.JPG)
Clarky back at school?...Not quite, but I'm sure much more rewarding.
So here’s one that I just haven’t worked out yet...
It’s a great experience and challenge trying to understand a different world, a different lifestyle, belief and values systems, filters on life etc – that’s surely one of the joys of travelling or living abroad. So whilst I can see plausible explanations (not necessarily logic, or at least not my version of it perhaps) behind many of the less subtle differences here like the constant horns in traffic for example, there a few I’m yet to get my head around.
Whoa, easy Tiger...
Mystery-thus-far number one - The queue jumper... I remember standing at a petrol station in Dubai in a queue waiting to buy whatever it was, standing about 3rd in queue, a very obvious and ordered British-style queue, when an Indian guy I knew wondered straight to the front trying to force the cashier to serve him before everyone else. Sure he had something ‘quick and easy’, but so did at least one of the others waiting patiently in line... for example a certain short-haired Aussie whom had become instantly furious with this apparent arrogant impertinence. So you can imagine my delight that I now have plenty of opportunity to explore this little quirk further. It’s not that I see every day, but I certainly see it quite frequently. For no apparent reason, someone of no apparent higher standing, caste, significance or importance of any sort (yes I’ve asked), bypasses the social etiquette and respect for your fellow man of the queue, wandering straight to the cashier demanding immediate attention without so much as a shrug of an apology. And not smugly. Not with any eye contact either. Almost as though that’s just what you should expect, or at least what they did. So the obvious questions...is the queue a habitual creature? Do those others waiting simply choose to ignore because they can’t be bothered? How come everyone doesn’t try to queue jump, and what would that look like?!
So for those of you more intelligent, worldly, travelled, sophisticated and clever than myself (let’s be honest we’re not setting a high bar here), by all means let me know – I’ll even shout the beers.
Other updates for you?
Clarky still good and busy – her list of activities now includes yoga, pilates, teaching slum kids, volunteering in a hospice and with a charity that creates sustainable incomes for women and villages, cooking lessons and of course the all-important social scene... Oh how the tides have turned, and yes I am jealous.
We’re still living in the serviced apartment, now three months in (don’t mention the war), and as ridiculous as it now sounds I’ll say again that we’re ‘hoping to move in this weekend’, or so we’ve been told again... the count on this is now five, without any exaggeration whatsoever, so you can imagine this is wearing a little thin. We’re onto our third driver, who appears thus far to be excellent – the last we’re pretty sure was doing business on the side in a car my work is paying for, consequently turning up late for ‘madam’ numerous times (never for ‘sir’ of course!), and despite several very clear instructions (yep, we’ve learned to be very simple and direct when needed) could not seem to manage not to answer his mobile phone, check messages etc whilst weaving and shoving and beeping through peak hour traffic. Two accidents (albeit minor accidents) was more than enough for madam!
