Strolling Through a Thick Fog In Search of Seat 11C

Once again I found myself traveling to Bahrain on business. I have come to the realization that when I am in the Middle East during Ramadan for at least some part of it I have been in Bahrain. There's nothing special that goes on in Bahrain during Ramadan that is different than any other place in the Arab world but for some reason I always wind up on that island during that particular month if I happen to be in the area. Such is life.

The trip was short and basically uneventful, my host took me to section of town that I had not been to before. If the temperatures (112°) and humidity (54%) were lower, I would've sworn that I was in Europe. This building in particular, used to style that I have seen in Italy. They cover a very plain solid wall with paintings to make it look like there are windows in the building. We ate at the La Cucina one evening, to me the name was Mexican sounding but it turned out to be a very excellent Italian restaurant. When I first walked down the alley to get to the restaurant, I could've sworn that the tower on the left was meant to be a homage . To the famous tower in Pisa – – when in fact, it is a mosque.

In keeping with the Internet trend of taking pictures of your food I give you a picture of the Pepper Steak that I had at Coco's. It was excellent.

Because of the serious humidity and heat in Bahrain when I boarded the plane to leave, I encountered a thick fog inside the plane. The airline was trying desperately to keep the plane cool and comfortable and as a result this fight over environmental control caused thick condensation to float in the air throughout the aircraft. It was kind of spooky.  

The taxis from the airport, are only driven by Kuwaitis. So, when I come back I can usually look forward to a brief conversation with a native. This time was no different as he quickly got me from the airport to my home. The fares are all predetermined based on the destination and are displayed on the window in both English and Arabic. As I prepared to exit the cab, the driver quoted a fare that was twice what I knew the rate to be. When I pointed to the rate chart that was clearly displayed he acted like he had forgotten that such rates existed and apologized for his mistake. I handed him the exact fare, choosing not to tip because you try to rip me off. That was the first time in all my dealings with Kuwaitis that I have ever had one try to do something under the table like that.

Finally, I got another haircut (where does the year go?) and opted for something a little more Tony Starkish on the goatee.  Not sure how long it will last because it requires a lot of work to keep it trimmed properly, easy for him since he has Pepper and Jarvis to lend a hand.

Pix of the Week

This sign caught my eye. They display the picture of a Duck, for a place that has Cat and Coot (a cranelike bird) in the name, which is selling shwarmas, a type of Middle Eastern sandwich that is usually made of chicken or lamb.   I'm confused. 

Notice that the man pictured in the sign is not wearing a gutra (Arabic head dress), that is because the sign is specifically aimed at Indians and Pakistanis who live and spit in the area.  

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آسف المتأنق، أنا لا أتكلم العربية (Sorry Dude, I Don't Speak Arabic)

I've been Kuwait now just a little under 5 1/2 months. When I had been in Germany about the same time I spoke and understood a lot of native-language. Granted, German was my first language and during the course of my life I've spent 13 years there; so it would be expected that I would pick it up rather quickly. Not so with Arabic.

There are a lot of differences between the two languages that have prevented me from learning more than a few cursory phrases, but when I thought about it the primary reason why I have learned so little Arabic is the fact that almost all of the people that I deal with speak English fluently and given a choice of another language would probably speak Hindi or Tagalog. Because of my neighborhood strolls with Falkor, I have learned many phrases in Hindi as well as the gestures that go along with them -- this owing to the fact that I live in a primarily Indian neighborhood.

Of the Kuwaitis that I have met gotten to know, most have spent long periods of time in the United States and as a result speak English at a very high level – – by this I mean their conversational skills include colloquialisms and slang which you would only pick up by actually being there. As a result except for greetings and farewells our discussions are primarily in English.

One advantage that I always had when traveling in Europe through France, Italy, Germany, and the former Eastern Bloc was that the alphabet used was the same as in English. In other words I could read a word and try to break it down to its base origin and figure out what was being said -- big note of thanks to Charlotte Naffin my high school Latin teacher. In Arabic that is not possible.

Arabic letters look nothing like their English counterparts, although some are close to appearing the same they have different sounds and work differently. Additionally, Arabic is written right to left versus my normal mode of reading which is left to right. So deciphering it is more like figuring out an encrypted piece of text than reading and therefore it makes figuring words out much more difficult. Although, in order to be functional I do know all of the numeric symbols used so that I can read prices and money. 

Looking back at the 20+ years of my life that I've spent living outside of the United States, I can honestly say that I feel more separated here from the native populace than I have living anywhere else. Part of that is because most of the people I deal with are the ex-pats who make day-to-day life work in Kuwait. I suppose if I dealt with a higher level of professional level people or if I worked in the oil industry or some other international trade that might be very different.  But it is what it is.

Ramadan continues and every day Saad tries to teach the office a little more of the traditions of the holy month. It is interesting because in many ways they relate to the holidays that I've celebrated for my entire life, to include Halloween. There is a night or two where children put on costumes and go out in search of gifts of candy. Granted, the costumes are not scary or of superheroes – – but other than that the activity is very similar. It is one of those things that unless you lived in a Muslim community you would never hear about.

Earlier this week my air-conditioning failed. It quit, as near as I can tell, at about 1 AM and it was about 2 PM the next day before was repaired. It was not pleasant. While living in Germany, I never had air-conditioning but there the temperature only exceeded 100° about one week out of the year -- so, it was survivable. On the day that my AC failed the temperature was over 120° and my apartment promptly heated up to over 100° and stayed there until the unit was repaired. I have no idea how people survive year without some form of cooling.

That's my take on life, until next week.

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Did You Hear the One About the Sheik, His Wives, and the Ex-Wife?

In a few days, I will reach the five-month mark for being here. It's hard to believe that I've been here that long already; there are instances when time passes so quickly and others when every minute seems to drag. After five months here, I was finally sent on a trip outside of Kuwait as part of my job. Because of the level of my organization, we are actually responsible for several other countries as well as Afghanistan. But, because of the nature of my job, I can generally reach out and touch those locations without ever leaving my desk.

My first trip was to a place that I've actually been many times before, Bahrain, however, my trips before were all prior to the events of the past two years -- -- so I wondered what I would find changed when I got there.  

Bahrain is much more westernized than Kuwait. I also find it easier to interact with the local population and to sample its culture. I think because there have been British ex-pats there for so many years the culture tends to be more open to non-natives.  I noticed no real change pre and post protest, by the way.

Near the Naval base is the compound that you see in this picture.  There are actually four homes of identical architecture within the compound, but as you will notice one is painted tan whereas the other three are white. The story that I've always heard regarding these homes is that they belong to one Sheik.  He built the compound and the homes and each of the homes was to house one of his four wives. As the story goes, he ended up divorcing one of the wives but because of court ruling or local tradition, she wound up keeping the house even though it was on the compound.  The Sheik, not wanting to lose the argument entirely, had the house painted a different color so that everyone knew that is where the ex-wife lived and that she was not part of his family.  

 

An alternate version of the story is that the homes are owned by four brothers and the oldest brother had a big ego, so he painted his house a different color so that it would stand out.  Personally, I like the story of the Sheik and the ex-wife better -- -- it seems to better match the compound and is a bit more entertaining.

Never on any prior trip did I ever take the time to visit the Grand Mosque, even though I was always near it and would usually pass by several times a day. This time, I was determined to do things a bit differently and I was able to take an hour or so to go take a look. This was the first mosque that I've ever toured.  There are rules that prohibit US employees from entering any mosque, except as part of an official public tour.  The rule is to prevent any incidents that might accidentally happen if an American were to enter a mosque and accidentally do something offensive.  So even though I live half a block from a mosque I had never seen the inside of one.

The tour was given by a student of the religious center there in Bahrain. His name was Solomon; he immediately saw the surprise of my face when he told me his name and acknowledged the fact that indeed it was a name with Jewish origins – he then went on to explain that Solomon was also an important person in the Islamist faith. He also explained that Mecca is important to Muslims, and should be important to any Christian or Jew as well, because that is where Abraham built the first church for the worship of one God, in doing so he gave birth to the three great faiths.

Solomon was a great guide, and explained how the mosque itself was of the world and not just Bahrain. In fact, the only part of the mosque that was made in Bahrain was the dome which I was surprised to learn was made of fiberglass.  The carpet was imported from Scotland -- that struck me as so strange. Here we are in the heart of the Persian rug making region and they go to Scotland to get carpets. The tile was from Italy, the globes for the lamps from France, and the crystals in the chandelier from Austria.  The wood is teak and came from India.  Interesting mesh of materials

It was explained how the congregation gathered for prayer and how they knew which direction in which to pray. The arch is a feature in all mosques and it marks the direction of Mecca. There is a secondary arch on the outside of the mosque which serves the same purpose but allows for a more traditional method of worship since it is open air.

Questions of politics were carefully avoided by Solomon, as well as me. However, he did point out several examples of behavior that was considered Islamic that was actually cultural -- -- for example women not being allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia. Interestingly enough, if the mosque is not carpeted you are not expected to take your shoes off upon entering -- -- the reason you do this in most modern mosques is to keep the carpet clean.

I asked him about the tent that was outside the mosque and what its purpose was, since it seemed to me out of place to have a structure like that on such groomed grounds. He explained that during Ramadan they use the tent to serve Iftar, the meal that breaks the fast at the end of the day, and that as one of the pillars of faith of Islam the primary guests at the tent is supposed to be the poor -- but that all people are welcome. With that he invited me to join in Iftar at the mosque, which I politely declined.

In my life I have seen many of the great cathedrals of the world, in Europe as well as the United States. I've also seen many synagogues, taking my time to do so while I am traveling. This was the first mosque I've ever seen and when Solomon asked me what most surprised me about the mosque I told him that I was surprised that it had such similarity to other houses of faith that I had seen and that it had stained glass windows. 

Final note: After my posting regarding Ramadan I was delighted to receive an e-mail from a Masonic brother in Brazil. I had met Weverton when he was in Battle Creek attending a school. He said something in his e-mail that had never occurred to me when I was writing it: "You are speaking as a real Freemason, free of intolerance and preconception."  I consider that a huge compliment and it reminded me of one of the true goals of masonry which is Enlightenment. Sometimes you find yourself pursuing a goal without actually realizing that you are even heading towards it.

Until next week.

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Ramadan Mubarak, Inshallah!

Preface:  I am by no means an expert on Islam and I would never claim to be.  If you want more information about Ramadan or the faith, I suggest you check out Wikipedia and/or the Cutest Blog on the Web -- Expat and the City both of which have plenty of info about Ramadan  -  Expat even uses the words "Y'all" and "Ramadan" in the same sentence. 

You will find that there are many interpretations of Ramadan and its restrictions - it is kinda like the differences in viewpoints between Christian faiths in the US.  This entry is about my experiences and perceptions as a Christian living in a Muslim country.

Ramadan started on Friday since it is based on an appearance of specific moon phases the exact start date was "iffy" but it was confirmed when I went to breakfast in town and the restaurant had stood up dividers to keep the dining room out of open view.  

You see Ramadan is a time of fasting,  from sun up to sundown.  The fast is broken at sunset and families join together to eat and enjoy fellowship.  Not only does the fast include food and drink, but it also includes things like smoking and chewing gum - as well as having sexual relations during the day. An inside joke among the GIs is that during Ramadan, you get to continue not having sex,  but now you are doing it for legal reasons. You see,  even non-Muslims get to play along because in Kuwait they apply certain restrictions on everyone during Ramadan.

If you are caught eating, drinking, smoking, or chewing gum in public you can be fined (100KD, about $350) and jailed. Sounds drastic; I am not going to push it.  I see it this way:  It is 4PM, the temperature is 120° and you run into a cop who is a smoker.   He has not smoked, eaten or drank anything since sunrise - he is likely to be grumpy and easily ticked off  -- then you cruise by in your car chewing gum.  I learned long ago,  you don't poke pissed off bears.  So, I have made a few adjustments.

Usually, I grab To-Go from the DFAC on my way home and snack on the drive back to my apartment so I can take Falkor out as soon as I get home.  I can't eat in my car now so I put my To-Go container on the back seat to avoid temptation.  Dogs are considered unclean by Muslims so they have to avoid any contact during Ramadan to remain pure, so Falkor and I do not walk past the neighborhood Mosque on our outings to avoid any accidental contact with anyone coming or going. 

What I had wondered about prior to getting here was how does work that goes on outside continue?  It is just not healthy for a person to be working outside in that heat without water for any length of time.  Well,  they have a fix for that - they adjust their day.  Many work in the morning and then take a break until after the sun goes down and then resume their activity.  Others just become nocturnal, working only after sundown. 

  

In my neighborhood, they are tearing down an eight-story apartment building,  I am amazed at how quickly it is going considering they are doing a lot of it manually.  They have been at it for about a week and I have been watching their progress when I come home from work and take Falkor for a walk.  Due to Ramadan, at midnight last night, the crew started their workday and I was treated to the sounds of backhoes, shovels and the clanging of broken cement being thrown into a dump truck for the rest of the night.  I may sleep in my living room (opposite side of the building)  until they get done or Ramadan ends.

I am taking the opportunity to learn about the traditions of Ramadan, Iftar and eventually Eid.  By learning about other cultures you enrich your own life.  All told, it seems to me that the basis of Ramadan is very similar to that of Lent.  The self-denial is supposed to get you to consider those things outside of yourself and to reflect on those unfortunates who have to deal with sacrifice as part of their daily life.  It is a cleansing of your mind and heart.  At the end of Ramadan, the faithful believe that their sins have been forgiven and they are reborn.  Sounds familiar, huh?  BTW please do not send my theological arguments about how they are different - I am thinking about a broader sense of what they are to compare them.

It would be easy to ignore the fact the Islam, like Christianity and Judaism has many different interpretations and inconsistencies then try to paint all Muslims with the same brush.  If I have learned nothing else in the months that I have spent here so far it is that each individual's faith guides them and makes them who they are - not their religion.  

Life is full of wonders,  take the fork in the road and go find them.

Bonus "Things that make you go 'Hmm'" Section:  Before Vatican II, if you ate meat on Friday it was a sin and you would go to Hell,  after Vatican II it was okay.  Does that mean there are Catholics in Hell for eating a hotdog on a Friday before Vatican II or did they get an early release?  How can an Orthodox Jew and a Jew who has just eaten a bacon double cheeseburger claim to follow the same Talmud? Also, since in Judaism, there is no Hell; is there a penalty for the Cheeseburger anyway?

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