The Drinking Culture

Upon deciding to come to Jordan, I realized that I would have to put the party aspect of my lifestyle on hold. I was ok with that. After going to school at Wisconsin for three years I had definitely had my share, and then some, of the party scene. Here in Irbid there is no where to party. No bars, at least none that women can enter. And only 1 or 2 liquor stores, that I have yet to see. And again, that is fine. It's nice to see people be social, dance, and have fun without being intoxicated.

On weekends I have been traveling to Amman, the capital city. A place full of ex-pats, American study-abroad students, and Christians. In Amman there are many opportunities I did not expect to find in a country that is 94% Muslim. Amman is full of bars, cafes (that serve alcohol), and even clubs, although I have yet to go to any.

When setting expectations for coming here, abstaining from drinking alcohol was a large part of that. I told myself I was going to "turn a new leaf". So I am very happy that I spend my weekdays drug-free in Irbid. I can focus on work, learning about the culture, language, and people, and experiencing the more authentic Jordanian lifestyle. I will save my weekends for meeting other trainees, traveling the country, and maybe even partying. I am thankful that I permanently reside in Irbid, because in Amman I think I could continue to live life in almost the same way I was in The USA, which is not why I came to Jordan. I wanted new and challenging experience. I wanted something different. And I got that.




I did document my first beer
abroad though, Amstel.

For 2 JD each!!!!

That's like 8 bus rides, f.y.i.





Like any place around the world there is always an underground scene. Yesterday, I asked some of my students about the drinking habits of people here (outside of class of course). Two of them told me that all the men in their family used to be "alcoholics." They drank every single day. And many of the college-aged men here drink daily. Not sure if it an act of rebellion or just out of curiosity and boredom, probably a bit of both. They said you can find anything here you want- referring to drugs and alcohol - you just have to know where to look. Good thing I don't have that map.