What it feels like to live in Amman

The road from Queen Alia Airport to Amman leads past an Ikea shop. The blue and yellow cube glows in the night like a welcome sign, Arabic characters on one side and European on the other. It's Thursday, 3:30 am. My boyfriend and I drive into the city with the windows open, a soft wind coming towards us. Four weeks in Amman lie ahead of me. It is the third time I will be living and working temporarily in the Jordanian capital.

Four million people live in Amman. That is almost twice as many as in the whole of Namibia, the country where I spend most of the year. The city is bustling; brimming with history, art and style, it never really settles down. I fell in love with Amman on my first visit in November 2022. Despite the fact that I never really liked big cities and prefer to think of myself as someone who likes peace and quiet.

Amman is a city that engages all your senses. The choice of exceptionally delicious food seems endless, from street-side falafel stalls to chic rooftop restaurants overlooking the city's sprawling hills and rooftops. Strolling down the notorious Rainbow Street, you can experience both.

At Al Quds, locals and tourists queue up to grab a falafel sandwich or two, each costing less than a Jordanian dinar. An elderly man collects the banknotes, while behind the counter men in aprons fry falafel by the minute. Inside and outside the small stall hang pictures of the King and the royal family. Since the visit of the monarchs, at the latest, Al Quds has gained cult status.

In a side street not far away hides Books at cafe - art studio, bookshop, restaurant and rooftop bar all in one. The address is popular both among students and families, locals and tourists. For brunch, one can enjoy a tray of Arab classics such as falafel and hummus, covering the entire table and all imaginable flavours.

Here, in the neighborhood of Jabal Amman, Jordanian street art has its home. My favorite painting shows a woman with three faces, her eyes seem lifeless and lost. A few swallows fly around her heads. They are free. The woman is not.

All the impressions in Amman send my thoughts and senses on a journey, to places I have not been before. In the last months I have often felt like the woman with three faces. As we rush past the blue and yellow Ikea-letters, the soft wind carries away the feeling of being lost. In this moment I am free, just like the swallows.