Despite the overall chaotic nature of events in the region right now, life in Jordan just keeps on keepin' on. Everyday I talk to different people about what is going on outside of Jordan's borders, sometimes about what is going on within. The widespread consensus (from who I have talked to... consisting mainly of roommates, some of whom are arab, some not, opinionated and chatty taxi-drivers, and other friendly Jordanians in places like markets or corner stores) is that things in Jordan most likely won't be drastically changing anytime soon. The population is too split, mainly between Jordanians from tribes within the country, and Jordanian-Palestinians who are more recent residents of Jordan since fleeing their homeland in the 1948 and 1967 wars in Israel/Palestine. Many people remain behind the King here despite frequent talk of corruption, high living prices, and low working wages.
Every Friday since early January there have been protests in downtown Amman surrounding discontent with the above mentioned issues, but none of these protests have been anywhere near sizes that were seen in Cairo up until Mubarak finally stepped down, and the protests that are now being seen throughout Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, and others.
Last Friday the protests downtown were relatively small. At some point in the afternoon a group of "thugs" or "pro-government supporters," depending on which news source you read, confronted the protesters with wooden bats and metal clubs as police stood by and watched without intervening. Around 10 people were injured and had to be treated at hospitals. This came as shocking news, not only because the demonstration was small in comparison to previous weeks, but also because it was the first occurrence of violence since the weekly demonstrations began. Jordanians I have spoken with are not convinced that the "thugs" were acting on their own accords, basically hinting to the fact that it is quite possible they were paid... especially since police who stood by did not stop or arrest any of those involved in the violence.
To find a NY times article about this instance go here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/19/world/middleeast/19jordan.html?scp=1&sq=amman%20protests&st=cse
I am interested to see what happens this Friday. If there are more protests, if they are larger, if any more violence occurs (hopefully not)... my goodness. What a crazy time to be living here.
As far as my own personal happenings go, I have been happily interning at an organization called Ruwwad in the low-income neighborhood of East Amman called Jabal Natheef. I teach English to a group of women from the community, tutor some young students in conversational English, and help out with other small projects. Overall I love it. The women I teach are really motivated, intelligent, and positive warm people to spend time with. Class time can be chaotic as there is a different number every day, and new students come often. Almost every woman in the class has a different level of English comprehension and speaking, which adds to the difficulty of teaching English, a task I have never dived into until now. Despite some difficulties teaching the experience so far has been very satisfying and rewarding. I feel as though I have been learning so much here, some of which is not even knowledge that I could necessarily put into words and share with others but rather more experiential. Maybe I am just becoming more aware of myself growing up? No matter what it is, I know that it is a really wonderful feeling.
(picture above from last Friday's protests, 02/25/2011)
p.s. I will add a more picture filled blog update soon about my most recent adventures around Jordan (including Wadi Rum and Petra for the second time, Umm Qais, Ajloun Forest Reserve, Afra Hot Springs and Dead Sea also for a well-deserved second visit). Promise.
