Humanity's Shining Light

A few Sundays ago, I heard the tragic death of a young woman in Saudi Arabia. While walking to the park, this young woman and her husband were struck by a car. They were newly married and expecting a baby. It is hard to fathom why something like this would happen, but if we focus to much on the why, we lose faith and stop truly living our lives.

This young woman I have told you about was the sister-in-law of one of my co-workers. In the Arabic culture, family is everything. Though I have not known my co-worker that long and we may not hang out on the weekends, as she shook with grief, my eyes too filled with tears.

Since I am of a different faith, I was not sure of the protocol, not even sure what to do to help. I expected to give my condolences and continue on my day. However, they welcomed me as an equal--someone who could be there for her colleague in a time of need. Even when we moved to the mosque at the school, they wanted me to come and sit with her. My hair uncovered, my Christian heart . . . none of this mattered. Differences were forgotten and I was deeply touched. We came together to support our friend and colleague as she struggled to accept what had happened. I know that people often come together and support each other during tough times, but still being the outsider in many ways, I was moved by their willingness to include me at such a private and difficult time.

That same evening a bus full of teachers, including myself, arrived at her home to sit with her. After greetings, everyone sat and prayed or drank tea. At times, the silence was oppressive and yet I could feel how each of the women in the room were connected--in spirit. We all had the same basic wish, to ease her pain and just be there during this time. Had it not been Sunday night, we may have remained longer, but we all had things in our own lives to take care of. The farewell was wrought with emotions as each of us tried to convey our deepest sympathy to our friend and colleague.

As tragic as the circumstances are, this situation has reminded me of the humanity people are capable of. Our efforts went beyond origin and religion and we came together as one. Though I wish something like this would have occurred under different circumstances, it was still uplifting to see so many different people come together for one purpose.

It seems it takes tragedy to remind us how alike we truly are. It is in tragedy that humanity shines the brightest. When are we going to learn to let it shine in times of joy and peace? Why must it only be a light in the dark?

Without Words . . . Almost

Everyday at school I cross over the cultural divide and communicate on many levels with my students and co-workers. There are still moments when we don't understand each other, but we have both come to understand each other in a new way.

When first arriving, I was warned that to the Arabic staff, school is a place to socialize. I was told that my work ethic would far exceed that of the "native" teachers. While I have to admit that they love to socialize and have tea, I have found them to be committed professionals as well. The atmosphere and procedures may not  be the same as you would see in a western culture, but the goal is the same. They are trying to make their students into well-educated and conscientious citizens. They want to guide these young girls into adulthood so they are able to get the most out of life. I will admit that the system as a whole has a lot of kinks to work out. They aren't just changing the grading policy- they are redoing the entire system, starting from scratch. The ingredients are there, the bread just needs time to rise.

You can see these changes in and out of the classroom. When trying to communicate with the local shop or restaurant owners, it is often difficult, but each person finds ways to get business done. An uplifting example of this comes from an evening walk a few days ago.

While walking with Bayyinah, Judy, Ryan, and little Hannah, we hear the sounds of a cat nearby. Hannah loves animals, so Judy tried to find this cat. We could hear it, knew it was somewhere near this large truck, but then could not find it. Just as we were about to give up and assume it was in the bed of the truck, I caught a glimpse of fleshy pink from between the two back tires. The cat cried out again and I confirmed my fear that it was trapped between the tires. I moaned and squealed in response  and pointed out the cat to the others. We feared the worst. The two massive tires and this cat . . . we thought there was no chance. At this point we had gotten the attention of most of the local shop owners, who were fascinated by these strange western women. Ryan crouched next to the tires and attempted to wedge his hand in to get the cat. Eventually, with the help of the locals, we were able to direct the driver of the truck to pull up slowly. Ryan held onto the cat as the truck moved up ever so slightly. To our surprise, it was an adorable kitten, and though a bit small, he was unharmed. After allowing us to pet him briefly,he bounded off to find the rest of his family and the four of us walked off, with all eyes following us down the road. They probably thought we were crazy, but we were able to save a kitten, despite the cultural differences. I'm not sure these men would have cared about the welfare of a stray cat had we not been there. However, they put aside their own cultural views to help us complete this task. Had a shop-keeper not instructed the driver to move forward, the kitten and/or Ryan's hand could have been crushed. In the end, it was a group effort that resulted in a happy ending.

I know at this point you are thinking saving the cat is not this huge thing, but to me anytime two people can communicate past a culture and language barrier, it puts a smile on my face. It may not be much, but through little steps like these we can eventually work to move mountains. Though in many ways we will always be worlds apart, there are just as many ways in which we are alike. It is these similarities we must remember as we try to educate and lead a new generation toward the future. Maybe then we can learn to live as one. Deep down, past our cynicism and doubts, isn't that what we really want? I know it seems like a far fetched dream, but I choose to dream rather than live with anger, frustration, and hate.

The Blahs

The lull is settling in. I am at the point where I am content, but want--correction--need something more. It is the basic monotony of daily life . . .

I am settled. I know where to go to get the best vegetables, the fresh bread, best curry chicken, etc. I need something new! I am looking into joining a place to work out, but even that will eventually just turn into another part of my routine. I need to find one new thing to do each week. Something that I would not normally do, or something just for that day that will be different from all the rest. It can be small, like getting out of bed without hitting the snooze, to big changes like going dune bashing. The point is, it is new. It isn't our lives that bore us and cause unhappiness . . . it is the routines we set up for ourselves. We live in society that runs on rules and schedules. I say it's time to break free.

I challenge myself and anyone else brave enough to break free from the routine. Start small if you need to and work up to the bigger things. It doesn't have to be dramatic, just different from your norm. I guess you could consider this some sort of New Year's resolution, but I am choosing to call it my revitalization. I refuse to let my life "whither and die" along the same old path. Life is for the living, isn't that how the saying goes. I intend to live it. Who wants to join me?

New Years 2010-2011

Another year has come and gone, and what a year it has been. It started with me losing my job. The first event in a series that lead me to where I am today. Sometimes when I look back at the events that occurred the past year, I feel like I am watching someone else's life. I have a stable job, I have been to Egypt, Dubai, hell, I live in Abu Dhabi. I have learned and grown over this past year. I still don't fully understand who I am, but I am at least a little closer to getting there.

I would like to take this time to say thank you to all of the people who have been there for me this past year. Those near and far, you are the reason I am here today. Without each of you, I might not have taken the chances I did and things would be a lot different. I am very thankful for everything I have in my life.

Enough of that sappy stuff. What is it about the new year that makes a person so retrospective? I know the whole theory of "new year, new start", but I am happy where I am in life right now. For me it is just a new year, and the fact that I don't regret or long for anything, is a new concept, but is really nice. I'm finally content. Life is what it is right now, and it may not be in the same place later, but I am loving where it is for now.

As far as celebrations go, I didn't do much celebrating. Caroline had a bunch of her new friends over on the 30th and I guess you can consider that my party. I met a bunch of really nice people and had a lot of fun. The going to bed at 6AM was tough to get over, but I say it was well worth it. I was able to have some fun and get the things I needed done before work resumed on the second.

The start to the year has been good, and I look forward to continuing this journey. I know there may be a few potholes in the road along the way, but I think I am ready for them now! Bring it on life, let's see what you got!