"As far as I'm concerned, they can't do that. And if we can't work this out... we may need to give them a blasting."

Spoken like a true Westerner. In this case, the issue is legal, longterm, computer software suddenly showing the message, 'Your system will outdate in three days..." and my coworkers are, understandably, not amused. Especially one who has been in influential circles in the business world and knows quite well the limits.

Yesterday I experienced what seems to be expatriates' number one pet peeve here - the infamous Dubai traffic, backups and road configurations that can turn one missed exit into a full hour of detours and waiting in heavy traffic. Today I'm experiencing the second pet peeve- government and/or business systems that do not tend to operate on Western logic.

I also need to decide, within the next month or so, whether I'm going to come back to the UAE after Easter break in the Netherlands with my family. I'd have to say there is a fair amount of things I like here, and the things I don't like are more of slight annoyances than problems. So we'll see, but I think I'll be coming back...

"If you haven't found something strange during the day, it hasn't been much of a day.- John A. Wheeler

By that definition, today was much of a day. The something strange being the *interesting* censorship on www.xanga.com, where I happen to have another blog. I happen to like posting on blogs that I own, but the censorship issue is making it complicated, since I'm not always sure when I'll be blocked or in what sections. At the moment, depending on how hard I click, how many times I click, or how fast I click, I get this message,

"We apologize the site you are attempting to visit has been blocked due to its content being inconsistent with the religious, cultural, political and moral values of the United Arab Emirates.
If you think this site should not be blocked, please visit the Feedback Form available on our website."

First of all, I agree that there is questionable content on Xanga. But I also don't think it's right to block an entire site because it holds writers out there who want to blog gory or intimate details. If censorship is that important, I would suggest first shutting down all the sites that are *focused* on perceivedly inappropriate details before shutting down ones that happen to *include* such details. Another alternative would be to set up a censorship system that inserts */?__%# for key words, and leave sites in general alone.

Thoughts on this issue?

It sounds like Cat-Fight Night outside... hmm.

The sound of cats fighting is something I haven't heard in a loong time. My favourite story about it, from growing up, was the time my dad turned them into dogs....

The neighborhood we lived in at the time had its share of rowdy cats and dogs, and, like the clever man he is, my dad used to keep a jar of rocks and a slingshot near the window to ward of the pesky beasts. One night, however, he reached for the jar and found there were no rocks! Perhaps the jar wasn't there either- he wasn't too clear on the details the next morning. Either way, he asked my mum what on earth had happened to the rocks. Her reply was something to the point of,"Oh, I'm sorry- I was cleaning the other day and thought the jar was something the kids had left up here. I threw it out."

What to do, what to do. Again, being the clever man that he is, my dad rummaged around till he found a reasonably similar collection of objects that would serve as projectiles. Fire one! And there went the first 'Fisherman's Friend' lozenge. Fire two! And so on, till the miauling had stopped. Silence.

Then, a chorus of dogs started barking. The only conclusion worth drawing was that the noise-makers had not, in fact, been cats. They had been dogs with sore throats....

Well, this blog hasn't gone much of anywhere....

And that could well be because I haven't been in the UAE short enough for everything to be fresh and exciting, nor long enough to achieve detatched interest. Within a few days I'll hit the one-month mark, and that would be a good point from which to look at what I've done and what I'd still like to do.

A thought about culture shock came to me today, bringing a smile- the typical time from arrival to culture shock is somewhere between 3 and 6 months... and I'll be going home after three months here! Then again, this culture isn't really new to me, so whatever stages there are tend to be jumbled together.

I did get a bit homesick today. I miss the freedom of Dutch life in general, but talking with a Dutch girl friend this morning and hearing those funny turns of phrase again as we discussed 'gezelligheid' (the high-held value of cosiness and companionship) and 'vreselijk weer' (horrid weather), and then to come home and hear Marco Borsato music playing... it all made me miss my Dutch friends.

What is it with music, anyway, that evokes such feelings of a particular place? I found one or two internet country-radio stations, and listening to those brings back so many warm-weather and warm-friendship memories of Alabama and the time I spent there.

I've enjoyed listening to some of the softer, more real sounding prayer calls here, and Arabic music has been on the radio as well. I don't think this first month has done much to change my mind about my future... I don't think the Middle East is for me, or at least not long term. Italy, or possibly France, would be more to my liking (and not only because I can wear sleeveless tops and go swimming in public....) More on that later perhaps, but I am doing well here for now, and am content.

I was thinking yesterday, strolling along the beach in the UAE, how totally different my life was a week ago. Last Saturday I was doing in the Netherlands, where gender differences are minimal and clothes tend to be chosen on basis of weather and activity as opposed to cultural traditions and modesty.

And what could be more representative of all that than my grey running shoes? Last week I wore them on a court as I played hard with a men's volleyball team; this week I wore them as I walked sedately with another lady and her children in public. Last Saturday, besides the sneakers, I wore a sleeveless jersey and semi-short shorts; this week, besides the sneakers, I wore jeans and a long sleeved shirt. And even then I stood out slightly as a foreigner- if I had really wanted to be unnoticeable I would have worn a head scarf and a long black coat. (Then again, if I had really wanted to be unnoticeable at the volleyball game I would have worn a beard...) But I'll pass on going the total distance if it's not important... there are plenty of other foreigners (and jean-wearing nationals) here. When I visited Iran a few years ago I wore a manteau/abbaya like every other woman in public areas- not wearing one would have attracted too much attention.

So this area has a relaxed dress code in contrast, and I imagine things would be even more international in the heart of Dubai....


UAE

So... today seemed like a good day to start a blog. I already have one, but this is going to be mostly about language/culture/traveling instead of everyday life. So that should be good...