“Shaden wake up it’s snowing!”… Said my room-mate shaking me lightly around 6 AM in the morning. Well, Shaden went to sleep at 3 AM just so you know how I felt about it. Yet I jumped and reached to the window on the other side of the room and watched the still-all-miraculous-to-me-snow falling. So white and beautiful and light. All I could say (mumbled actually) dragging myself back to bed was “i7na mdawmeen el youm” “are we going to work today?”, my room-mate is not a work colleague, but I was half asleep.
No we didn’t go to work today.
Watching Jordan TV first voluntarily, then forcedly when I found out that the satellite receiver is not working because of the snow, had an interesting effect on me. At first I was confused and sort of sad because:
- Jordan takes a day off (yes I know not everyone in Jordan but almost) when it snows apparently due to lack in facilities and necessary accommodations to the wintery weather.
- I felt as if Jordan TV had capitalized on the snow. Which leads me to think they were thankful for finding an interesting topic to talk about non-stop. And that’s just sad. It made me feel as if this is the first time it snows in Jordan.
- If I knew it will snow today, and so did everyone in Jordan, how come nobody announced study suspension yesterday instead of waiting till they saw the snow with their own eyes? the majority of students were on their way to schools despite of the heavy snow when suspension was announced.
- I think I’m developing a complex here, and my complex is to hear authorities on TV/radio talking about what’s wrong as well as what’s right instead of always talking about how great and wonderful everybody and everything is. It’s just annoying and insulting to people’s intellegence.
Then it was funny because:
- Jordan TV found something to talk about. The snow, where it had fallen more, roads that were blocked by it, civil defense’s preparations, people calling to ask for rescue, irrigation and agriculture and how they benefited from today’s snow…etc
So anyway, I had to wake up and get dressed before my manager called to say don’t come.
Popularity: 10% [?]
I remember when I was in Jordan and it will snow, JTV will make the utmost use of that day! showing live pictures and videos from across Amman! and name that day a “white day”! and then start showing some Egyptian plays (masr7eyaat) or Movies! … and of course even 1 inch of snow is enough for the universities to shutdown! :)… I miss snow!