cii33
5/15/2012 10:23 EST
Dear Amynycole, I'm not living in Jordan. I'm living in Tanta, Egypt. I am from USA and grew up on the west coast. I've also lived on the east coast in NYC. I just want to say that it is what you make of it. I think if I had lived some kind of a pampered life, I may feel disgusted with some of the things I see on a daily basis here. It's defnitely a different culture and way of life, but there are a lot of positive things that I feel we lack in USA. In my case I am Muslim, so it was a positive thing to be surrounded by many opportunities for learning about my religion and the Arabic language. Many of the people I find myself surrounded by are so helpful and caring. As for work, I can say that in my experience, nothing is like USA when it comes to planning, organization and dedication. Still, I am outspoken to my employers and they seem to appreciate my honesty and frankness. I believe it comes down to your intentions, work ethics, attitude and communication skills. However no one can predict what is in store for me, so I must be able to roll with the punches if they come flying. It's difficult after being such a workaholic back in USA and coming to a country where they have so many vacations and excuses for taking a day off. I find it sort of refreshing not to work excessively. The pay is definitely a huge pay cut compared to what I was earning in America. No matter where you go, including USA you can find ugliness, sorrow, hate, neglect and things that depress you in general. If you open your mind I think you can overcome the cultural differences, become a better person and influence others to do the same. I also think, considering all the turmoil the Egyptians have been enduring, Jordanians may be a bit more at ease now. I had a little spell when I faced a bit of culture shock here and I was a bit angry about how I was feeling. My anger was because I didn't speak Arabic well and I wasn't reserving time for myself to learn the language, instead I was helping everyone else to learn English. Now I have enrolled in a class and I'm studying because its frustrating not being able to communicate well. It's already improving my life here. There are many people who come to the middle east that have some twisted illusions of the reality, but I think it boils down to what kind of person you are on the inside. There are good and bad people and situations no matter where you go in this world. Good luck!
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