"Welcome to Jordan - where life is good"

Arrived in Amman at circa 7.50pm local time. Having felt a bit wobbly this morning, sitting on the plane I got chatting to the lovely lady sitting next to me and she calmed my worries - Jordanians are, largely speaking, so friendly and hospitable it's unreal. How could I be worried when in going to be surrounded by lovely people? Case in point - Pat. Pat is the mother of an old ICS friend, Abdo, and she came to pick me up from the airport. Driving the long road back from Queen Alia, it struck me how much and how little Jordan has changed - there are new roundabouts and new bridges, but some of the same old shops are there. I remember it much better than I thought I would, which makes me very happy. As did the 'LG' advert which was strategically placed on the road into the city that I've quoted as the title of this post. It was true in 2001 - let's hope the same principle applies in 2012!
Being welcomed into the Bakir's has made my arrival an absolute dream. They are lovely, practical people who are exactly the right people to have on your side! They live close enough to one of the new mega malls (Mecca Mall, eat your heart out) that Amman has cultivated in the 8 years since I left, so tomorrow I will go and buy myself a phone and become a real Jordanian (almost).
We also worked out exactly on a map where I'm going to be living and it's in such a great location, especially for my work in the InterContinental. Makes me feel a bit better, as coming back here has made me realise that Amman (and other parts of the Middle East) are completely hectic, and belong to a whole different world and set of rules which i wasn't really taking onto account. I did take a bit of a blind leap into finding this accommodation in downtown Amman, so I'm comforted by the idea that I haven't cocked up massively. Otherwise I would have to live in a tent with a donkey selling watermelons by the side of Abdoun circle.
Anyways. Busy day tomorrow integrating myself into crazy Arab life and walking around Amman. Will post again soon x