Yesterday was supposed to be a religious holiday that we are used to and we always got a day off for it, only this year, it was decided that we have to work unlike other countries who took the day off. And this morning while I was driving to work, I was listening to the radio where they were talking about postponing schools till after Eid, but the spokesman from the education ministry announced that school year will start in its scheduled time and that there would be no consideration that it starts at the same time as Ramadan and arguing that we should not be a lazy nation!!

But what about the consideration for the simplest rights one should have and enjoy?? If you want to cut all public holidays and turn the whole year to working days, why don’t you consider increasing vacation days the Jordanian worker is allowed to take????

A Jordanian worker has only 14 days a year for a vacation; when exactly is this going to change?

Most countries have 21 working days or one calendar month a year and I cannot think of a good reason why we are still stuck at the 14 days?

People working in Jordan have to accumulate their vacations for a couple of years to be able to take one decent vacation and they look forward to these public holidays that are scattered around the year so that they can enjoy a random day out with the family or just resting at home and now they are taking that away from us!!

It pisses me off when I see the country flooded with tourists and expats during the summer for a month or so while we are stuck in our long working days and not even able to take a few days off to see relatives and enjoy the summer like the rest of the world because all what we have is 14 days, and we try to keep them for major issues during the year or to add them to the balance of last year to have a good long needed vacation. These expats and tourists coming from other countries have jobs too, but they are not enslaved by these jobs and they have good vacation balance every year which allows them to travel and refresh and they go back to work energized and willing, which makes them more tolerable to difficult working conditions, while their peers in Jordan have piled up fatigue and frustration because they cannot afford to take unpaid leaves and the labor law does not give them better options … and the world wonders why Jordanians frown and have a big “kashrah” and do not smile …

In France, they reduced working hours to 7 instead of 8, which allowed them to introduce shifting systems that provided more work opportunities for the jobless, and they also increased the annual vacation days to 35, and did you know that in France, universities do not have summer semesters because people should rest and have fun in the summer which is a concept that does not exist here!!

In Cyprus, donkeys have lunch breaks because they have the right to relax and take some time off work as this is the simplest right any creature needs, but in Jordan; we are canceling public holidays because we should not be a lazy nation … give me a break!!!

This guy from the education ministry argued that they do not want to reschedule the school year because we should not be a lazy nation, but did they even spend one minute to consider the huge traffic problems that schools create? add that to Ramadan traffic problems and the excessive heat along with an angry populace, well; these are the ingredients of a disaster waiting to happen if you ask me …

With all the problems that we have in Jordan, we need 100 human rights organizations because one will not be able to cover them all …

I believe that we have all been there … when you are at a red light and all of a sudden, another car flies past you from the left just when the light becomes green … justification; he is a better driver and he is entitled to do that simply because his time is more valuable and precious than yours … so what if he scares you to death in the process?? Live with it and eat your heart out because he won the race to hell …

How many times were you standing in line and someone just squeezes in front of you? how many times were you waiting for a parking spot to become available only to be shocked by another car filling it before you even get the chance to do anything? Why wouldn’t they stop at the red light when there is no one around? why do they have to break the law just because they can? and they get away with it? and no one is watching? and even when there is someone watching, they don’t do anything? Does this mean that we are giving them the green light to break all red lights????

We go around every day and see all these violations and they have become a part of our daily life. Like yesterday; I passed by a retail outlet on my way home to buy a few things and there was a car that was going around the parking lot, and the guy parked his car in the taxis area where there is a huge sign that says “For Pick up and Drop off ONLY” … and then five people get out of the car, men and women, and they head in the exit door direction, they wait there until someone comes near the door from the inside to exit and they push their way inside with the shopping cart and everything … and just as I was about to forget about the whole incident when I was walking through the aisles inside … all of a sudden; I smell cigarettes and I was thinking that it is a “No Smoking” zone inside the shop only to come face to face with the same guy proudly sniffing his cigarette and blowing the smoke here and there …

Now as much as this sounds like a normal scene in our daily life, what strikes me is that no one stops this kind of behavior. It is really good to have laws and regulations, but what is the point if we do not enforce them? What is the benefit if people keep breaking the laws and bragging about it? What is the guarantee that this person who is breaking these simple laws will not one day break bigger and more severe and dangerous ones?

The dangerous sign here is not the fact that we have people breaking these simple laws; what is more dangerous and more alarming is that we have come to accept this fact and live with it. It does not surprise us any more and that is the real problem!!

If we are not going to implement laws properly and correctly, and enforce them on everyone in the community, then we might as well not put them to begin with … at least those who do not break the laws (and they are becoming less every day) would not feel that they are less humans and less important citizens … but hey … that’s only my humble opinion!!!

It is not a surprise nor is it a shock to expect violations from valet parking personnel such as taking something from your car (which the valet company is NOT responsible for) or they can take a ride in your car (unless you know the reading on your gas meter and your mileage meter … seriously, how would you know??)

We have seen this happen in movies all too many times, but it is happening right at home dear folks … yes; you heard that right: valet parking is the newest way for car theft in Amman!!

It happened to my sister’s friend … she was going to this store in Sweifieh where they have valet parking service and as usual; she handed her car to this gentlemen dressed in a uniform and he even gave her a number for her car. Not suspecting anything; she went in the store and continued her trip as she planned it; what she did not plan or anticipate was that she would not find her very expensive car when she went out because the guy simply took it and run!!!

Seriously now; do you remember the face of the guy who takes your car to park it for you? Would you be able to describe him to the police if needed? Do you even look at the guy’s face to begin with?

Come to think of it; we have become victims to our own convictions that this is a safe service just because it is provided by reputable institutions and we never question the possibility that something bad might happen … we do not double check if the person taking our car is actually a part of the crew hired for that specific job … I mean when we go to crowded places like Mecca Mall for example; more often than not, you are required to wait till one of the valet personnel is available to take your car because they are busy running around to park or bring other cars, so hypothetically speaking; anyone can come to you and pretend he is one of the crew and take your car and run away!!!

The VIP service is turning out to be not so VIP after all and that we should not feel so privileged as we willingly hand over our cars to some stranger to park it right next to where we can park it ourselves!!!

On another note; if and when a car is stolen by impersonating a valet personnel, what is the liability of the valet company or the institution providing the service?? Should they be legally liable? Do they even check the backgrounds of the personnel doing this job before hiring them? What precautions can we take into consideration as we go for this service?

I say we park our cars on our own even if takes more time and more distance to do so because I bet it does not feel good to lose your car in such a humiliating manner.

I quote Greg Gagliardi in his article: Valet Parking: Theft with Consent

“That’s right — valet parking is the one time when we are basically telling a stranger, “Go ahead, steal my car. I trust that it’ll be here later.” And sure, virtually 100% of the time it is. But what about that 0% of the time when your car just isn’t there and that valet parker turns out to be a person who knows how to find the appropriate attire online? Furthermore, what is the guarantee that your stuff inside the car will still be there? This is a time period when the valet can do anything he wants with your car — change the radio station, eat your food, kill your friend still sitting in the passenger seat — so we need to think more carefully about why we continue to utilize this system…” [Source…]

So, valet parking anyone???

Do you still wonder why Amman is the most expensive capital in the Arab World???

Ramadan is a visitor that shows up once a year; we see a lot of actions and reactions before, during and after this month yet we receive it with the excitement and greetings year in and year out because it symbolizes a lot of things to us. It is the month when we feel closer to God, it is the month that we see people’s behaviors when they are fasting and angry about it, we see them going into consumption and buying frenzy, we see them driving like maniacs and having street fights, we see all sorts of negative attitudes and people refer it to the fact that they cannot drink, eat or smoke.

On the other hand; we see people visiting each other more, we see them praying more, we see them helping each other more, we see them supporting those who are needier or poorer and they feel happy about it because they get this satisfying feeling of doing what is right even for once a year.

In old days, Ramadan was a sacred time for the whole family … I remember when we used to invite people over for Iftar and Gatayef … I remember how my mother used to take advantage of the long fasting hours to prepare meals that take time like wara2 3enab, kobbeh, sheshbarak, and many others … I remember how my grandmother (Allah bless her soul) used to bake bread for us right before Iftar and we used to consume it as if there was no other food … I remember my grandfather (Allah bless his soul) when he used to come to our house in Ramadan and Eid with his pockets filled with candy for us … AAHHH!! Those were the days!!

I also remember that people used to be more respectful for others’ feelings in Ramadan … if for any reason someone was not able to fast or even chose not to fast, they were discreet about it because they were tactful and courteous towards others. Unfortunately; what we see these days is that not only people choose not to fast but they also make sure everyone around them knows that they are choosing not to fast and practically rubbing food, drink and cigarettes in fasters’ faces; now that’s what I call rude, disrespectful and totally vulgar.

We see our Christian colleagues and friends supportive of us practicing our beliefs and there is no limit to our appreciation of what they do (or don’t do) but it is our Muslim brothers and sisters who are showing this much of disrespect to us and to our belief. It saddens me when I see such behaviors from educated adults who are well aware of what they are doing. I know that some of you will say: if you don’t like or approve, just look the other way and I can always do that but when people challenge and dare others, laugh in their faces as if they are not doing anything wrong … now that truly pisses me off … imagine when you have to wake up in the morning and go to work only to find someone who is drinking coffee with the smell climbing up to your brain through your nose and you cannot taste it … imagine if you were a smoker and craved a cigarette while someone is blowing the smoke in your face … or if in the middle of the day when you are hungry and cannot focus on your work, someone walks in with a sandwich and eats it while you are smelling and looking … that’s truly a sad thing to witness and believe me I did see it and was speechless as people who are that rude, can come up with any sort of answer if you even point out that if what they are doing is wrong or shameful …

I am really sorry and disappointed when I see such things and I reach a stage where I feel disgusted that we reached such a phase in our lives that people have and show no consideration or respect to others’ feelings and it makes me really scared of what is yet to come and what role model are we setting for the coming generations …