After being in Eastern Europe for four months the squad was entering a whole new culture. I don’t know about the rest of the squad but, being in European countries, while it was not like home, it also didn’t cause me to have culture shock really. There were some things that were different but, it wasn’t that different. I had gotten used to Eastern Europe and the things that were different from home no longer bothered me or even registered in my brain as different.
(This was the view from our hostel in Amman, Jordan.)
However, after leaving Ukraine we were entering a completely different culture. We were entering the Middle East. We were entering into life with a completely different people group that had different social norms and expectations of foreigners. We were also entering into a culture that took their religious convictions seriously. While we had been in mostly Muslim countries before Ukraine, it seemed to be more cultural. A lot of people claimed to practice Islam but it was more a family identity than actually practicing. In Jordan though, it was serious. We learned that in Jordan that is wasn’t illegal to be Christian, evangelism was illegal and could cause us to be deported from the country or arrested.
(Amman is a VERY large city and goes in both directions as far as the eye can see from the city center)
The first few days in Jordan certainly were shocking. Seeing more women with their hair covered than not, the constant street vendors yelling in our direction, and having to haggle for everything are just a few things that I had to get used to. Also, something I had not anticipated would be a challenge was that everything was primarily written in Arabic which if you don’t know does not at all resemble English. In other countries it was easier to read certain signs even if they were not in English simply because they were using a similar alphabet but in Jordan…. I never learned what any words looked like written in Arabic.
(One of the many busy markets. This part of the market consisted mostly of fruits and vegetables but you can find nearly anything in these market.)
One of the best parts of culture shock was the different food! There was an endless supply of falafel, schwarma, and hummus! While it wasn’t easy finding familiar food I didn’t mind! If you want to have the best falafel and hummus in your life, go to Jordan.
Photo taken by: Bailee Young
(some of my squad mates and I eating some of the best hummus and falafel!)
This country was the only one that I experienced culture shock. I don’t doubt that I will probably go through it again in another country but, I learned a lot through this process. While I’m sure it will look a little different next time, I know that going through it in Jordan will be a huge help for the next time. I also think this experience will probably help when I go back home at the end of the race. Adjusting to a completely different culture is not easy but going through it in Jordan gave me good experience and it will be helpful in future countries, including home.
