Thursday, September 30, 2010
80's Flashback
Well it's been a while since I've last written. That's because I've been working a lot and trying to catch up on some sleep.
With this job, the most hours of sleep you can possibly get is 6.5. On days off, the most sleep I usually get is 13+ hours. I literally sleep a day away if I have 2 days off from work. Last week I worked consecutive 6, 13 hour days. Tonight is actually my off night and I've already gotten 13 hours of sleep. It's 12:20am September 30 as I write this blog. I need to stay awake until around 7am b/c I have to keep my body accustomed to working night shift and staying up throughout the night.
Some highlights of my thoughts about Kuwait:
* Kuwait reminds me SO MUCH of life in the 80's. Kids don't wear their seatbelts and are often seen jumping up and down in cars or sitting on their mother's lap in the front seat without a seat belt. Casette players here are still in existence- in fact in Afghansitan it's their primary source of music and the Insurgents out there have been attacking music stores b/c they want to stop music altogether. They confescate tapes of music and threaten Music shop owners if they don't shut down. How sad is it that in Afghanistan a HUGE part of their population, I believe over 60%, is illiterate.
* One simple observation I find amusing is that people don't pump their own gas in Kuwait. There are foreigners who work for the gas station that stand outside all day, pumping gas for everyone who comes in. Maybe that's another reason why I feel like Kuwait reminds me of an older life. I feel like this State is caught in between the Modern & the Very Past. Their malls are probably the most modernly designed- aside from all the Jaguars, Porsches, Mercedes, BMWs, Hummers, Fords, Chevy's, and Italian cars worth more than my life that I've only heard of but never seen until now.
* I decided to start reading the local Kuwait newspaper to learn more about this culture here, and I came across some disturbing snippets of news and a very funny opinion article. The first snippet of disturbing news came in their form of 'incident reports.' There was a report of a suicide attempt by an Asian woman who worked as a maid for an Arab family who tried to kill herself...hmm....what does THAT suggest about how she's being treated? Sad! Another paragraph reported that there was an attempted murder when a man pushed his wife off a balcony. She was in crticial condition but survived. That's another reason why Kuwait reminds me of life in the 1980's- b/c men beat their wives and there are no laws to protect a woman. Why? B/C their precious Quran teaches that a woman/wife & servant are nothing but mere property and you can do what you want to them. All they are is PROPERTY. So forget basic human rights, this Islamic religion doesn't believe in fundamental 'human rights.'
Another disturbing snippet was about 2 prostitutes & their male partners who were caught planning to reproduce children to sell. YES, they were going to sell their children!!! And one last incident report that put me in a weird Twighlight Zone headspace was when I read that a woman was arrested for Fornication/Adultery- she was caught having pre-marital relations and was jailed for it.
My Western friends- THIS DOES HAPPEN OUT HERE! It immediately reminded me of Jesus Christ and the Woman who was caught in Adultery. They grabbed her and threw her at Jesus' feet outside and started telling Jesus just how disgusting that slut was and were questionning Jesus as to how to punish her. Jesus, God incarnate- merciful, gracious, forgiving Lord- Said, "He who has no sin cast the first stone!" Then he bent down to write in the sand. At that moment, all the men who were accusing this woman left one by one from the oldest to the youngest, until none of her accusers remained. Then Jesus finally turned to the woman and asked, "Woman, where are your accusers?" She said, "There are none." Jesus responded by saying, "Then neither do I accuse you. Go and sin no more." WOW! I can't believe there are cultures that actually arrest people for such acts- but it DOES HAPPEN. And THAT'S the difference between East & West.
My Western friends....many of you do not understand that in MOST cultures of the world, Religion & Social Customs are ONE. Unlike in America & Europe where Religion & Government are seperate. In the Middle East, the Goverment Laws ARE religious Laws. So to be a reformer out here means having to reform the religion of the people or to personally convert out of Islam- which then means you should die. B/c according to Islam, a person who converts out of Islam should be put to death.
* Speaking of 'culture,' the funny Opinion article I read in a Kuwaiti newspaper was actually about how 'cultureless' Kuwait actually is. The writer mentioned that a popular television station chose different Islamic countries and showed how each country celebrated Ramadan. The writer emotionally expressed that Kuwait never made that list of countries because "Going to the mall & eating out at night is not culture!" She stressed that Kuwait needed to get back to the beautiful roots of their forefathers and renew their culture. I find that humorous because it's true, Kuwait doesn't have a specific culture. There aren't any specific Kuwaiti dishes, Kuwaiti dress, or Kuwaiti traditions- none that I have come across yet anyway. One thing I have learned about Kuwait, is that when someone dies, they take their body, go out to the desert, pray, then dump the body out there for the wild dogs to eat. They don't bury their dead.
On a different note, I finally found a women's salon with eyebrow threading! Oh! Before I proceed I MUST tell you- There are salons for men and salons for women. I've actually seen more MEN'S Saloons than women's in my city, believe it or not. The men get their eyebrows done, their beards perfectly shaven, and a modern haircut- all Arab style. It's actually pretty cool that men here have their own salons/saloons/spas. But anyway, I desperately needed my eyebrows threaded and I actually had time before work yesterday to go to the nearest Ladies Salon and I got my eyebrows done! It cost 1.5KD- that's roughly $5.22! She did a good job too!
On a personal note, my new work schedule had me working Sunday nights last week and this week. I was thrilled b/c that meant I would be able to help out with worship at the chapel! Except that the chapel service starts at 7pm & this past Sunday we had an event that I not only had to run & oversee- but participate in- that started at 7:30. I did go to the Liturgical Service but was only able to play 1 song with the small worship team and left after 20 mins to get back to my facility b/c we had an event exactly like American Idol- and I was "Paula Abdul" the judge LOL. I had such a blast that night, seeing all the soliders sing and laugh. And even though I could only play 1 song for chapel, still I was blessed.
Well folks, it's 1:04am and it's about time I eat! Until next time!
Check out some photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2106247&id=68603229&l=9e5cba929f
With this job, the most hours of sleep you can possibly get is 6.5. On days off, the most sleep I usually get is 13+ hours. I literally sleep a day away if I have 2 days off from work. Last week I worked consecutive 6, 13 hour days. Tonight is actually my off night and I've already gotten 13 hours of sleep. It's 12:20am September 30 as I write this blog. I need to stay awake until around 7am b/c I have to keep my body accustomed to working night shift and staying up throughout the night.
Some highlights of my thoughts about Kuwait:
* Kuwait reminds me SO MUCH of life in the 80's. Kids don't wear their seatbelts and are often seen jumping up and down in cars or sitting on their mother's lap in the front seat without a seat belt. Casette players here are still in existence- in fact in Afghansitan it's their primary source of music and the Insurgents out there have been attacking music stores b/c they want to stop music altogether. They confescate tapes of music and threaten Music shop owners if they don't shut down. How sad is it that in Afghanistan a HUGE part of their population, I believe over 60%, is illiterate.
* One simple observation I find amusing is that people don't pump their own gas in Kuwait. There are foreigners who work for the gas station that stand outside all day, pumping gas for everyone who comes in. Maybe that's another reason why I feel like Kuwait reminds me of an older life. I feel like this State is caught in between the Modern & the Very Past. Their malls are probably the most modernly designed- aside from all the Jaguars, Porsches, Mercedes, BMWs, Hummers, Fords, Chevy's, and Italian cars worth more than my life that I've only heard of but never seen until now.
* I decided to start reading the local Kuwait newspaper to learn more about this culture here, and I came across some disturbing snippets of news and a very funny opinion article. The first snippet of disturbing news came in their form of 'incident reports.' There was a report of a suicide attempt by an Asian woman who worked as a maid for an Arab family who tried to kill herself...hmm....what does THAT suggest about how she's being treated? Sad! Another paragraph reported that there was an attempted murder when a man pushed his wife off a balcony. She was in crticial condition but survived. That's another reason why Kuwait reminds me of life in the 1980's- b/c men beat their wives and there are no laws to protect a woman. Why? B/C their precious Quran teaches that a woman/wife & servant are nothing but mere property and you can do what you want to them. All they are is PROPERTY. So forget basic human rights, this Islamic religion doesn't believe in fundamental 'human rights.'
Another disturbing snippet was about 2 prostitutes & their male partners who were caught planning to reproduce children to sell. YES, they were going to sell their children!!! And one last incident report that put me in a weird Twighlight Zone headspace was when I read that a woman was arrested for Fornication/Adultery- she was caught having pre-marital relations and was jailed for it.
My Western friends- THIS DOES HAPPEN OUT HERE! It immediately reminded me of Jesus Christ and the Woman who was caught in Adultery. They grabbed her and threw her at Jesus' feet outside and started telling Jesus just how disgusting that slut was and were questionning Jesus as to how to punish her. Jesus, God incarnate- merciful, gracious, forgiving Lord- Said, "He who has no sin cast the first stone!" Then he bent down to write in the sand. At that moment, all the men who were accusing this woman left one by one from the oldest to the youngest, until none of her accusers remained. Then Jesus finally turned to the woman and asked, "Woman, where are your accusers?" She said, "There are none." Jesus responded by saying, "Then neither do I accuse you. Go and sin no more." WOW! I can't believe there are cultures that actually arrest people for such acts- but it DOES HAPPEN. And THAT'S the difference between East & West.
My Western friends....many of you do not understand that in MOST cultures of the world, Religion & Social Customs are ONE. Unlike in America & Europe where Religion & Government are seperate. In the Middle East, the Goverment Laws ARE religious Laws. So to be a reformer out here means having to reform the religion of the people or to personally convert out of Islam- which then means you should die. B/c according to Islam, a person who converts out of Islam should be put to death.
* Speaking of 'culture,' the funny Opinion article I read in a Kuwaiti newspaper was actually about how 'cultureless' Kuwait actually is. The writer mentioned that a popular television station chose different Islamic countries and showed how each country celebrated Ramadan. The writer emotionally expressed that Kuwait never made that list of countries because "Going to the mall & eating out at night is not culture!" She stressed that Kuwait needed to get back to the beautiful roots of their forefathers and renew their culture. I find that humorous because it's true, Kuwait doesn't have a specific culture. There aren't any specific Kuwaiti dishes, Kuwaiti dress, or Kuwaiti traditions- none that I have come across yet anyway. One thing I have learned about Kuwait, is that when someone dies, they take their body, go out to the desert, pray, then dump the body out there for the wild dogs to eat. They don't bury their dead.
On a different note, I finally found a women's salon with eyebrow threading! Oh! Before I proceed I MUST tell you- There are salons for men and salons for women. I've actually seen more MEN'S Saloons than women's in my city, believe it or not. The men get their eyebrows done, their beards perfectly shaven, and a modern haircut- all Arab style. It's actually pretty cool that men here have their own salons/saloons/spas. But anyway, I desperately needed my eyebrows threaded and I actually had time before work yesterday to go to the nearest Ladies Salon and I got my eyebrows done! It cost 1.5KD- that's roughly $5.22! She did a good job too!
On a personal note, my new work schedule had me working Sunday nights last week and this week. I was thrilled b/c that meant I would be able to help out with worship at the chapel! Except that the chapel service starts at 7pm & this past Sunday we had an event that I not only had to run & oversee- but participate in- that started at 7:30. I did go to the Liturgical Service but was only able to play 1 song with the small worship team and left after 20 mins to get back to my facility b/c we had an event exactly like American Idol- and I was "Paula Abdul" the judge LOL. I had such a blast that night, seeing all the soliders sing and laugh. And even though I could only play 1 song for chapel, still I was blessed.
Well folks, it's 1:04am and it's about time I eat! Until next time!
Check out some photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2106247&id=68603229&l=9e5cba929f
Monday, September 6, 2010
On a Lighter Note
I went to Fahaheel! I had a lovely time there at Al Kut Mall. It's a big mall with two sides- a sea side & inland with a bridge to connect the two. One thing I noticed about this mall, was that there were prayer rooms for men & women, next to the restrooms. It's wild to see that a public place like that provides a religious outlet for prayer. After the mall I crossed a busy street to the bazaars and I got 3 head scarves!
To a Christian Westerner that may seem odd to you. Not all women have their heads covered, obviously most do. And the young women wear it so fashionably! These girls have such classy taste! For conservative garments, there sure are lots of sytlish outfits! Anyway, though I want to wear a head scarf for fashion reasons, I also want to be blend in better....in a way, to place myself in their culture and not set myself apart. To better understand the women maybe? Now I just have to figure out how to wear them with the pretty decorated border showing.
Ramadan is almost over! You know how grocery stores in the states have a Deli, a bakery, a fish/meat/poultry and produce section? Well here in Kuwait they also have a Nut, cheese, and olive section. Nuts & dates are popular ingredients for their sweets that are given to each other as gifts. Dates aren't bad tasting....just REALLY sweet. One thing I have noticed about their food is that it's really salty- at least the cheeses and nuts.
However, Kuwait has a plethora of fine dining cuisine- both high class & corner shwarma restaurants like Kurdos. One thing, however, that has dissappointed me is the authentic Middle Eastern food. I've eaten Persian food & Lebanese foods here, including typical Arab Kebabs that I THOUGHT were chunks of grilled meat rather than a mush of meat put together and formed into a long piece of meat. I've had WAY better Arab food in American than here. I haven't had falafels yet....in the states I'm very picky about falafels because I've some amazing ones and some gross ones. Still though, I have learned that if I want the type of Kebab I got in the states I have to make sure I order grilled chicken or beef.
Kuwait has amazing juice bars. They literally make all forms of fruit juices fresh. My favorite place is called Star Juice. INCREDIBLE!!!
Now that I'm working night shifts, I can feel the temps changing. It's getting darker sooner and cooler at night. Apparently in September it gets really humid....as if it can get ANY MORE HUMID in Salmiya by the Persian Gulf LOL!
As for the driving here in Kuwait, I've seen with my own eyes at almost EVERY intersection, people run red lights. In one instance, a car kept flashing their lights and beeping at the car in front of them to run the light because they wanted to run it. CRAZY!
Pious?
I love being in Kuwait. Being in the East is totally different than the West, though there are some similarities. But as CONSERVATIVE as these pious nations are....then what happened to the peace as their religion is supposed to mean?...why do many act so inhumane? Is it because some are infidels and they deserve to be tortured? Or is it because the poor Eastern women are so worthless due to their social status, their dark skin color, or the country they come from? How can a people who pray up to 5 times a day show no mercy to their servants?! READ THE ARTICLE BELOW. Although this story is about one woman in Saudi Arabia, it happens here in Kuwait too. TO be honest I haven't seen a Kuwaiti family mistreat their maid yet- but my co-workers have...they've seen men beat women in public...I've seen women's bruised faces-even the women wearing head scarves...and there's NOTHING we can do to stop a public beating. In the Middle East, a servant is looked at as property, not a person.
Know what I've realized about America? Remember all those cheesy commercials on the radio & tv about saying no to drugs, drunk driving, not smoking, not speeding, etc? All the service announcements that we grow up hearing....and all those programs in school about health, drug abuse, sexual abuse, etc? Although there is rampant drug abuse & crime- for the most part they've worked! Because we have educated our people as to the consequences. We've been educated and shaped to know what is right & what is wrong. We have ever-evolving laws implemented to protect us from harm & our pursuit of happiness, thanks to the Constitution. I really believe the Kuwaiti people can benefit from service announcements like these- but more so the ENFORCEMENT of laws on their own people. In Kuwait, the law is more severely carried out on a foreigner and the Kuwaiti gets off an a minimal sentence. Maybe they need to learn about consequences. Even the military broadcast network, AFN, has LAME commercials about verbal abuse....I mean these are dramatizations with the WORST actors....but they get the point across about verbal abuse- and they include resources for victims of abuse.
Please don't think I'm talking bad about Kuwait. I really enjoy it here, although I haven't even been here a full month. I want to know more about the people here. I want to know more about their culture.
Please read the article below...
SAUDI ARABIA
Foreign Women are Treated Like Slaves
BY FRIDA GHITIS
FJGhitis@gmail.com
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- When Mrs. L.P. Ariyawathie showed up at the hospital in the town of Kamburupitiya, near the southern tip of Sri Lanka, few could imagine that the 49-year-old mother of three would make headlines across the world. Normally, the news from Sri Lanka fails to garner much international attention. Ariyawhathie's story, however, managed what decades of civil war, suicide bombings and last year's bloody end to a brutal war failed to do: It made the world pay attention.
At first, the woman whose eyes still radiate intense sadness told a story almost too bizarre to believe, except that Sri Lankans have already heard disturbing tales from poor friends traveling to strange lands to earn a living. Those stories are often most outrageous when they describe the experiences of women traveling to Saudi Arabia, as Ariyawhathie did.
In May, she started working as a housekeeper with a Saudi family. The suffering began immediately, with cruel mockery by her employer every time she tried to speak the few words in Arabic she had learned in preparation to leave her home and her family and travel to the mysterious kingdom. Before long, the taunts turned to torture. Then one day, after she accidentally broke a plate, her boss asked if she was blind, aiming his hand toward one of her eyes. When she raised her arm over her face, the first nail went in. By the time she made it back home to Sri Lanka and arrived at the hospital, her Saudi employer had hammered 24 nails and needles into her hands, legs and forehead.
This is not another story about the unspeakable sorrow that poverty inflicts on its victims. It's about how some of the wealthiest, most privileged people on Earth fail the most basic test of humanity, and how the time has come for the Saudi government -- which never tires of proclaiming its piousness -- to make reforms aimed at protecting the most vulnerable in its midst.
Saudi Arabia hosts some eight million foreigners, mostly poor people from Asia and the Middle East, desperate for work. Hundreds of thousands are women employed as domestic workers, living in conditions that are often no better than slavery. Some 400,000 Sri Lankans live there, mostly women working in private homes. Too many of them experience horrific abuse, including beatings, rape and even murder.
Sri Lankan politician Ranjan Ramanayake says he frequently receives pleading calls from relatives of workers in the Gulf. ``Saudi Arabia is the worst,'' he noted. ``It is followed by Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon and Abu Dhabi. Our mothers, sisters and daughters undergo unspeakable harassment.''
Under a Saudi system called Kafala, workers become practically property of employers, surrendering their passport on arrival, becoming trapped in a country where law and culture leave laborers, especially foreigners, with few rights. The situation for migrant women -- impossible as it would seem -- is far worse.
Nonpayment of wages across the board has been thoroughly documented by human rights and labor organizations, as have harsh working and living conditions. But nothing compares to the plight of South Asian women in Saudi Arabia, and for that matter in much of the Middle East.
There is no shortage of examples. Earlier this year, 26-year-old Balakrishnan Dharshan, who had left the Sri Lankan city of Kandy to work in Saudi Arabia, was found dead, her body covered with burn marks. A 25-year-old Indonesian housekeeper lost fingers, toes and part of a foot after her employer kept her tied in the bathroom. A Saudi paper reported last year that the Sri Lankan embassy receives 10 runaway maids every day.
The situation is so desperate that India and Nepal have already banned their women from accepting placements in Saudi Arabia, following thousands of abuse reports.
Kafala ensures that workers have practically no recourse and often no way out. Attitudes towards women, non-Muslims, foreigners and workers in menial occupations set the stage for brutality and impunity.
If the Saudis want to earn some respect from the rest of the world, they now have our attention. All abusers should be prosecuted and punished.
But there's more. Not only should foreign workers have a right to keep their passports and leave the country without special permission, but the laws must be revised to protect their most basic rights. The Ariyawathie case made the world look in a direction it seldom does, toward Sri Lanka. What the world saw, however, is what most urgently needs to change in Saudi Arabia.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/31/1799823/foreign-women-are-treated-like.html#none#ixzz0yhXwJWqr
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