September 10, 2010

adjusting


The cultural part of our orientation offered up a good challenge... turning 'tolerance' into 'acceptance' and 'appreciation' through understanding. A lot of teachers here are going out to expat bars and the hotel restaurants (beyond our free breakfast buffet), and quite honestly, Nate and I are staying strong in our determination to save as much money as possible. I most definitely don't judge any of those teachers who are having fun and living it up '5-star hotel style'; what a great way to get to know other teachers! But it is simply not in our personal reality, at least for the time being.

Anyhow, the funny thing is that, because of our search for cheaper options, I think we are moving rather quickly into the acceptance and appreciation (well, maybe 'fascination') stages of this culture. For instance, in an effort to save money, we decided to try out the public bus system to see if we might use buses instead of taxis. A taxi ride costs about 14 dirhams to go to the Carrefour (the cheaper grocery store) and 14 to come back. A bus ride *anywhere* costs 1 dirham per person, making it a 4 dirham round trip for the two of us, so it's definitely the way to go if there isn't a time constraint. Anyhow, we rode the bus all around today with our friend Kim, and we gained some insights into the working world of Abu Dhabi. We walked the streets amidst sooo many Muslim men as we searched for a local place to eat (didn't find one open so ended up at Subway, but it was nice to be in a 'street' subway instead of a 'mall' subway)... We never once saw an Emirati woman on the bus or walking around neighborhoods; the only women we saw seemed to be of other nationalities, with most of them from India.

I feel like we sort of witnessed the 'innards' of Abu Dhabi, if that makes any sense. And it dawned on us that the more we walked, and the more we rode the bus, the more comfortable we became in our surroundings. We realized that our bodies seemed to be adjusting to the heat, and we weren't worrying about looking funny or out of place. Adapting doesn't require any huge epiphanies; it simply takes time. So, I am thankful that our financial circumstances (or perhaps I should say financial hopes, as we really just want to save instead of spend!) are leading us to being a bit more local in our activities... cheap Indian dinner, free football game, bus rides, and more.

5 comments:

Jamie said...

That is a very good way to get to know a country is doing what the locals do or travel how they travel. Turkey has an awesome bus system, so I can imagine Abu Dhabi does as well.
Plus, the locals will admire and respect you more for trying to learn about their culture.

Take care and I love reading your blog!

Becky said...

I love what you've written here, Erin. It speaks to me of an integrity, of a living from the inside out that makes you secure and therefore able to be more open to those around you. I applaud your choices in all of this and am grateful to learn so much from what you write and photograph. Blessings on you and Nathan.

Amy said...

That is brilliant. I've been reading the blogs in hopes of hearing from an expat actually interacting with AD beyond the comfortable confines of the hotel and the pack, so thanks for posting this! Keep taking the bus, and walking, and interacting, and saving!

Mom said...

I second all of the above! You two amaze me! Love you!

teacherinAlaska said...

Erin-

That sounds fantastic. I wish we could have seen more of what you are seeing in Abu Dhabi, but we were attached to a mall and it was hard to justify doing too much walking out in the heat with a two year old...I am looking forward to more local experiences here in al ain...