Traffic, shoping, moving...so things which supposed to be usual

Ok, so I thought of sharing some exciting things happening with me in these days.

The very funny in these things is that they used to be usual activities, part of everybody's daily routine...but what we were always saying to new people: abroad you have to set up your new daily routine. And that is really true! It's not just to set this routine for yourself...but how to set anything in a country where that is the smallest thing, that you don't understand what is on the bus, or the wall....you don't even know if that is a graffiti or a word (well, graffiti here is toughly punished, so you can get that it's a word, but if anyone would ask me what does it say, I could not even tell how many letters I can see).

So the first thing: traffic and moving in the city. To all Budapest people hating BKV! BKV is something, modern, precise and organized! Enjoy it! Anyway I have noticed that back home people have the tendency of not recognizing the small cool things. Bitching about building the 4th Metro line? Here you are lucky if you see a bus! Which is anyway expensive, unpredictable and drops you off really far from everything. So people here rather use taxi (well, the pricing is also no the same...here a kilometer is about 25-50 HUF (see, one zero less!). Although still it seems for me that travelling will be the biggest cost here (a full price adult BKV monthly ticket would last here for like 2 weeks or half a month if you are lucky). It's also another funny challenge to know where you are going...and to tell it to someone who only speaks arabic....fun, I will learn by time :)

Other expereience: Shopping! First taks: recognize a shop! If that is done, then find out what you need, pray that they have something similar. Not like me buyoing bread. It took me three rounds in the shop, because here bread is something like small plates, and about 10-15 pieces makes up 1 kg. The taste though (it's of course different) is really good, I like it quite much (at home I would have never eaten this much bread :)). Especially with a good soup :). So I took a few rounds, finally also found bread. Then getting back home. Fine....which is the street? Here they all look sooo similar, so I was wondering around for half an hour (it was around 8 pm, so getting even dark :)). Then I wrote an SMS to Oksana (this time I still did not have a Jordanian phone), that which is our street. The funny thing that just when she replied, I found the street :) But from now on for sure I will know where I live :)

But anyway, now I have my phone, so if I get lost I will be able to find my way. But also now I know that from any part of the city I just drop into a taxi, and ask the guy to drive me to 2nd circle (we have 9 in Amman) and from there it's like 2 minutes on foot.

I know that sometimes daily struggling is not that much interesting. I just wanted to show that what people are talking about: that you loose reality on everyting, that's actually really true. And this is the fun part of it! Take this, because it teaches you to like what you have and appriciate every small success in life (like finding your home...or bread :P). And take this attitude home. It's not just about being smart and creative and being able later on to find your way in any environment, it's about an attitude, of aiming for more, but still enjoying what you already have!

And just a few words about work (yeah, I'm not just getting lost in the city, but also doing stuff :P). I was at LC Irbid (yeeeeey, the first LC to visit, out of two, but still! And again a countryside LC....AIESEC Hungary, now laughing :P). It was good to see an LC meeting, getting to know my first VP on my team (thanks Amal for the great chat!) and getting to know how things are working. And naturally transition is going on. Today I had finance...it's getting to be clear know, as I started to do it, not just talk, but for the first time General Ledgers, accounts receivable, etc. was kind of confusing. It's not only about not knowing how finance works in this country, but the point that so far I have learnt and done these thing in Hungarian! Though I was lucky to work in the MC, so that these words at least made sense, but connecting them to my accounting experience and knowledge is fun. And for the next week we already have some company meetings set, so I'm really getting into the work now. It's cool, because that connects me to people and kills the feeling of being stuck in a house with some internet.

So, just all based on these: it might sounds hard...and it is, but if you have a chance to live abroad on your own for a longer time, then just go ahead and do it. I'm here for 3 days and it already thought me stuff!