when social events occur, men are often the only ones that exist at the time (not to say that women aren't around, they just don't usually take the front seat of such events.) dancing, hookahing, going out to eat... along with this, restaurants usually consist of 2 floors. the first floor is for men only, and families and women go up to the second floor. this is just the custom.
similarly, when in taxis, if you are just by yourself, and you are a woman, you must ride in the back of the taxi. however, if you are a man, and by yourself, it is custom to ride in the front. if it is a group of people, mixed of men and women then it doesn't matter who is up front.
there are no sexy commercials here. they do not exist. seriously. they will show women with sexy hair blowing in the wind, but that is the extent of it. otherwise they will show children adoring a product. putting the situation in childlike ways, because kids are not seen as having to follow the rules that adults do. (it's actually mildly refreshing.)
as far as the clothing goes. obviously they wear "those head things." hijabs, for you uncultured folks. or abayas and burqa's (which cover your whole body) underneath those garments those, are regular clothes. while at the mall today i saw about 30 stores of just shoes. shoes. shoes. shoes. and a hella lot of eye make up as well. and it suddenly occurred to me, there are a plethora of shoe stores because that's about the only way women can express themselves! if they are covered in abayas and whatnot, then obviously they cannot show off their regular clothes. and they are modest anyway, so it would not be customary to wear something daring or whathaveyou.
and let me tell you, there are some sexxxxyyyy shoes here. i was drooling over a billion different pairs. and CHEAP! 5JD for sexy sexy boots. i am sad to say i didn't purchase any because the ones that were in my size were nicked. and i want perfect looking boots. not scraps.
along with this, eye make up is another big thing. women tend to dress very classy here. dressed up. pretty hair. and perfect eye makeup. i am envious. their abilities with liquid eyeliner is just... well, unfair. and so it's pretty cool to see all these different things.
hmmmmm... what else is different? well, the history is pretty freakin' amazing. so many ancient ruins. so many different sites of historical value (of which i will update later.) and another thing---
one of my larger goals while existing out here in the middle east was to break down some misconceptions people had. and i am determined to make this happen.
1) it is not hot here. sure it gets hot in the summer but it is NOT hot right now. it's about 50 degrees. it's freezing. i should have been better prepared but i myself was apart of these stereotypes.
2) it is not a complete desert. the middle east is made up of a variety of vegetation's, mountainous regions and below sea level areas. currently i'm on a rather large mountain. a lot of walking and hiking up GIANT hills is involved. it gets pretty freaking annoying (as i am wickedly out of shape. haha.) andddddd let's see. there are trees, and flowers and evil grasses that stab you and it's horrible. and yes, there is also water. seas and what not. i realize that this may come as a shock to many of you, but alas, countries here are not so different from home.
3) muslims are NOT the only types of religious people here. there are many christians as well. this can be noted by the different garments that people wear.
4) people do not go around riding camels all day. they actually drive cars. and the cars are tiny. i believe i've seen like 3 or 4 SUVS and vans. it is far more common to use taxis, public transportation and walk everywhere.
5) locations are not bombed constantly. i don't exist in a war zone. i don't wake up to bombs off in the distance... but i *DO* wake up to the prayer call at 4 am. (prayer call is five times a day. it's actually pretty cool. except for the one at 4am. that one isn't cool at all. lol.)
hmm. i think that's enough for now.
just wanted to get some thoughts down today.
ps, i am wearing normal earrings today. (granted, i threaded them through my plugs) but they are STILL in my ears. they are stars and very pretty. :)
maa salaama!
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