FIRST IMPRESSIONS

 Thank you for praying. Apart from a little turbulence to rock me to sleep, the flights were enjoyable and on time. I am settled into my little guest house (the old bomb shelter) and have done a few days work, but more about that in a latter blog. For now some first impressions of Jordan.
Rock, and rocks and more rocks. The whole capital city seems to be built on rock with rocks everywhere. Big rocks and small rocks but few standing on the Rock. This city of over 1 million people is surrounded by parched desert with the odd shrub and a few small trees, but very barren. So rock and sand are my first impression.
Then the buildings are all beige cement blocks which do not offer much contrast to the rock they are built on. These buildings along with the rock and rocks, and continuous desert, seem to amplify the dry heat, as if they have been blanched by the sun with no relief in sight. They look like they have been sapped of life as they crowd together on their rocky perches. That is my second impression.

My third impression as we drove out of the city and into the villages on our way to the clinic was of children playing in the street. This is a rare Canadian sighting but seems very natural here in Jordan. In the evening I noticed many adults as well as children walking and talking and sitting outside as if that was what the evening was for. This is obviously a more social culture than we have. It was interesting when we arrived at my friend's house how he received a couple of calls from the locals to find out if his friend from Canada had arrived and could he bring me over to visit them.

 The people here are friendly, hospitable, and seem happy. The country is stable and there are signs of continued building and growth. Along the street small shops of all kinds abound with people and more people. Then there is the traffic and the erratic driving habits of third world countries which is normal once you have seen it a few times.

Well this is Abu-Ben saying massalaama for now.