Yeah, the Middle East is Warm...

So after a little over a week, I’ve finally come to a very important, albeit not very widely known fact, about the Middle East and Islam in general: the fact women completely cover themselves and men almost always wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts has nothing to do with religion. They are wisely protecting themselves from being eaten alive from the swarms of mosquitoes that would rival the locusts of the ten plagues. If, as I now know, they leave the house and make the very minor mistake of returning home after sunrise and by chance their skin is not fully covered, they would arise to the itchy burning and pot marked skin that could only be thought of as Chicken Pocks. I know this because as of this writing, I am typing one handed because my other hand, relentlessly scratching myself like Seal after a fresh line of Cocaine.
All jokes aside, though, the fact these people are fully clothed in this weather absolutely boggles the mind. I tried for the first few days to attempt to fit in by wearing jeans and real shoes, but abandoned that idea when I was so sweaty I could have probably wrung out my pants. So, I failed in my objective of integration and busted out the ole trusty shorts, to which my roommate very aptly pointed out, “Those scream American.” It’s like, yeah, cuz otherwise I wouldn’t be getting these strange looks as I walk down the street. But in all honesty, is integration that important? Should I come here and put on Middle Eastern clothes and try to blend in to the culture? Personally, I say no. Would a woman dressed in traditional Muslim clothing come to America and abandon her wardrobe to be more American? Or would a man who has worn jeans every day of his life suddenly throw on a pair of shorts because it’s what everyone else is doing? Hell no. And I see absolutely nothing wrong with that. I have no qualms about being an American, and the fact I look American and dress as an American is not insulting to me. I came here to learn about Middle Eastern culture, and in doing so became a de facto ambassador of the United States of which Jordanians can in turn learn about me and where I come from.
Fortunately, while it is apparently tacky to be doing what I’m doing by wearing shorts, Amman is about as Western as a Middle Eastern city gets. This is noticeable almost instantly by seeing the different ways the women dress. Some are completely decked out in black robes, revealing only their eyes through a sort of mesh lining, while others stroll in skirts and rather revealing shirts. The best are the ones who seem to be having an identity crisis, strutting around with the traditional Hijab while busting out very tight jeans and skin tight shirts. In the grand scheme of things, seems to defeat the purpose, but who I am to say anything walking around in shorts and a t-shirt. Perhaps I’ll throw on a yarmulke to see the reaction I get. The point of all this is that, to me, this strange clash of tradition and contemporary says Jordan is going through a very Western transition because to me, being “western” is not that everyone dresses stylishly, but that everyone can wear whatever they want – from full religious coverings to skimpy “is that even clothing?” – and coexist in harmony.