A question I wholeheartedly despise. Because I don’t know how to answer it using one word only. The interesting thing is that the majority in Jordan are from Palestinian origins yet they find it entertaining to ask. And who cares anyway? Pali-Jordanian or just Jordanian, what difference does it make?
The taxi driver: You’re not from here, are you?
Me: ?
The taxi driver: Because you don’t know where the hotel is, you don’t seem to know the area
Me: lol yea actually I’m not. I’m new in Jordan but I was born here.
The taxi driver: So where are you from? Syria?
Me: No, I’m Jordanian but I used to live in the U.A.E
The taxi driver: But you have a Palestinian accent
Me: Oh yea I’m Palestinian (dammit, what is wrong with people in this country, I’m Jordanian and Palestinian or Jordanian from Palestinian origins, doesn’t matter to me. Do I have to explain this to people even though it’s obvious?!)
The taxi driver: So where are you from? U.A.E, Jordan or Palestinian? lol (that wasn’t funny)
Me: Well I’m Palestinian but I have the Jordanian nationality you know. (if that’s what you want to hear)
The taxi driver: Ah yes, because you don’t sound like an Emirati to me lol. So you don’t have a Palestinian passport?
Me: No, no identification paper either.
The taxi driver: I see
And then he went on and on about how Jordan sucks more than any other country and how he’s willing to do anything in order to leave it, said I’ll hate it within two months max.
Goodbye tourism!
Popularity: 7% [?]
أنا كثير بكره هذا السؤال بس ببتÙاجا Øتى المخابرات بتسألك إياه مرة كنت بدي أخذ Øسن سلوك عشان أطلع على السعودية كانت النتيجة أنو سألني من وين أنت Øكيتلوا من جرش قلي وأبوك قلتلوا من جرش قلي يعني من وين قلتلوا وجدي من جرش Ùˆ جد أبوي من جرش Ùˆ جد جدي من Ùلسطين
had bas bedo ye6og 7anak…zay 95% men shofryet al taxasi fe al ordon :re:
When taking a cab:
Rule No. 1: Never ever give the driver the impression that you don’t know your way around…even if you don’t know where the hell you’re going or where you are!
so, where in Palestine are you from? :p
next time when you ride a taxi and the cab driver start asking you questions, just give him one answer with “garfaneh accent” and give some “Jordanian kashrah” this way he will never think of asking you another question …
Iman, guess.
I know it absolutely sucks. I didn’t grow up with the whole Jordanian-Palestinian 3o2deh while living in the Gulf so it seriously gets on my nerves. I usually resort to completely ignoring such questions, or just saying “Ma dakhalak”.
Hai el as2eleh 3ashan ye7ki 3an jordan ya3ni bel 2a5er !
CheeerZ!
maybe this particular taxi driver wanted to open any subject just to “yet7arkash”, however, and unfortunately, to many people whether jordanian of palestinian origin or easter jordanian, this issue seems to matter and may interfere in many ways of our lives. I am of palestinian origin and grew up in Nablus until i was 14, and now i am married to women from Salt (Jordan). I was extremely happy to defy was colonism tried to spread in the greater Syria early last century and proved to all who might have objected my move that we are all united, we melt in one cubicle; East or West, we are the best and one. Intrestingly, you may want to follow about Adnan Abu Odeh concept and the remarks of Yaser abu hilaleh appearing in jordanplant. Further more, i have many very close friends who are East Jordanian and closer to me than my brother
Even though i would *NOT* advice pursuing discussion with Taxi Drivers, but if you had to say one thing, you could only tell him that people like him do contribute to the destruction of our unity and cannot be doing any better favour to our common enemies nor making them any happier. What else can an enemy hope for other than the segreggation of us, making us the PERFECT enemy for Israel
Sorry for giving this attention more that it merits
Ammar sajdi
it’s a tough needle to thread. if i was palestinian i wouldnt want to say anything even in speech that my imply a loss of my identity or heritage..at least for my sake.
the circumstances are to blame.
palestinians are forced to walk a fine line and in my opinion there’s really no right answer. some palestinians feel they identify with jordan first so that’s what they say first, some make it a point to say ‘palestinian’. some will say jordan because they’ve never seen palestine and this what they know as “home”. some say palestine because they dont want to lose that part of their identity, even in language. some say palestine because they like to shove it in people’s faces for some reason, even when those people are the closest people to them on the planet. some say jordan because they’re just used to it.
the problem is not so much with the question “where are you from?”
but rather the follow up “jordanian-jordanian? or jordanian-palestinian?”. and like i said, there’s no right answer. in my opinion people should say what they feel most comfortable with and let the questioner deal with the answer they’ve requested. you probably won’t see them again so there’s no point and at the end of the day it’s just a silly silly silly thing to split hairs about (literally). the consequences of the answer are nothing big either
i7keeloh zay ma bte7ki majida el roomy:
من أرض Ùيها شمس الØب تعانق Ùجر الØرية
And I’m 99% thathe will either throw you out of the taxi, or jump offhte wind shield himself
this question bugs me alot!!
what if i were from mozambique!! wld that make much of difference?
usually in these cases when ppl start asking me “where the hell am i from?” i answer “men hon” LOL the problem goes when he replies back
he: ah ya3ni men hon wila men hnak
i say then:nos nos :p
just as little note shado : when taking a cab and you are all by yourself.
never give the impression you are even listening to their talkings. saves you headache :p
Ola : bel 3aks u r giving them more chance to babble haik!!
they ll ask u : “shu hathi?? ” :d
I want you guys to know that it’s not about taxi drivers, it’s about this stupid question I have to answer everytime I meet someone for the first time, not because they want to know my nationality but rather to know if I’m Jordanian-Jordanian or Jordanian-Palestinian, yours truly did not know that at first. As Roba said, I’ve never seen this in the U.A.E, unless I’m talking to a non-Arab I alway introduce myself as a Jordanian, because I am. And because I don’t owe it to anyone to reveal my bloodline especially when everybody knows that many Palestinians migrated to Jordan nearly 60 years ago, we Arabs know that, we Palestinians know that so what the heck is this all about?!
And I’m sorry to disappoint some people but I refuse to carry such a burden everyday, that I have to say that my grandfather lived and died in Palestine and that we’re originally from Haifa just to please you. It certainly does not make me feel great to talk about it, I don’t give a damn about what some stupid people will think of me if I didn’t go back 60 years in time every single time I meet someone new, it’s nobody’s damn business if I feel that Jordan is my home, and a very very important thing is that my intelligence is insulted by such a question, obviously I’m Jordanian and not Indian, not even Syrian, and this is just as much as anyone needs to know.
It would’ve been different if I live in the U.S, but this is Jordan for God’s sake.
Why would your intelligence by insulted by such question? If it doesn’t mater to you nor do you give a damn, then I don’t see why it should be insulting.
The question itself is curiosity driven, considering how a great majority of Jordan’s population is Palestinian-Jordanian … It’s not insulting nor is it meant to be … nor is it an attempt to solicit a pre-set answer! at the end of the day, it’s your call to identify yourself with what you’re more comfortable with and if you don’t feel like answering such questions, then by all means don’t
I agree with Iman and Nas. You can either refrain from answering the question, or simply answer by identifying yourself with what you feel more comfortable with.
Great post, as if you’re talking about my suffering. Not only this happens in Jordan but in the whole Arab world. People are so obsessed about it, simply so they can make stereotype you and make prejudgments about – the world is much simpler that way.
In a trip to Abu Dhabi, while leaving the airport - and finished with immigration - I saw this security/policeman up front staring at me, there were two European looking men in suits in front of me, they went past him and he said nothing to them.
When I approached, he stopped me and asked in Arabic “Where are you coming from?”,
I knew where this is going so I decided to have little fun with and speak English instead.
I said: “Can you please say that in English”
He was little taken a back and asked me again in English to which I replied “Qatar”
Then he asked me “Where’re you going”
I said “Abu Dhabi of course, where else” and the he let me go, yes that simple.
He didn’t ask for my passport, documents … nothing. As if he just wanted to know if I was an Arab or spoke Arabic (which I do).