|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Life, Work and Play in the Middle East |
3/31/2009
It’s been a over a year since I came to the Middle East and I don’t think I’ve ever felt a year has passed so quickly in my life before. I have a two year contract and may renew for another year depending on how other plans work out., if finances allow me to take time off I plan to do some voluntary stints with one of the international organisations.
I’ve just embarked on a round the world sort of trip because of a family wedding happening in Hawaii. It worked out cheaper to purchase a world airline ticket which meant justifying the trip with various stops. The first is in Thailand where I am catching up with family combined of course with shopping. I have become complacent living in the Middle East, people are generally honest and you can walk safely at any time of day or night without fearing robbery or harm. I hadn’t got out of Bangkok airport when I realised I’d been charged the equivalent of thirty dollars for a bottle of water. I caused a fuss and was reimbursed. I then climbed in a taxi and had a similar experience with the driver. The next day I went to the world’s biggest flea market in Bangkok and was warned by local women and market traders to beware of pickpockets. Despite trying to get streetwise again fast I enjoyed the market and tried to keep in control by resisting bargains but I know I’ve blown my airport weight allowance once again. It was nice to sit in the market and enjoy a meal and cold beer in the heat, something I miss being able to do in the Middle East. After doing the obligatory tourist city sightseeing and shopping for a couple of days, I travelled about three hours out of the city to visit family and loved it. I dislike the city with its stark poverty, its beggars, the disabled advertising the remains of amputated limbs, burns victims showing their horrendous scars in the hope of a few baht and children prostituting, all aspects of Thai life the people or government cannot be proud of. 1/5/2009
Getting back to work after the long December and early January public holidays was tough everything felt disorganised and chaotic. Time seems to fly by, work is busy, my caseload has increased to the point I haven’t even had time to do statistics to see on paper why we are so flat out. Added to this I’m on countdown for a long trip overseas in 4 weeks and nothing seems organised. I have a travel agent arranging things back in Australia and the only thing she has been efficient about is banking my cheque. After my trip Charley is off on a vacation for three weeks and my security blanket is once again snatched away. A quarter of the year will be over before things return to normal.
A group of us who started together early last year celebrated Christmas dinner as a family would. New Year was more somber than usual, not that far away Israel had reduced supplies of power, food and water to the people living in Gaza and were now inflicting heavy air strikes and sending in ground troops.. It made me grateful to be working and living in a stable and safe area that hadn’t been invaded by super powers for its natural resources or on the basis of lies or ravaged by fighting for land. Peace for 2009 is an unrealistic hope for some areas of the Middle East.
On a more positive note the weather is beautifully cool here, warm comfortable days and cool evenings, perfect for walking, camping and barbeques in the desert. We have a weekend away planned early this month which will again involve something called a tent and no shower facilities. This is a major shift for somebody who likes comfort and nice hotels but I manage with encouragement. Michelle and I have booked some desert 4wd lessons, which should be easier to do than negotiating the roundabouts and roads here without being killed by lunatic drivers, who think an indicator is something you turn on by mistake and lane changes should be performed suddenly with no warning at a 100km per hour! 12/21/2008
Either last Thursday evening or Friday morning I noticed MSN messenger was slow and kept disconnecting and then I had difficulty accessing my emails, my bank site, my credit card site, my favourite games site and other overseas sites. BBad Home Page and Forums was the only site I could and still can access with no problems, though I lost access to the chat site of BBad.
I called the tech guys and was told an international link had gone down and when I enquired how long the net was expected to be out, the dreaded term ‘We hope soon, Insha’Allah’ was uttered, which means anything from five minutes to five years, God willing. Panic started to set in, Christmas is upon us I have emails and good wishes to send, my house is about to get new tenants so I’m communicating with a property manager, I have bills to pay, I’m trying to confirm flights and hotels for a big trip early next year, I’m thousands of kilometers from home and without the net my life is difficult.
A friend posted a news item from Al Jazeera which reported three undersea cables had been either severed or damaged in the Mediterranean and they were waiting for a ship to get equipment out there to repair the cables. The result of the damage has caused telephone and internet disruption to the Middle East and parts of Asia. The repairs aren’t expected to be completed until after the New Year. It seems amazing that with all the technology and progress made we are still relying on undersea cables that can be damaged by fishermen and when damaged it takes ten days to get a ship out there to fix the problem. My inconveniences are small fry compared to say somebody trying to run a business. They must be going crazy with a barely functioning internet and this is the second time in fourteen months that cable has been damaged causing disruptions.
Apart from the practical inconvenience of not having the net it has made me realize how important it has become in all areas of my life, I use the net more than the telephone for communicating with family and friends overseas, I have a whole network of internet friends that I lose touch with totally when I’m not online. So I’m having net withdrawals and everyday brings another reminder of something else I can’t do without this service. The positive side for me at least is I’ve got back to some blogging, I spend a bit longer at the gym, and I get an extra twenty minutes in bed instead of my morning net routine. A recent survey showed a majority of women would rather forego sex than their internet access for periods of time, I wasn’t really sure before this happened which way I’d vote, I definitely know now. 12/20/2008
Finally I made the trip to the Musandam Peninsula with friends and the wait was worth it. I was so impressed I made another trip shortly afterwards with family who visited.
The journey was relatively easy and took about four hours to drive. The navigator has been fabulous and the drive into Oman went smoothly, the only anxieties were caused by stray goats, oxen and dreadful roads on this side of the border. Crossing over into Oman you enter the coastal mountain road which is a wonderful relaxing drive, the road has the Arabian Gulf on one side and rugged mountains on the immediate other. A sense of time stood still envelops as you drive through small fishing villages dotted with Portuguese forts and small sandy beaches with old fishing boats the only evidence of human occupation. We finally reached Khasab the capital city of Musandam; the city has two roundabouts, a shopping square, a small port and about three hotels. It’s a small friendly town; the main industry is fishing, date plantations and more recently tourism in the form of dhow cruises through the fjords and islands up to the Straits of Hormuz. Old villages can be seen on islands only accessible by boat and whose population comprises of anything from ten to a hundred occupants; life seems simple, unspoilt and unchanged.
As we drove into Khasab we stopped at a hotel that overlooked the town and found to our amazement it had an English style pub inside, without further ado we had a couple of beers and checked out the room prices which were expensive, so we decided to stick to our original plan and camp on the beach, we had packed food and discreetly wine and beers, the car came with camping gear and a stove. It was the most beautifully relaxing weekend I’ve spent in a long while, sitting in a place where time has seemingly stood still, hearing the Arabic call for prayers, listening to the sounds of the sea and sipping wine on a beautiful beach at dusk was wonderful.
The following day we went on the dhow cruise accompanied by dolphins which followed the dhow and played around seemingly entertaining us. I went snorkeling and wasn’t disappointed, I’ve been to better snorkeling area’s but it was still magical with plenty of tropical fish, pristine warm water and coral reefs.
I was so glad to have finally made the trip and it reinforced my liking of Oman and its people. 11/20/2008
Settling after the holiday back to Australia has been a curious mix of highs and lows. On the positive side I came back feeling settled enough to purchase a car, I bought a great Chevy Blazer from a dietitian returning to New Zealand at a steal of a price, it’s a big guys sort of car but great for the terrain and driving conditions here. After getting totally lost a few times and thinking of planning longer trips to other countries within the GCC, I decided to buy a GPS, what a fabulous tech toy! It has saved me so much frustration and time; I have a dreadful sense of direction. Though Dubai is a challenge even for the GPS, the place has different routes and new roads appearing at least weekly due to the massive amount of construction happening and trying to keep maps updated is impossible.
I faced probably my biggest work challenge since coming here; Charley has taken 5 weeks vacation, I’ve just survived my fourth week without him. The angst I went through prior to him going was crazy. I hadn’t realized how much of a security blanket his presence was. Added to that I had to fight to have a driver, which I eventually won and ended up with a great guy who will never realize how much easier he has made my life by just having a good sense of direction and common sense, plus he likes western music! I also have a new interpreter, at first I resented him mainly because he just wasn’t Charley and the work was nowhere as much fun. But into my fourth week I’m conceding there have been advantages with the Charley imposter. My files and paperwork have never been so organized or up to date. He is unsociable so we don’t get offered coffee half as much as before, he is task orientated and his people skills are minimal. Which in the long term would be disastrous in my job but in the short term, it has meant shorter work days and the more mundane side of the work is way ahead, he’s a bean counter, boring as hell but efficient. An upcoming audit now seems easy thanks to his anal preoccupation with things neither Charley nor I rightfully consider important but in terms of an audit are. I’m looking forward to getting back to normal mid December, I’m fighting to keep the driver so Charley doesn’t have to drive, the car is an office and driving is difficult when most of the time is spent multi tasking, I may win that battle for the next financial year. I’d love to have the Charley imposter for a week a month to keep the paperwork side efficient, but I won’t hold my breath waiting for that to happen.
We have national and religious holidays happening through the first two weeks of December, I’m planning a few long trips in the Chevy with a couple of friends and family who are coming to visit during that period. I’m getting more used to this culture and the more I live it the more I realise how similar people are the world over and the more comfortable I am travelling in the Middle East without concerns. 9/23/2008
I left the Middle East for my first holiday home in seven months; it was wonderful seeing my family and friends again. The first thing that struck me on arriving was the cold, I left 45c and landed to about 10c, I spent the first few days dithering every time I left the warmth of the house and even the house didn't feel warm enough, it poured with rain for about a week but by my last week the first stirrings of spring tantalised us and we had a few beautiful days.
I really wasn’t sure how I would react returning home. I’ve known a couple of people who returned after their first holiday and couldn’t settle when they came back to the Middle East. By the end of the second week my fears were put to rest, I found myself after having seen everybody and sorted my practical stuff out wanting to come home to the Middle East. I felt disjointed and like every good holiday you still want to return home by the final week.
This area sells itself short by not making outsiders citizens with equal rights, I could easily call this country home but it isn’t ready to adopt other nationalities as its own. I hope that will change in the future, I believe it will, with eighty per cent of the population comprised of non-local people it eventually has to, it is impractical to remain so insular and have such a tribal mentality. It may start with other Arabic nationalities being accepted as citizens then hopefully extend to include other peoples. But it won’t happen in my lifetime, so I’m grateful for the opportunity to have at least lived and experienced a way of life and culture that is vastly different from anything I had known before.
I returned to work and even though it felt strange being greeted by Arabic colleagues saying welcome home it also felt right. I arrived home the last week of Ramadan, which meant short days and a supposedly lighter workload, my first two days were great but by the third day, the tom toms had been out and my week exploded into an unholy mess of unplanned visits. The week also felt longer and less relaxed without the usual coffee and food being offered because of the fasting for Ramadan. Charley and I usually listen to music in the car, but with respect to the holy month we haven’t played it. So I’m looking forward to celebrating the end of Ramadan and getting back to the usual stressful days with the benefits of Arabic coffee, wonderful food and great western music blasting as we drive. 8/16/2008
People react differently moving to a new country some yearn for their homeland and wear rose coloured glasses when reminiscing. Others are indifferent and use the host country solely for their own needs and never build a relationship or care for it. Others, me included adapt easily, it took me six months for Australia to feel like home and I have grown to love that country and it will always be what I consider home. I came to the Middle East and even though the policies mean this could never be home, citizenship isn’t granted here to non nationals, to an extent it feels like home and I’m starting to care about the country and its people. I like the feeling of safety here; I can walk late evening without thinking that anything bad may happen. I leave my bag in the car when we go to homes, the car is left open and the engine running, it gets too hot to switch it off. If you run out of petrol the police will come and fill your car with free petrol. If you breakdown or just need a lift the police will oblige, they have so little crime to deal with and they are courteous and helpful.
People from outside usually focus on the negative, if nothing else this experience has taught me that there is good and bad in every society and under the surface people are very similar the world over. Along with the negatives there are positives about the Arabic culture. The elderly and the sick are never left alone; they live with the extended family. I went to a home early one morning; the patient was lying on the floor, surrounded by eight sleeping grandchildren, it was a special sight. I have seen one case of neglect in seven months here. I’m well aware of the faults of this society as I am aware of faults in western society.
I feel safe, crime is low, there are exceptions but people are generally courteous and welcoming. I can drink alcohol and also buy it very cheaply with a license. I can listen to western music, I can visit a Christian church and pray, I can go to the beach where non Muslim women are allowed to wear bikinis and normal swimwear, I can go to nightclubs, I can drive, I can go to western concerts and listen to bands performing, I can go to a western shop and buy pork.. I’m asked to respect that this is a Muslim country and not drink in public or wear revealing clothes, small price to pay and not one I feel is unreasonable. It annoys me when I see westerners abuse those requests and show disrespect.
Women in the Middle East have a long way to go to catch up with their western counterparts, I think it will happen eventually. Given the history, cultural and religious restrictions they are taking longer than the west did to achieve this. I'm hopeful for women here, things need to change and it's happening albeit slowly. Westerners being disdainful and hateful of the culture does not help anybody, empowering women to help themselves does. 8/11/2008
Communicating via an interpreter is frustrating but very quickly becomes easy. Human beings are great communicators so I think any form is easily adapted.
Charly and I went to see a patient today; he had a Filipino carer who spoke perfect English, automatically I spoke to Charly to interpret and he translated my English into the language the carer was speaking in which was English. This went on for a few minutes, Charly and I were oblivious and the carer was looking at us both as if we were absolutely mad. He finally asked why Charly was translating my English, feeling totally stupid I started speaking directly to him. But we did have a foreign carer recently who was used to Arabic people speaking English and when confronted by my accent she had no idea of what I was saying, so much to Charly’s amusement and my disgust he had to translate my English into English!
Charly has a natural flair for languages and can mimic different nationalities attempts at speaking English. His mimicry of an Egyptian speaking English is hilarious and it’s with dread I meet Egyptians speaking English in his company because trying to keep it together and not laugh is virtually impossible. But however bad their attempts my Arabic language efforts are far worse.
It can be difficult working with Arabic families who speak English because my western approach doesn’t always work. Whereas when my information is conveyed through an interpreter diplomacy and knowledge of the culture is added. If we are tossed out of a house the major loser is the patient and keeping that in perspective helps me to back down and let an Arabic guy do it their way. 7/29/2008
We visited a home early and most of the family was still sleeping. A tent was set up in the sand attached to the house, to the side a young woman was roasting coffee beans on a metal plate over a wood fire. Next to her two elderly Arabic women wearing masks and chadors churned camels’ milk in a goatskin container that was tied onto three sticks set out in a triangle. Coffee and dates were brought to us and Charly chatted to the women as I waited to be shown into the house. He wasn't allowed to accompany me, this was a bereavement visit and I was seeing the widow of a man we had cared for. According to culture women cannot meet or see any man outside the family for four months and ten days after the death of their husband. This ensures if there is a pregnancy there is no mix up with who the father could be. The fact this widow was at least sixty didn't change the rule at all. So I struggled through a visit speaking dreadful Arabic and realised how lost I was without an interpreter and vowed to try harder to learn this language. We had attended the funeral of this patient, but men and women are separated at both weddings and funerals so once again I was left feeling inadequate at not being able to communicate. Though it's surprising how much you can convey using body language.
It is the date season and we return to the office everyday with dates that we are given as we leave each house. They are revered by the Arabs but so help me if I never see another date it would be too soon. I stupidly asked Charly if he ever got sick of them, he didn't answer but rolled his eyes and complained to Allah about me.
I'm settling here and getting used to the differences. I'm generally made more welcome by people than I think they would be in my homeland. I try to keep an attitude of things not being good or bad but just different. It helps to keep life in perspective and keeps me tolerant when I don't understand the reasons for some of the differences in culture. 7/20/2008
I think I prefer Abu Dhabi city to Dubai. It’s prettier, certainly feels saner and has more character and class.
I went to a Picasso exhibition at The Emirates Palace Hotel a few weeks ago, I left still disliking Picasso but loving the Emirates Palace even more, it is the most beautiful of buildings without the flash and trumpet blowing self importance of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai. It’s also sensibly priced; there are a few restaurants inside serving great food at good prices and the views overlooking the ocean and coastline make it one of the nicest places to enjoy a meal in the area. Madonna is performing a couple of concerts there this autumn. It’s a fabulous venue for events and I’ll get to one before I leave this area.
I went back to Abu Dhabi last weekend with two South African friends Quentin and Mae on a shopping trip to buy gifts for a planned trip home in September. The malls are incredible here, I dislike shopping and only do it under duress, but if it has to be done then this is the area of the world to do it in, nobody does it better. I was inside a fabulous shop enrapt in goodness knows what and I heard the clap of thunder. I thought damn a storm, and then suddenly coming out of the shopping reverie I remembered I was in the Middle East where I’m not even sure they get storms, I’ve been here six months and haven’t seen rain yet. We looked out the shop and inside the mall there was a whole thunderstorm scene happening darkened skies, lightning and rain. Amidst the confusion of there being a storm inside a mall, the rain was suddenly switched off and a sign told us the next storm would begin again at 1600 hours and the dull realization that it was a fake show registered.
Having shopped until we dropped we went to the Emirates for sundowners and a snack. Mae seems to know people wherever she goes and after an interesting phone call to a Canadian friend of hers, which left Quentin rolling his eyes he can’t raise them yet the Botox is too new, we ended the day enjoying drinks with an interesting guy who lives in an amazing penthouse overlooking the ocean and Abu Dhabi city. Exhausted we finally made the trip home about one am and blearily got up for work a few hours later. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright 2009 Inarius Inc. All rights
reserved.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|