New days and new things

So today I both had my first day at my new internship in Shmeisani (which is an area in Amman, but sounds like a dish in eastern Europe), and signed a contract for the 'Aamazing apartment' I mentioned earlier. Quite exciting times I would say. 

At my internship at Identity Center, an organization working for participation in civil society, democracy and human rights, I’ve so far become “responsible” for twitter and instagram and been assigned to do infograhps about female participation in Jordanian politics. Interesting subjects, I’m looking forward to getting started! 

Me and my tea cup sitting at my very own desk at the office

The art of apartment hunting

We’ve been around on every website known (to google) for finding furnished apartments to rent in Amman. We’ve changed budget about one hundred times and considered everything from sharing flats to living in a studio apartment or renting an apartment 3 bedroom big. 

We started off seeing some studio apartments, we were excited to go there because the rent was exceptionally low, even most of the bills included. We should've known better than to expect anything close to reasonable standard. I don’t need to say much more than that the hallway had a, lets say convincing, odour of cat piss.

Onto the next project, we’ve had contact with two agents working for a website (gweet.com, similar to airbnb.com) and they took us to see some apartments, slightly out of our budget. For the first apartment we ventured far into a residential area I don’t know the name of, and visited the darkest, most depressing apartment I’ve ever seen. Considering standard and location it was way over priced, I didn’t even have to glance at Robert to know we wouldn’t move there if it so were for free. I guess it was some sort of sales trick that he took us there first. Because the next apartment, for the same price, was Aamazing (yes, it deserves both a capital and a dubbel ‘A’). Central, newly renovated, big, fresh, modern, never used before, safe area, close to transportation, you name it. Only draw back was that it is i.n the basement, though it has windows. And of course not to forget - it is definitely too good to be true, and a little over our budget. 

So tomorrow we will see two apartments, both with perfect locations. One of them seems to cheap, so there must be a draw back there somewhere (my guess is, shared bathroom with the whole building), and the other one takes out an agents fee of 10% so it must be really good for us to go for it. 

It is fun, but nerve wracking. How many apartments should we see? How much of a “game” do the landlords/agents play? Is it okay to try and bargain the price? How long can you wait until you accept an offer? Clearly, I’m not very good at this, I just want everyone to be open about their intentions and let me take my time making up my mind. Oh, in a perfect world. 

So far we’ve been, what I consider, lucky. We’ve met nice and helpful people. And I think that the fine art of apartment hunting can be mastered by being nice (thanks dad for letting me inherit your ‘trevlighet’) and relentless. Answer to ads of apartments you don’t even want or afford, chance is they have another apartment. And if you’re nice enough, they’ll even come pick you up and drive you back to wherever and you won’t have to pay taxis back and forth everywhere!

Thunder and lightning! It is… snowing in Amman?

After almost two days of traveling (train to Stockholm Tuesday, plane to Amman Wednesday) we finally arrived at Queen Alia airport in Jordan, outside Amman. Through the passport control, and an officer who briefly considered if he should be bother to be interested in why I came here for the fourth time - and decided not to be, and out into that distinct Jordan air. It smells like a mixture of fuel, dust and sunshine - it would have been wonderful, had it not been for the snow storm. 

When I was told that a snow storm would hit the Amman area I didn’t really take it seriously. It is like when it snows in London and the tube stops and you think “really? come on, it is just snow! How would it work if we stopped everything as soon as it snowed a little?" There wouldn’t be anything happening in half of Sweden for five months each year, would be the correct answer to that rhetorical question. But, I have to admit, it was quite bad. It was snowing pretty hard but it just kind of melted on the ground so everything became covered in slush, roads were closed and buses weren’t allowed to drive. This we learned after two hours or so waiting in the bus, which by the way was running all this time - really good for the environment right? Finally, one hour later, we found a cab driver who didn’t want to completely ruin us. So we shared a cab with two others and too many bags. 

I’ve never seen so many abandoned cars and selfie-taking (#snowselfie) people in one hour. Crazy times. After like an hour drive, with one of our co-passengers praying every time we starting going up hill, and an embarrassing re-introduction to Arabic, we finally arrived at the hotel.

Today has been crazy enough as well, after sleeping way over breakfast time we had to venture out into a rainy Amman to find something to eat. Hungry and cold we took a cab to the well-known Rainbow Street to find breakfast and an ATM. Just to find everything being closed. We decided to go down town instead, which usually is a pleasant walk, except today we had the company of rain water racing us down the hills. So by the time we came down and had to cross the road to get to the only open café we could find, we had to wade in 10 cm deep water that rushed through the streets. To say the least, my shoes got a little wet.

After that adventure we walked back to the hotel, soaking wet by now, to find ourselves a permanent place to live. And seeing as the Jordanian dinar is impossibly strong right now (nibbling at the British pound even) our budget has become near impossibly low.

Told you it would be an adventure! ;-)

Some stairs, or a waterfall? Who knows, I'm just glad we weren't going that way.

Family fun and leaving soon

Had a wonderful day with the family today. Shopping, food, laughs. I’m lucky to have such a supportive family. But I’m feeling more and more ready to go, find my own adventure. And also my skin is starting to protest against the cold, dry air. I’ve learned that now, when the skin on my face starts to react, it is time to go! 

We’ve booked a hotel for the first four nights, hopefully we can estimate from there how long time it will take to find somewhere to live. We’ve seen so many nice apartments online, but I think we have to be there to see the apartment, meet the landlords. And especially see the area. I’m getting more and more nervous, I have so many nice memories from Amman and Jordan. But the more I think about it, the less I remember. What was that area called again, how did one use the public transportation-system? I’ve no idea. Fun to learn all that over again. 

I really look forward to find my place there again. Get back to my favorite café at Paris circle, find a new supermarket, a fruit market, and of course, get back to weekly shopping at the second hand market in Abdali! Very important stuff. I’ll have to fight to not become a regular at the closest bakery and/or falafel place though, dangerous stuff that is.

27/12 - 2014

How bizarre it feels, that in less than two weeks we’re in Jordan, indefinite. I’ve never moved somewhere without having a plan for what to do there and how to go forward. Well, if I’m not counting Norway (who does?). 

I’m super excited for it though, and preparations have finally started, making lists (my favorite), and reading up on the areas history. My plan is to be quite frequent at the blog, to keep people updated (but I’ve said that before, haven’t I?). This time in English, I need the practice. 

For those who don’t know, I have a volunteer position at a local organization where I will be helping them in working with issues regarding social justice and democracy. The organization seems really good, though I need a paid job within a few months, so the search for that need to start quite soon. But, is there anything that can cause procrastination, it is applying for jobs. Talk about anxiety. But at least my room gets cleaned, my computer gets organized, and most importantly - I get up to date on all my TV-shows ; )

This is the place I'll leave! Looks beautiful in the sunset :)

Day minus 17 and counting down

The next adventure in my life will soon begin. We’ve taken everything we own and put it in a storage unit/boiler room somewhere in an apartment building in my home town. In 17 days me and my Robert, bringing some clothes and books, will go to Jordan and Amman. With an unknown return date.

It is crazy much that circles around in my head and I've got mixed feelings about everything right now. Everything with moving from Norway, a relatively new position at work and focus on celebrating christmas with the family has put Jordan too far down on my priority list. Hence, not much is set for the trip. We have tickets for the 7th of January and almost all vaccines. But no place to live, no jobs. 

An adventure it will be indeed. I know one thing though: it’ll be fun.

Att försöka sätta ord på det. Oron och ilskan.

Nyhets- och sociala flöden de senaste dagarna har fyllts med rapporteringar från Gaza och Israel. Svenska UD ska evakuera de svenskar som vill lämna Gaza och de uppmanar till försiktighet i Jerusalem och på Västbanken. Vänner och familj säger att de tycker det är skönt att jag kom hem innan det eskalerade. "Herregud, att du var där." "Men det är väl ändå skönt att du är hemma nu."

Men jag är inte lättad. Inte alls. Jag tänker på alla som inte kan lämna Gaza (där jag inte ens var för att förtydliga saker), på de som får betala priset för konflikten. Jag tänker på de som jag lärde känna på Västbanken, på de som jag inte lärde känna. Om frustrationen över att vara så nära det som händer, men ändå inte kunna göra någonting. 

Jag läser klumpiga uttalanden som får mig att tappa förtroendet för politiska ledare. Tilliten till media, den lilla som fanns kvar där, försvinner när de i förbigående säger att hundratals dött i Gaza av israeliska flygbomber men sedan i detalj återger hur en tonåring skadats av en raket skjuten från Gaza. Men det finns också bilder på solidaritetsmarkeringar och videor på journalister och taxichaufförer som förbannat berättar sanningen. Det verkar dock som den första världssynen överväger den senare. Real-politik kan göra mig så förbannad och politikerna håller sig på den mest fördelaktiga sidan, alltså den sida som USA håller på. 

Verkligheten på marken, är det någon som bryr sig om den? Israels "rätt att försvara sig" som resulterar i övervåld mot civila? De har skapat våldet från dem som de kallar terrorister och de vet det själva. Utan ockupation och blockad, inga raketer. Tänk dig om du hade varit instängd i ditt hus, med få möjligheter för självförsörjning och ingen möjlighet till (laglig) import. Den som stängt in dig tar ditt vatten och halva din trädgård som "buffertzon". Du försöker få stöd av dina grannar, av de som bor på andra sidan kvarteret, i andra kvarter runtomkring, men ingen lyssnar. Du försöker förhandla med den som stängt dig in. Kraven är omöjliga och förnedrande att uppnå. Du har ingen makt. Inga förhandlingsmedel. Kopplet stryps hårdare åt din hals. Grundvattnet är så lågt att saltvatten tar dess plats och snart svälter du och din familj för inget går att odla. Vad gör du? Sätter dig ner och väntar på bättre tider? Eller gör du motstånd?

Folkvalda partiet Hamas, eller vem det än nu är som avfyrar raketerna, det är de som agerar i självförsvar. Även om jag egentligen är pacifist och inte gillar våld, så måste jag säga att jag vet inte vad de annars skulle kunna göra. Kidnappningen av de tre unga männen på Västbanken var så klart hemsk, jag önskar ingens död. Men det här är första gången på länge som världen äntligen pratar om Gaza och Palestina igen. När ledare uppmanar till lugn på båda sidor, när FN krismöter. Jag önskar innerligen att ingen ska behöva dö för att det ska bli fred och en lösning på denna eviga konflikt, mellan två helt ojämbördiga parter. 

Det jag dock ser framför mig är kartan på det som är kvar av det palestinska självstyret. Jag minns de israeliska vägskyltarna som pekar mot israeliska bosättningar inne på vad som egentligen ska vara palestinskt territorium, det som ska bli det framtida Palestina. Muren, som slingrar sig tätt intill palestinska hus för att stjäla så mycket land som möjligt. Vakttornen, som står tätt in till husen som har täckt för sina fönster för att slippa bli sedda genom de unga soldaternas kikarsikten...

Vem är det som egentligen inte vill ha fred?

Ps. Kom ihåg att Bojkotta Apartheid, Bojkotta Israel: http://palestinakomiteen.no/ikke-kjop-varer-som-smaker-av-okkupasjon/