Well, I wrote the blog entry a couple of months ago about moving to Dubai, but just got around to posting it. Knowing it wasn't perfect I hesitated. So yes, I am still moving and I will start my new job on August 14th.
Today I am torn up about all the violence going on in the US and around the world and my powerlessness to do much about it. I can spout my opinions on Facebook, although seriously, I know it doesn't do much good.
Anyway, there was a local incident last week that hit close to home for me. An Emirati man was arrested and held by the police in Avon, Ohio:
Avon is where my father spent the last few years of his life in the home of Carmen and Daniel Ivan, loving caregivers who immigrated from Romania to Northern Ohio where both my brothers live, not more than 15 minutes from the Fairfield Inn where this incident took place.
Dad watching TV at Carmen and Daniel Ivan's
Yes, it was all a terrible misunderstanding and the police offered an apology. Because of the hotel clerk's unfamiliarity with the traditional dress of the UAE, she flipped out and assumed he must be involved with ISIS and called the police. They rushed in and threw him to the ground, even though he didn't pose any immediate threat. It was a huge mistake and thank God, it got sorted out. But it could have gone another way.
On all sides, after it was over, people called for moderation, understanding, tolerance and even forgiveness, which did some good in restoring the dignity of the Emirati who was in the Cleveland area for treatment of a heart condition. The police in Avon had the decency to be embarrassed and to recognize their mistake right away, offering a formal apology.
Violence did not break out.
Living in Abu Dhabi as I have been for the last several years, I have come to be very familiar with the local dress and comfortable with the peaceful and overwhelmingly gracious Muslim neighbors I have gotten to know. The only time I feel in danger here is when I get behind the wheel of my car and venture out, as the driving is notoriously treacherous, although the government is making efforts to crack down on reckless drivers who exceed the speed limit.
My point in writing all this is to marvel a little bit at the way my worlds are colliding right now. I might be just as frightened by a man in a white kandura as the clerk at the Fairfield Inn, if I had never left northern Ohio, and if all I knew of the Middle East was the media representation of ISIS and footage of bombings and war in other parts of this region. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know this part of the world, as the UAE truly is a safe and tolerant place to live.
The fear of otherness is real and natural, and maybe more at cause in violence than fundamental racism. It's all in our perception of who and what is a threat.
Unfortunately the terrorists use this to their advantage. And also unfortunately, there are some police who don't seem to know restraint in a situation they mistakenly perceive to be dangerous. And of course, most unfortunately, there is a politician in the US right now who incites fear of otherness for his own selfish ends, to garner support for his particular brand of xenophobia and egotistical need for power and applause. I find that most dangerous because we are so in need of peacemakers right now, but peace doesn't necessarily have the same toxic appeal as the contact high that comes from completely undisciplined expressions of aggression. And then there is the aftermath of grief and shock when violence explodes and nobody knows quite how to stop it from happening again... ad infinitum.
So this so called politician, this poser who says he wants to be president, is coming to my hometown in a couple of weeks.
Cleveland is ready, but I wish the Republicans could have found a more worthy candidate to present. I'll be watching the trainwreck from afar! The truth is I can't tear myself away.
My hometown
At any rate, I hate offending people with my opinions, so if I have offended anyone who took the trouble to read this, please know that it is all just my opinion, and truly my fervent wish is that we all grow in understanding, love and tolerance for one another. America is already great, but that would make it even greater!
In the meantime, wish me well in this upcoming move, which I think is going to be quite a new chapter to my adventure over here in the UAE, my home away from home that I have come to love in spite of myself.
My friend, Ami and I checking out the Souq at Dubai Creek
