The time has finally come to leave my current country and return HOME. What a beautiful word and feeling to return to something that always brings a feeling of comfort and welcoming. As I've mentioned before, I can't wait to see green again, feel a breeze, and not have to drink 3 liters of water a day. I cannot wait to see friends and family and visit with one who is now gone (Maggie). I want to eat Domino's pizza and go to Cracker Barrel. (We have Domino's, but it tastes differently here). Believe it or not, living in the Middle East has provided me with a few interesting skills that may not ever be useful in the future, but they are INTERESTING, to say the least.
Here we go:
-I can now read all of the Arabic letters, so if an Arabic word is given to me, I can read it, I just won't know what it means. I practice by reading all of the store signs, and have learned that if the word is an English name like McDonald's, they just write the letters that make the same sounds in Arabic. I started learning Arabic a few months back. I can now say some words and phrases and write and say the letters. 28 letters and many of the letters have a different way they look at the beginning, at the middle, and at the end. Great. And some letters are changed by the adding, moving, or removing of one dot. Insane. It's a fascinating language and I hope to learn more!
-I can now tell the difference between someone who is Arab, or from India, or from Pakistan. These are common mistakes (especially between India and Pakistan). I'd say this is a pretty cool skill. It frustrates me that people will say about Indians and Pakistanis that they're all the same, so it doesn't matter. Whoops, sorry, no dice. Not the case. How would we feel if someone said to us that we are the same as people from Canada or from Europe, and it just "doesn't matter"?
-I can name all of the countries and capitals on the Arabian Peninsula (where I am located). I can say Qatar properly.
-I own a Qu'ran and occasionally read it, and I know more about Islam than I ever did before! (which was my goal)
-I've learned that I don't have to accept bad behavior from other people. It doesn't say something about me when people act poorly. It says something about them.
-I've learned to start to not be "too nice". If someone tries to get you to do their work for them, you fight back. If you have ideas to share and they talk over you, you talk over back. If someone tries to get in front of you in line, you say something!
-I've developed an intense liking of hummus and cucumbers. Great snack.
-I've developed a slight tea addiction. It's all of these Europeans I'm with. I've had to pull back a bit from the tea thing. I've realized, that's why Americans have such white teeth. We don't drink as much tea.
-I am the boss of my students, not the other way around.
-I am learning this, and it's the toughest thing to learn: project yourself the way you want to be viewed (for example, confident), and that is the way you will be viewed.
-It's just me now, so I've got to do things that are good for me.
-Oh, and lastly, I've learned how to drink a lot of water in one day.
So, those are just a sampling of some of the random skills the Middle East has taught me. It has been an amazing yet incredibly difficult experience in so many ways. Even after 10 months, I've just recently started to feel closer to these girls here. It's taken a while! I've met some fun and interesting people, and have learned a lot about teaching, and I hope next year will be bigger and better! Who knows what will happen next?
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
A 20-something Non-grownup
The countdown is officially on and has been on. It is June 17th. Kids are out of here on June 23rd, and I am out of here on June 27th. It's over; I'm done. We're all done (psychologically). Kids leave school at 12:30, and we must stay until 3:30 doing silly dilly paperwork.
Today, I organized my papers for next year while I watched the movie Tangled. You see, we're getting a little desperate here. Next week, we get to leave at 2:30. Woohoo (sarcasm). This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of: keeping kids in school after their exams are over. How silly! There's no teaching, no nothing! I read to them, have them do "academic" activities, artwork, cleaning and organizing, and cartoon watching. TOO MUCH CAKE is being brought around. I'm tired of cake.
So, it's been a full year of teaching. What have I learned you may ask? Well, I've learned more than I probably realize, but much of it belongs in the category I call "intangibles". I seem to be chock full of intangible skills. So, I can live life but don't actually know anything useful.
Possible job ideas/skills teaching has provided me:
-herding: I have learned the skill of "herding" large groups of beings and bringing them to the location I want them to be in
-copygirl: secret dream job. Wow, can I make good copies. I can even fix the copy machine if it's broken! I'm resourceful.
-reading with expression: I've always enjoyed this, but I think I could make an all right public speaker or public book reader. Or maybe even read for an audiobook company. Oh, the possibilities. I've got such lovely practice changing my facial expressions and my voices to accompany certain stories.
-intimidation and guilt-tripping: "you're going to make Ms. Keri go to the crazy house and then you'll need to bake her some delicious chocolate chip cookies."
-dramatic displays: A week ago, we were reviewing for the math exam. We were playing a "math bee", and I had 4 divided by 2 on the board. I asked one of my boys to answer who was fairly good with numbers. He said 6. 8. 2. I said it is division. You ask yourself, "What times 2 equals 4?" He again gave a wrong answer. I said, "do you know what division is?" He shook his head. I threw my marker to the side against the wall and said "see ya later!" I left the room and had to collect myself outside the door. Hmm... perhaps they shouldn't leave me to deal with children.
So you see? There's all kinds of "intangibles" I've learned and skills I've acquired that I can take with me to...well nowhere. I feel like a 20-something non-grownup who still doesn't know what to do when she does grow up. This was a fun year in many ways, and the biggest learning experience ever, but is my heart in it? Not sure yet. I've got lots of "intangibles" in my bag of tricks, but maybe it's time to get some "tangibles" in there as well.
Perhaps the summer break is what I need to refresh my brain to start another year of fluent reading, superb copies, dramatic displays, and a classroom full of kids, who are possibly all in cahoots to send me away to the mental institution, but I still love at the end of the day. Even if this isn't what I'm meant to do, there are still moments of human connection that are so brilliant and beautiful it's bound to change you.
Today, I organized my papers for next year while I watched the movie Tangled. You see, we're getting a little desperate here. Next week, we get to leave at 2:30. Woohoo (sarcasm). This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of: keeping kids in school after their exams are over. How silly! There's no teaching, no nothing! I read to them, have them do "academic" activities, artwork, cleaning and organizing, and cartoon watching. TOO MUCH CAKE is being brought around. I'm tired of cake.
So, it's been a full year of teaching. What have I learned you may ask? Well, I've learned more than I probably realize, but much of it belongs in the category I call "intangibles". I seem to be chock full of intangible skills. So, I can live life but don't actually know anything useful.
Possible job ideas/skills teaching has provided me:
-herding: I have learned the skill of "herding" large groups of beings and bringing them to the location I want them to be in
-copygirl: secret dream job. Wow, can I make good copies. I can even fix the copy machine if it's broken! I'm resourceful.
-reading with expression: I've always enjoyed this, but I think I could make an all right public speaker or public book reader. Or maybe even read for an audiobook company. Oh, the possibilities. I've got such lovely practice changing my facial expressions and my voices to accompany certain stories.
-intimidation and guilt-tripping: "you're going to make Ms. Keri go to the crazy house and then you'll need to bake her some delicious chocolate chip cookies."
-dramatic displays: A week ago, we were reviewing for the math exam. We were playing a "math bee", and I had 4 divided by 2 on the board. I asked one of my boys to answer who was fairly good with numbers. He said 6. 8. 2. I said it is division. You ask yourself, "What times 2 equals 4?" He again gave a wrong answer. I said, "do you know what division is?" He shook his head. I threw my marker to the side against the wall and said "see ya later!" I left the room and had to collect myself outside the door. Hmm... perhaps they shouldn't leave me to deal with children.
So you see? There's all kinds of "intangibles" I've learned and skills I've acquired that I can take with me to...well nowhere. I feel like a 20-something non-grownup who still doesn't know what to do when she does grow up. This was a fun year in many ways, and the biggest learning experience ever, but is my heart in it? Not sure yet. I've got lots of "intangibles" in my bag of tricks, but maybe it's time to get some "tangibles" in there as well.
Perhaps the summer break is what I need to refresh my brain to start another year of fluent reading, superb copies, dramatic displays, and a classroom full of kids, who are possibly all in cahoots to send me away to the mental institution, but I still love at the end of the day. Even if this isn't what I'm meant to do, there are still moments of human connection that are so brilliant and beautiful it's bound to change you.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
SENIORITIS
Yep, it appears one doesn't outgrow this feeling as one outgrows youth. I am currently experiencing symptoms of the deadly senioritis. It is May 25. School ends June 23. I am ready for it to be done. I am ready to be done with silly lesson plans and meeting about lesson plans and curriculum. I'm tired of dealing with children who sometimes act like they're fresh out of the insane asylum. I'm tired of giving my teacher look and saying "not the right thing." I'm tired of fighting against disorganization, laziness, and the desire to eat every treat that passes over my desk (and my goodness many do pass over it.). I am ready to lay down with no concerns, if even for a moment. I'm ready to not worry about why my one student can't remember to start a sentence with a capital letter! Ughhh...it's too much. It's time to be done. But nooooo, I must do as my parents say and "keep plugging away." I absolutely hate that phrase. It makes me almost want to cry because of how painful it is to keep going when you just feel like stopping and saying, "NO! No more!".
I am so ready to be back in the United States for a visit. I need to see greenery and feel cool breezes. I need to be able to go to the grocery store and actually find what I'm looking for. My parents will be thrilled--I want to do their grocery shopping and go hiking and go running with my Dad! (Who'd ever have thought I'd want to say those things??) Over here, we're trying to go out with a bang. This past weekend we went to the Justin Timberlake concert (a POOR substitute for me missing a good friend's wedding). But, the concert was awesome! We also have a day off today (we usually work Sundays), so that has been the icing on the cake.
Despite my excitement to return, I'm a little nervous to see how I act in small Lancaster County. Here, most people seem as if part of their brain is missing! I loathe people who move slowly, but don't worry everyone does that here. I've started huffing and puffing and making faces of frustration behind them! (Rude, I know). I might have said this before, but the automatic doors are actually slower here. That's because people don't arrive at the door quickly. They putz along, just strollin', and then the door opens. But, me, I rush to the door and then have to wait 3 seconds for it to open while I tap my foot and roll my eyes. I'm terrible. I'm also going to run to the dermatologist when I get home to see if there is any sun damage to my skin. I'm the freak that wears sunscreen like all the time. In every single place ever, people smoke. You cannot escape it! So, my lungs are black, my skin's getting old, I'm going crazy with slow people frustration, who knows what kind of monster I'll be like when I get back!
School is finishing up. This is the last week where we'll actually be teaching new content. Then it's all reviewing for the exam. I wrote the numeracy final exam. My co-workers wrote science and literacy. I'm really enjoying the feeling going in on my class right now. We all know each other so well, and it's so chill. I like to bring out my silly side, and many times I sit on a desk when we're having discussions or when I'm reading a story. It's great! I feel very comfortable with them, and now they know my "looks" so well that I can just send them a look, and they know I'm not happy. I'm surprised at the loving feeling I feel for each of my students! They may be the most insane people in the world, but we've come a long way together, and I will always remember them. They're sweet kids. I even love my bad kids so much! I love the kid who was the worst at the beginning of the year. The other teachers and kids tell me about things that he's done, but he's become such a sweet student!! He and I get along so well. And they give it to me straight. My one student (the most annoying one), told me, "Miss, why you wear your glasses today? You look much more beautiful when you do not wear your glasses." Yes, Yatrik, I know. But I didn't feel like giving an effort today. I would be APPALLED if anyone from home saw my school outfits. They are the UGLIEST things of all time. I wear the same 6 outfits. Long skirts, pilled shirts that look like crap, and I started wearing pencil skirts, but our vice principal said we have to stop wearing tight skirts because we live in Sharjah. So, there goes any hope of looking stylish at school :/.
Well, see you soon!! Can't wait to see you all.
Love, "black-lunged", frustrated, not-stylish-at-school, and sun damaged skin girl
I am so ready to be back in the United States for a visit. I need to see greenery and feel cool breezes. I need to be able to go to the grocery store and actually find what I'm looking for. My parents will be thrilled--I want to do their grocery shopping and go hiking and go running with my Dad! (Who'd ever have thought I'd want to say those things??) Over here, we're trying to go out with a bang. This past weekend we went to the Justin Timberlake concert (a POOR substitute for me missing a good friend's wedding). But, the concert was awesome! We also have a day off today (we usually work Sundays), so that has been the icing on the cake.
Despite my excitement to return, I'm a little nervous to see how I act in small Lancaster County. Here, most people seem as if part of their brain is missing! I loathe people who move slowly, but don't worry everyone does that here. I've started huffing and puffing and making faces of frustration behind them! (Rude, I know). I might have said this before, but the automatic doors are actually slower here. That's because people don't arrive at the door quickly. They putz along, just strollin', and then the door opens. But, me, I rush to the door and then have to wait 3 seconds for it to open while I tap my foot and roll my eyes. I'm terrible. I'm also going to run to the dermatologist when I get home to see if there is any sun damage to my skin. I'm the freak that wears sunscreen like all the time. In every single place ever, people smoke. You cannot escape it! So, my lungs are black, my skin's getting old, I'm going crazy with slow people frustration, who knows what kind of monster I'll be like when I get back!
School is finishing up. This is the last week where we'll actually be teaching new content. Then it's all reviewing for the exam. I wrote the numeracy final exam. My co-workers wrote science and literacy. I'm really enjoying the feeling going in on my class right now. We all know each other so well, and it's so chill. I like to bring out my silly side, and many times I sit on a desk when we're having discussions or when I'm reading a story. It's great! I feel very comfortable with them, and now they know my "looks" so well that I can just send them a look, and they know I'm not happy. I'm surprised at the loving feeling I feel for each of my students! They may be the most insane people in the world, but we've come a long way together, and I will always remember them. They're sweet kids. I even love my bad kids so much! I love the kid who was the worst at the beginning of the year. The other teachers and kids tell me about things that he's done, but he's become such a sweet student!! He and I get along so well. And they give it to me straight. My one student (the most annoying one), told me, "Miss, why you wear your glasses today? You look much more beautiful when you do not wear your glasses." Yes, Yatrik, I know. But I didn't feel like giving an effort today. I would be APPALLED if anyone from home saw my school outfits. They are the UGLIEST things of all time. I wear the same 6 outfits. Long skirts, pilled shirts that look like crap, and I started wearing pencil skirts, but our vice principal said we have to stop wearing tight skirts because we live in Sharjah. So, there goes any hope of looking stylish at school :/.
Well, see you soon!! Can't wait to see you all.
Love, "black-lunged", frustrated, not-stylish-at-school, and sun damaged skin girl
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Vacation Withdrawal
I'm currently experiencing the withdrawal symptoms that occur when you return from a vacation: listlessness, slight depression, homesickness, wondering about the meaning of life, etc. Wow, have I been on a vacation. It was more like a constant tourist activity.
Five friends and I departed two weeks ago on a crazy adventure: 5 flights, 5 locations, about 7 hotels/hostels, countless restaurants/bars, a few dance floors, one too many late evenings, way too much humidity, and contact with about a bazillion unknown germs. But, we've survived, and I'm here to tell the tale!
First, it was Hong Kong. What an interesting place to see from the airport. As soon as you exit the plane, you see mountains! More like hills, I suppose, but covered with so much green! And the fog (or probably smog) was creeping down over the tops of them and winding around them. It was very mystical (very much like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon kind of stuff). It was beautiful. Hong Kong was very busy--people always moving from place to place and lots of noise. The walk signals even make an annoying ticking sound which tells you to go. I enjoyed it. There was lots of history and ritual and religion, and it was an experience eating in a real live Chinese restaurant. They even wrote down our order in Chinese! Imagine that--it sounds stupid to say that because they speak Chinese in HK, but it was very cool to watch! We only stayed there for 24 hours. We went out at night and returned to stay in a very shadyyyy hostel. This was our first experience with the shower being in the same room as the bathroom. It was more like there was a bathroom and they just attached a shower head to one wall. Talk about saving space.
Next, was BALI. Now Bali and Gili T were my favorite places of the whole trip. Bali is more of a culture shock. It's primitive in a comforting sort of way. It's nice to know that there are still places like this out in the world. Places where people are still doing the old style stuff. It felt like Africa with an islandy twist. We got there on their "New Year's Eve". We went out and saw the Monsters Parade, which is where they build these crazy looking monsters (They're Hindu in Bali, I believe), and they parade them around town with music. This things are CRAZY looking-tongues out, huge eyes, boobs everywhere (even the men), long toenails and maybe more than two arms. They do a dance with them, and then they burn them on the beach a few days later. That was an experience. The next day, which is called Nyepi Day, is where you have to stay inside all day because it's considered a "day of silence". You're not allowed to drink or anything or walk anywhere. So, we just relaxed and read and sat by the pool. It was a nice day. But, by the end, I had come down with "Bali belly" and was ill for 24 hours. I think Bali belly is pretty self-explanatory, so I won't get into it. It was awful. This was in Kuta, Bali. We then moved to Ubud. Ubud was a lot of fun. We stayed in a gorgeous hostel and were within walking distance to great shops and restaurants and even the Monkey Forest!
We spent about 2 days there, riding elephants, seeing the monkeys, going to temples, and hanging out at night in the town and meeting some other crazy travelers. It was great.
Now, here comes my favorite part. We took a boat to Gili Trawangan which is about an hour and a half away from Bali. This place was GORGEOUS: white sands, blue water, perfect weather, and a dirt road lined with hotels, pools, island bars and restaurants and stores. We spent 2 days here. We went snorkeling, laid on the beach, rode bikes around the island, and just hung out. It was amazing and just what we needed. The island is only 7km around, so there's just the one main road. No cars are allowed there, so there's mini taxes driven by mini ponies: weird. We walked everywhere and stayed in a hostel that cost us 13 dollars a person for 2 nights. Yeah, Indonesia's cheap. This island was PACKED with Germans-Keri's personal dream. So I got to hone up on my German skills and impress my native German acquaintances with my German talents :). Great sunsets, great feel, and great views. My friend and I rented bikes and rode around the island. That was a truly amazing moment. We went deeper into the jungle part, and it was like going back in time. People were actually dressed in cloth and hand-harvesting the fields and living in huts! It was crazy and beautiful. There was a silence about the area that you will hardly find anywhere else. I was sad to leave there, but we had to head back to Bali for one more night before heading to Malaysia!
We went back to Kuta but stayed in a different area-the party area. This area was ENTIRELY different from the first. I was told it looked like Thailand. So much noise and so many lights and so many people coming in your face and giving you flyers to come to their bar or trying to entice you into buying their "energy" drug. It was a little creepy. Some guy grabbed my arm at the ATM, so I'd look at him and buy his weird drug thing. It seriously looked like a battery. FREAKY. We proceeded to spend our evening in a huge building filled with about 10 different kinds of bars with all kinds of music. Very cool, but I will be bringing my earplugs out to clubs next time. I don't care how stupid it looks; I refuse to be the deaf older lady because of the "bad" behavior of my youth.
Then, Kuala Lumpur. We spent two nights here. This place was a city that desperately wanted to be up there with Dubai and Singapore, but it's just not cutting it yet! Maybe one day. We saw the Batu caves, the King's Palace, and the National Monument. It was all very nice stuff, but the religion has taken a strange turn. There was a Buddha outside of a Hindu cave, and we would also hear the call to prayer during the day. So, we're not exactly sure which religion they're sticking with, or if they've just mishmashed them all together. In KL, there are the PETRONAS Towers, which used to be the tallest buildings in the world, I believe, until the Burj Khalifa was built (Sorry). But they still win the record for something: I think it's the fact that they're two attached towers and not one. The nightlife there was fun but very calm, and there aren't as many western expats there as in Dubai or Bali even. Our fatigue started to catch up with us, so by this point we were focused on relaxing (or at least I was) and enjoying what remained of our vacation.
Next and last, Singapore. Singapore is gorgeous. It's clean and flashy and just what a city ought to be. It reminded me of Dubai, but there aren't the same kinds of restrictions there or even a religious undertone at all. It was a very nice place to visit, and I would definitely go back some day. There is the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, which is an amazing 3 skyscrapers with a boat lying across the top!! We actually went up to the top. There is a restaurant, a bar, and a swimming pool with trees all around. It's breathtaking to be up there.
So, in conclusion, it was an amazing trip, but it was very tiring. I'm not the mega tourist type who needs to traverse the entire city in one day, so it was hard to try to squeeze things in to a small amount of time. I like to savor and absorb and enjoy a city. So, next year, I think I'll choose one place or two places to go and just take my time seeing each place. I realized that the entire reason I travel is to see again that there's a whole world of people out there who have their own lives, their own problems, and their own ways of doing things! It really gives perspective. I also travel for that moment or those moments that really blow your mind and give you a memory you can take with you wherever you go. I have a pocket full of memories now that I can just relax into whenever I need to get away. And that's why I love to see the world...
Five friends and I departed two weeks ago on a crazy adventure: 5 flights, 5 locations, about 7 hotels/hostels, countless restaurants/bars, a few dance floors, one too many late evenings, way too much humidity, and contact with about a bazillion unknown germs. But, we've survived, and I'm here to tell the tale!
First, it was Hong Kong. What an interesting place to see from the airport. As soon as you exit the plane, you see mountains! More like hills, I suppose, but covered with so much green! And the fog (or probably smog) was creeping down over the tops of them and winding around them. It was very mystical (very much like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon kind of stuff). It was beautiful. Hong Kong was very busy--people always moving from place to place and lots of noise. The walk signals even make an annoying ticking sound which tells you to go. I enjoyed it. There was lots of history and ritual and religion, and it was an experience eating in a real live Chinese restaurant. They even wrote down our order in Chinese! Imagine that--it sounds stupid to say that because they speak Chinese in HK, but it was very cool to watch! We only stayed there for 24 hours. We went out at night and returned to stay in a very shadyyyy hostel. This was our first experience with the shower being in the same room as the bathroom. It was more like there was a bathroom and they just attached a shower head to one wall. Talk about saving space.
Next, was BALI. Now Bali and Gili T were my favorite places of the whole trip. Bali is more of a culture shock. It's primitive in a comforting sort of way. It's nice to know that there are still places like this out in the world. Places where people are still doing the old style stuff. It felt like Africa with an islandy twist. We got there on their "New Year's Eve". We went out and saw the Monsters Parade, which is where they build these crazy looking monsters (They're Hindu in Bali, I believe), and they parade them around town with music. This things are CRAZY looking-tongues out, huge eyes, boobs everywhere (even the men), long toenails and maybe more than two arms. They do a dance with them, and then they burn them on the beach a few days later. That was an experience. The next day, which is called Nyepi Day, is where you have to stay inside all day because it's considered a "day of silence". You're not allowed to drink or anything or walk anywhere. So, we just relaxed and read and sat by the pool. It was a nice day. But, by the end, I had come down with "Bali belly" and was ill for 24 hours. I think Bali belly is pretty self-explanatory, so I won't get into it. It was awful. This was in Kuta, Bali. We then moved to Ubud. Ubud was a lot of fun. We stayed in a gorgeous hostel and were within walking distance to great shops and restaurants and even the Monkey Forest!
We spent about 2 days there, riding elephants, seeing the monkeys, going to temples, and hanging out at night in the town and meeting some other crazy travelers. It was great.
Now, here comes my favorite part. We took a boat to Gili Trawangan which is about an hour and a half away from Bali. This place was GORGEOUS: white sands, blue water, perfect weather, and a dirt road lined with hotels, pools, island bars and restaurants and stores. We spent 2 days here. We went snorkeling, laid on the beach, rode bikes around the island, and just hung out. It was amazing and just what we needed. The island is only 7km around, so there's just the one main road. No cars are allowed there, so there's mini taxes driven by mini ponies: weird. We walked everywhere and stayed in a hostel that cost us 13 dollars a person for 2 nights. Yeah, Indonesia's cheap. This island was PACKED with Germans-Keri's personal dream. So I got to hone up on my German skills and impress my native German acquaintances with my German talents :). Great sunsets, great feel, and great views. My friend and I rented bikes and rode around the island. That was a truly amazing moment. We went deeper into the jungle part, and it was like going back in time. People were actually dressed in cloth and hand-harvesting the fields and living in huts! It was crazy and beautiful. There was a silence about the area that you will hardly find anywhere else. I was sad to leave there, but we had to head back to Bali for one more night before heading to Malaysia!
We went back to Kuta but stayed in a different area-the party area. This area was ENTIRELY different from the first. I was told it looked like Thailand. So much noise and so many lights and so many people coming in your face and giving you flyers to come to their bar or trying to entice you into buying their "energy" drug. It was a little creepy. Some guy grabbed my arm at the ATM, so I'd look at him and buy his weird drug thing. It seriously looked like a battery. FREAKY. We proceeded to spend our evening in a huge building filled with about 10 different kinds of bars with all kinds of music. Very cool, but I will be bringing my earplugs out to clubs next time. I don't care how stupid it looks; I refuse to be the deaf older lady because of the "bad" behavior of my youth.
Then, Kuala Lumpur. We spent two nights here. This place was a city that desperately wanted to be up there with Dubai and Singapore, but it's just not cutting it yet! Maybe one day. We saw the Batu caves, the King's Palace, and the National Monument. It was all very nice stuff, but the religion has taken a strange turn. There was a Buddha outside of a Hindu cave, and we would also hear the call to prayer during the day. So, we're not exactly sure which religion they're sticking with, or if they've just mishmashed them all together. In KL, there are the PETRONAS Towers, which used to be the tallest buildings in the world, I believe, until the Burj Khalifa was built (Sorry). But they still win the record for something: I think it's the fact that they're two attached towers and not one. The nightlife there was fun but very calm, and there aren't as many western expats there as in Dubai or Bali even. Our fatigue started to catch up with us, so by this point we were focused on relaxing (or at least I was) and enjoying what remained of our vacation.
Next and last, Singapore. Singapore is gorgeous. It's clean and flashy and just what a city ought to be. It reminded me of Dubai, but there aren't the same kinds of restrictions there or even a religious undertone at all. It was a very nice place to visit, and I would definitely go back some day. There is the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, which is an amazing 3 skyscrapers with a boat lying across the top!! We actually went up to the top. There is a restaurant, a bar, and a swimming pool with trees all around. It's breathtaking to be up there.
So, in conclusion, it was an amazing trip, but it was very tiring. I'm not the mega tourist type who needs to traverse the entire city in one day, so it was hard to try to squeeze things in to a small amount of time. I like to savor and absorb and enjoy a city. So, next year, I think I'll choose one place or two places to go and just take my time seeing each place. I realized that the entire reason I travel is to see again that there's a whole world of people out there who have their own lives, their own problems, and their own ways of doing things! It really gives perspective. I also travel for that moment or those moments that really blow your mind and give you a memory you can take with you wherever you go. I have a pocket full of memories now that I can just relax into whenever I need to get away. And that's why I love to see the world...
Friday, March 28, 2014
On the Precipice of World Adventure
I've always dreamed of using a word like precipice in a real life situation. I guess today is my day. So, you may result from extreme jealousy when I tell you that yes, this past week I got off school early once again for RAIN. It was excellent--watching it pour down and hoping against hope for them to call it. It has become that time of the year where everything bothers you, and you need some time away from your students!! We were getting on each other's nerves. We have not had one day off since Christmas break, so it's been a bit rough.
Now we're heading for a 2 week Spring Break trip! First destination: Hong Kong for a night, then Bali for about 6 days, then Malaysia and Singapore for the next 6 days!! A dream come true. It's hard to know how to feel when your dream actually comes true. I've hoped for this beautiful day, the day when I get to see different parts of the world that I probably will never see again! I'm on the precipice of an amazing adventure, I'm sure. I'll be sure to update you on my return.
I've realized that this is a place in which you can't live for a long time. Everything here is temporary and fleeting. It's amazing, to be sure, and it's absolutely fun, but there's no depth to it, no character. I am ready to get out and see some new places. When everything around you is as such, it's hard to develop and grow in good ways. It makes you want to just enjoy the present and focus on entertainment rather than on developing your mind. It's like floating endlessly with no grounding. Believe me, I wanted this, because I'm young and want to explore and to be free, but I don't want to lose who I know I am and want to be. I don't want to lose those Lancaster County roots (in some ways, not all). It's a very different experience, than anything I've ever had before. My brain (and even soul!) is desperately searching for something here that has more layers and more depth to experience. Sometimes I miss the world where doing the right thing is not embarrassing--it's applauded! Well, I suppose the journey to self-understanding will just take a bit longer than anticipated.
I'm currently in the process of writing an article for a luxury magazine about the Burj Khalifa. It's catered toward really rich people, so you can only write about really expensive activities, etc. I met a writer friend (from England), who asked if I'd be interested once he found out I liked to write. If the owner of the magazine likes it, and the magazine is able to continue, I'll be a paid employee!! This friend has also given me some other writing jobs for the future. I'm very excited because this is a dream I'm thinking of pursuing later down the road. I really don't know how people teach children for 30 or so years. It is fun, I'll give it that, but you eventually will get drained, I feel. We'll see what the future holds.
Something that I find so interesting at my school is that you don't have to shy away from discussing religion. There's a prayer room for the Muslims, for goodness' sake! It's fascinating because my kids and I can talk about all of their different religions, and I can ask them questions without it being inappropriate for the school setting. I love the "internationalness" of it. I push so hard in my class for my students to develop a sense of respect for people even though they are different and believe different things. Like I've said before, I've had issues with students who "make fun of each other's gods". I just say, "Guys, it's fine, Mahek is Muslim and Sahana is Hindu, but we can still be friends. They just believe different things, and that's ok. There's no reason to make fun of someone for what they believe." I also like to foster the idea that only YOU have control of your own actions and beliefs, so if someone says something mean to you, who cares? You like your project, then that's all that matters. You are a Muslim, then great. You do what you think is the right thing.
And it sounds so bad to say, "Hey Haidar, you're Muslim right?" But it's so normal here. I love how the kids are so used to the differences that they're not shocked by it. Below is a picture that pretty much explains it all. We were learning about Carroll Diagrams. See what we created.....
Well that's about it for now. Wish me luck on my journey!!
Now we're heading for a 2 week Spring Break trip! First destination: Hong Kong for a night, then Bali for about 6 days, then Malaysia and Singapore for the next 6 days!! A dream come true. It's hard to know how to feel when your dream actually comes true. I've hoped for this beautiful day, the day when I get to see different parts of the world that I probably will never see again! I'm on the precipice of an amazing adventure, I'm sure. I'll be sure to update you on my return.
I've realized that this is a place in which you can't live for a long time. Everything here is temporary and fleeting. It's amazing, to be sure, and it's absolutely fun, but there's no depth to it, no character. I am ready to get out and see some new places. When everything around you is as such, it's hard to develop and grow in good ways. It makes you want to just enjoy the present and focus on entertainment rather than on developing your mind. It's like floating endlessly with no grounding. Believe me, I wanted this, because I'm young and want to explore and to be free, but I don't want to lose who I know I am and want to be. I don't want to lose those Lancaster County roots (in some ways, not all). It's a very different experience, than anything I've ever had before. My brain (and even soul!) is desperately searching for something here that has more layers and more depth to experience. Sometimes I miss the world where doing the right thing is not embarrassing--it's applauded! Well, I suppose the journey to self-understanding will just take a bit longer than anticipated.
I'm currently in the process of writing an article for a luxury magazine about the Burj Khalifa. It's catered toward really rich people, so you can only write about really expensive activities, etc. I met a writer friend (from England), who asked if I'd be interested once he found out I liked to write. If the owner of the magazine likes it, and the magazine is able to continue, I'll be a paid employee!! This friend has also given me some other writing jobs for the future. I'm very excited because this is a dream I'm thinking of pursuing later down the road. I really don't know how people teach children for 30 or so years. It is fun, I'll give it that, but you eventually will get drained, I feel. We'll see what the future holds.
Something that I find so interesting at my school is that you don't have to shy away from discussing religion. There's a prayer room for the Muslims, for goodness' sake! It's fascinating because my kids and I can talk about all of their different religions, and I can ask them questions without it being inappropriate for the school setting. I love the "internationalness" of it. I push so hard in my class for my students to develop a sense of respect for people even though they are different and believe different things. Like I've said before, I've had issues with students who "make fun of each other's gods". I just say, "Guys, it's fine, Mahek is Muslim and Sahana is Hindu, but we can still be friends. They just believe different things, and that's ok. There's no reason to make fun of someone for what they believe." I also like to foster the idea that only YOU have control of your own actions and beliefs, so if someone says something mean to you, who cares? You like your project, then that's all that matters. You are a Muslim, then great. You do what you think is the right thing.
And it sounds so bad to say, "Hey Haidar, you're Muslim right?" But it's so normal here. I love how the kids are so used to the differences that they're not shocked by it. Below is a picture that pretty much explains it all. We were learning about Carroll Diagrams. See what we created.....
Well that's about it for now. Wish me luck on my journey!!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Nonself-awareness and Wheely Backpacks
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...
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...
Friday, January 24, 2014
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.
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.
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