than that of the white Western man.
I'm sure in the back of my mind I have known this all along, but living in the Gulf has really brought it home to me. No, I'm not ranting about gender issues, next on the list after white Western man comes white Western woman. I'm privileged over here. I'm treated with great resect by the community because of my status as a teacher, I'm paid a fair wage, I live in a nice apartment and I am (within reason) free to do as I please. The guys have it slightly better with access to more facilities, but in context, the difference is minimal.
This story http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/emergencies/two-killed-32-injured-in-blaze-that-gutted-eight-storey-building-1.554703 brought home to me how unequal society here is. For those of you who don't have time to read, the two men who were killed were cleaners living in a building marked for demolition, earning 450aed (€90) per month and living in four bedroom apartments which held 6 to eight people in each bedroom. They are continually exploited by employers who know that leaving isn't an option for those who would not find another job and could not make their way back to Pakistan. Many of them still send a good portion of their measly wages back to their wives and children in their home countries.
The amazing thing about these people is that they are not filled with the kind of resentment you see in the West with those who are unhappy with their lot. They consider themselves lucky to have come to a country where they can work for a living at all, and accept their position with good humour and a gentleness we don't often see in Ireland these days.
And what is the difference between us and them? Are we better people? No. Are we smarter? No. Did we do something to deserve our superior status in society no. We just got lucky. And it's about time we realised it and stopped our whinging.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Weekends in Ruwais....
I don't spend many weekends in Ruwais, usually I go to Abu Dhabi or occasionally Dubai. This weekend I'm hanging around because I leave to go to Ireland for Christmas on Tuesday and I thought I'd save some money. That's left me with a lot of spare time today, which is dangerous of course, because it gets me thinking....
During the week, I work from 7.45-3.10 and do lesson plans or mark copies in the evening. By this time, once I have dinner and spend an hour at Claire's or Caroline's I tend not to realise how little there actually is to do in the town. If you're a guy it's probably okay, the Rec has a really nice swimming pool, gym and a pool hall, but us ladies are persona non grata at these places - it really wouldn't be appropriate! There's a Ladies Rec as well, but while we're technically allowed to go there, any of us who have been tend to think of it as an exclusively Muslim Ladies Rec.
So... having woken up at 10 this morning and spent three hours languishing around the apartment and on facebook I decided I had to get out! I spent three hours walking around the town; I saw many mosques, all three supermarkets and countless slides and swingsets - but really, nothing for young people. I wonder how those who don't get out at the weekend cope with it! I'm already considering going to Abu Dhabi tomorrow just for the day for the sake of getting out.
And it makes me wonder about next year, will I stay? The advantages are clear: it's a secure job that I enjoy doing and if I stay for year two I get a large bonus. It gives me the opportunity both to travel and save some money [by the end of this year as well as seeing a bit of the gulf I hope to have seen Jordan, Vietnam/Cambodia and Sri Lanka]. I love Abu Dhabi and enjoy spending my weekends there though I'm not a massive fan of Dubai. And most importantly, I've met some really great people who I couldn't live without in a town like this.
But the disadvantages are there too - do I want to spend another year of my life (another year of my twenties) in a town where there is no life for young people, and few opportunities for social interaction. Should I give up the opportunity to travel and work elsewhere in the Middle East or Asia? The opportunity to hang out with people my own age outside of the circle of teachers who, as it is, all live and work together? Comments welcome!
On the bright side, the boredom of the day has led me to tidy my room, wrap presents, get ready for Ireland and indeed, update the blog!
During the week, I work from 7.45-3.10 and do lesson plans or mark copies in the evening. By this time, once I have dinner and spend an hour at Claire's or Caroline's I tend not to realise how little there actually is to do in the town. If you're a guy it's probably okay, the Rec has a really nice swimming pool, gym and a pool hall, but us ladies are persona non grata at these places - it really wouldn't be appropriate! There's a Ladies Rec as well, but while we're technically allowed to go there, any of us who have been tend to think of it as an exclusively Muslim Ladies Rec.
So... having woken up at 10 this morning and spent three hours languishing around the apartment and on facebook I decided I had to get out! I spent three hours walking around the town; I saw many mosques, all three supermarkets and countless slides and swingsets - but really, nothing for young people. I wonder how those who don't get out at the weekend cope with it! I'm already considering going to Abu Dhabi tomorrow just for the day for the sake of getting out.
And it makes me wonder about next year, will I stay? The advantages are clear: it's a secure job that I enjoy doing and if I stay for year two I get a large bonus. It gives me the opportunity both to travel and save some money [by the end of this year as well as seeing a bit of the gulf I hope to have seen Jordan, Vietnam/Cambodia and Sri Lanka]. I love Abu Dhabi and enjoy spending my weekends there though I'm not a massive fan of Dubai. And most importantly, I've met some really great people who I couldn't live without in a town like this.
But the disadvantages are there too - do I want to spend another year of my life (another year of my twenties) in a town where there is no life for young people, and few opportunities for social interaction. Should I give up the opportunity to travel and work elsewhere in the Middle East or Asia? The opportunity to hang out with people my own age outside of the circle of teachers who, as it is, all live and work together? Comments welcome!
On the bright side, the boredom of the day has led me to tidy my room, wrap presents, get ready for Ireland and indeed, update the blog!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Abu Dhabi through your eyes...
That was a title I saw over the weekend for a photography competition. I'm not much of a photographer, but it did get me thinking about how I'd sum up life over here. For Abu Dhabi and Dubai cities, one image sticks with me
- the day after Eid Al Fitr (end of Ramadan) was called I was having a bit of lunch in what I think was an Irish bar. A Muslim guy wearing full traditional clothing, the white robe and red headscarf, comes in listening to an i pod, lights a cigarette and orders a beer. It's the most literal depiction of a clash of cultures I've seen so far, though seeing fully covered women in Starbucks with La Senza shopping bags also rank highly.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi just seem like cities that grew so quickly and became so Westernised straight away that now they're facing an identity crisis. Dubai, by far the most 'touristy' of the to cities has recently started putting signs up in malls demanding that visitors dress more conservatively. Not a huge ask, but possibly too little too late in the struggle to keep things in the (Arabic) family.
- the day after Eid Al Fitr (end of Ramadan) was called I was having a bit of lunch in what I think was an Irish bar. A Muslim guy wearing full traditional clothing, the white robe and red headscarf, comes in listening to an i pod, lights a cigarette and orders a beer. It's the most literal depiction of a clash of cultures I've seen so far, though seeing fully covered women in Starbucks with La Senza shopping bags also rank highly.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi just seem like cities that grew so quickly and became so Westernised straight away that now they're facing an identity crisis. Dubai, by far the most 'touristy' of the to cities has recently started putting signs up in malls demanding that visitors dress more conservatively. Not a huge ask, but possibly too little too late in the struggle to keep things in the (Arabic) family.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Mixed reviews...
Aside from random nostalgia about life in UL, the main thing I've been daydreaming about lately is what life in Al Ruwais will be like. I have been doing a lot of googling, and so far the reviews are very mixed... more on that below!
I found out today that I'll most likely be teaching K1 and K2, three and four year olds. This suits me as I love kids and I have a lot of energy for them.
I also got a provisional academic calendar; I'll have a week off in September and in November, as well as 10 days around Christmas and another two weeks later in January, and finally a week in April - So plenty of time for trips, I've been thinking about Egypt, Turkey, Saudi (if they'll let me in), Iran, Africa as well as smaller trips to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha etc...
If anyone feels like tagging along for any of this , do let me know!
Here's a quote from one of the more positive blog posts on the town/complex:
"Eventhough it can get boring at times, i love ruwais... Where on earth would you be able to walk alone at 10 in the night without having to look back,where its so peaceful and quiet and you can walk in the middle of the road coz theres not much cars, no traffic, where you hear the birds singing, the cats and the buzz of nature in the morning,where you can stare at the sky without skyscrapers hindering your view),where you can breathe clean fresh air.Where you can experience complete silence early in the morning .Where all your buddies houses are close and a walking distance.ah theres no place like ruwais."
And, contradicting the above somewhat, a more negative one:
"I LIVED IN RUWAIS FOR A YEAR AND WENT CRAZY WITH THE LACK OF AMENITIES AND SOCIAL LIFE. ALSO, WE DIDNT HAVE CABLE, SO THERE WAS NO WESTERN TV STATIONS (EXCEPT CNN) TO WATCH! THE POLLUTION IS TERRIBLE & THE HEAT IS UNBEARABLE. THE BUS SERVICE STOP REGULARLY FOR PRAYER, SO IF YOU WANT TO GO TO THE SHOPS (ITS TOO HOT TO WALK!) YOU EVEN HAVE TO TIME THAT. AT NIGHT THEY SPRAY DDT (TOXIC CHEMICAL) AROUND TO WARD OFF THE MOSQUITOS ETC.DONT LIVE THERE IF YOU CAN HELP IT!"
The main negative thing I have read on all websites is the lack of things to do. To that end I've decided to plan for making my own entertainment. Rather than bringing lots of clothes and stuff as others might (here's looking at you, Niamh), I'm going to fill my cases with books, dvds, poker sets and other games. Other suggestions welcome! I'm confident I'll make new friends pretty quickly, so it's just a matter of finding ways to have fun together once I do!
I should have the internet too, so I'll probably be spending just as much time on facebook out there as I do here!
I found out today that I'll most likely be teaching K1 and K2, three and four year olds. This suits me as I love kids and I have a lot of energy for them.
I also got a provisional academic calendar; I'll have a week off in September and in November, as well as 10 days around Christmas and another two weeks later in January, and finally a week in April - So plenty of time for trips, I've been thinking about Egypt, Turkey, Saudi (if they'll let me in), Iran, Africa as well as smaller trips to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha etc...
If anyone feels like tagging along for any of this , do let me know!
Here's a quote from one of the more positive blog posts on the town/complex:
"Eventhough it can get boring at times, i love ruwais... Where on earth would you be able to walk alone at 10 in the night without having to look back,where its so peaceful and quiet and you can walk in the middle of the road coz theres not much cars, no traffic, where you hear the birds singing, the cats and the buzz of nature in the morning,where you can stare at the sky without skyscrapers hindering your view),where you can breathe clean fresh air.Where you can experience complete silence early in the morning .Where all your buddies houses are close and a walking distance.ah theres no place like ruwais."
And, contradicting the above somewhat, a more negative one:
"I LIVED IN RUWAIS FOR A YEAR AND WENT CRAZY WITH THE LACK OF AMENITIES AND SOCIAL LIFE. ALSO, WE DIDNT HAVE CABLE, SO THERE WAS NO WESTERN TV STATIONS (EXCEPT CNN) TO WATCH! THE POLLUTION IS TERRIBLE & THE HEAT IS UNBEARABLE. THE BUS SERVICE STOP REGULARLY FOR PRAYER, SO IF YOU WANT TO GO TO THE SHOPS (ITS TOO HOT TO WALK!) YOU EVEN HAVE TO TIME THAT. AT NIGHT THEY SPRAY DDT (TOXIC CHEMICAL) AROUND TO WARD OFF THE MOSQUITOS ETC.DONT LIVE THERE IF YOU CAN HELP IT!"
The main negative thing I have read on all websites is the lack of things to do. To that end I've decided to plan for making my own entertainment. Rather than bringing lots of clothes and stuff as others might (here's looking at you, Niamh), I'm going to fill my cases with books, dvds, poker sets and other games. Other suggestions welcome! I'm confident I'll make new friends pretty quickly, so it's just a matter of finding ways to have fun together once I do!
I should have the internet too, so I'll probably be spending just as much time on facebook out there as I do here!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
First impressions....
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Well, I just found out where I'm going to be stationed when I move to the UAE this August. It's an industrial town built around an oil-refinery in the 1970s, with a population of about 20,000 people.
From wikipedia:
Ruwais is a town located some 240 kilometers west of Abu Dhabi city. The Ruwais-industrial and Housing Complex has been developed by ADNOC as a major contributor to the national economy and represents a series of multi-million-dollar investments by the company. The Ruwais story began in the 1970s, when plans were laid to transform a remote desert site into a self-contained industrial town, geared to fulfilling the downstream requirements of Abu Dhabi's booming oil and gas industry... Once a small fishing headland from which a handful of people scratched a seasonal living, Ruwais today is one of the most modern industrial complexes in the Middle East.
So it sounds interesting... It's a little bit scary as I expected to be nearer the big cities, I'm about two hours from Abu Dhabi, three from Dubai and one hour from Doha, Qatar. Nonetheless, I'm excited! It's going to be a different experience from what I expected, but I guess it was never going to be what I expected anyway.
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