Realistically idealistic daydreamer, seasoned procrastinator, atheist and monarchist with a secret agenda and a slight inclination towards voodoo practices.
Was caught drinking water in the mall (I forgot, dammit!) in full view of hundreds of people before sunset. Was heard yelling at the policeman to mind his own #$%^#* business. Was escorted out of the premises but supported by people who apparently disagree with the local policies of banning food and drink in public during daylight in Ramadan.
I am so so SO not tolerant of intolerant narrow minded idiots anymore, honestly. I don't know what happened. I was really supportive, tolerant and conscious of "local culture" in Doha but here in Dubai I don't give a damn. Maybe it's cause I had Muslim friends there and I have only one friend here and she holds local culture in even lesser regard than I do, if that is possible. Why isn't anyone tolerant of MY culture, not here, not back home? Why should I be oh so tolerant of bloody everyone and everywhere???
Went to IKEA and stocked up on jams. They make awesome jams there, just like my gran would make, a little sweeter but that's ok. I love gooseberries and I haven't had any in decades, and now I got gooseberry jam and I am happy. And until today I had no idea that gooseberry jam is great with 2007 Semillion, but now I know. I had nothing else to go with it, and apparently it makes an awesome combination :P
Long live South America, RSA & Oz for making 2007 vintage possible. I love young wine, don't try to tempt me with any cellar rarities and expensive varieties kept forever in damp barrels. Give me 2006-2007 Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin, and Semillion, and I'll be happy ;-)
Fishy is not coming over tomorrow, so I'm left with no choice but to go out and try to enjoy myself. I need a hobby, badly. I wish I could still ride, but that is sadly not an option anymore. I miss horses, I miss the smell of the farm and the saddle leather, and I miss talking to the horse while tucking it up. Oh well, better not go there. Anyways, I need to find something to do in my free time, quick. Maybe I will continue brushing up my Spanish or guitar, maybe I'll take up something hilarious and new, like golf. New to me, that is. Or Bingo, LOL. I am getting old, after all.
How *dare* you drink some water before sunset???? Don't you know that people are fasting??? And you dare to take a sip of water in their prescence... shame on you!!!
LOL
All kidding aside, I find it incredibly stupid that people feel that just because the Muslims are fasting (even though I am one of 'em) that the whole nation is not allowed to eat and drink when HELLO!!!! THERE ARE LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO DON'T FAST, MUSLIM OR OTHERWISE!! Why should they have to abstain from eating and drinking in public? Fasting is a personal choice, a choice to resist temptation. If you can't do that just because you see someone eating/drinking, then maybe you should nto be doing it all. Seriously, these people need to get a freaking LIFE!!
And take up skydiving or bungee jumping as a hobby :D hehe
Yeah I know you're crazy busy! I couldn't do that. No no no. But I admire you, honest. If you keep it up you'll end up extremely rich and alone, and then I hope you'll remember you have an honorary girlfriend stuck in the Middle East! LOL
Oh wait, it was you who is my honorary boyfriend. Well anyway, whatever :P
IKEA is not only furniture :^) It's a major department store where you can get everything from furniture to scented candles to plants and even food, yup. They sell Swedish goodies, lots of herring and caviar and other fish stuff, but also many kinds of jams and cookies. Check it out :)
LOL...OK did they ask you to stop drinking BEFORE they tossed you out, or was the tossing out the result of beligerence? I've never known them to be so forceful. My friend was asked to spit out her chewing gum at Etisalat. I used to snack on cookies in my car, shoving them in whenever I had a chance. I told one of my students I was afraid people who call the police is they saw. He just laughed-not able to believe that anyone would bother.
I was not tossed out, lol. I was escorted out - I left out of my own free will. And escorted because I happened to tell the policeman to shut up because his fasting breath smelled like... well you can imagine how it smelled.
i've been browsing through comments on Ukrainiana (thanks, Taras, I really enjoy reading your blog!) and noticed that you went to school 86, too! i graduated from it in 1991, spent a year and a half there after getting transferred from school 77 with "6 troyek i odna neattestatsiya"... :)))
i hope you visit kyiv sometime soon. though it's getting crazier here every day, with all the traffic and sidewalk parking and construction...
oh, and i also continue to call horodetskogo st. karla marxa... karla-marla, more often... :)
It is sad QC that you were escorted out like a criminal...I mean they had that guard. I do not get it. I know it behooves expats to try and follow through on some of the customs there within a Muslim country but to have a guard make you leave over it?? That is a bit much. I am glad that there were others there supporting you. And trust me, there are those Muslims out there who do break their fast during Ramadan and it ain't cuz they's sick either.
Haha small world! I graduated in 1992 with two "chetverki" but didn't get my silver medal because my "povedenie" was abysmal: I think I missed half of my final year hanging around with friends who were all older than me and out of school (very Mark Twain of me, hehe), my father homeschooled me in math because he said Tamara wasn't a suitable teacher and shouldn't be around kids, and I brought my dog along with me for my final exams. God knows how I managed to score top marks in everything except math (I had to actually be present at school during the school year to be thus graded).
Marianna,
I enjoyed every minute of it! LOL little rebel me. But really, it was entirely my fault. I know what the laws are, and I was clearly in the wrong. I forgot that I wasn't supposed to drink in public and then I wasn't very polite with the policeman. He happened to be a local with a religious kinda beard, if you know what I mean...
Was it a muttua or mulla? I know in Saudi they are really strict. One American woman during the Gulf war was wearing shorts in Saudi (brave or stupid woman I do not know) and the muttua tried to spank her legs with this cane and she took it and broke it in half. I was like ahhhh international incident.
But all in all I know it has to be hard on expats during Ramadan and I guess the best thing is just stock up at home or during your lunch breaks before going out.
I have no clue what kind of a religious variety he was, and honestly I don't really know the difference. He was wearing uniform, but I bet if he were to wear a thob it would be a rather short one :P
And you know, Ramadan really isn't too hard on me. I can eat and drink at home or somewhere where nobody can see me. It's not like I am starving or anything, lol. It's just the unnecessary inconvenience of it that bugs me and pretty much every other non fasting person.
I was PMSing.
LOL
Warda,
Yup, I know it isn't a personal choice, girl. Not for you, not for us poor infidels caught in the Gulf during Ramadan :^)
And yeah I guess you were right, I shudder to think what would have happened to me had the policeman actually understood EVERYTHING I told him!
I knew about the cafeterias and stuff, but didn’t know that IKEA has advanced the concept that far:) (A few years ago, IKEA had planned to build a store on the outskirts of Kyiv, but had run into problems with local authorities. I haven’t heard of any progress since then.)
As a onetime neattestatsia in algebra and geometry, I’m glad that you schoolmates have met each other. I feel proud that Ukrainiana has acquired a social networking dimension. Btw, Neeka, you can add me to your blogroll if you like;)
Luckily you were caught in Dubai.If it was Sharjah or Qatar the results might have been different. We could have read your story from Greece. Thats they way they operate, like it or not and I may not agree with them.
Whether we agree with them or not - is not going to change the way they operate. I will be more careful and hope that I will continue blogging from Dubai, and not from Greece ;-)
Ugh! Don't they know it is a greater sin to embarass someone for unintentionally erring? Y'Allah.... we Muslims don't even know our own religion anymore. We can't recognize it underneath all the Mullah's instruction manuals.
Hola Qatar Cat, try visiting the horse facilities behind the buildings on SZayed Rd: driving to Bur Dubai take a first right on World Trade Centre roundaobout, then keep driving, after the first stop light take the next right, it will take you to a sports club, then follow the street it will make a right curve and there you are, the stables!.
I met a few Argentinians working there some time ago and they were happy with their job.
As my wife says: Knocking on the door does not mean entering the place, right?.
Hey I agree but you know I have the greatest excuse this year to eat and drink in broad daylight during Ramadan...I am pregnant and people leave me alone...Usually.
Welcome to my blog ;-) Mabrook - pregnancy is great news to you as I figured from your blog so it's awesome. I am still undecided if I ever want to get pregnant. But yeah, eating during Ramadan in the broad daylight is sure a deal breaker!
DON'T take up Bingo, bad things will happen.
Why don't you try swimming ? Or... professional food critic ?
...
I am out of ideas, I rarely have a spare minute, so I just don't know.