Any US folks in the Mid East - Jordan?

[jrabbit]

We maybe on our 3rd country in 7 years... Jordan this time.  We are considering living in Dubai and letting hubby commute to Jordan.  

Any input what it's like living in Jordan overall? 

Thanks! 

[Cicero]

I have some friends from the EU who just moved. I can ask for you. There is also an expat here who came from Jordan before and said it was a great place to be but there isn't a lot to do.

Are you guys in the private sector? Any idea what the other people there do? I know at H's company the people working in Saudi and Iran do the half a week commute from Dubai and everyone else lives where they work.

[jennybee1018]

Hi! Not in Jordan, but am in the Middle East. We're located in Doha, Qatar and we spend a lot of time in Dubai on weekends, ha ha. 

Unfortunately, I don't have any insight on what it's like to live in Jordan. I do have some friends that live in Dubai so let me know if you have any questions about living there.

[jrabbit]

Hi - thanks for your input. Hubb is in the private sector. For the first 6 months he will live in Jordan while our son finishes up 1st grade here, then we'll determine to live in Dubai and let him commute or if we feel comfortable in Jordan.

jennybee, if I recall, you have been in Doha for a while. Didn't you come over from the Nest boards also?

[jennybee1018]

Jan 12, 2017 10:54:01 GMT -5 jrabbit said:

Hi - thanks for your input. Hubb is in the private sector. For the first 6 months he will live in Jordan while our son finishes up 1st grade here, then we'll determine to live in Dubai and let him commute or if we feel comfortable in Jordan.

jennybee, if I recall, you have been in Doha for a while. Didn't you come over from the Nest boards also?

Yep! I was on the Nest IN board initially! We've been in Doha since 2009! When we first came, we thought we'd only be here for 3 years :-P 

As I mentioned, we go to Dubai often and have friends that live there, so I can try to help if you have any questions about living there. 

[cottoncandy]

I have family that live in Dubai and they love it! I don't think they will ever leave. We visited them last year and it's a great city!

[Brit]

I can say that living in Dubai is awesome. We were living there until about six months ago. I have traveled to Jordan a bunch and I generally feel safe there, I think the big question is if there will be enough to do there for you and if you will be able to find enough friends. In Dubai on the other hand, it is quite easy to make friends because there are tons of things to do and people who are also in the same boat of needing to make new friends also.

[fryjack2]

Jan 12, 2017 10:54:01 GMT -5 jrabbit said:

Hi - thanks for your input. Hubb is in the private sector. For the first 6 months he will live in Jordan while our son finishes up 1st grade here, then we'll determine to live in Dubai and let him commute or if we feel comfortable in Jordan.

jennybee, if I recall, you have been in Doha for a while. Didn't you come over from the Nest boards also?

I was born there and lived there for a few years when I was a teenager-25 years ago.   It has changed a ton since then.  It is modern compared to a lot of the Middle East.  Thanks to King Hussein, Queen Noor and King Abdullah.   My mom is a dirty blond white American and rarely had any issues living there.  She spoke Arabic, but we lived and mingled with lots of ex-pats or British people as well as Jordanians.  There is an American School if you are looking for a school option and The Baccalaureate School which is popular with non Jordanians. 

I'm assuming you will be in Amman? There are restaurants, bars, nightlife, etc. in Amman. There are beaches in Aqaba, Petra has amazing history and scenery, and there are lots of ruins throughout Amman intwined with the city itself.   

My cousins who go back every year love it there. 

Maybe pick up a Lonely Planet to get a sense of what is there to see if you would like the general vibe?