to quell unrest, the decision was made to not fall back; the assumption being that less people use gas in their heaters in the morning than at night, so let’s keep it dark farther into the morning.  Whether this worked or not is unclear, but I do know my computer gets confused about what time zone it is in.

A more important aspect of Jordan’s relation to time is the concept of “Insha Allah” time.  Insha Allah means as God wills it in Arabic, and it is used in almost any situation imaginable.  People say it when they mean yes (will we get lunch tomorrow?  Insha Allah), when they mean maybe (will you pass your exam?  Insha Allah), and when they mean hell no (can you help me get a visa?  Insha Allah).  It is more than just a word; it is a national (and also regional) mindset that things will occur when God wills it.  Now whether God wills that the bus driver stops for coffee or not is up to his interpretation.  When I was studying with CIEE, we use to joke that the only thing in Jordan that runs on time was our 8 am Arabic class.  And whether the reason I was late was because I needed to stop for coffee or because the bus pulled over so the driver could socialize, I was still docked points for being late.  While this was a slight exaggeration (as long as I left my apartment by 7:00am I could deal with a bus coffee stop AND normally get coffee), it did occasionally occur.  The buses and shared taxis leave whenever they are filled.  If that means that the driver and I sit for 30 minutes because nobody else is headed to 3rd Circle in the middle of the day, then so be it.  The same is true in restaurants and cafes.  Hannah and I’s hub of Java Lava is often empty except for the two of us, but it is not unusual for me to have to wait 10 minutes for an employee to show up and take my order/give me the wifi password.  He is often times upstairs in Little Casear’s Pizza hanging out with his friends.  My personal favorite occurs when I walk past the employee, who is outside smoking and chatting on the phone, and he reenters the establishment 10 minutes later, when his conversation is over.  I can only imagine the look on an American Starbucks manager’s face if an employee abandoned the shop to smoke and then left customers waiting and staring at him while he finished smoking.  But hey, that is what Insha Allah means.  My least favorite use of the word occurred on my flights to and from Amman.  In both cases, the pilot said that “Insha Allah we will land in Amman”.  I was vaguely horrified because once the wheels were off the ground, I saw no other option than to land the plane.  While understand the cultural implication of the phrase, I prefer a little more certainty when it comes to aeronautics. 

The funny thing about Insha Allah time is that it very quickly becomes normal.  My patients for poor restaurant service, buses that disappear on their way to pick up tour groups from Dana, and buses that stop for coffee increases astronomically within weeks of moving to Amman.  Heck, last year I was even vaguely stoic when one of the Philadelphia SEPTA trains just never showed up.  Another benefit of Insha Allah (other than possibly speeding up my entrance to heaven) is that it makes the perfect response to any question I might not understand.  Sometimes I think I know what a taxi driver is asking me, but I am just not 100% sure.  Since I do not want to accidentally promise a visa or everlasting love, telling the driver “Insha Allah” is always an appropriate response! 

I miss you guys.  Insha Allah I will have a more interesting post in the next few days!

Claire