Amman - Post Report Question and Answers
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This place could be great, it's sad what's happened in the past few years. There are so many amazing Jordanians but I think the country is broken and the embassy doesn't help things. This has been a hard posting. - Aug 2023
The housing can really make or break your tour. Unfortunately we ended up in awful housing that we were literally stuck in during what amounted to months of COVID lockdowns and quarantines. - Aug 2023
no - Jul 2023
This is a very nice Post. The Embassy is huge but for me really it doesn't feel that way. The city and country are super. There's so much to see and do. Yes, it's a bit expensive but worth it. - Mar 2023
I highly recommend working/living in Jordan for any expat. It is a beautiful and interesting place with wonderful people. - Oct 2021
Ask as many people about their Amman experience as possible before coming to any conclusion. - Sep 2018
For propspective American Embassy bidders: Bidder beware! A major renovation project will start in 2014 and continue on for 4 years. They will be ripping out the American Club which is the social nexus of family life for embassy families. Most especially this is goodbye to the beloved swimming pool and playground. The administration is hinting that they will put in a temporary pool but as of July 2013 nothing has been promised. Extra warning for Diplomatic Administrative & Technical staff with families: Amman is a driving town. If you don't live within close walking distance to the Embassy or close to a major road you will absolutely need two cars or have to get your spouse to drive you in the mornings. You'll only get one duty-free vehicle (full dip get two). Expect prices to be US$3,000-5,000 higher for a used sedan because of the duty. Also if you're planning to head to Israel for a weekend getaway, you can no longer use the nearby bridge crossing. That crossing is no longer open to A&T staff. You'll have to drive out of the way to the other bridge and spend a lot of extra time at passport control. - Jul 2013
If you are completely devoted to your job, or if you have kids and don't go out much at night anyway, then you can have a good tour in Jordan. Currently it is still a stable place to be, but every year the situation in the Middle East eats away at this very poor country. It has few resources and can't handle the influx of refugees from Syria for much longer. Terrorism is unlikely to be the big problem here - it's going to be economic instability. One other point: the US Embassy is going to undergo major renovations starting in late Spring 2014 and lasting for 2-3 years. As the embassy is the main source of social life (pool, playground, club, etc.) for most American Embassy families, this could drastically change the dynamic for people coming in during that time period. - May 2013
We have had some great, great times here. But unfortunately, for us, they have often been outweighed by the frustrations of living here. I'd say that is probably a fairly common sentiment, but I would also say that there is a slightly larger contingent that like it here more than we do. - Mar 2012
If you wanted a Middle Eastern experience but were afraid of the Middle East, Jordan would be the perfect post. It has a lot of the nice qualities of the Middle East with few of the negatives...it is as many like to say "Middle East lite." I would live here again with no hesitation. - Mar 2012
You'll love it here. - Aug 2011
Once people find a comfort zone in Amman, I think most of them will find it very livable for the most part. And I am not one who absolutely FULLY embraces expat life, so I'm a little more picky about where I live... and Jordan is okay by me! - Aug 2011