Didja really wash yer hands, didja really?

A big shock to me upon arriving here was finding out that toilet paper is of such little importance.

Waiting in line to use a public stall, hearing a flush, seeing an abaya lady exit, entering the stall after her, unzipping pants only to zip them back up after seeing there's no TP, looking at the shelf behind me to see if there's a roll, noticing that there is not even a lonely cardboard cylinder spinning aimlessly on the holder, freaking out upon realizing the lady before me didn't use any toilet paper! Seriously skeeved, using my sleeve to open the stall door making mental note not to touch this sleeve again until I can take it off at home, I leave the bathroom.

OK, so this doesn't happen all the time, but it has happened. More than once.

Like I've said in a previous post, there are little hoses in every stall and I'm sure that's what the abaya lady used.

Over the past year, I've learned many things about toilet etiquette. Old school uses the left hand. In Arab culture it is very rude to extend your left hand for anything; this is why. New school uses toilet paper, but deposits used toilet paper into a small rubbish bin next to the toilet. Is this really any more sanitary? Personally, I enjoy using and releasing and flushing and never seeing it again.

My neighbor who practices TMI, has told me numerous times that her toilet gets clogged very easily. Um, thanks. She always had to call the maintenance man to plunge her toilet. She was getting very frustrated (understandable, but what is not understandable is why she didn't just buy her own plunger). On his 3rd visit, she really lost her temper and told the maintenance man that there was just something wrong with the plumbing. He told her it wasn't the plumbing, it was because she was using toilet paper!

And that brings us to the subject of Bahrain plumbing. I can't really give my neighbor a hard time because actually, everyone's plumbing gets clogged. They use pipes that are one size too small and it's not actually a plumber doing the plumbing, it's a poor guy from India with no experience with indoor plumbing, told to plumb these bathrooms, with this given set of materials. I'm not being harsh. At certain times of day, you can smell the sewage out of the bathroom floor. In every compound. I've been in way nicer compounds than my own, and still smelled the same smell.

So all this comes back to what I have learned this past year: Stomach viruses spread around here like nobody's business. At any given point in time, I can name at least one person with a stomach virus. Like Elena, for example. Like me, who got it from Elena. I have never, ever, been so sick in my previous decades in the US, as I have been in the past year in Bahrain. The Big D sick. Is it no wonder I didn't actually get these sicknesses until after Elena was 6 months old? Me, I can control what I touch and how often I wash my hands. Elena after 6 months, not so much. Strangers all day long are kissing and hugging Elena and holding her hands. (Arabs are very touchy feely people!) They take her from my arms and whisk her around, nuzzling their faces into various parts of her body. They hand her back to me... and disease continues to spread...

Reflections on the past year

I just passed my one-year mark of living in Bahrain (April 14). I have more than passed my one-year mark of being in the Middle East (Feb 14). As they say, you can do anything for one year. I find that to be remarkably true.

Part of what has made this year fly by so quickly is the birth of Elena. I think a baby somehow warps time and can make the days simultaneously glacially slow (during those middle-of-the-night feedings in the beginning) and grand prix speedy (the sleep time in between those middle-of-the-night feedings).

Very cliche, but true-- I have learned a lot this past year. I have learned about geography, culture, religion, human behavior, about my husband, my daughter, and myself.

I think I'll write a few posts about my howdy, saudi year and how I feel about it.

Our trip to Dubai

The NYT has their travel column, "36 hours in...," this time about Dubai, and it reminded me of the trip we took in December. It was our first time in Dubai, and the first thing anyone would notice is the sheer amount of construction. Crazy construction. Even though Bahrain has more construction than I've ever seen, Dubai by far tops it because it is bigger and denser. Everything about Dubai is about being big and tall. Nothing is "old," everything is shiny and new.

It was very exciting to explore Dubai- the streets are extremely clean, the malls are huge and pristine, the restaurants are trendy and stylish- but at the conclusion of our 6 days there, I realized I couldn't really recommend Dubai was a destination to anybody. Having lived in the Middle East (what I really mean is being deprived in the Middle East), Dubai is a spectacular break from the drab, brown and tan environment I'm usually surrounded by. It's sleek, modern, colorful...but not much else.

Dubai almost makes you forget you are in Muslim country, but then you see the sign posted at the entrance of the Mall of the Emirates stating "ladies no bare arms, appropriate dress required" and it brings you all back to the oppressing culture and norms of the religion. Not that anybody really adheres to the rules, I'm pretty sure I saw cleavage and skin while there, but you won't find any Vegas cocktail waitress/swimsuit silhouette type outfits in Dubai.

People call Dubai, Vegas of the Middle East (Vegas without the gambling). In a way, the spectacle aspect is there, but it's not nearly as fun or exciting. Dubai shopping is not any better than Vegas or New York. Dubai food is severely lacking. Dubai has not yet attracted those celebrity chefs that have made Vegas one of the best places for eating. Dubai restaurants use the same old peasant workers in the kitchens of their finest restaurants, just like Bahrain and Saudi- people from other 3rd world countries who work cheap and don't ask questions.

We stayed in a hotel condo on the beach, and in December it was still warm enough to spend the day on the beach. The water was cold, but I saw other people swimming. We booked a one-room condo, but were upgraded to a two-room, and I found out that most people visiting Dubai get the free upgrade. Our condo really had three rooms, as these places all have an extra room and bathroom built-in for the maid. Please.

I think Dubai is just beginning and I'd like to visit again in 10 years to see how much it's progressed. The thing about Dubai is that they are not averse to bringing in outsiders, ie Europeans, to design and build their city. When Dubai is determined to push to #1, it has the money to make it happen (see Emirates Airlines).

Overall, as an American I would never, ever spend all the time and money to vacation in Dubai. I would stop in Dubai for a couple of days on my way to somewhere else, but never make Dubai my final destination. But as an American living in the Middle East, I would definitely visit Dubai again for its huge water park, waterfront strolls, and escape from the litter and general dirtiness of Bahrain.

Reading over what I wrote, it sounds like a negative review of Dubai, but we had a great time in there (not counting having the flu while we were there), since it really is about the company you keep and I happen to really like my family! We would definitely visit again but only while we're over in this part of the world. For a true shopping experience, or dining experience, or theme park experience, there are many other superior choices a lot closer in proximity to the United States.