Anxious to Return Home
The Mansour Family; (L to R) Lena, Salwan and little Luna A significant portion of Iraq’s middle and upper class citizens are fleeing the turmoil and destruction of their home country to settle in neighboring Jordan; specifically its capital city of Amman. Jordan has been rather accepting of their new Iraqi residents and is one of the few countries allowing Iraqis to enter with minimal complications. However, only those Iraqi’s with substantial financial resources are able to make the move due to Amman’s pricey cost of living, which is comparable to that of California or the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area. The average monthly rent for a two bedroom apartment in Amman ranges from $1000 to $1500 U.S. dollars and everyday consumer products are similarly priced to those in the U.S. The extreme surge of wealthy Iraqis flooding into Amman has extensively boosted Jordan’s economy and reduced the unemployment rate by expanding the job market. Construction, real estate and both private ...