People watching in New York

I have been to places as far away as Mongolia, Benin and Peru, and yet I had never been to New York... until now.

I'm staying with a friend on Long Island and I have to say that being in the US is not like any other travelling experience. It's so strange to arrive in a country where everyone speaks the same language, looks the same, eats the similar food and yet... everything is bigger, taller and faster than in London. I don't just mean the buildings and the cars, the people here are huge, it's like living in a land of giants!

While the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building definitely had the "Wow factor" it's been people watching that has provided the priceless experiences. Today on the beach in the Hamptons I overheard an obese man saying to his wife (who had a lovely figure) "Oh my gawd, you're going to give yourself a heart attack worrying about healthy eating." (You have to read this using a strong New York accent in your head.) He was the only one out of the couple who was at risk of a heart attack.

The thing that made me really laugh was the woman in her 60s who had brought a deck chair and a cold box and spent the day lying back and soaking up the sun. Her skin was like well worn brown leather, she had peroxide blonde hair, bright pink lipstick smeared on her lips and giant black sunglasses. This peculiar sight became distinctly amusing when she decided that some exercise was in order. What about a walk down the beach or a swim? No, this lady whips out a bright green resistance band and starts doing all manner of bizarre exercises. The funniest involved holding the band on her head while she bent and flexed one of her legs.

Only in America...

Only at the British Council...

Yesterday I visited the British Council in search of more resources. It's a very impressive building in the heart of Amman. In all my years traveling I am happy to say I have never had cause to visit a British Embassy... except for on one occasion in Benin where there wasn't one. In emergencies they said to go to the one in Lagos, Nigeria... yup, because Nigeria is where you really want to go if you're in trouble.

Anyway, the gentleman at the desk was very helpful and said he would go and do a search of my subject: women's political participation in Jordan. They have a small library so I was hoping there might be a find.

I had to try very hard to stifle my laughter with the list he came back with:

Women in Love by D.H. Laurence

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

and...

Cat woman!

I think he realised this wasn't what I was looking for but he kindly took me to speak to someone who works on a program that is related to my research and was very helpful. It just goes to show, you never know what's round the corner.

Amman taxis

Someone asked me today what I was doing in Jordan. I explained, I'm doing a Masters thesis and I'm really interested in women's political participation. I wanted to write about the UK (I'm British so that's the context I know the most about) but my degree is in Development so I needed to focus on a developing country. I work for a couple of Middle East charities and my boss suggested Jordan as it's very safe, many people speak English and most people are helpful. As I was explaining her eyes got wider and I realised I sounded a little crazy, but here I am nonetheless, in Amman, harrassing NGOs and research centres for interviews and advice.

I arrived at the airport on Sunday night feeling a little bewildered and overwhelmed. After buying a SIM card I went outside to look for a taxi. Someone thrust a piece of paper into my hands, someone else took my suitcase and before I knew it I was in the back of a cab. I remembered how in my guide book it had said "make sure taxis are metered" but when I asked the driver he said the price was 22JD, "look at the piece of paper". Oh well, rule number one out the window. I anxiously clutched the panic alarm my Mum had given me before I left as we drove, in the pitch dark, around the winding streets of Amman. After asking a few people for directions we arrived, to my great relief, at the Shepherd Hotel safe and sound.

So far most taxi drivers have been very helpful, despite my lack of Arabic and complete disorientation. However, it was an exchange with one today that I felt must be shared. I've traveled all over the world and generally attract attention in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America because I have blonde hair... but I've never recieved a proposal like this!

The taxi driver collected me from my coffee shop and jokingly said "next time I come for coffee with you". "Sure", I laughed and gave directions to the NGO I was meeting. I complemented his English and he explained he had studied opthalmic and pshychiatric nursing in London. He said he liked London, as well as Israel and Turkey because they were much freer. "Great" I thought, I'm going to hear about the political constraints of Islamic states. I could not have been more wrong. "You see," he said "there I can suck my girlfriend's tongue and she can suck my tongue. In Israel it is very free, there are beaches where we can go nude. "Do you want me to be your boyfriend for the rest of your trip?" I politely declined and showed him the wedding ring I'd worn for just this kind of occasion. "Oh," he said, "maybe you can give my number to your friends instead."

I knew where we were going so I wasn't scared and in fact wanted to laugh at the situation, given that he had to be about 65. I declined his second offer and thankfully we shortly reached my destination. Oh, the things one experiences in the name of research!