Imagine my surprise last evening when despite having said eight times, "I’m sorry" did not placate the individual who was upset by a verbal slight earlier. That an off hand remark could cause someone so much anguish was news to me — particularly because this was in a professional context and what I had said [...]
Tag Archives: culture
A new character.. but will he be lovable?
Elsewhere I’ve posted about writing and this is the month I’m getting really serious about my novel. This is the fifth and final draft. It’s true what everyone says: with your first novel you keep tweaking it because it keeps getting better. Last week, just when I was about to give up in despair, I had a [...]
It’s not just Muslim women
When people ask me how I like living in Qatar – as I’ve done for the past four years – it’s usually the weather or the Islamic culture they are asking about. How do I deal the extreme temperatures that are mirrored (in some people’s opinions) in the extreme attitudes towards women’s dress, alcohol, etc. [...]
If you’ve lost your way in Syria then just ask
Last week I was in London and raving about the street cleaners knowledge of their city. This week I’m in Damascus, Syria – yes, my friends all give me a hard time about the ‘jet setter’ that I am – to learn Arabic over the next five weeks. And this morning it was a street [...]
Still not by the content of character
Yesterday I watched the Martin Luther King Jr. "I Have a Dream" speech on the anniversary of his birthday. Today, three times at the American Embassy I was told to come back at 3:00 pm to pick up my passport because that’s when immigrant visas were issued. Three times I had to reassure them, despite wearing [...]
Stop victimization
Given current events, you might think this is a subjective piece, for or against one side of the unfolding conflict. But this is actually a plea for objectivity. I was driving to work today and shocked at the language the journalists were using on the radio news. As long as countries consider themselves victims and [...]
Creating a National Day
The 4th of July is really about beer and barbque these days. More so than flag waving, although this might not have been the way that the celebration of colonial independence from England started, and US flag bikinis certainly not what the founding fathers or Betty Ross imagined for the stars and stripes. Having not [...]
That happens…
Back from a relaxing week in Goa. About the worst thing that happened in this week after the terror attacks in Mumbai was the theft of my flip flops outside of the Francis Xavier chapel. I was shocked – having been born in India and visited many Hindu temples, this has never happened to me [...]
Sitting in judgement
My post workout elation this morning was ruined as the instructor began a familiar dire in these parts: what’s wrong with Doha, i.e. the country of Qatar. What was particularly disturbing to me was the tone of the conversation. As you know, I’m trained in postcolonial, or in other words, to be disturbed by feelings [...]
Americans are so nice
I’m currently on a cultural exchange trip with students from my university visiting a woman’s college in the United States. Over our arrival weekend as students from our host campus tooks us around the city. The conversation between my students was fascinating. "Everyone in America is so nice," they were saying, after a five hour layover [...]
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