Can it be true?

I decided it would be beneficial to all if I wrote a post about something more substantial, as opposed to just letting you know if I went dancing or not this weekend (which I did not unfortunately, in case you were dying of curiosity). This is something that has been on my mind the entire time I've been here, and I wanted to share it with you all.

Racism is so unbelievably prevalent here, that it's hard to know what to do when faced with so much of it. But, the strange thing is, it's so subtle, and here it's been weaved into everyday life. Years after civil rights, it's become almost culturally unacceptable to be "racist", therefore, people are now more discreet about it. And they just accept it as a way of life. So do those who are experiencing the short end of the stick! (in my opinion).

For me, personally, I love to hear about American stereotypes (which is really a cultural stereotype and not a racial one but you get my point). I'm that annoying person who asks people in different countries, "So hey, what do you think of us, huh?" I find it fascinating, because I like to see what I and people I know fit into and what we don't. I've heard things like saying thank you and sorry too much, being outwardly kind to people but not actually kind within, smiling always, talking about all of our feelings even when we're sober (shocking for people to believe), being in a sorority (if you're blonde), going to a highschool like in mean girls, and loving football and Obama, etc. I eat it all up because for some skewed reason, I almost trust others' opinions rather than my own, so I like to hear their perspective. But, even still, is it right to be put inside of a box and expected to act within the limits of that box, and for people to assume you will and should act within those limits? I don't know. And I don't know what to do about it.

In this country live white people from everywhere, Arabs, Pakistanis, Indians, Sri Lankans, Filipinos, Africans, etc.
The Arabs are the ones on top (and then I think racially "acceptable" Muslims), then it's the western ex-pats, then Indians, then lastly are the Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, and Filipinos. Don't quote me on this listing. When I say the Arabs are on top, I mean that they are the ones most accepted by the country. So if you have a car accident, for example, with a native of this country, you're going to lose that battle. Everything is underlying.
At my school the list goes like this: the westerners, the Indians and Arabs, and then the Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, and the Filipinos. (that's probably because our head administration is western). The Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, and Filipinos are the ones who hold the lower-end jobs. They get paid hardly anything, and they live away from their families and have to send money back! We've spoken to many taxi drivers. Taxi drivers here are mostly from Pakistan. They have to work 12-hour shifts, 6 days a week, I believe, and some haven't seen their families in 1 or 2 years! For me, when I want to go get my driver's license, I just go in, pay a small fee, and my license transfers over to here. But if you're from Pakistan, you must pay 5,000 dirhams, and take another driver's test in order to be able to drive! (there are probably more hoops to jump through, but I'm not sure).

Someone once told me that there's always going to be levels in life. And the world cannot function without different levels of people. Some people will do well, some will not. Some will have everything they need, some will not. Some people will be healthy, and some will not. Life is like highschool: There will always be the losers and the popular kids, and the middle section. It cannot stand any other way (or so they would say). But just because some people have been blessed by privilege, does it have anything to do with race? It's just the way things turned out. I have a feeling that the world would be entirely different if we had to crumple it up and start over.

There's this feeling of separation in school. The workers keep their eyes down and hardly anyone speaks to them. They call us Miss, etc. They are very friendly and they do say "good morning" many times. Some teachers who aren't western, don't even acknowledge their presence when they come to clean the classroom or help them in some way. I tense whenever any of them come in because I want them to know that I appreciate their help, and I'm sorry for their situation. So, all I can do is say hello, thank you, and excuse me if I'm in their way.  There is a separation between the western teachers and the Arabs and Indian/Pakistani teachers. It's almost like a cultural disagreement, but it felt racial at least in the beginning. I hated the fact that I felt like I was meant to feel better or higher than them. (So not true-I have no idea what I'm doing in the classroom ;)). I've tried to speak to the other ladies at school, and they're so friendly and helpful! I'm even learning Arabic: Kaifa Ha lak=how are you?. I don't want to seem like that annoying American who just sweeps through and blows through barriers simply because I'm American, and our country thinks it can fix everything. There's something to be said for the originality and individuality of culture without it being tainted by outside influence. But, what do we do??

As soon as we came to this country, it hit us. "Don't hang out with or associate with Arab men, they'll try and control you; the Pakistanis are always your taxi drivers and don't know what they're doing, and they are creepy and will stare at you etc." These are the kinds of things we were told. What do you do with these kinds of things? How do you proceed? Just not speak to them or change their level of value in your own mind?

I sometimes hold back because I don't want to be culturally offensive if I say hello to someone and be all "American" about it, but that's really all I can do isn't it? Hello, thank you, and excuse me. Three phrases that won't change anything, but it could create a blend between people. It's a start. Perhaps one should just worry about how they think, how they react to things, and how they act towards others. It's all that can be done.