Post by: felix rex on March 24, 2020, 03:36:38 PM
Also, for those of you newcomers who are “pre-Cairo thread,” Mrs Rex is still an absolute badass and is working phones and getting us hooked up and also volunteering to translate for other embassy families.
Also, for those of you who remember the Cairo thread, after two healthy girls, Mrs Rex is 6-months pregnant with our first son. So, that’s a pregnant wife, a 6-yr old, a 4-yr old, and a strict military quarantine that gets you a year in prison for leaving the house.
Ask me anything. I finally got everyone to sleep and now I’m stressed and bored and almost out of scotch after 9 days of lockdown.
Post by: Spracne on March 24, 2020, 03:38:25 PM
Are you able to restock your booze?
Post by: felix rex on March 24, 2020, 03:42:57 PM
And yes. Booze supply is dangerously low and I doubt the Muslim government here is gonna seem that an essential service, so it’s gonna get real.
Post by: ChiComCat on March 24, 2020, 04:23:30 PM
Post by: ben ji on March 24, 2020, 04:24:01 PM
It seems like Jordan's government functions much better than Egypt's. Why is that?
Compare living in Egypt to living in Jordan. (What do you miss about egypt/what do you like about jordan etc)
Why is their country called Jordan? Is Michael Jordan a big deal there?
How often does it rain and if it does rain does everything shut down for the day and people party rock their faces off?
Post by: ben ji on March 24, 2020, 04:24:50 PM
Post by: ben ji on March 24, 2020, 04:26:25 PM
Post by: ben ji on March 24, 2020, 04:27:44 PM
Post by: ben ji on March 24, 2020, 04:30:13 PM
Confirm or deny?
Post by: ben ji on March 24, 2020, 04:31:41 PM
Post by: ben ji on March 24, 2020, 04:33:11 PM
Post by: ben ji on March 24, 2020, 04:36:08 PM
Post by: tdaver on March 24, 2020, 04:37:34 PM
Post by: felix rex on March 24, 2020, 04:47:47 PM
I have some questions regarding Jordan/Egypt.All good questions. I basically miss nothing about Egypt. It’s mumped up from the ground up and I’m so glad I’m not there right now.
It seems like Jordan's government functions much better than Egypt's. Why is that?
Compare living in Egypt to living in Jordan. (What do you miss about egypt/what do you like about jordan etc)
Why is their country called Jordan? Is Michael Jordan a big deal there?
How often does it rain and if it does rain does everything shut down for the day and people party rock their faces off?
Jordan works better than Egypt because, while it is ALSO basically a US-funded enterprise, it’s much smaller. Cairo has like 22 million people. Jordan has a little under 10. Also, (thanks largely to the benevolence of US tax-payers) Jordan is heavily militarized, well-equipped, and fortified as eff. and they just have a King so they don’t even have to pretend about the whole democratic process thing. There’s no process. The king said shut crap down. crap got shut down.
Michael Jordan (and the NBA) are quite popular here. There’s a surprising amount of street hoops if you know where to look.
It rains from like November to February. Usually not a lot (by our standards). Jordan always has a water shortage. But every time it rains, it floods because they’re not prepared for rain. And yes, sometimes the government sends out an actual 911 text to all “citizens” (the texts are literally addressed “CITIZENS!”) that maybe you should just stay home. If there’s even a rumor of ice or snow, everything shuts down preemptively, because the city is famously built on seven steep hills and every one drives 1970s fiats with bald tires.
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Post by: felix rex on March 24, 2020, 04:49:09 PM
Do they have hilarious menu items at your local McDonalds?No. They are not hilarious, IMO. They are annoying. They only serve chicken. Like, fried chicken patties. And, yes, that goes for Big Macs, too. It’s outrageous.
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Post by: felix rex on March 24, 2020, 04:51:03 PM
Are you planning to move back to the US at some point? What do you miss most about the greatest country on earth?The roads. American roads are so rough ridin' great. Also, easy access to pork and booze.
Also, we’re not planning to move back anytime soon. After this, we signed up for 3-4 years in Bahrain.
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Post by: felix rex on March 24, 2020, 04:52:29 PM
I remember you went to some local Jordan football games. Has Klieman reached out to you about becoming a scout/bagman for any good players in the Middle East?No. But he’s welcome to, and I will absolutely hard sell the Unit known as Big Knafeh on the Little Apple.
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Post by: XocolateThundarr on March 24, 2020, 04:55:39 PM
Post by: felix rex on March 24, 2020, 04:56:06 PM
Do you have Marines vs Mormons pickup basketball in Jordan?Not intentionally but yes sometimes. They are more competitive than you’d think.
Also, once a year we have an embassy World Cup soccer tournament. Every year the Marines and/or Mormons advance to the finals. And every year they get clocks cleaned by the team made up of the local janitorial staff. We just call it the “Wasita Trophy” at this point.
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Post by: felix rex on March 24, 2020, 05:01:48 PM
Any Feral Cats in Jordan? Are they different than feral cats in the US and how so? If they are cool would you be able to secure one and mail it to a growing cat ranch in western KS that needs new blood?They’re the same. And usually well taken care of. Muslims have a thing about cats. There’s a group of cats that usually eat in one of those big silver dumpsters and I walk past them on the way home and I startle them and they all jump out and scare the crap out of me. We have uneasy truce.
There are three free-range cats on the embassy grounds. My daughters have named them. The one that live at the main gate is Ambassador Whiskers. The two that live outside the marine house are Boots and Gunny. And yes, we built them cardboard shelters with blankets for the winter and brought them food. Boots is ride or die with Team Rex. Ambassador Whiskers is kind of an ungrateful whore IMO but whatever we’re over it.
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Post by: felix rex on March 24, 2020, 05:07:52 PM
From every book I've read (mainly cold war spy stuff) it seems like people just party rock their faces off 24/7 at Embassies. O man, the new Canadian Ambassador is getting here tomorrow and they are having a huge party for him but I'm still hungover from the going away party the Dutch Ambassador threw 2 days ago.Confirm. When congressional delegations travel to embassies overseas, they have a military escort. Part of his job is transporting the gigantic box of booze. And I mean gigantic. It’s literally one of those huge toolboxes that you can get that span your truckbed. And it’s kept in the hotel “conference room”.
Confirm or deny?
But yeah. Diplomats do legit work and long hours but man do they drink their faces off. (Mormons excluded, but sometimes they drink Mountain Dew or Dr Pepper if they’re forced to work crisis-type hours and it’s adorable)
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Post by: Johnny Wichita on March 24, 2020, 05:09:08 PM
Post by: felix rex on March 24, 2020, 05:09:21 PM
Will you finally meet the ICT contingent for a drink at some point?Yes, if only to hand deliver long delayed fattyfest auction items (cc waks and stevedave).
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Post by: felix rex on March 24, 2020, 05:10:32 PM
Two restaurant choices, greasy burger and fries, or French bakery/deli - where do you eat first?If you think you can get me on record taking a stance between TJs and Galete, you’re wrong, mister.
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Post by: Johnny Wichita on March 24, 2020, 05:16:42 PM
Two restaurant choices, greasy burger and fries, or French bakery/deli - where do you eat first?If you think you can get me on record taking a stance between TJs and Galete, you’re wrong, mister.
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:ROFL:
Post by: Fedor on March 24, 2020, 05:27:38 PM
Post by: felix rex on March 24, 2020, 05:37:20 PM
What does Jordan do better than the U S of A?This is a tough question. Because obviously America is the best at everything. But also, unlike Egypt, I really like Jordan for the most part.
USAID hates when I say this, but Jordan is like the world’s most tolerant police state. So that’s something.
And Jordanians themselves are actually super friendly and sincerely generous (when they’re not throwing sticks at water delivery trucks during quarantines).
Me and Mrs Rex we’re given an option to evac. We declined. In large part because Jordan can actually impose necessary measures without weeks of political fuckery. So, Jordan is definitely better at immediate action. We’ll we how those bread/water truck deliveries progress.
Also, they have their own kind of stir fry here made with lamb and spicy peppers and onions and garlic and that’s really good. Also they make fries out of cheese instead of potatoes so deal with that, keto bro’s.
Oh, and once a month I take my girls to the citadel (which is a huge hill in the middle of the city with lots of cool ancient ruins) and we fly kites and time we wrapped our giant octopus kite around one of the columns of the actual temple of Hercules and the guards thought it was hilarious and we all worked together to get it out, so that was awesome.
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Post by: felix rex on March 24, 2020, 05:39:34 PM
How big is the Embassy grounds and how many people are quarantined there? Looking for pop. density, and no hectares or meters.Embassy ground are pretty big. Like at least 6-7 football fields. But we don’t live there. We’re all in our own individual residences. Other than the Marine Security Guards and the ambassador, there’s no housing at the embassy.
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Post by: ben ji on March 24, 2020, 06:36:38 PM
Post by: Kat Kid on March 24, 2020, 06:46:54 PM
Are there hookah bars with people just in plastic chairs smoking hookah with tea sets everywhere?
Coffee or tea country?
Also have you ever seen the queen? Is she so beautiful that your wife is like a fan or has she crossed over in to the next level where she is basically a demigod and your wife is jealous and angry about even the idea of her?
Post by: waks on March 24, 2020, 06:53:48 PM
Also they make fries out of cheese instead of potatoes so deal with that, keto bro’s.Isn't that just mozzarella sticks? :confused:
Post by: pissclams on March 24, 2020, 11:01:41 PM
do you have to wear breathing apparatuses like a space suit? what about gravity? more or less than in the us?
Post by: felix rex on March 25, 2020, 07:35:00 AM
what’s the oxygen like there? same as egypt? more like the moon? outer space?Well, I think they filmed the Martian here, so keep that in mind. Also, the most common complaint from expats who come here is allergies. I never had allergies before, but I have terrible allergies here and only here. If I leave Amman for 24 hours, they entirely go away. So yes, maybe moon air would be my answer.
do you have to wear breathing apparatuses like a space suit? what about gravity? more or less than in the us?
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Post by: felix rex on March 25, 2020, 07:35:21 AM
Deep fried halloumi sticks.Also they make fries out of cheese instead of potatoes so deal with that, keto bro’s.Isn't that just mozzarella sticks? :confused:
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Post by: star seed 7 on March 25, 2020, 07:38:15 AM
Post by: steve dave on March 25, 2020, 07:51:27 AM
which is fine. have your wife video you taking out the trash and post please, tia.
Post by: Kat Kid on March 25, 2020, 07:53:11 AM
Post by: michigancat on March 25, 2020, 08:39:37 AM
Post by: ben ji on March 25, 2020, 08:57:28 AM
Some follow up questions about Mormons and the state department.
1. What percentage of staff at a random Embassy if Mormon? Do they have a higher density at Embassies in certain places?
2. Does the state department actively recruit Mormons more than other groups or does it happen organically?
3. I love reading about mormon history but have never met an actual mormon. Are they as nice/do goody/wholesome as they are always represented? Do they say regular cuss words or things like "crumudgeon"?
Post by: michigancat on March 25, 2020, 09:01:43 AM
Post by: BIG APPLE CAT on March 25, 2020, 09:11:14 AM
Post by: pissclams on March 25, 2020, 10:26:48 AM
Post by: BIG APPLE CAT on March 25, 2020, 10:33:53 AM
Post by: michigancat on March 25, 2020, 10:44:01 AM
3. I love reading about mormon history but have never met an actual mormon. Are they as nice/do goody/wholesome as they are always represented? Do they say regular cuss words or things like "crumudgeon"?
My wife grew up mormon and left the church but a lot of her family is still Mormon. They're pretty nice but have an insanely insular culture, for the most part they don't socialize with non-mormons and like my wife's aunts are amazed when I'm around them being a nice person with kids who aren't demons. But here's an anecdote about cussing:
You know the card game Bullshit? The family plays it, but they don't call it Bullshit. Or even BS. They call it BC and made it a point to make it clear that the "C" stood for "crud" and not the other "c" word. (Crap). Granted these were like kids but it was funny.
Post by: mocat on March 25, 2020, 10:55:26 AM
- jordanian muslims boozing
- mormons mountain dew'ing
Post by: XocolateThundarr on March 25, 2020, 10:57:18 AM
Will you finally meet the ICT contingent for a drink at some point?Yes, if only to hand deliver long delayed fattyfest auction items (cc waks and stevedave).
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Next time you make it into town, @ us on Twitter and we'll make it happen.
Post by: star seed 7 on March 25, 2020, 11:00:08 AM
3. I love reading about mormon history but have never met an actual mormon. Are they as nice/do goody/wholesome as they are always represented? Do they say regular cuss words or things like "crumudgeon"?
My wife grew up mormon and left the church but a lot of her family is still Mormon. They're pretty nice but have an insanely insular culture, for the most part they don't socialize with non-mormons and like my wife's aunts are amazed when I'm around them being a nice person with kids who aren't demons. But here's an anecdote about cussing:
You know the card game Bullshit? The family plays it, but they don't call it Bullshit. Or even BS. They call it BC and made it a point to make it clear that the "C" stood for "crud" and not the other "c" word. (Crap). Granted these were like kids but it was funny.
I saw Brett Favre talking about Andy Reid and Andy's favorite swear when he gets mad is "son of a buck!".
Post by: passranch on March 25, 2020, 11:29:50 AM
no consideration for the dead sea?
What I want to know is, which is more smelly/garbage-y/dead fish-y? The Dead Sea or the Salton Sea?
Post by: ben ji on March 25, 2020, 01:38:39 PM
3. I love reading about mormon history but have never met an actual mormon. Are they as nice/do goody/wholesome as they are always represented? Do they say regular cuss words or things like "crumudgeon"?
My wife grew up mormon and left the church but a lot of her family is still Mormon. They're pretty nice but have an insanely insular culture, for the most part they don't socialize with non-mormons and like my wife's aunts are amazed when I'm around them being a nice person with kids who aren't demons. But here's an anecdote about cussing:
You know the card game Bullshit? The family plays it, but they don't call it Bullshit. Or even BS. They call it BC and made it a point to make it clear that the "C" stood for "crud" and not the other "c" word. (Crap). Granted these were like kids but it was funny.
:thumbs:
Post by: felix rex on March 25, 2020, 02:46:52 PM
Do they have street ice cream guys that clown on kids and tourists or is that just a Turkish thing?1. That must be a Turkish thing. But they do have propane tank delivery trucks that drive around playing music and will absolutely devastate your young children when they realize they are NOT an ice cream truck. Also, the most popular ice cream chain here has a flavor called “Arabic” and if I survive and am not evacuated I hereby pledge to eat and review it. It’s green. I think it has pistachios and coffee beans.*
Are there hookah bars with people just in plastic chairs smoking hookah with tea sets everywhere?
Coffee or tea country?
Also have you ever seen the queen? Is she so beautiful that your wife is like a fan or has she crossed over in to the next level where she is basically a demigod and your wife is jealous and angry about even the idea of her?
2. Yes. Hookah bars everywhere. But all that is shut down down. Also, basically every restaurant is a hookah bar. It’s part of why we don’t eat out much with the kids. But WITHOUT the kids, I hit that hookah hard and get double apple or double mint.
3. Coffee or tea? Sort of both, but (and I’m free wheeling here), I think it’s sort of a class thing. When I meet with bedouins, we’re drinking tea with mint and so much sugar that it could be hummingbird feed. It’s amazing. You could put it on pancakes. When I meet with gov types, it’s Turkish coffee in tiny cups and it’s super strong and makes me jittery if I have more than three.
4. I have not met the royal family at all. Once, the Crown Prince’s motorcade cut us off in Aqaba. That’s as close as I’ve come. Also, one time a senator visited and had a meeting scheduled with the king and at the last minute the King also invited her husband to join the meeting. The husband didn’t pack for a king meeting, but we were basically the same size suit. So, I have a suit that met the king.
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Post by: michigancat on March 25, 2020, 02:59:17 PM
also I'm kinda surprised a senator's husband wouldn't travel with a suit when on government business!
Post by: felix rex on March 25, 2020, 02:59:57 PM
Did you have a nanny/housekeeper and if so is your household now in disarray?Long story, but our nanny got quarantined with us after we rescued Mrs Rex from the military buses at the airport right before Jordan got shut down. So she’s been living in the guest room. It’s weird. I don’t like it. But these are weird times.
As to the household, it’s not chaos. Its just stressful. We haven’t left the house since March 16. The kids have online classes for two hours every morning (that is chaos). After that, “Coach Dad” takes them out to the driveway for PE.
The nanny keeps trying to make herself useful and we keep trying to tell her “hey, we’re gonna pay you no matter what so maybe quit washing the windows and go chill”. We hooked up a tv in her room and hooked up her phone on the wifi, so she has news/entertainment in her language.
Basically, I feel like every time I turn around I’m almost elbowing someone. These are absolutely first world problems, but still like I just want some gotdam space. We all take turns cooking. It’s established that when Felix is cooking, he’s putting headphones in, wants no help, and wants everyone out of the kitchen until the food is ready.
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Post by: felix rex on March 25, 2020, 03:02:52 PM
I want to learn more about meeting bedouins1. Meeting bedouins is awesome because you just never rough ridin' know which direction it’s gonna go, but there’s almost definitely gonna be sweat tea, falcons, horses, and guns. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the whole Jesus thing, they’d get along great with red state America.
also I'm kinda surprised a senator's husband wouldn't travel with a suit when on government business!
2. You, me, and the senator would all join in being surprised at this turn of events
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Post by: michigancat on March 25, 2020, 03:03:51 PM
I want to learn more about meeting bedouins1. Meeting bedouins is awesome because you just never rough ridin' know which direction it’s gonna go, but there’s almost definitely gonna be sweat tea, falcons, horses, and guns. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the whole Jesus thing, they’d get along great with red state America.
also I'm kinda surprised a senator's husband wouldn't travel with a suit when on government business!
2. You, me, and the senator would all join in being surprised at this turn of events
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:lol: those sound like great episodes of your sitcom
Post by: felix rex on March 25, 2020, 03:05:23 PM
which thing happens more often?Ha. Easy one. Muslims boozing. Muslims lock down during Ramadan and on Fridays. Other than that, the line is pork. Booze, sex, weed, etc. but don’t try and put bacon in their Mac and cheese.
- jordanian muslims boozing
- mormons mountain dew'ing
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Post by: felix rex on March 25, 2020, 03:12:35 PM
Do Jordanians have a weird inferiority complex about the Mediterranean Sea? Will they just go on for hours about all the reasons the Red Sea is better?Not really. But “Jordanians” is problematic in this sense. Because most Jordanians are Palestinian. So, there’s that whole baggage. But the elite (I mean that in social sense, like the ones in power) are from the original tribals. So “East Bankers” will bluntly tell you they’re “real Jordanians”. West Bankers are from Palestinian descent. The Queen is a West Banker. It’s why she’s still controversial and gets a mixed reaction from the public.
Also, they’re more proud of Petra and Jerash, so no real Med Sea envy. They’re trying desperately to save the Dead Sea though (it’s been shrinking like crazy the last 50 years or whatever).
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Post by: yoga-like_abana on March 25, 2020, 03:17:31 PM
Post by: Kat Kid on March 25, 2020, 03:20:17 PM
Also do Jordanians view Lebanese as the slippery businessmen of the region or do the Palestinians take this place for them?
Post by: felix rex on March 25, 2020, 03:23:27 PM
I'm fascinated by the over representation of Mormons that work at embassies, like it get it they have overseas experience from their mission, usually speak at least 2 languages and you don't have to worry about them getting in compromising positions...just something I would have never known unless it was from gE.I don’t know percentages, but I never met a Mormon before starting this overseas gig. They’re absolutely over represented to a large degree in these places.
Some follow up questions about Mormons and the state department.
1. What percentage of staff at a random Embassy if Mormon? Do they have a higher density at Embassies in certain places?
2. Does the state department actively recruit Mormons more than other groups or does it happen organically?
3. I love reading about mormon history but have never met an actual mormon. Are they as nice/do goody/wholesome as they are always represented? Do they say regular cuss words or things like "crumudgeon"?
2. USG agencies will tell you they don’t actively recruit any one group more than others. But yeah, Mormons are great recruits and maybe we send a few more recruiters to career day at BYU.
3. This would sound racist if I said it about a race instead of a religion, but Mormons are super nice, super involved in the community, and for the most part gigantic and in excellent shape. I’ve greatly enjoyed working with them and have several Mormon friends now.
Bonus: A fellow dad I’m friends with (a Mormon), asked me to join the Boy Scouts council or whatever that thing is called (btw Boy Scouts are actually a huge thing here). And I told him, “Dude, I have two daughters.” And he literally told me “I know, but, well, we need someone else on the council because it’s just like all Mormons right now and we’re trying to diversify”. So, that was fun.
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Post by: felix rex on March 25, 2020, 03:25:41 PM
How insanely pissed would Jordanians get if someone pooped on Petra? Like probably kick you out of the country?Arabs hate Palestinians. They just hate Israelis more.
Also do Jordanians view Lebanese as the slippery businessmen of the region or do the Palestinians take this place for them?
Lebanese restaurants are the Arab equivalent of Italian restaurants.
Gulfis are the slippery businessmen they hate.
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Post by: felix rex on March 25, 2020, 03:31:46 PM
have you ever met a jordan from jordan?Ok guys. I’m gonna tell you this in strict secrecy.
I used to work in a very uppity fancy office at the embassy. This office had a “foyer” at the entrance to it, and it was filled with two bookcases of fancy academic books about Jordan (in both languages) that of course no one actually ever read.
Soooooo......
In the weeks before I left, I ordered every cheap book I could find on Amazon about Michael Jordan. Kids books. Biographies. Adult coloring books of shoes. Even some in Arabic (they are NOT spelled the same at all in Arabic). And before I left, I slipped about a dozen of these into the “library”. That was over 6 months ago. No one has noticed and the MJ books are all still there.
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Post by: felix rex on March 25, 2020, 03:36:48 PM
How insanely pissed would Jordanians get if someone pooped on Petra? Like probably kick you out of the country?Forget the o answer the Petra question.
Also do Jordanians view Lebanese as the slippery businessmen of the region or do the Palestinians take this place for them?
You don’t eff with Petra. That’s a red line. Netflix almost got banned because there was a historical fiction movie about how some bedouins discovered an ancient artifact that proved the ancient Israelite had actually built Petra AND THERE WERE LARGE ACTUAL PHYSICAL PROTESTS IN THE STREETS (I’m still not sure what the point of these was, but ministers were issuing statement assuring they wouldn’t allow the Zionist plot to steal Petra to succeed and yes that’s a real thing that happened in real life)
So yeah. Don’t eff with Petra.
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Post by: michigancat on March 25, 2020, 03:41:10 PM
have you ever met a jordan from jordan?Ok guys. I’m gonna tell you this in strict secrecy.
I used to work in a very uppity fancy office at the embassy. This office had a “foyer” at the entrance to it, and it was filled with two bookcases of fancy academic books about Jordan (in both languages) that of course no one actually ever read.
Soooooo......
In the weeks before I left, I ordered every cheap book I could find on Amazon about Michael Jordan. Kids books. Biographies. Adult coloring books of shoes. Even some in Arabic (they are NOT spelled the same at all in Arabic). And before I left, I slipped about a dozen of these into the “library”. That was over 6 months ago. No one has noticed and the MJ books are all still there.
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:lol:
Episode: disaster strikes when the ambassador gives a tour to someone very important and is embarrassed when he realizes his Jordan bookcase is all about Michael Jordan.
side note I'm assuming the ambassador is a career guy and not a political appointment?
Post by: felix rex on March 25, 2020, 03:43:38 PM
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Post by: pissclams on March 25, 2020, 08:28:17 PM
I'm fascinated by the over representation of Mormons that work at embassies, like it get it they have overseas experience from their mission, usually speak at least 2 languages and you don't have to worry about them getting in compromising positions...just something I would have never known unless it was from gE.you’ve asked too many questions itt and are pissing everyone off
Some follow up questions about Mormons and the state department.
1. What percentage of staff at a random Embassy if Mormon? Do they have a higher density at Embassies in certain places?
2. Does the state department actively recruit Mormons more than other groups or does it happen organically?
3. I love reading about mormon history but have never met an actual mormon. Are they as nice/do goody/wholesome as they are always represented? Do they say regular cuss words or things like "crumudgeon"?
Post by: HELLHAMMER on March 25, 2020, 09:46:10 PM
3. I love reading about mormon history but have never met an actual mormon. Are they as nice/do goody/wholesome as they are always represented? Do they say regular cuss words or things like "crumudgeon"?
My wife grew up mormon and left the church but a lot of her family is still Mormon. They're pretty nice but have an insanely insular culture, for the most part they don't socialize with non-mormons and like my wife's aunts are amazed when I'm around them being a nice person with kids who aren't demons. But here's an anecdote about cussing:
You know the card game Bullshit? The family plays it, but they don't call it Bullshit. Or even BS. They call it BC and made it a point to make it clear that the "C" stood for "crud" and not the other "c" word. (Crap). Granted these were like kids but it was funny.
I too married into a Mormon family. My wife and a couple of her siblings still identify as Mormon but just do normal USA living. They are considered Jack Mormons as I understand it. I just treat them as a whole with respect like I did my deeply religious Catholic grandmother. I did get to amaze some BYU coeds in OKC at the 2010 tourney with my Mormon knowledge while being utterly PAK'D.
Post by: WonderMeal on March 25, 2020, 10:39:12 PM
2) What's the school situation like for your Lil Cats (assuming some sort of American School for Diplomats Kids or something) and how does the Jordan school compare to the Egypt school?
3) Did you buy any Michael B. Jordan books to put in the book case or just Michael Jordan?
4) Best and weirdest foods specific to Jordan?
5) Where did you meet Bedouins? Were you wandering somewhere?
Post by: felix rex on March 30, 2020, 11:10:20 AM
1) Please compare Middle Eastern countries to Big XII teams past, present, and future. Which team is analagous to Jordan? Who is the Nebraska of the Middle East?Okay. Big 12 comparisons. I’ll give it a lazy shot:
2) What's the school situation like for your Lil Cats (assuming some sort of American School for Diplomats Kids or something) and how does the Jordan school compare to the Egypt school?
3) Did you buy any Michael B. Jordan books to put in the book case or just Michael Jordan?
4) Best and weirdest foods specific to Jordan?
5) Where did you meet Bedouins? Were you wandering somewhere?
1. Egypt constantly refers to itself as “the Mother of the World” and always notes it’s “2,500 years of civilization” or whatever that number is. But it’s a rough ridin' mess and just awful. So, always bringing up the pyramids and still having “sellouts” (overcrowded cities) and also being just shy of a failed state...? Yeah that’s Nebraska. Egypt is definitely the Nebraska of the Middle East.
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Post by: felix rex on March 30, 2020, 11:10:57 AM
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Post by: Kat Kid on March 30, 2020, 11:51:32 AM
Qatar is Mizzou. Nobody wants them. Nobody misses them.
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Also Al Jazeera = elite journalism school. This is a great fit.
Post by: Kat Kid on March 30, 2020, 11:55:13 AM
Post by: BIG APPLE CAT on March 30, 2020, 12:46:52 PM
Is Oklahoma Israel?
Maybe Kuwait?
Post by: Kat Kid on March 30, 2020, 01:02:05 PM
Post by: felix rex on March 30, 2020, 03:47:34 PM
Is Oklahoma Israel?Oh wow. This is good. Yes. Absolutely.
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Post by: nicname on March 30, 2020, 08:02:58 PM
no consideration for the dead sea?
What I want to know is, which is more smelly/garbage-y/dead fish-y? The Dead Sea or the Salton Sea?
has to be salton
Post by: nicname on March 30, 2020, 08:20:02 PM
Post by: waks on March 31, 2020, 01:09:56 AM
I was guessing Texas A&M = Israel. Colorado = Lebanon?Is Oklahoma Israel?Oh wow. This is good. Yes. Absolutely.
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Post by: Kat Kid on March 31, 2020, 05:55:40 AM
Oklahoma is Israel—
A famous river that is involved in a blood feud. Residents hate the rival (saudi) but the elites cooperate. Very powerful but doesn’t really have allies in region. settlers? Boomer sooner!
I was guessing Texas A&M = Israel. Colorado = Lebanon?Is Oklahoma Israel?Oh wow. This is good. Yes. Absolutely.
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Post by: Kat Kid on March 31, 2020, 05:58:55 AM
Post by: waks on March 31, 2020, 06:14:30 AM
Colorado is Cyprus.My thoughts were A&M = Israel because of the weird culty aspect and only powerful/relevant because of others (SEC/Texas). I do like the OU comparo though. Colorado = Lebanon because Colorado is divided politically the way Lebanon is divided religiously. Palestine = TCU? Was in same conference w/ Texas teams but was left behind only to return later? What about Iraq?
Oklahoma is Israel—
A famous river that is involved in a blood feud. Residents hate the rival (saudi) but the elites cooperate. Very powerful but doesn’t really have allies in region. settlers? Boomer sooner!I was guessing Texas A&M = Israel. Colorado = Lebanon?Is Oklahoma Israel?Oh wow. This is good. Yes. Absolutely.
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Post by: Kat Kid on March 31, 2020, 06:22:46 AM
I had Colorado as Cyprus because of the physical distance plus Mediterranean island and the general misfit status.
Boulder doesn’t have any real religious beliefs other than yoga mysticism and white Buddhists.