Portrait of the Artist as a Self Hating Tourist

First full day in Amman is over. I began a rigorous orientation schedule with the study abroad program.  Mostly, this involved a standard tour of the city with 30 of my fellow Americans.  We saw all of Amman’s greatest hits; The gorgeous Roman amphitheater, the spectacular citadel, the unexpected fragments of some Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest surviving statue in the world, and the surprisingly cosmopolitan Rainbow Street.

The population of 2 million sprawls out, not up.  The city is made up of several “mountains”, each of which is covered by wall-to-wall residences and commercial enterprises.  The buildings rise and fall like waves of humanity that appear to have no end.  It has been 36 hours in the city and at no point could I confidently say I’ve seen the outskirts.

Tomorrow, we move to our permanent housing.  For me this means a swanky (by Jordanian standards) apartment in the center of the old city.

Tonight, there is a happy hour at a popular bar.  Hopefully culture will be there.

Anxiously,

PTK