Middle East Q&A - Part 1
Q: Would you do it again knowing what you know now? And if so, what would you change/do differently, if anything?
A: Yes to both. On what I would do differently, there are a couple things. First, I would make a more genuine effort to learn Arabic. It’s pathetic how little I learned in my year in Saudi and the UAE. In other parts of MENA (e.g. Egypt, Yemen), foreigners are there to learn the language and culture. In Saudi and the UAE, foreigners are there to make a living. I absolutely and regrettably followed that model to a tee. Second, I would have planned my traveling better. I went to Dubai and Beirut 5+ times each was owing to their convenience and familiarity. I missed out on places like the Nabataean city of Petra (Jordan), Tel Aviv, Istanbul, and Mumbai.
Q: Did you identify yourself as American most of the time? (I know many young people are told to say they are from Canada. And you could easily say you were from China.)
A: I was quite vocal about being American. The star spangled banner was sung on occasion. The only place where I made it a point to say I was Chinese in a casual encounter was in Yemen, which I visited a month or two after the shooting at the American embassy. However, even there, if a conversation lasted more than 2 minutes I would naturally speak of my home in the USA. Being Chinese provides a veil of relative safety/anonymity that I appreciate while traveling.
Q: Of all the people that you met in the past year, who seemed to you the happiest and why?
A: My friend Dana, who is currently living in southern Israel. She is passionate about her studies, cooks a lot, and goes on many hikes. She starts conversations with strangers, is close with her family and loves animals. I get the sense that she's a voracious reader, although I cannot be sure.
Q: Who would you be most excited to see again in 5 years?
A: The King of Saudi Arabia’s (King Abdullah’s) granddaughter.
Q: How many little Panpans might be springing up in the "Orient" in the coming 9 months to 1 year and 9 months?
A: Isn't it mathematically/biologically feasible that I already have a 3 month old running around?
A: Yes to both. On what I would do differently, there are a couple things. First, I would make a more genuine effort to learn Arabic. It’s pathetic how little I learned in my year in Saudi and the UAE. In other parts of MENA (e.g. Egypt, Yemen), foreigners are there to learn the language and culture. In Saudi and the UAE, foreigners are there to make a living. I absolutely and regrettably followed that model to a tee. Second, I would have planned my traveling better. I went to Dubai and Beirut 5+ times each was owing to their convenience and familiarity. I missed out on places like the Nabataean city of Petra (Jordan), Tel Aviv, Istanbul, and Mumbai.
Q: Did you identify yourself as American most of the time? (I know many young people are told to say they are from Canada. And you could easily say you were from China.)
A: I was quite vocal about being American. The star spangled banner was sung on occasion. The only place where I made it a point to say I was Chinese in a casual encounter was in Yemen, which I visited a month or two after the shooting at the American embassy. However, even there, if a conversation lasted more than 2 minutes I would naturally speak of my home in the USA. Being Chinese provides a veil of relative safety/anonymity that I appreciate while traveling.
Q: Of all the people that you met in the past year, who seemed to you the happiest and why?
A: My friend Dana, who is currently living in southern Israel. She is passionate about her studies, cooks a lot, and goes on many hikes. She starts conversations with strangers, is close with her family and loves animals. I get the sense that she's a voracious reader, although I cannot be sure.
Q: Who would you be most excited to see again in 5 years?
A: The King of Saudi Arabia’s (King Abdullah’s) granddaughter.
Q: How many little Panpans might be springing up in the "Orient" in the coming 9 months to 1 year and 9 months?
A: Isn't it mathematically/biologically feasible that I already have a 3 month old running around?
Labels: Saudi Arabia, UAE
posted by Panpan at 8:03 AM
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The "villagers" in Sapa are a curious bunch, especially the children. The H'mong girls by far have the biggest presence in the town, and the little ones all speak two or three languages. "Where you from?...You from America!", is the general greeting one gets when walking down the street. They are pretty aggressive, often slapping you on the shoulder if they don't get a response they like. The gentleman that I am, I often return the slap. Dressed in their traditional clothes dyed with natural indigo (which stains their arms and hands), these H'mong girls can often be seen in a bar playing pool or in a cybercafe playing CounterStrike when not selling their friendship bracelets or other miscelleanous traditional crap. I consider myself a decent pool player, and these girls would definitely hold their own in any New York City bar. I went 1-1 with an 15 yr old. The exclamation point to this odd juxtaposition of cultures had to be the moment when one girl was doing her embroidery while her friend was sinking the 8 ball.
