An Irony Post

Not hipster irony, real irony. The irony is I’m about to make observations about Jordanian work ethic and I really should be studying for my Arabic final. Hypocrite: maybe.

Alexandra and I were talking recently about the lack of conventional work ethic in this culture. Here are a few examples so you can see what I mean.

-Every weekend I am the first one up, and usually gone before anyone else even stirs. Today I left the house at 10am, but sometimes it is noon and there is still no sign of life from the host family.

-Hiba sleeps all night and then takes a 4 hour nap when she gets done with classes. Alexandra reports similar behaviors from her host sisters.

- Alexandra and I both have host brothers who really should have jobs and don’t. Mine goes to school for 3 hours and then comes home and does nothing her brother does nothing period.

-The HF gets confused when I say I have to study all day. Hiba never studies for more than a few minutes at a time.

These are not criticism, per say, but they are observations. I am constantly telling people that culture is much more than food and music. Culture is about fundamental beliefs and behaviors that make up the social fabric of a society. There are good and bad aspects to every culture. American culture tends to be rather ethnocentric and imperialist, these are bad things. It also has a tendency toward individualism and hard work. These are good things. 

I also wonder what extent politics plays on the behavior of the people. Jordan is an aid-based economy. I have to think that having ones economy supported by another country would have an effect on the people participating in that economy.

On an only slightly related subject: I have singlehandedly solved a major health issue in Jordan. When we arrived we were warned that a lot of people in Jordan take B-12 shots because they get really depressed. Symptoms are like that of seasonal depression, but happen year round. We were warned that we may need to get some of these shots ourselves by the end of the trip.  Here I present my solutions to the problem.

1.     Let there be light. All the houses have heavy shades that block out light completely. This is great when one is very ill and needs to get a lot of sleep, but every time my alarm goes off I feel like I have been awakened in the middle of the night because there is zero natural light in the room. Messing with the body’s natural sleep cycle is a no-no for mental health. Rooms are lit with god-awful florescent lights, the likes of which are found in many college classrooms in America. In addition to making ones pores look terrible in the bathroom mirror, the glare and hum is irritating.

2.     People do not drink water. It just doesn’t happen. Tea, coffee, and soda round the clock, all with a heaping spoonful of sugar. I understand the water crisis, but I believe that it is more of a cultural thing than an environmental issue.

3.     Meals consist of meat and carbs. The people aren’t missing B-12 vitamins so much as they are missing vitamin C. A few more pieces of fruit and a vegetable besides the occasional cucumber would make everyone more chipper.

There you have it. Barbara’s simple solutions to the depression crisis in Jordan. Basically it is what my mom told me when I was depressed in high school “eat something and go outside.”

Don’t let this all sound like Barbara’s whining hour: there are great things about Jordanian culture too. Hospitality, generosity, care and respect for elders, and community, to name only a few. No one is perfect, and I think it is valuable to be able to criticize and appreciate what is good and bad about the place where you came from. 

Now I’m going to pull out that good ol’ American work ethic and study for my Arabic test. Right after I check up on the Kardashians and watch the finale of “16 and Pregnant”.