"A Day in My Life in Jordan" by Freya Beinart
Hello! My name is Freya. I am a Junior Molecular Biology and Arabic Major at Kenyon College. Welcome to my reflective photo essay of daily life in Amman, Jordan.
As my first time traveling outside of the United States, I was a bit wary of living in a large city in a foreign country. Although it may be daunting at first, walking around and exploring Amman and its hidden gems introduced me to many things I will miss when I return to America. Walk with me as I go through my day in Jordan alongside my friends!
One of the wonderful breakfasts that were prepared by my host family. This particular breakfast was larger than usual, as it was shared by my entire host family on a Saturday morning. On the weekends, we eat breakfast together.
Photo credit: Beinart, 2023.
Studying abroad has made me miss my pet cats I have at home. In Jordan, there are plenty of stray cats in the street, most of which are friendly and will come up to say hello! This cat greeted me outside of my host family’s apartment on my morning walk to my carpool location. If you look closely, the cat has two different colored eyes, a rare condition known as “heterochromia”.
Photo credit: Beinart, 2023.
Every morning before classes, my friends and I will meet each other at Sofia, a Turkish Restaurant located in Umm Uthaina. This particular restaurant is in a perfect location between where we all live, so we can easily carpool together to split the cost of an Uber each morning. When studying in Jordan, you will have to take many Ubers and Taxis to travel from place to place, the cost of these trips will add up over time, so I highly suggest finding friends to ride with you if possible.
Photo credit: Laura G., 2023.
After classes, a few of my friends and I will go to a cafe to finish our schoolwork, study, and hang-out. This photo was taken at Cafe Manara located in Jabal Al Weibdeh, one of our favorite places to meet each other. If you like sweeter coffee drinks, I highly suggest the Nutella Latte (the drink I am holding in the middle).
Photo credit: Titchenell, 2023.
After we finished studying at the cafe, I decided to walk downtown to pick up some spices for my family when I return to the US. Pictured here is Souq Al Sukkar, located in Wasat Al Balad in Jabal Amman. There are plenty of markets around this area where you can buy teas, spices, clothing, and jewelry.
Photo credit: Beinart, 2023.
After walking around Wasat Al Balad, my friend and I decided to rest near the Roman Theatre before taking an Uber back home. While we were sitting outside of the entrance - a popular hangout spot for many locals - another stray cat visited us, and sat on my friend’s lap. We sat here for about 30 minutes, taking in the sunny weather before heading our separate ways.
Photo credit: Beinart, 2023.
After returning home, my roommate and I decided to grab some boba to drink while we finished our homework. This particular shop is named “Boba Munch”, owned by our host family. It is a 5-minute walk from our family’s apartment, and I highly recommend it as a study location or place to relax and sip on some milk tea or juice!
Photo credit: Beinart, 2023.
One of my favorite places to go is the comic store near Galleria Mall, named “16:9 WIDE:SCREEN Comics & Manga”. There are plenty of graphic novels in Arabic that you can find here, this particular one is called ليلة الثلاثاء, or Tuesday Night an Egyptian graphic novel written and illustrated by Mohamad Kraytem. The story is about a woman living in Beirut, trying to figure out the meaning of love. I highly recommend searching for stories, specifically comics in Arabic to read while you are studying abroad.
Photo credit: Beinart, 2023.
If you are in search of an upscale but cheap place for desserts, I highly recommend Patisserie Fayrouz in Jabal Al Weibdeh. You can get a slice of cheesecake for only one JD, as well as an entire cake for 7 JD! Pictured here is me with a blueberry cheesecake, but my favorite dessert from Fayrouz is the strawberry and peach tart.
Photo credit: Bevilacqua, 2023.
Freya Beinart is a student at Kenyon College and studied abroad in Jordan on Amideast’s Area & Arabic Language program this Spring, 2023.
