COMPLETE AND UTTER LACK of self-awareness and freaking wheely backpacks are a serious epidemic in this country. It's probably the UAE's worst problems, I'd say. If they fixed those things, woohoo we'd be cruisin'.
I don't know what it is, but it's an entirely different mindset here, and it is so hard to get used to. Local people have no concept of others (most people here I should say). For example, they will cut you off on the road without indicating, pull out in front of you even though you're speeding past, NOT let you in in a long line of traffic, interrupt you while you're speaking to say their piece, park their car in front of yours in the parking lot while they go do something (and you can't get out), cut in front of you in any line, stop in the middle of a hallway and do something and you bump into them, leave their stuff anywhere and everywhere, the list goes on and on! But it's turned me into a more vocal person who stands up for herself. So, if someone cuts me off in line, I'm like, "Hey pal, there's a line, and I'm in front of you." (I say some derivative of that-I probably don't use pal). Or I just put my body in a position where no one can get past me. Instead of just being quiet and letting people blather on and interrupt you etc. etc., I speak up, and I'm like no, you need to hear this.
This happens quite a bit: I go running by the waterfront in Sharjah, and there are tons of kids out riding their bikes and stuff while their parents are smoking slash on their cell phones slash wearing abiyas, slash grilling food. Out in the public, kids are the literal WORST. I want to make an announcement to the world. If you raise your kids they way you've been doing, Earth will turn to rubble and it will be controlled by mutant bizarro nonself-aware people! Anyway, so while I run, kids will not look or even care to look and will just drive straight towards me and refuse to get out of the way. I've become the Bruce Nickles sequel. I'll throw my hands up in a dramatic way and give an angry face and maybe even mumble things. Or I'll say them out loud. Things like, "What is wrong with you?" This country has made me lose my patience entirely.
Now, let me tell you about wheely backpacks. These beasts are literally the most illogical things in the entire universe. I'm not exactly sure of their purpose. Is it cool to look like you're carrying luggage or something? I DO NOT get it. If it's for protecting your back, then that's ridiculous, because people do not really care about their health over here either. Every single student anywhere here has them. I'm not kidding. And they're HUGE too! They are 1/3 of the child's body! So, we waste our time in school traffic lines in the morning because all the kids have to wheel their stupid wheely bags up the stairs. My new phrase has become, "Let's roll here, folks" (with a splash of sarcasm), as I roll my eyes being stuck in the line behind these foolish contraptions. And, they have no balance ability! So you try to place them in a convenient place in your classroom and they fall over and get in everyone's way. It's a daily occurrence for me to get my foot caught in a bag handle as I walk around the room. "For Heaven's sake!" is my other new school-appropriate phrase.
I'm trying to teach my students about self-awareness and caring about others and being responsible for oneself. My parents would be proud to hear my tell my class, "I don't care what culture you're from or where you grew up, you will clean up after yourself. There are more people than just you in the world. Remember that." So, I point to backpacks that have fallen out of line and are in the way and say "self-awareness." They know to clean it up then. It is a constant battle in my class for students to think for themselves and take responsibility for their own learning. The words of my mother keep spilling out, "Oh, you don't know the definition of a word? Well, there's a dictionary right over there. Find out yourself." They're getting used to me and my way of doing things, but it is a challenge. And, I just can't get used to it; it drives me nuts! It's definitely a culture clash that we're experiencing. In a western school, I would be able to set up stations in my classroom, for example, where students have an activity that they do as a group and must control it themselves. Doing that in my class requires me to hold everyone's hand, basically, and walk them through each step, or even make them participate! At the end of the day, you just feel so out of breath from all the managing you've been doing all day!
We will see what the future holds. They're kind of getting used to me and my ways of doing things. Sometimes I hear them use my phrases to each other, and that makes me chuckle.
In other news, the weather is slowly slowly getting warmer. We will be back to DEATH heat by May. Cannot wait for Spring Break! My friends and I will be heading to Hong Kong, Bali, Singapore, and Malaysia. Dreams are coming true :). This past weekend we all went to the Atlantis Resort on Palm Island for a brunch-the most famous brunch here basically. It was sooo expensive but absolutely amazing! They had drinks made in real pineapples with a straw that came out of it. It was awesome. I also got to hang out with my new German friends (so glad to meet some new people), and we spent a good evening together, going out and speaking German. It was great! I'm hoping to get involved in some more things: book clubs or beach volleyball.
Well, talk to you again soon! I wish you well from across the world...
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