Three Things Interesting This Week.

So this week was filled with interesting things that happened. These are common in Jordan, but new and unusual to me.

1. I was pulled over yesterday on my way home from Arabic class. There are police-men and women who stand on the circles and high traffic areas. They are there to help direct traffic and to pull people like me over. We shipped our car here and still have our Wisconsin license plates on the car. We have done the necessary paperwork to keep our car legal as long as possible, before we either have to pay the outrageous tax to get Jordanian plates or to sell our car. Either way, we can drive our car this way under my Wisconsin drivers license as well. Hubby has showed me all the paperwork that I need to show the police, just in case of a day, like yesterday, when I indeed was pulled over. The officer didn't speak English and I didn't understand his Arabic, so we played the 'I'm sorry I don't understand you' game for a while. Then I showed him my driver's license and he proceeded to ask for the paperwork Hubby had showed me. I pulled it out and showed it to him. He started reading it, smiled and asked, "my/husbands last name?!, "his family name?!"..."Yes, my husband is ____, ____" I told him in Arabic. Then he smiles some more, returns to me my paperwork and tells me to have a nice day. ~It's all about who you know and family relations here! I didn't ask him, but judging from his response, I'm certain he too was an _____, _____! Ha!

2. Hubby has been suffering from a sore throat and headaches for the past few days. Instead of going to the doctor, you can just head to your local pharmacy! Today Hubby went to the pharmacy. He told them his complaints and they handed him something to soothe his soreness (no problem), but they also gave him antibiotics! What?!?!?? He doesn't have an infection, I checked him out last night...and even if he does have an infection, shouldn't that be managed by his physician? So, so very strange!!

3. My sister-in-law had some lab work ordered from her MD. She went to the laboratory and she, the patient, ordered additional labs! She's not a nurse, MD nor does she have any medical training, she just ordered them because she was curious. What?!...anyone can do that?! Then, she picked up the results herself, no one trained, no MD, present to explain to her the results. She will make an appointment to discuss the results with her MD, but in the mean time she is asking everyone what her results indicate....um, what?!...so very strange!

What's so funny to me is that these things are so strange to me and when I question the people about them, they don't notice it's strangeness. They are totally normal occurrences that happen here. Funny, yet strange.