What Are You Looking At?
I’ve noticed it a lot lately. Jordanians tend to stare. And I mean STARE. People don’t just look and then turn away; they leer! The only thing that would make the whole experience more annoying would be if they had their mouths hanging wide open. Or were wearing x-ray glasses.
Do I look green? Do I have antennae? What’s the attraction?
And I’m a dude! I can only imagine what you beautiful women have to deal with.
Qabbani December 3rd, 2007 7:40 am
LOOOOOL
Man , come on ur a good looking guy
You know what, they stare in many things , even stare in me , so feel cool
plus you look like a tourist but you don’t act like a tourist
so that a bit strange here you know 
take it easy dude,oh another thing try not to smile a lot i guess that why they stare at me for
beccaboomer December 3rd, 2007 7:57 am
I love reading your posts because I’m also an American living in Jordan so I can relate to the staring thing. I think it’s normal that most people tend to quickly look the other way if they are caught staring at someone else but not the Jordanians. Did you ever try a staring contest? It could last for a long time.
Qwaider قويدر December 3rd, 2007 8:09 am
You waltz in there, with your CIA-shoot-me look and people get intimidated what you’re going to do next!
But, I’m sorry for your agony
secratea December 3rd, 2007 8:52 am
I completely agree with you, Jordanians stare!
But I wouldn’t stop there, I’d also say that lots of people in other areas of the world stare too.
From my personal experience, living in the Southern region of the US, specifically a place that is predominantly white, I have to deal with staring people as well. That does not only happen around town, it happens on my way to school. I get on the bus( public for students and residence of the area), and then OMG! Not only do I get the staring man, but also the mouths half-way hanging, loool!
Now, is that because I look like an outsider, or let me say an international student (since I am talking about campus area)? Maybe. But I’ll tell you this! All my International friends, whether boys or girls, have problems with the staring people in town. This is a campus that’s been hosting international students since early 1950s.
Cheers Dave! Being outsiders, it looks like we both go through similar experiences after all.
Awartany December 3rd, 2007 8:52 am
You know, this is one habit of our too many strange things we tend to do. It’s not because who you are, it’s applicable on everyone even Jordanians themselves! Another habit is our smile
Jordanians love to frown!
kinzi December 3rd, 2007 10:14 am
You are just too darn cute, Dave. I bet your wife gets it worse. I started wearing sunglasses all the time now, I thought if people are going to stare at me like a movie star, I might as well look like one.
Sometimes, when the staring is happening at a stoplight, my son will roll down the window and ask them if they have a problem he can help them with. He is such an Urdani guy now.
Emily December 3rd, 2007 12:38 pm
When I first came to Amman last Fall on the SIT semester program, a warning that staring is “more culturally acceptable” here and is to be expected in excess was part of our orientation lectures. As everyone else has noted … you’re at least not alone in this. I love Kinzi’s movie star glasses idea, especially because it might correct my mistakes - I mean, making eye contact. At all. I find that Abdali is the worst place for starting, hissing, being grabbed - it was worse before the buses moved to Raghadan of course - but the best method I’ve found for getting down the street without being upset by it is to put in my headphones and remain blissfully ignorant.
Shaden December 3rd, 2007 2:48 pm
I think I wrote about this before, Jordanians have serious staring problems and as you said, they don’t just look and then turn away! but I’ve learned how to cope with it, I give them a very serious look and make sure they know that I know they’re staring, and also that I know they know that I’m staring back
seriously, it’s very impolite and annoying. Some people even talk about you and whisper while looking at you! and they know that you know they’re talking about you but they don’t seem to care!
Dave December 3rd, 2007 3:35 pm
I’ve heard rumors that over half the country has some sort of involvement with the Mukhabarat, so maybe that’s why everyone makes my business their business.
Hal December 3rd, 2007 4:17 pm
Naaaah, they probably just like what you’re wearing.
We beautiful women have learned to live with really big sunglasses and to take it all in our stride.
Ola December 3rd, 2007 4:45 pm
It’s like a Jordanian trade mark, everyone stares at everyone… but don’t forget that you’re “an American in Jordan” and you absolutely look like one, which easily qualifies you as a gaping-target
Besides, this country is too small, so it’s more likely than not that every now or then you’ll see someone you saw or “thought” you saw before…
But you know the worst part of this is that many people would gaze at you, but very few would smile. Worse yet, is when you smile at them and they just turn their eyes to something else…
7aki Fadi December 3rd, 2007 5:19 pm
It is annoying as hell, and once you stare back as you said they don’t care they keep leering.
This is the one thing that I hate MOST about Jordan.
So when I came to Canada, nobody looked at me I thought, why is no body lookign at me? LOL. I actualy felt that nobody appreciates my good looks here, heehhehe.
Dave December 3rd, 2007 5:30 pm
Ola, maybe I should just start smiling at everyone in order to keep them from staring. But that’s too much effort on my part when they’re the ones being rude.
7aki, I have the same problem. I can’t tell whether they are appreciating my dashing good looks or simply staring just for the heck of it. I can forgive the former.
hatem abunimeh December 3rd, 2007 10:15 pm
Dave,
If you are sincere about eliminating the stares once and for all, I have the perfect solution for you. Remember the movie Lawrence of Arabia and how T.E. Lawrence concealed his identity by wearing the Arabian head dress, you can do the same thing and I guarantee you no one would bother looking at you any more, and I mean that goes for both genders. Try it for few days and let us know. (No pun intended)
Maher December 4th, 2007 1:08 am
hey dude. this is my first visit to your blog.
i honestly hate the fact the Jordanians stare.
I believe it all goes under one category that people are stupid..all the people!
ma December 4th, 2007 3:14 am
LOL Dave, Jordanians stare @ everybody, not just foreigners. I was once reading an article that said staring is also common in Spain, Italy and other areas. Everybody stares @ everybody, and a lot of women tend to check out their fellow females too! kinda creeped me out when i was in Jordan, especially when I’d go to parties. I ditto Emily. Abdali and Raghadan are the worst. A guy once grabbed my ass in Raghadan! and the kind of comments i hear are near pornographic!
Um Omar December 4th, 2007 3:29 pm
And then while they are staring, they will nudge their friend and start talking about you right in front of your face. That is so lovely. God forbid you might be a Muslim woman who speaks both English and Arabic in public. That is just a scene. People need to get a life around here.
3awwad December 4th, 2007 6:32 pm
Yes i stare because you don’t look brown like us. It’s really freaks me out to see a redneck roaming Amman. I wonder when are yo going to bomb us.
asoom December 4th, 2007 10:51 pm
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL, did you just now make that discovery. You know there’s this facebook group titled “arab have the biggest staring problem” and I laughed for like 30 minutes straight at the gallery pic.
One time I tried the staring back technique people are talking about, and it didn’t work the person just kept staring and it turned really awkward really fast so I turned away and let them stare on.
Moey December 8th, 2007 5:55 pm
I’m a celebrity
I get the looks everywhere but again, I’m the son of the devil for some people here, I have piercings, fake blonde and I wear t-shirts that say FUCK so they have a right to stare, in your case they don’t.
Saned December 15th, 2007 6:14 pm
My case is worse. Not only do I look extremely white, I also *apparently* have an Arabic accent. So all the cabbie drivers think I’m either a foreigner who speaks crappy Arabic, or an Arab-American who also speaks crappy Arabic. It’s so annoying, especially when they start talking about taboos assuming you’re more open and to show that they are cool. Oh well
Anisah January 28th, 2008 2:36 am
They stare more at women who are obviously not Arab. That was my experience when I lived there. And I’m such a paleface! I do miss Jordan a bit.
Anisah