Culture Coma

I personally feel that the term "Culture Shock" is a misnomer. It seems to suggest that it is only an initial response, like a bolt of lightening that jolts you and is over. Perhaps "culture coma" would be more accurate. How long will this state of altered consciousness last? I will let you know!



I seems like I can only get one or two small things done each day. There is no direct route to getting anyplace or doing anything. We learned the procedure for getting maintenace done on our house; we email housing and they quickly and efficiently respond, then arrange with the middle man to make the repairs. We had a leak by our side door which left the steps constantly slippery and we had to schedule 3 times before the work actually got done. No one would say "we can't come till next week" but they can "no-show" and that seems to be more acceptable.



Our embassy health clinic arranged for Emily to see a pediatrician who would then make a referral to the rheumatologist who will manage Emily's care. The paperwork was promptly delivered to me and insurance gave their approval. We headed downtown with the photo copied directions. When the roads became confusing, I called the clinic to ask for an address we could put into our GPS and was told "no address mam, just go behind Mubarak Hospital, you will see it." Addresses here contain an area, a block number, a street number and a house number....but not all businesses have numbers!



By winding around in the area, we managed to find the building. Once inside we did our paperwork and after waiting for 30 minutes, I asked when we might be seen. Only then did they show me that they had no record of our appointment!! They kindly worked us in and once we met the Jordanian doctor, we loved her. She trained in the UK and was so empathetic & reassuring to Emily. She treated her swollen, irritated eyes and drew us yet another map of where to find the rheumatolologist.



Today, not wanting Robert to miss work, I called my favorite driver: Ahmad. He runs a taxi service of 20 cars and has perfect English and a very pleasant manner. This clinic was 20 minutes away, but costs the same as the 5 minute trip to the embassy. I asked him how to get around without addresses and he just laughed & assured me I would get used to it. Even the largest map we could find does not contain all the streets in the city.



Thankfully, the doctor was also excellent once we got to him. Our insurance liason had tried many times to reach him from the UK to see if he would follow Em but he could never be reached. It feels like we are a LOT further away from England than we are. Professor Kalid was definately "on the same page" as the specialist in London so I think we will get high quality care. This too, is an answer to prayer. His main concern was to get Emily sleeping through the night again but he will change nothing until all her records arrive.



One more example of how things work here: School. After the false start a week ago when we were told to go register and no one was there, we wanted to be bright and early on Sunday. At 8:30 when we were preparing to leave, we discovered they did not actually open until 12:30. We changed our plans and arrived early in the afternoon but en route, I got a call that they were closing at 2pm and would not be admitting anyone else...



We "rushed the gate" soon after this and no one turned us away. The office was chaotic but many had already left since it was Ramadan. It was literally the first day back for staff: many teachers were still on holiday though school starts in 9 days and student testing begins in two. We were fortunate to have a chance meeting with a high school counselor and Robert asked if she had time to help Emily select her courses. The computers were not working, but she took time to sit with us and advise Emily on the course selection. As Emily will be taking honors English and AP World History, she informed us that both of these had summer assignments. She offered to get the assignments for her but said the books had to be ordered; she was sure teachers would be understanding if her work was late. That's when mama & papa bear got growly! We tried to register them in March, and again when Robert came in June...he even visited the school to see what we needed to do to prepare for admission and was told "JUST SHOW UP WHEN YOU ARRIVE." After explaining the miscommunication, the counsellor took us to the Vice Principal who was very kind and willing to negotiate the assignments. She didn't want Emily to feel behind in class but knew it was too much pressure to ask her to read & write about 5 books in one weeks time, so she agreed for her to read Cliff Notes on some, scan others, and shortened the writting assignments.



The facilities themselves were not too impressive. Security is tight and access is limited. The kids will be outdoors as they travel from class to class. There is no cafeteria and the kids eat outside. When I explained Emily's heat intolerance, Mrs. Ness offered to let her bring a friend and eat in her office. There will be a designated classroom during Ramadan where non fasting kids can go for a quick break and snarf their contraband lunches. It will be nearly October before much normality will be established at school. The school days are two hours shorter during Ramadan.

The heat continues, but thankfully some of the humidity has lifted, for which we're very thankful. Now if this coma-fog will clear in the near future, I can get on with living here!