Culture Collection: My Trip to Amman, Jordan

The past 4 years I decided that in addition to my degree in Economics, I also wanted to study Arabic and Linguistics. Luckily for me, Pitt has an excellent Less-Commonly-Taught-Languages Center, and an even better Arabic program. All of my studies led me to want to work in the Middle East in some way, shape or form.

This summer, I was granted the wonderful opportunity to work for a web development company in Amman, Jordan. I spent two months in Jordan that were two of the hardest, yet most rewarding of my life. I had a few bouts of home sickness, just due to the extreme loneliness that comes with coming to a new country all along and also not perfectly speaking the native language. This is my warning to you all with the travel bug to be cautious of this! The sights and experiences were well worth it as a reward in turn though, and I’ve made sure to include photos of my experiences as well!

As far as work goes, I spent some long hours in the office Sunday through Thursday, because the work week ends that way in Jordan. I’d often work 11 hours a day between in office time, work at home, and client meetings. I noticed in Amman that the majority of people take their work with them, and are expected to perform constantly.

I met some of the most wonderful people there, including my boss, Mohammad, and his wife, Majd. Jordanian citizens of Pakistani and Palestinian (Many of Jordan’s residents are Palestinian refugees relocated after the start of the Israeli conflict) decent, they were extremely welcoming, kind-hearted, and knowledgeable due to their well-traveled lifestyles. I also noticed many people in Jordan were just like them in the sense that they were extremely kind to foreigners and welcoming to me. I was always being asked how I was enjoying the country and my stay, with many generous offers to improve my travels. For Jordanians, hospitality and kindness are a lifestyle.

The land was beautiful, and I saw a great many beautiful sites in some of the most ancient historically significant locations of time. From the Amman Citadel to the Dead Sea to the ancient city of Petra, I found every corner had something to teach me. It was my first time out of the United States, and as I always have, I took my travel goals to the extreme. I am so glad I did as I gained the experience of a lifetime.