Day 2

I am slowly learning that the sense of urgency does not exist in this culture, except from driving.  The drivers here are HORRIBLE!  They have no sense of spatial awareness.  Other cars will run up on you with no regard or sense to your vehicle.  I was constantly hearing skidding, locking up the brakes, and horn happy fuckers.  I guess I would be horn happy if I had to drive in this madness.  I need to pay attention and beware when crossing the street. 

When I arrived at the El Concorde - ADS offices here this morning, the day started of with a cup of hot tea with mint leaves.  Very delicious.  The offices have servants!  I am shocked at what these "laborers" do for the office folks.  Their only job is too make tea or coffee, and take out the trash at the end of the day.  It is like indentured service, with not very well paid people.  They are considered a lower class of citizen, we not even allowed to associate with them.  That means no lunches with them, and no after work dinner drinks.

After arriving at the office, and talking work for about 30 minutes, it was time for coffee at Starbucks down the block.  By this time, half the morning is gone.  The people here are very relaxed when it come to work.  This goes back to the first sentence.  Keep reading....

Had a meeting with the client today.  We talked about getting our equipment out of Customs.  This is how it works.  The client needs to draft a letter.  The letter is sent to Water Authority of Jordan WAJ.  From there, it needs a total of 8 stamps and signatures.  Ink style stamps like when you get your passport stamped.  This letter sometimes gets delivered to the next person to stamp and sign, most of the time it ends on sitting on a desk in limbo.  I can foresee that is someone's job to hand this letter to the next person, and it is not getting done.  Wait, I am not done.  As it gets passed thought these 8 people it needs to be signed by the HNIC at WAJ.  Then the letter might get released to the customs officials.  ADS has had this letter drafted and sent to WAJ for over a month, and it still missing signatures and stamps.

Once it gets to customs, there is a 48 hour window when the property can be retrieved.  This also may include a handful of Jordanian Dollars to "expedite" the process.  Known as "slicking the hand". 

Went to the Jordanian equivalent of Best Buy called Smart Buy.  I got a prepaid phone for local calls.  In case I am involved in an accident, I can call the office guys.  I just found out today, that if you are in an car accident, and someone gets hurt, no matter whose fault it is, the police will lock you up.  They do this for your protection from the opposing family.  The opposing family has the RIGHT to seek revenge from you within 72 hours.  The whole eye for an eye thing.  Isn't that fucking crazy?  It seems like this being the law, that drivers would be more careful.