Navigating Queen Alia Airport (& SIT Protocol)

Getting into Jordan is pretty straightforward. Everyone in the airport (and most people here, it seems) speak English.

That said, using your (my) broken Arabic at the visa counter is more of a timesuck

than anything.

Conveniently for students like me who are  jumping into a program that operates on a you-know-as-you-go philosophy, telling immigration officers you have no clue where in the country you’re going (“La arif, sayyid…”) is all the info they need to stamp your passport anyways!

What’s funny about Queen Alia airport–which is really not difficult to navigate once you get over the initial existential shock of touching down in a foreign country–are the differences in some security values.

Downstairs at the baggage claim, kids are jumping on and over the conveyer belt to check tags and find bags for their parents. If you happen to be particularly pale, red-haired, and American, men in blue Queen Alia jumpsuits rush to give you carts and ask if you are from “Chicago? Chicago?” While a man in a dark blue suit finds your bag in the back and offers to show you Amman (Side Note: You probably don’t want this man to show you Amman).

If it’s too heavy, they may forego the secondary baggage scan before you’re free to graze in the palm trees outside.

Now, the upside of participating in a youknowasyougo program is that it comes complete with who could be a member of Jordanian intelligence waiting for you outside in a black suit, sunglasses, cigarettes in one hand and an “SIT” sign in the other.

Turns out his name is Ahmed. He seems to “take care of business” for SIT, though his official position is program coordinator/PR manager. Ahmed will have his own post later in the program.

Ma’ salaam for now!