After a 12 hour flight from Toronto, I arrived in Abu Dhabi at 6:30 in the evening on August 12, 2011. When I looked out the window of the airplane as we landed and saw the desert, I knew I had awoken in a whole new world. Or Abra Cadabra as my grandma prefers to call it.
I have come here for work, but also for an adventure and to experience a new culture and to learn about the world and myself.
The first thing that I have learned is that +54 degrees is breath-takingly hot and as much as I have traveled, I have never experienced this type of heat, ever. It actually feels suffocating, like being inside a hot, extremely humid oven with no air. As soon as I left the airport into the night air, I lost my breath for a moment and my glasses and my camera were immediately foggy:
When I arrived in my room, my ever loyal and forward-thinking man-servant had anticipated that I would be in need of some fruit and mineral water as he knew it had been a long, trecherous journey, so there was a lovely platter waiting for me. As I drank the mineral water and nibbled on my lychee fruit slowly gaining my strength back, I thought to myself: I am in the right place, this is the life for me.
My room:
The first few days here have been an adjustment in many ways. First, the jetlag of course. Second, the heat and third, the culture. I will explain the connection of all three. This month happens to be the holy month of Ramadan where Muslims fast during daylight hours. Ok, so you think fine, no problem, this doesn't apply to me because I am not a Muslim. Well, hold on to your camels, not so fast. It is against the law, even as a non-Muslim, not to respect the rules of the country during Ramadan. Drinking and eating in public places is stricly forbidden (this includes chewing gum, sucking sweets or drinking water). I can eat and drink in the privacy of my own room, as long as I am not being over-looked by my man-servant. Women also have to dress more conservatively than usual during Ramadan as a sign of respect. Moreover, restaurants and malls are pretty much closed until evening (sunset, approximately 7:30 pm) when the Iftar (the fast-breaking meal) happens. So, needless to say, eating and staying hydrated during the day has been challenging, on top of being bleary-eyed and jetlagged. Yesterday I had to resort to hiding in a bathroom stall to stealthly take some water during our first orientation. However, our breakfasts have been fabulous (we take it in a secluded restaurant in the basement of the hotel), but I have had to figure out how to sheepishly smuggle a couple of pain au chocolats for lunch into my purse. Thank-you Nana for the tip.
So far, everything with ADEC (Abu Dhabi Education Council) has been very organized and it's thanks to them that we are staying at this fabulous hotel. Yesterday was the first day of orientation and we were given our bank accounts and some of us were given our apartment placements. I was one of the lucky ones to be placed right in Abu Dhabi city. Yay! I now have the keys to my new apartment although I have yet to find out where it is exactly or to see pictures. Today, we had our medical tests and you will be pleased to know that I do not have leprosy. Whew. My man-servant tells me this is standard practice here, nothing personal.
I do not know yet what school placement I have, they have told us we won't know this until the beginning of September.
Ok, I have given my man-servant a rest now, it's me again. I will sign off for now, but definitely check back once a week for updates as things are constantly changing.
It's definitely a whole new world here but I am glad I have taken this chance....
Ok Mel. I have a quotation for you:
ReplyDelete"In the desert, one loses one's identity" Baudrillard (from Rutherford, 1990, as cited in Khayatt, 2000, 'talking equity' in James' Experiencing Difference).
It was contextualized within an equity text, but I think it is apropos for you. This is how: identity is relational and if you are alone in the desert, then you have no need to relate to others, thus no need to identify yourself. You know who you are and you don't have to have a name for it for anyone else.
On the other hand, you might want to have a language of identity just so you can be able to relate to yourself. Now I'm getting deep....
But you are not alone in the desert. You are just in a very ritzy place, a foreign place where you have to sneak a sip of agua in the loo, and stuff your sack with chocolate baked goods just to get by. And you can't see through your lenses, but you are not alone. You do have an identity, even though it might feel as if it is constantly being remade in your new environment. I think what you are going through is a good story/metaphor for perhaps what everybody goes through but without the basket kiwis or temples on the skyline to illustrate it. Your identity is always being remade, as is all of ours. And you are not alone. Not in the desert, or in the world, or in your own estimation of yourself.
I just had this quote on my desk and thought I could consider it against your situation. Thanks for indulging me. Waiting for some more juicy details to help me see the desert through your eyes!
j.
Melanita!! I loved the blog and it will be amazing to follow you. This experiences look magic! Beijos
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jules! Keep in touch, girlfriend!!! beijos!
ReplyDeleteJenny - I just wrote this long response to you that just disappeared into the desert winds...
Indeed we are never truly alone and our identity is constantly being remade even if the only thing we have to relate to is the sand. Or an eagle. If there are eagles in the desert. Could you ask your Dad for me?
Every experience or encounter we have whether it be through travel or becoming a parent or in line at Tim Horton's, has the potential to be a learning or personal growth experience if we choose it to be. I agree, I don't think our identity is ever fixed.
In addition to growth, I think there is also a place for unlearning. To unlearn is to discard negative or unproductive traits, thought patterns or ideologies.
Let's keep this going! :)