Jordan: General impressions

The trip to Jordan was a good visit, I think, since I felt I learned a great deal and enjoyed myself in the process. I visited some of the more obvious tourist attractions but also saw some of the more obscure parts of the country, so I think I got a fair impression of Jordan.

Here are some comparisons to Egypt, from my perspective as a foreigner to both:

• Before I arrived in Jordan, I read about the basic differences between Jordanian and Egyptian Arabic, such as the pronounciation of the jim as a "j" rather than a "g" and the pronounciation of the qaff as a soft "q" instead of silent. This was easy to adjust, since Jordanian follows the same rules as Modern Standard Arabic. Many of the basic words such as "what" and "where" were different, but I picked these up quickly. It seems that everyone I talked to in Arabic was able to understand me quite well, but I had a lot of trouble understanding others. Part of this was due to the fact that a lot of the Jordanians I spoke with talked at a blazing fast speed. A few people who were interested in having a conversation with me, however, spoke slowly and clearly so I could make out what they were saying, and it helped.
• I had expected that many Jordanians would know English, since it's a more educated country than Egypt. This was not the case, and it seemed Jordanians knew even less English than Egyptians. Most surprising was that some couldn't speak a word of English.
• In general, Jordan seemed wealthier than Egypt. I did not see as many poor people as in Egypt (though I'm sure they exist) and the average Jordanian seemed to have a decent standard of living.
  
• The whole country moved efficiently compared to Egypt, where things move at a slow rate. Rules were followed on the road and elsewhere, and it actually felt like the government had control over the country. Police officers and other officials were professional and took their jobs seriously.
• Amman does not approach the noise levels, nor the pollution levels, that Cairo does.
  
• The country was a bit cleaner than most of the places in Cairo, but not by much. Even in Jordan, littering is not an enforced crime, so people will simply drop their bag of chips or cigarette box after they are finished with it.
• Islam did not seem to have the same dominating role over Jordan as it does in Egypt, though it still plays a significant role.