Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SOCIAL GRACES
Standing wedged between the door and a table and with no room to back out politely, my Jordanian companion
looked in horror as a foreign man proffered a large, hairy hand in her direction and gushed a greeting. 'Can you be-
lieve it,' Maryam said, 'and in Ramadan too!' I asked why she didn't simply refuse to shake hands: 'I didn't want to
embarrass him', she said. This common scenario highlights both the desirability of learning a few courtesies as a
traveller and also of the Jordanian good-natured tolerance of social faux pas.
Here are a few social graces that will help break the ice without breaking a friendship. If all else fails, there's not
much harm that can't be undone with a smile, a box of baklava and a compliment about the lovable children.
» » Handshaking This is an important part of the ritual of greeting in Jordan but usually only between members of
the same sex. If you witness an accident, for example, the first few moments will probably be taken up with copious
handshaking, greeting and asking after each man's family…before a slanging match erupts about who is to blame.
» » Public Displays of Affection Don't think that seeing two men kissing gives you the right to do the same. All
signs of affection, except between members of the same sex (and of the strictly platonic kind), is frowned upon in
public. Not that you'd guess that these days from the relaxed attitudes of trendsetters in the city who openly walk
arm in arm with a loved one.
» » Hands and Arms Blundering with these limbs includes using your left hand to give something, forgetting to
touch your heart when refusing something - or, for that matter, forgetting to refuse something you intend eventually
to accept.
» » Feet These appendages are both a host's and a guest's worst nightmare. For anyone contemplating a visit to a
home or a mosque, the advice for feet is to wash them, unsock them and tuck them under you when sitting on the
floor.
Modern Caretakers of the Desert
Whether Zawaedha, Zalabia or Bdoul, whether from Wadi Rum, Wadi Musa or the great
Badia beyond, the Bedouin are universally proud of 'their Jordan' and welcome guests
who visit them in their ancient tribal lands. It's not surprising, then, that many of the coun-
try's Bedouin now make a living from tourism and many feel it is their modern mission to
reveal the wonders of their country to new generations of visitors. In some senses, the Be-
douin have been doing the same, albeit for slightly different purposes, for centuries, offer-
ing bread and salt to those in need on the understanding that the same courtesy will be
offered to them in return. The currency today is usually money, but the principle of easing
the passage of strangers through traditional tribal territories remains unchanged. Un-
changed, too, is the principle of 'word of mouth' in advertising friendly encampments,
though today the internet has replaced the camel caravan as the modus operandi .
Not everything about the modern life of the Bedouin has
stayed the same, however. It is easy to romanticise the tradi-
tional way of life of the Bedouin - managing goats and sheep
and looking for water - as simple and free but the reality of
Humour
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