Jordan

Greetings

Man greeting Man - Men usually greet one another using the phrase ‘Salaamu Aleikum’ (it means peace be upon you). The appropriate response is Wa'aleikum as-salamma, which means and on peace be you. This is accompanied by a warm handshake (always use the right hand). Handshakes usually linger a bit. When greeting a good friend or someone familiar, a series of between three and five kisses to the cheek will be included in the introduction. (See note below)

Woman greeting Woman - Women greet each other in a similar manner to men. Handshakes(always use the right hand) and kisses are common. During initial meetings, a verbal greeting is also acceptable for many people.

Man greeting Woman - Social interactions between non-related members of the opposite sex are not frequent, so as a result the handshake will usually not be included in the introduction. You will be able to tell if the person you are being introduced to is leery of a handshake as they will fold their hand up and across their chest to let you know they do not intend to shake hands. Always wait for the woman to initiate, if at all.

Note: When greeting a good friend or someone familiar, a series of between three and five kisses to the cheek will be included in the introduction. The timing and number of kisses (only done between members of the same sex) can actually indicate the region, family, or tribe that the people belong to. The first kiss in the sequence is always given to the other person’s left cheek. The following two to four kisses occur on the right cheek of the person you are greeting.

During this greeting sequence, other phrases and questions will be asked, including ‘Shu Akhbarak, Shlonak, Keif Halak, and Keif Sahhtak’. These phrases literally translate to what is your news, what is your color, how are you, and how is your health. These more familiar greetings only happen between friends and family members of the same sex.

It is also important to note that when meeting a group of people, greetings start with the person on the right, and continue on to the last person on the left.

Communication Style

• In Jordan, people tend to be very direct with their communication style regardless of what the discussion is about. This is especially the case for foreign visitors.
• Jordanians will often be very interested to know exact details about your political background, religious beliefs, how much you pay for things, your salary and even details about your family and prospects for marriage. However, it is considered impolite to discuss your relationship with your spouse.
• Compliment giving is an important part of establishing and growing relationships.

Personal Space & Touch

• The amount of personal space that one is given depends greatly on the situation.
• In a relaxed setting while visiting, people will have their own sitting space and not generally be seated closer than one arm’s length distance from the next person.
• Most houses also have designated guest and sitting rooms with chairs, couches, or the traditional ‘farsha’, a covered mattress about a half foot thick with arm rests spaced between people to designate ‘their’ sitting area.
• In an informal situation such as walking down the street, people will tend to walk very close together in small groups. It is common for good friends of the same sex to hold hands or interlock arms while walking and talking together. This is a way of expressing their friendship.
• In general, the more familiar people are with each other, such as friends and family, the closer they tend to sit or stand with each other when doing most activities.

Eye Contact

• In Jordan, age and a seniority system are very important. As a result, the wishes and opinions of anyone older than you are respected and followed. Additionally, direct eye contact is almost always given when the family elder or leader of the ‘diwan’ is speaking.
• In less formal situations amongst friends, direct eye contact is not always made and is not always necessary. However, respect for elders and parents are highly regarded, and this translates to eye contact when these people are speaking.

Gestures

• Some of the most common facial expressions are used to say ‘no’ or negate something. This can be done by raising the eyebrows and nodding the head up slightly or by making a ‘tch’ sound by pulling the tongue off the roof of one’s mouth, or to really emphasize the point, combine both of these actions.
• To signify confusion about ‘what’ or ‘where’ something is, you can use your right hand, extend the fingers out, and turn the entire hand to your right between one and three times.
• To point to something, one will generally use the entire right hand as opposed to using a finger.
• Click here for various rituals to be aware of if you are invited to a Jordanian home.

Views of Time

• Time and punctuality can be tricky issue in Jordan. When meeting a group in any situation, it is expected that coffee and tea will be offered before the beginning of any meeting or event. As a result, designated start times can be and often are pushed back while the social formalities of tea and coffee are completed.
• It is a good idea as a foreigner to arrive on time for appointments even though you may be kept waiting. It is best to avoid arriving before the appointed time.
• An additional factor that can complicate punctuality is the difficulty of traveling from place to place. Buses and group taxis known as ‘cerveezas’ will not leave until they are full of passengers. There is no time schedule for the smaller buses that travel between towns and within cities. The only buses that tend to run on a schedule are the Hijazy or Jett company buses that run from Amman to Aqaba or Amman to other capital cities in the region.

Gender Roles

• In Jordan, the role of women is slowly beginning to change. It is generally considered the women’s role to take care of the family by staying home with children, cooking or cleaning while the man works and provides the income.
• Recently, in Amman and some of the other larger cities, women are becoming more involved in business, other fields of employment, and attending university. Still, it is generally considered unacceptable for a woman to be doing manual or physical labor with a job.
• For a foreign woman in Amman, working and studying will not be much of a surprise. But in some of the smaller or more conservative areas of the country, it will be strange to see a foreign woman at all, let alone working.
• Women should also not sit in the front seat of a taxi. It is uncommon for an unrelated man and a woman to be seen alone together, and in a taxi this can lead to awkward or potentially dangerous situations.

Taboos

• One gesture to be very careful with is the ‘ok’ symbol sometimes used in Jordan. If you put your thumb and index finger together and raise the other three fingers up, this is a threatening gesture meaning that you will or would hit the other person. If you hold this hand gesture up while you are speaking, it indicates that you are very angry with the person or the situation.
• Specific behaviors and gestures that are considered particularly rude include wearing shorts in public, using the left hand to eat or for greetings, making any kind of gesture with the middle finger, and being suspected of having drunk alcohol or being intoxicated.
• Avoid showing the sole of your foot or using the foot to move anything as it is viewed as the lowliest body part. This includes pointing the toe or heel or any part of the foot at any person.
• Avoid crossing your legs when in the presence of elders as it is considered disrespectful.

Law & Order

• Drinking alcohol is taboo in Jordan, but there are still liquor stores that primarily serve the touristy areas of the country or cities with notable non-Muslim populations.
• There is no enforced smoking age, and it is not uncommon to see young children and high school students smoking cigarettes.
• Other laws that are strongly enforced and can result in lengthy prison sentences include changing a person’s name, converting to a religion other than Islam, and speaking negatively of the royal family and King.
• There is also a strong intelligence/monitoring organization that checks for activities deemed dangerous to the nation. These illegal activities include homosexuality, links to Extremist or Fundamentalist religious and political organizations, and heavy metal music which can implicate you with ties to Satanism or illegal drug use.

• Penalties for possession, trafficking, or use of illegal drugs are serious. Offenders can expect jail sentences and/or heavy fines.

Dress

• For Men – Conservative suits and ties are common for initial meetings. Darker colors are the way to go. Business casual attire is becoming more and more acceptable in many industries.
• For Women - Conservative yet stylish is a good choice. Avoid wearing overly expensive accessories, dresses/skirts cut above the knee, low necklines and sleeveless attire. Sleeves should cover at least to the elbow, up to the wrist tends to be the norm. Pants are acceptable.
• Jeans and shorts are not worn in business situations.

Titles & Business Cards

• There is no formal protocol surround the giving and receiving of business cards. It is always best to treat the card with respect.
• It is best to use the titles Mr., Mrs., and Miss, until you are on a first name basis.
• It is common to use the English title followed by your Jordanian counterpart’s first name. For example, Mr. Omar.

Meetings

• It is best to arrive on time for meetings, even though you may be kept waiting.
• Greetings and introductions are an important part of the process. See the greetings section for details.
• Expect 5-10 minutes of small talk before the business discussions begin. It is recommended to allow your Jordanian host to dictate the agenda.
• If you are offered a drink or an invitation to have a drink after the meeting, it is polite to decline after which the offer will be extended again and again. It is common protocol to accept after the third offer.

Gift Giving

• Gifts are not generally exchanged at initial business meetings.
• If invited to a Jordanian home, an appropriate gift would be sweets or a plant.
• Gifts should be of modest cost as anything overly expensive may be viewed as a bribe or insult.

In the Classroom

• The Jordanian grading scale is based out of 100. Typically, a passing mark stands at 50 for most classes at the primary and secondary level, but might be elevated to 60 for certain courses at the university level. Receiving scores and grades above a 90 is very uncommon at the university level.
• Typically, the school year begins during the last week of August or the first week of September and is divided into two semesters that last about 15 weeks.
• University students typically dress very nicely. Short pants are almost completely unheard of as appropriate attire on and off a college campus. Anyone that does wear shorts is quickly identifiable as either tourists or people about to participate in an athletic event. Even in the hotter months, short sleeve shirts are uncommon, but not out of the question for males.
• Female students rarely wear clothing that does not cover the arms regardless of the season. For hotter months, lighter material clothing is typically worn, compared to the winter when jackets and layers are worn.
• In addition to nice clothing, dress shoes are typically worn to university and are always kept clean.
• Females are not required to wear a hijab (head scarf) but is common at the university levels. It is more common to find the hijab at the university the further away you go from the capital Amman or at universities in more conservative communities.

Other Observations

• For travelers who get invited into a home as a guest, there are many tips to remember about the coffee and tea that will be served. The host will offer bitter, Arabic coffee known as ‘Gahuwa Murra’ in a very small coffee cup. As with the greetings for a group, coffee will be served first to whoever is on the right, and continue on to the right. The coffee that is served is will be very hot, so it is acceptable to drink it in about 4 or 5 sips. If you simply hand the cup back to the person who poured the coffee, you will be given another cup.
• The traditional limit on cups of coffee that you should drink is 3. If you have had your fill after one cup, you must shake the empty cup of coffee back and forth from right to left between two and four times before handing it to your host. This is the unspoken way to let them know you are finished with your coffee.
• An invited family member will put the coffee down and make a request. The coffee cannot be consumed until the request has been answered. Very shortly after the coffee has been served, very sweet tea, known as ‘shai’ will be served. There is no limit to how many cups of tea you are expected to drink. Your cup will be refilled as often as you empty it. If you have finished your tea, you can put your hand over the top of the cup when the hosts begin moving to refill your cup.
• If you do not drink your first cup of coffee, the hosts will think that you have come to ask something from them. This is actually how many marriage proposals begin.
• Before beginning a trip in a taxi, you should check to make sure the meter works or that it will be used. This can avoid a situation where you negotiate your price after the trip has happened and you end up paying much more than you should have.

• Most foreign students that come to study in Jordan are from other Middle Eastern nation or Southeastern Asia. Countries with particularly high numbers of students studying at Jordanian universities include China, Malaysia and Palestine.
• Additionally, foreign students wishing to study at a university in one city but live in another have flexibility to do this. Jordan has a fairly large number of inter-city buses that serve only university students. In some instances, students can travel one to two hours from their city of residence to their university on a free or subsidized bus.