Omg the sound of the propane truck in the opening made me feel homesick lol. We have been home for a while but we spent a few months in jordan in the fall. Alhamdulilah.
The name Jordan came from the meaning of roses on the water. We say they want water, that is, they went to fetch water (they want), so it is known that the letter Yaa (y ي) when he comes out of his homeland is changed to the letter (j), for example, the pronunciation of the name Julia, and sometimes we pronounce it (yulia). By deleting the letter (ج), the name Jordan means the waters of the valleys surrounded by mountains.
Was cooking and listening to your video, heard a question, thought 'mm such a nice question' and then looked at the screen and it was my question lol. Monday mornings :D
Very excited to watch this video! Stopped after 2 mins to write this message. We are spending December there in Amman and look forward to learning more about Jordan. We have watched your channel for over a year and have really enjoyed your content.
Did you know that King Abdulla’s ll mother is from Great Britain ? It is an interesting story behind how she and King Abdulla’s father met . She was also queen of Jordan 🇯🇴 for awhile . She still lives in Jordan . 🙏🇺🇸♥️🇯🇴🌹
Every Time I think That your video is the best but with every New video you do it... definitely you are the best again...just be like this thanks for your time and God bless you and your family....
I think the division of labor issue is a widespread issue throughout the world. I'm American (half Mexican/European descent) woman married to a Jordanian man. I see this issue within the Mexican as well as Caucasian communities here in the US....A LOT. Join any mom's group and it will be the biggest complaint from women. I don't see it nearly as much from my British friends. So maybe you guys mastered the art of equal partnership! 😂 Another Fantastic video,Rachel. I'm glad to have found your channel ❤
I agree Jordan is expensive if you are trying to live like you're in a western country. It also depends on the area you're staying in. But for example if you buy food from the typical restaurants and get typical Arabic food like falafel or shawarma then it's extremely cheap. Like 0.75 JD a sandwich cheap (used to be even cheaper years ago). And coming from a western country, that's affordable for food that is not widely available here, meaning these sandwiches vary in price wildly and can run for around $5-15 USD. I also prefer Middle Eastern food so going to Jordan for food is great. Even in the fancier restaurants you can get A LOT of food for 40 JD but in the US, $100 USD is hardly enough for each person to get one dish.
Jordan is very expensive, a small family needs at least 1000 JOD a month This might sound low compared to the US but the income here is so low. The minimum wage in the US is $7.25/hour (source: google) $7.25*8hours*25days=$1450/month which is equivalent to 1000 JOD while in Jordan the minimum wage is 260JOD/month An American minimum wage worker makes almost 4 times the amount of money a Jordanian minimum wage worker makes And it doesn't stop there, a decent job in the public or private sector with a 500 JOD salary is considered a dream job which is half of what a minimum wage worker makes in the US ( In the US you can find jobs that pays more than $10/hour and with over time you could make up to $2500 a month which professionals and experienced people can't even dream of here)
@@almothaffar6228 Long Reply: I agree with you, for Jordanians making minimum wage is not enough, especially with how large their family units are. But it's important to recognize that people in the US making minimum wage are also impoverished. We make more money out of necessity to live, we must pay property taxes, health insurance, home insurance, car insurance, utility bills, income tax, sales tax, etc. Minimum wage also varies wildly because so do the living costs for example New York and California are near impossible to live in for someone coming from another state and they have some of the highest rates of homelessness in the world. Recently it's become possible for Americans to find $15+ wage jobs easily but that's only because Corona destroyed the economy and inflation is at an all time high. On paper, the US is the richest country on Earth but with the fact that the cost of living is not one to one in each country (extremely high in the US), the fact that *the top 10% owns 90% of the wealth* and that *in 2020, there were 37.2 million people in poverty* it is important to understand the average American is struggling to survive. (www.census.gov/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-273.html#:~:text=In%202020%2C%20there%20were%2037.2,and%20Table%20B%2D1 ). *In January 2020 before COVID, there were 580,466 people experiencing homelessness in America.* (endhomelessness.org/homelessness-in-america/homelessness-statistics/state-of-homelessness-2021/#:~:text=The%20Basics,the%20diversity%20of%20our%20country ). *Let's take a look into life in America for an individual: The following data is from years including 2019 to 2022, assuming the individual is a resident of Dearborn Michigan* (city with the largest Arab population in the US). Some of these costs may be undervalued. For example, after corona the inflation as well as the cost of goods and services skyrocketed but not all the data on it is out yet. As a note, *inflation is up 7.5%* according to the CPI (Consumer Price Index). However, it may well be higher since it is in the best interest of the government to undermine true inflation rates. (www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2022/02/10/business/economy/inflation-cpi-january-2022.amp.html ). As an example, if you are a single Michigan resident living in Dearborn *making $29,672 a year* (about average according to the United States Census Bureau ~$14.55 an hour.) (www.gobankingrates.com/money/jobs/30000-a-year-is-how-much-an-hour/amp/ ). Depending on our income we all fit in a federal income tax bracket of one of the following: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% or 37%. *In this case the individual will pay 12%.* (www.google.com/amp/s/www.bankrate.com/taxes/tax-brackets/amp/ ). There is also FICA tax which is what pays for Social Security and Medicare (believe it or not we pay for our own social programs, we don't receive any extra money from the government, they just decide if they will return any of the money we gave them). FICA tax includes a 6.2% Social Security tax and 1.45% Medicare tax on earnings meaning you will *expect to pay 7.65% of your wages due to FICA tax.* *On top of Federal taxes and FICA Each state/city has its own tax rates* (which you can see here: smartasset.com/taxes/income-taxes ). *Michigan flat income tax rate of 4.25%* while cities can vary from 1.00% to 2.40% (smartasset.com/mortgage/the-cost-of-living-in-michigan ). This cost is *an added 1.75% in Dearborn* or 2.40% in Detroit which will depend on where you work as well. Let's say this individual *buys a home with an estimated value of $220,000* (www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/Dearborn_MI/overview ). *Property tax of ~ $4,000* (using Zillow.com ) At a *3.875% APR* (www.usbank.com/home-loans/mortgage/mortgage-rates.html ) *over a 30 year period.* *Average Dearborn insurance is $1,792* (www.valuepenguin.com/best-cheap-homeowners-insurance-michigan ) the *payment will come out to be $1546 a month = $18,552 a year to purchase a home.* At 10% down payment $22,000 this means the total cost of the house will become $578,560 (meaning they will accrue a total interest value of $336,560 by the time the loan is paid off). However, rent is more affordable but can be more challenging to deal with and you don't own the property. "The average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Dearborn, MI is currently $1,235." This would be *$14,820 a year for home rental.* (www.zumper.com/rent-research/dearborn-mi ). There are other factors including gas, electricity, water, sometimes even sewerage, and others. For simplicity we will say *utilities add to $95.20 a month = $1,142.40 a year.* Let's say they bought a car with a loan for $47,000 in 2022 (the new average for an ordinary new car) (www.kbb.com/car-news/average-new-car-price-tops-47000/#:~:text=The%20average%20price%20Americans%20paid,year%20of%20unprecedented%20price%20increases ) since it's impossible to find public transportation or walk everywhere when things are miles apart. The *car payment will come out to be $778 a month = $9,336 a year for a new car* and a total of $56,016. All this despite the car decreasing in value by 20% after the first year and 10% each year after. If you choose to purchase a used car because it is cheaper: "The average used car in America sold for $28,205." The *car payment will come out to be $460 a month = $5,520 a year for a used car* and a total of $33,120. (www.kbb.com/car-news/average-used-car-price-now-over-28000/ ). Now remember that this individual must pay insurance. There are penalties for not purchasing insurance which some people cannot afford. Car insurance: "The average annual cost of car insurance in Michigan in 2021 is $948 for minimum coverage and $2,309 for expanded full coverage, which is $565 and full coverage costs $1,674 per year." (www.bankrate.com/insurance/car/average-cost-of-car-insurance-in-michigan/ ), let's say the individual has *full coverage car insurance at $1,674 a year.* *Health insurance: average of $440 a month = $5280 a year* (www.ehealthinsurance.com/resources/affordable-care-act/much-health-insurance-cost-without-subsidy ). *Food at a minimum (the basic necessities) is $3,638.04 a year* for one individual. Other debts to keep in mind that will not be included: Home (own or rent) and car down payment. Also, repairs will be excluded. *Sales tax is 6% in Michigan* on all items and services excluding food. This varies by state.* Education: "Undergraduate tuition and fees at University of Michigan, for example, is $7,631 per semester for Michigan residents and $24,675 for non-Michigan residents." (smartasset.com/mortgage/the-cost-of-living-in-michigan ). The average Michigan resident has a student loan debt of $33,487 (which can never be forgiven). Medical debt: medical treatment in America is not free and is highly expensive (costing thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars for going to the hospital) the average national medical debt is $2,424 and can be drastically higher. (It typically cannot be forgiven.) (siepr.stanford.edu/news/americas-medical-debt-much-worse-we-think#:~:text=Nationally%2C%2017.8%20percent%20of%20people,amount%20was%20%242%2C424%20last%20year ). Planned obsolescence is a major issue! If your things are seemingly "slowing" or "breaking" down, they were made that way so you continue purchasing the same product over and over. Clothes, furniture, appliances, events, eating out, phone plans, technology (laptop, computer, phone), and other miscellaneous costs. *Calculations for a year (own a home/new car)* : +$29,672 income, -23.8% of income due to total income taxes, -$18,552 home payment, -$1,142.40 utility bills, -$9,336 car payment, -$1,674 car insurance, -$5280 health insurance, -$3,638.04 food. Finally, the individual has paid $46,684.38. Meaning each year their *net income is -$17,012.38.* They are in debt this amount each year. *Calculations for a year (rent a home/used car)* : +$29,672 income, -23.8% of income due to total income taxes, -$14,820 home payment, -$1,142.40 utility bills, -$5,520 car payment, -$1,674 car insurance, -$5280 health insurance, -$3,638.04 food. Finally, the individual has paid $39,136.38. Meaning each year their *net income is -$9,464.38* They are in debt this amount each year. Again, this is in Michigan, considered one of the most affordable states. Other states are much more expensive and near impossible to calculate.
@@almothaffar6228 Short Reply: For a single Dearborn, Michigan resident the cost of living is as follows: *Calculations for a year (own a home/new car)* : +$29,672 income, -23.8% of income due to total income taxes, -$18,552 home payment, -$1,142.40 utility bills, -$9,336 car payment, -$1,674 car insurance, -$5280 health insurance, -$3,638.04 food. Finally, the individual has paid $46,684.38. Meaning each year their *net income is -$17,012.38.* They are in debt this amount each year. *Calculations for a year (rent a home/used car)* : +$29,672 income, -23.8% of income due to total income taxes, -$14,820 home payment, -$1,142.40 utility bills, -$5,520 car payment, -$1,674 car insurance, -$5280 health insurance, -$3,638.04 food. Finally, the individual has paid $39,136.38. Meaning each year their *net income is -$9,464.38* They are in debt this amount each year. Facts: These calculations do not include Home (own or rent) and car down payment, repairs, sales tax, education, medical debt, clothes, furniture, appliances, events, eating out, phone plans, technology (laptop, computer, phone), and other miscellaneous costs. *In January 2020 before COVID, there were 580,466 people experiencing homelessness in America. The top 10% owns 90% of the wealth and in 2020, there were 37.2 million people in poverty.*
@@moebro101 Thank you, this was an eye opener I knew that it can't be good living for all in the US but this is really horrible I which the situation gets better for all of us
Great Video! I am travelling to Jordan April 11 - 22 this year during Ramadan. Could you do a video on what a tourist ought to be aware of whilst visiting during this time? Not so much eating / drinking etiquette or opening / closing times of attractions as they're obvious. As a solo traveller i'll be ordering food at a restaurant by myself, I guess this isn't too weird? It would be great to join people for Iftar though, what a great experience! Cheers
@Sentenced to Death hey, appreciate you taking the time to comment. I’m actually going solo and will be hiring a car travelling to all the key places myself! I was going to book my Wadi Rum camp as a solo, not a tour. Do you think it’s worth me booking on a group tour for this in advance, or is it easy enough to do once I’m there? Also for car rental, is it best to do this in advance or organising once I arrive? Thanks!
Oh... the gender-role question was a bit surprising. That would be the one thing we (me as a Swedish woman and my husband, from Jordania) have discussions about. I thought this was something that he started to do in Sweden.
For anyone interested, the Romans called the area Transjordan, meaning literally across the Jordan. The British decided to use this name after World war 1 when they created the Emirate of Transjordan. They did this because they were obsessed with the Roman empire, and Victorian England tried to model itself after Rome, especially the structure of the early Roman empire, where they did not mandate a state religion or morality, they just wanted taxes for various reasons! Unfortunately Britain was not as good at imperialism as the Romans, and so many of their conflicting deals collapsed, after it emerged they'd promised the same land to the Sauds, The Hashemites and others. The word Jordan itself is a little unknown, but some people think it comes from a Hebrew word, some think it has Canaanite origins. This one is a bit of a mystery.
Well , ur people invented the flag of many Arab states including Jordan, Arabs didn't choose the flag, the silly thing Arabs in many states still use the same flag been chosen by British occupiers.
I am an indie filmmaker planning to live with a Bedouin Tribe asI film a low-budget movie in the desert. What sort of hospitality can I expct from them? How would they treat a western actress who is staying with them?
بدايئنا كلنا مظهر البيوت القديمة الغير لطيف أبدا لكن فيها خير ان شاء الله نتحمل سرقة الدول الكبيرة و لعقول و طاقات شبابنا يللي بدو يطلع و يهاجر و ثروات الوطن مسلوبة لكن بيضل أفضل و فيه خير من أي مظهر براق خاطف و من الداخل فاضي و كتير فيه أناس ما بيعرفوا النظافة في بلاد الغرب بسبب أمراض نفسية او ضياع هوية و ضياع الهدف من الدنيا.. lovely content .. showing the bright side is good.. each of us has his own bright and dark side but i love it here in Jo cause even the dark side is privilege in my eyes.
I recently finished watching all your videos. You once mentioned "Desert Time" with regard to guests arriving at arbitrary times. As a learner I'm curious to know if it comes from an Arabic expression, and if so, what is it?
@@HeythamShayeb yes, but if you listen she makes it sound as though minimum earners drink the 4jd coffee. Btw, I live in West Amman - you can get 4jd coffee but most of its costs 2-3jds.
@@alihijazi2655 Foreigners go to shops they recognize like Paul and Starbucks. We might have the habit of getting a large drink, which we carry around with us as we shop. This is not a habit that can be sustained easily in Jordan.
9:05 New Subscriber here, loving your videos! I heard (I married into a Jordanian Muslim family and have 3 kids too) that they clean up the litter every night so in the mornings he streets are cleaner, is that true?
The hijab question is so important & the situation you've gone through proves that hijab is not only an obligation but also an identity for each Muslim woman. Maybe it's not a pillar for Islam, but at least modesty is a must. So many od non-hijabi Muslims tend to be fashionable forgetting about "modesty" unfortunately.. Still in front of Allah they're Muslims, but how they get identified in the community is really sad, as they're giving up something that's relly important for the sake of fashion & earthly desires.. That's why I love following reverts as you guys are better examples for us Muslim women.. may Allah guide us all to the right path
@MIA is there anything different this time around that you plan to do about birth? What is the situation with Covid like lately? Are there any new restrictions about giving birth due to the pandemic?
Nice having you in Jordan. The Arabic Translation of the title "A foreigner's life in Jordan" is Wrong, It should be حياة أجنبي في الأردن . Keep up the good work.
RACHEL, I AM AN ADMIRER OF YOUR WORK AND FOLLOW YOU ON RU-vid. WE HAVE SOME THINGS IN SIMILAR. MY NAME IS DAN KOHN AND I LIVE IN THE GALILEE IN ISRAEL. I CAME FOR A FEW MONTHS, FELL IN LOVE WITH THE COUNTRY AND ITS PEOPLE AND CUSTOMS AS YOU HAVE IN JORDAN. I AM MUCH OLDER AS I AM NOW IN MY 70'S. I AM A LICENSED TOUR GUIDE IN ISRAEL. UNTIL THE OUTBREAK OF CORONA, I WAS GUIDING GROUPS OF CHRISTIAN PILGRIMS IN THE HOLY SITES OF ISRAEL AND THE WEST BANK. SINCE CORONA, I AM BASICALLY UNEMPLOYED. THERE ARE NO TOUR GROUPS COMING TO ISRAEL AND I HAVE TAKEN UP WRITING IN ENGLISH. I LEARNED FROM YOUR SERIES AND HAVE UTILIZED SOME OF THE KNOWLEDGE THAT I GAINED FROM YOU IN MY CURRENT STORY. I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU, DAN KOHN ADAMIT, ISRAEL
Im with you with the culture shock even tho I’m jordanian myself, it’s a big issue that needs to be fixed. Women do too much and men do too little nowadays:/ especially considering how many women do work then go home take care of the kids clean the house etc
My husband is Jordanian. He used to do nothing, so I decided to do nothing too. Now we do things together in the house. His brother used to tell me that I could expect that when I married a Jordanian man, but my answer was the same -- He could expect it wasn't going to be like living with a Jordanian woman. I demand respect, and that includes helping around in the house. I'm not a maid.
For the culture shock thing Im a jordanian and its really annoying me like if you are a muslim and you are just sitting down and do nothin , and the woman do all the work like why you don't do what the prophetﷺ did? , you are a muslim why you don't follow what islam said?! they think that they can pick some rules that they liked it and leave rules that they diden't like it, and when a foreigner see this, they will think that this what islam said I hate this tradition and I hope it will extinct.
In Jordan there is no emphasis on Islamic knowledge, or it being widely used, people say they are Muslim but their actions don't go along with this, Subhan Allah in a majority Muslim country with Muslim rulers. Islam is far from their minds. Allahu musta'an.
My biggest shock as a Muslim revert going there. Was no Islam. It saddened me to see that they listened to music smoked alot men would state and make comments, the women not following the rules of hijab and modesty, May Allah protect us from such fitnah. However I loved the hospitality and generosity of the people I met. It was very overwhelming being British and this is something not common in my family. But I appreciated it in Jordan alot.
@@WandererinAqaba yeah I agree with you A lot of people there just follow what their parents do without thinking, they just think that islam is just praying, fasting, etc..., there is a lot of advantage and disadvantage in our society, but I hope that people will open there eyes and just know what they are doing, I know politics is a huge part of this but still, people should know what is going on and think about their religion and so on!
@@WandererinAqaba what I like the most on our society is the hospitality and they wake up in the last moment, as I said that people don't pracrice islam and things but there is a a group ( I don't mean a specific group, it's like a good people if you know what I mean) in society that always come up and tell the people that they are doing wrong things and all these stuff, " inlighting the people" I guess..and then all the people wake up and realizing there doing, I hope that I explained what I meant correctly :) May allah guide us to the right path
@@nevermind6700 Ameen. Yes my husband went back recently to Aqaba. And he was advising alot to his family about the Sunnah. Alhamdolilah they have alot of respect for him :) Allah is the one to change the condition of people. But maybe good deeds will grow and it just takes a small good deed to open the eyes of a believer.
For foreigners, I think the prices depend on where they live For example, East Amman is cheaper than West Amman, and East Amman is more expensive than Zarqa... . For example, a cup of coffee varies in price according to the region, ranging from 0.5 dinars (Populated or popular areas) to 3.5 dinars(Expensive restaurants or tourist areas) . For most Jordanians, everything is expensive in relation to the income
Regarding your culture shock i'd like raise a note for the audience. Unfortunately it is true for the Jordanian culture and most of Arabian cultures. But it is defiantly not related to Islam, it is related to the Arabian culture, the very old culture. In Islam; the responsibility is shared between the husband and the wife. I'm saying this because there are many videos in RU-vid that blames Islam for this Arabian habit
about sex, this is case to case, & it depend on the couple, as to me if the lady want me to do this or that I would be more than happy, but in general I won't sit & smoke for sure. Now in general I doubt that Jordanian men sit and women do it all, i think in some cases maybe yours where the husband is much older than the wife, then the wife will be more hyper & doing stuff to take care of the man, but in general its quite the opposite in Jordan, women are not doing anything to help, they just get over weight after giving birth, they keep telling their mothers about secrets which is not supposed to be exposed or shared with anyone even with their own mothers, add to that the expensive life and all on the man so every now and then it would be much appreciated if the wife can understand & help or at least not be needy & depending & high maintenance, that's why many Jordanian men are marrying none Arabic wives because they are done with the typical submissive before giving birth wife, to being an absolute monster after having a baby because they kind of guarantee the man won't divorce them easily
if you want he woman the woman to not gain weight pay for gym membership , give her time and a baby sitter to go to gym , pay for healthy food , try doing the chores yourself so that she can have time to exercise
Where do you buy your cofee from.... 4JDs for a cup?.... It seems you buy from a 5 star hotel... Generaly, coffe shops sell it between 0.5 to 1 JD as far as I know. Regarding that men leave the whole responsibity to the wife is realy not accurate and should not be generalised,
When I see you... and you smile, I see the world with all the colors and fill the world with delicate tones of love that make us live moments between heaven and earth, between flowers and the sea, colors of calm, gentleness, serenity and purity, and you and I, let's roam in the world of beauty. My house and my dwelling, let me touch your hands, as I may have the world in my hands. I want to embrace it in the summer. What will I feel then??? Let me, I wished to live a moment of madness forget who I am I do not live only for you and your love Let me write to you my most beautiful words and whispers to you alone Let me fly among the birds to see you from above the clouds and you wait for me eagerly Because you will live in my world and in my heart will you let me live my crazy moments?? Or will you prevent me from going crazy? Let me love you madly to be the first madman in history. You are my history, my present and my future. I meditate. Let me, my love, saturate my eyes with your beauty. I look at you for hours of silence and silence. Let the eyes speak in all the languages of the world. Our love. Let me live with you as if the hour of today is you. Every detail of your day I know how my joy will be when I see you The world is covered with the most beautiful colors Even the sky gives up its blue and covers the color of your eyes Let me be by your side for the rest of my life Maybe distances are far away But I know very well that you are my only next choice and my life and my distant future You are the only one I chose with you I feel strange and time and the world safe In my hand, my happiness is with you alone, and my days are with you alone. Let me, my love, write on the leaves and sand of the sea, and on all the flowers of the universe that I love you.🙏❤
thanks a lot... woman doing everything and man with cigarettes doing nothing..... unfortunatelly this is ignorince, ... islam came to changing this kind of aspect and said man and woman are equal...... also unfortunatelly people nowadays assume that what they saw in muslim countries is equal islam :(
What are u talking about? She is happliy marreid woman with 2 kids and her husband is doctor. She is free woman so please she is talking about general life in middel east and Aisain and Africa cuturle life style..
@@sofieabdi4621 I was more referring to the vulnerability of gender roles globally, and the fact that oppression is still present almost everywhere. I wasn’t really talking about the profession of her husband or her happiness
Rachel sometimes you're quite unfair about Amman. There is litter in Amman but nothing as shocking as you seem to allude to in your video. Actually Amman is a clean city by any standard.
Yes but the do not litter culture is very small in Jordan in general, you see it clean yes because it is cleaned daily almost every street, it is normal to litter in Jordan which is wrong, she was not being unfair TBH (Jordanian from Amman)
@@HeythamShayeb I have been to England many times and some cities are extremely dirty. What I was talking about is that littering should not be too shocking for an English woman.