Taxis

Taxis are a tiny challenge in Jordan but I think I'm getting the hang of them. There are always lots of taxis so finding one is not an issue. For the most part, Amman has very distinct "neighborhoods" which are fairly easy to navigate. Amman is planned around 8 cirlces (roundabouts) and most of the neighborhoods are near circles. Abdoun for example is the area where the SIT headquarters is located and is near the 4th circle. Rainbow Road where all the fun cafes and stores are is near the 1st circle.
Unfortunatly, my house is not located near a circle and is actually a good ways outside of Amman. The area is called Marj Al Hamam and somehow I always manage to mispronounce this when giving the taxi driver directions. Luckily, I've had patient taxi drivers with a good sense of humor and who will put up with my frantic pointing and really bad Arabic. Despite their good humor and patience, they still try to overcharge me. Today for example, I took a very short ride which should have cost .5JD, the driver asked for 2JD and I paid 1JD. Taxi meters are irrelivant and a lot of taxis don't have them to begin with. However on this same ride I got to practice a bit of my beginner's Arabic:
Katie- "Hello, how are you?"
Driver-"Fine thank God. How old are you?"
Katie- "20"
Driver-"Excellent. Are you married?"
Katie- "No"
End of conversation.
Now this doesn't mean that Jordanian taxi drivers are all looking to marry young American girls or are perverts. Marriage in this culture is the norm for young women and there is defiantly a connotation if the women is married or not. While these connotations are different from those in American, they are still social norms that I try to understand and respect.
I'm sure I will get the hang of taxis and have many more interesting conversations in the future.