“Do you miss seeing women?”
“Excuse me?”
“This is a land of men. All you see are men. Look around, you’re the only woman here.”
“Oh. I think I’ve stopped noticing. And, I guess I don’t think of it as not seeing women. However, if you’re asking me if I’m sick of being leered at, yes. At least the creeps in New York will SAY something as they stare at my chest. It’s way creepier to just get stared at all of the time. I’ve never felt like this much of an object in my life.”
The dude to lady ratio here is almost 3:1.
That’s Zayed, the founder of this little country. Wasta is a little more complicated. I’m going to let Wiki do the heavy lifting. Wasta.
Today someone translated an Arabian saying. “Everyone wants to be a boss, even if it’s only the boss of one chicken.”
And it’s true. This is a culture obsessed with power and influence and using wasta to get what you want rather than working for it.
Which is leading up to something I hope to write this weekend when I have more time and I’m less tired.
So. I was going to write a heartbreaking, tear jerker about how for all the glitz this is the most isolating experience of my life. However, it’s 9 pm and I still have hours of work to do before I go to bed.
I also wanted to write about language and intellect and global positioning and the inequities that such things cause. Again, no go.
This is what you get instead…
Tonight I washed my hair with bottled water and “fall reduction” shampoo. It took three bottles to wash my hair. I feel like the most wasteful person alive. Though I suppose it is much less than what I use when I take a shower.
If I had any foresight I would have set up the Flip cam and recorded this process. I promise that all you missed is me swearing a lot because room temperature bottles of water feel REALLY COLD on your head. Conversely, when you heat them in an electric kettle they feel REALLY HOT on your head.
I’m not sure that I’m pleased with the results. And I’m not stupid. I realize I have to do this for weeks before anything changes.
It’s not exciting, but this is my reality.
Also of note, Time Out has a cover story titled Drag Kings. I was really excited but then I realized it was about racing.
This is what continued exposure to desalinated water does to hair. Needless to say, I am not happy. And by “not happy” I mean that I want to cry my eyes out. My hair was thin and gross to begin with. Thin and gross with bald patches? No thank you.
Obviously, this is a pretty common thing here. Their are salon treatments, but they are expensive. I think I am going to try the (also pricey) shampoos and conditioners that I’ve seen recommended several places.
I’m really close to washing my hair with bottled water, but the idea of all of that plastic waste kills me.
Should you be super curious, this is the Wiki page for desalination. You’ll learn in that article that the largest desalination plant is at Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates. This should not shock anyone as the UAE is obsessed with record breaking.
What weekend?
Honestly, when you’ve done a week of 14 hours days that have been really tough and included jet lag and working on weekends and holidays and getting a yelled at a bunch - blogging is probably the last thing anyone wants to do.
It’s the weekend. And I spent a lot of the day working.
I did, however, go grocery shopping. This is by no means comprehensive. Keep in mind that I’m starting from a completely empty pantry. I will need to make another trip to a grocery store that’s a little more veg-friendly. (Lulu, not Carrefour.)
We will now have a discussion of what I purchased and the prices, in USD. Exciting, no?
3 Raspberry frozen fruit bars $2.71
Cumin powder $1.50
Black pepper $1.14
Instant mashed potato flakes (small bag) $2
Apple Cider Vinegar $0.80
mint gum, 14 pieces $0.14
crazy fruit flavored gum $0.82
Channa masala spice pack $1.16
Sunflower oil (medium bottle) $1.36
Heinz Ketchup (medium bottle) $1.08
Peanut butter $3.54
Paprika $2.06
Avocado $0.74
Large loaf of whole grain bread, from bakery $1.43
Organic vegetable bullion $1.89
Soy sauce, small bottle $0.41
Lindt Dark chocolate bar $0.54
Chocolate soy milk $1.76
Three inch hunk of fresh ginger $0.26
1 head fresh garlic $0.14
1 large yellow onion $0.39
Mambas $0.97
Large bag of carrots $1.23
Medium bag of jasmine rice $1.36
In other news, trying to book a Christmas flight leaves me wanting to shoot myself in the head. I want a direct flight. I don’t want to spend a ton of money. I also technically have to work every day but 12/25.
Hearing everyone around me gasp and say things like, “You’re not allowed to play this song here.” was so incredible.
There’s been some rumbling about commenting abilities. Click on the date of an entry and you’ll see just that entry and will be able to leave comments at the bottom.
It’s cold in my room. I turned the a/c off, but it is still cold. That seems to be the theme in Abu Dhabi. Hot as hell outside, freezing inside.
When I packed for the “move” I only brought enough clothes for the next few days and left my big bag at the Shagri-La. My sweatshirt is in the big bag. I really wish I had it right now.
LP and AC leave for the states tonight. It’s sort of scary/interesting that I’m here next week with no “boss” figure. I have a list of things to get done, 850 Dirhams in cash to buy supplies, and a keycard for the ADEC building. It’s up to this little bird to fly on her own.
My stomach hurts. I can’t figure out what’s messing it up, but something is. BIG TIME. My heartburn was out of control so I went to a pharmacy for an OTC pill. A 15 pack cost $40 USD. I assure you that I will be bringing these with me from the States in the future. Highway robbery.
The funniest conversation I had today involved my visa. (The legal document, not the debit card that wouldn’t work.) As an American, I am granted a 30 day visa upon arrival to the airport. During that 30 days, I can do whatever I please in the country - visit, study, work, etc… On day 31, it is expected that I will return to my home country. (I note “as an American” because this luxury does not apply to all countries. As of 1/1/11, Canada is off the list.) I also win as an American because I don’t have to pay for it. Citizens of some countries have to shell out cash.
Obviously, I need more than a 30 day visa. ADEC is supposed to take care of the visa process for me. I don’t know what type they’re applying for. I do question if it’s the kind that will get me the card I need to apply for a license to be allowed to shop at a liquor store. That’s right! You need a license to shop at a liquor store. It basically proves that you are not Muslim and gives a maximum amount of money you can spend each month on booze. The amount of money is based on your salary and is capped at 2,5000 AED/month - regardless of how much money you make. I just crunched the numbers and my yearly salary is such that I would be allowed the maximum. (For those of you playing along at home, this maximum is about $680 USD of booze.)
Truth be told, I’m really not that interested in the actual purchasing of booze. If I want a drink, I will go to a hotel and have a drink. Since arriving in the country I’ve had a mojito, a gin and tonic, and some wine. Oh! Funny story about the gin and tonic. They brought me a chilled glass - like a giant soda glass - with a few inches of gin sitting in it and a can of tonic water. When LP ordered the mojitos I was afraid that we were going to be handed a knife and some limes. So yes. Not that worried about actually purchasing. However, what makes a better visual aid for stories during my return home than a piece of paper that allows me to buy alcohol?
I digress… We’re talking about all of this and LP says, “If they take too long we’ll just dive to Oman and border hop.” All I could do was laugh. Never did I think my life would involve casual mentions of driving to Oman to resolve visa issues. LP caught on and joked, “Yes, this is life. Casual trips to Oman.”
Honestly, a month ago I don’t think I could have pointed to Oman on the map.
Which reminds me… It’s been occurring to me how little we’re taught about this region in school. It struck me at first that here it is the Arabian Gulf, never the Persian Gulf. The latter name conjures up images of a war that happened while I was young. (We can debate if it ever ended…) Most of the countries of this region I know from news headlines - Saudia Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Iran… And honestly, I think I learned more about Iran from Persepolis than I ever did in school.
If I was to break down what I’ve been taught about the region to small, baby-sized bites, it would go like this: It’s where Jesus was from. The Jews are from there. But mostly we talk about the Jews because of the Holocaust. It’s where the Muslims are from, but we don’t talk about the Muslims because we don’t understand them and that means they scare us.
And, yes, I went to Catholic school. I know that the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt. I know about Moses. But I have to say… There’s something about looking for an address on Google maps and making a mistaken click and all of a sudden the map pulls back and HOLY CRAP. Africa is RIGHT THERE. Africa. This place that for the last thirty years has seemed so far away that I could not fathom the distance is RIGHT THERE. And on the other side? India!
The second is slightly more relevant because I’ve been thinking about all of the things I see that my head relates more to pictures of Asian than of anywhere else. And then I remind myself of the East in Middle East.
Which is all to say that I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that right now, as I write this I am nearly on the other side of the globe. I remember this globe we had as kids. The countries were bright colors - pinks and yellows and greens - and all the moutains were raised. I remember running my hands over it and feeling the mountains. And now? If that globe was still around and I was looking at where my home is, I would have to turn it to put my finger on where I am now.
Mind blowing. We get in planes and the world seems so small, yet it is actually so very big.
