Back in the HK of J

So, I’m back from my short trip to J-ru. I am feeling refreshed and ready to dive in full force now. It was nice to be in Israel and spend time with friends, but I am liking it here, too. There is very little signage at the Allenby/King Hussien border, which led to some confusion and my standing in the wrong line for 20 mins, talking to a big group of Christian Canadian tourists who asked me questions, like ‘is it ok to drink the water’ and ‘are cars in Amman like the US?’ who were in for a BIG surprise. I know you are supposed to pay a (hefty) exit fee when you leave Israel. I have read it in books and experienced it at many land crossings. THEN WHY DON”T THEY PUT UP A SIGN? How was I supposed to know I needed to go to the “change point” to give them money? I thought that was where you CHANGE money. Needless to say, I had to pay the 134 NIS fee (about $35!), and yelled at the woman in the booth about the confusion. While on the 5 minute, $3 bus ride across the bridge, the driver collected all of our passports. When I got to the “other side” we all went to the window to pick up our inspected passports. But mine never came. The man behind the window did not believe I gave my prized American passport to the driver, and made me go through my things. Then I watched as he and a few colleagues ran around the terminal for a while, in order to locate said passport. 10 minutes later it was back in my hand, with no explanation as to its temporary whereabouts….
So now I am back in Amman. Yes, I have an apartment. Right now it is just me, but I will try to find a roommate. This whole on my own thing isn’t so bad, so far. The super speaks good English (although during the negotiation process he seemed to not) and I have a nice view of the city with it’s HUGE Jordanian flag. If only the hot water worked…
Soon, insha alla, soon.