بمزح

I remember once a boy in one of my classes asked if Arabs had a sense of humor.

I can testify that they indeed do.

I am not sure if it is the fact that I am a foreigner or if they just pull everyone's legs but believe me when I say get a lot of jokes pulled on me.

A sense of humor, nodding, and a constant dumb smile on my face gets me through many situations.

Example:

I had a big laugh with the head guy of my local police station today.

I finally renewed my passport. After enduring official police procedure for an hour, my ability to detect jokes was not at its top condition. The official-looking policeman asked,

"Shu biddik?"(what do YOU want?), in a very staunch unforgiving voice.

me:"I want my visa renewed."

official-looking police man:"la'a (no)."

me:" an jad?"(really?)

he laughs and so do all the other men in the room.

me:" bimzah?( joking?) he nods. Haram aleek!"(Shame on you)

Knowing the word joking in Arabic has a been very useful in my time in Amman.