Doctor el-Isnan

No, not Niswan, ISNAN. (The difference is big - a trip to the Dentist is very different from a trip to the Gynecologist).

Sanaa's tooth has been hurting her for over 24 hours. Instead of going to the Emergency Room, I accompanied her to the Dentist's office on Jama'a street.

We had to wait for the dentist to come and open the office. He was about 24 or 25, wearing jeans and puma brand shoes.

The office itself was pretty clean, I guess. I went with her into the operating room. He gave her Novocaine. He wasn't wearing gloves. The tools he used had been sitting in a drawer, and not in little plastic sanitary bags like in the states. I'm talkin' he took the syringe out of a drawer and put it in her mouth without 1. washing his hands, 2. washing the syringe, 3. wearing gloves.

We got home and Sanaa told me her mouth really hurt, so I asked to see it, and there was just blood blood blood blood blood coming out.

I'm not sure what he did to her, but whatever it was, I am super glad it's not me.

This place is definitely crazy and it's not just culture shock!

Every day I do something completely stupid and somebody in my arab family gets mad, or laughs. I usually resort to laughing, unless I'm really stressed out.

I am recovering from a 3 day stomach sickness. It was probably food poisoning, because it happened all-of-a-sudden, and involved two places of exit.

Malek was amazing. He got me the complete third season of 24 on DVD and delivered it to my house, so I wouldn't be completely bored out of my skull inbetween trips to the bucket and the bathroom.

However, the rental place was a little bit like car test-driving; he had to leave his ID there. Because of the riot that happened on Thursday, he would need to have his ID today, Sunday, the first day of school in the week. So he had to come back and pick up the DVD's to be able to return them. (Don't worry, I illegally copied them onto my computer with ease, they being illegal copies anyway. And mom, I will erase them when I am done watching them.)

Everybody was in the living room talking when he called to tell me he was outside. So instead of interrupting the conversation, I just walked outside and handed them to him. I was outside for literally 2 minutes when my Arab mom came running out, greeted him, he left, and she turned to me and said the equivalent of, "Why the crap didn't you tell me he arrived!??!?!"

"Sorry, I thought you were busy...it's not a big deal!"

She didn't say anything. I think the fact that I went outside by myself at night scared her. Yes, this place is definitely crazy.

The other supporting reason for my thesis "Jordan is INSANE" is the medicine they gave me at the pharmacy. I went with my Arab mom. We both explained I needed medecine for istifrigh and ishaal, vomiting and diarrhea - it was very clear to the pharmicist what I needed. When I got home and read the information that came with the equivalent of two dollar medicine, my level of nausia increased. "There's nothing WRONG with my vagina. Why the crap did she give me medicine for Vaginitis????!?!?!"

The crazy part was when we called the number on the pharmacy bag, and my Arab mom spoke with her, she defended her case, that it contained the same active ingredient as immonium, and was suitable for my problem. Moonasib. Yeah freaking right.

The craziest part was that I took it.

Going to the Bathroom

I'm sorry if this post offends some.

Eating is a universal need. Thus, certain activities that go on in a bathroom also become a universal need.

A typical American bathroom contains:
- a toilet
- toilet paper
- a flusher

I've used two bathrooms here that have contained all of those; one is the Al-Husn LDS Church building, the other is the American Embassy. Technically, only one of those is on Jordanian soil.

A typical Jordanian bathroom contains:
- some type of hole
- a hose
- a trash can

At first, you aren't quite sure what to do. It's embarrassing to have someone explain it to you, especially when they've never seen an American bathroom.

The first time I walked into the University of Jordan's Language Center Women's Bathroom, I was absolutely confused. I had no idea what to do. It was literally a hole in the ground. What? I realized that it had to involve some sort of squatting, but - how!??!

There are two types of bathrooms here. Toilets, and holes.

In my house, we have both. I never use the hole, but I think it's mostly "the boy's bathroom", anyway.

Pretty much every time I use the bathroom in my house here, I think of the way I described it in a previous blog post, "it may not be my favorite room in the house" - and how that phrase continues to hold true.

The family bathroom here doesn't disgust me as much as it confuses me. I don't understand a toilet without a flush is possible. I don't understand what I'm supposed to do when a flush would come in handy. Usually I just take the hose, which is normally used in place of toilet paper, and try to "flush" things down...

Basically, if you urinate in the family bathroom, it just sits there. The "water" in the toilet isn't ever - well - water.

Then, there's this hole in the middle of the floor with a circular piece of metal over it, that were I to lift it, I KNOW I would see my bodily excretions flowing...somewhere...somehow...

During the family party last weekend, somebody had the brilliant idea to discard their cigarettes down the hole-in-the-ground "boy's" toilet. The result was everything got stuck, and crap (literally) overflowed into the main walkway of the house. Mama, Hibba, and Sanaa did most of the cleaning.

Several minutes after using a sucking-hose type thing to drain the stuff into what I assume must have been the gutter in the street, Mona was walking in bare feet on the same floor.

I keep repeating to myself in my mind, "These people aren't dead. You're not going to die, either."

It's part of the experience, I guess.