The Moment We Waited For: Graduation

After all my years of school, which felt like forever and yet now seem to have been very brief,  the moment I always knew was coming yet always seemed so distant arrived: my graduation!!  Final exams, walking out of school, and celebrating my graduation came and passed so fast that I’m still having a hard time believing that my years of school are OVER, that I will most likely never see many of my classmates again, and that I’m moving on to a new phase of life.

As many things in Saudi Arabia, pursuing a graduation ceremony or any sort of  celebration for completing school was a stress, an argument, and a last-minute arrangement.   For reasons which I will never understand, my school has a history of falling through with pulling off a proper graduation for their senior class.  They leave their devoted students, some of which will have very successful careers and who the school will love to take credit for, out in the cold to fend for themselves in arranging a simple day that the students have been looking forward to for a very, very long time.  So, while my senior class scrambled for money, argued over catering, pulled hair over what color they wanted the robes to be, and eventually grated teeth having to plan an ENTIRE event ALONE without much help from the administration, while also having to juggle with exams and upcoming finals,  our generous school coordinated a week-long KG graduation – robes and all – for the multiple KG classes!

Of course, with several stresses arising and opinions clashing,  the fairly united senior class eventually exploded with arguments, and the students began to group into teams, each with its own “correct” view on how things should occur regarding the graduation ceremony.  The result:  two separate graduation ceremonies!  Yup, undivided until graduation did we part, but  separating was really the best thing we could do, and everyone got pretty much what they wanted, especially those who wanted a “mixed” graduation because like they said, “We want our dads to be there…” – a.k.a “We want our boyfriends there, and of course our dads too…”

Yes,  high school ended with a bang, an annoying bang – a blah!  All that took place reminded me how much I was ready for school to end.

As for me,  I did enjoy my graduation ceremony with my good friends and family around me.   It was an event that really helped me sort out my true friends from the fakes.  The truth of the matter is that I am very lucky to have even had a graduation of any sort  because I always just assumed I wouldn’t have one “because I’m in Saudi,” and “these things never get pulled off.”  Best of all:  My dress, shoes, and graduation robe were fabulous, and I got to spend the evening celebrating with the people I love!

Random Update

For those of you who don’t know: I will be graduating from high school this year – actually in a matter of days!!  So many other things are going on right now that I have not found the time or energy to write some recent posts, although I have so many topics and experiences that I would like to share with you in mind.  Putting aside cultural or society issues, I have plenty juicy stories of my own hectic life such as: “The Prom That Was Never Going to be Successful”,”Why Would You Want to Graduate with Class? *pun intended*”, and “Walking Out”…

So if you are a fan of my satirical, sometimes slightly negative, and realistic posts,  you’re definitely going to enjoy what is to come.  Stay tuned!  I just need to graduate and get some issues out of the way!

An Invasion of Privacy

It is  pretty obvious  that in Arab society “privacy” is not defined.  Everything is everyone’s business whether one likes it or not.  Anyone who has lived in the Middle East knows there are no such things as personal space, personal items, or personal relationships.  Being someone who considers privacy a right, I often find it quite odd that someone thinks it is completely normal or acceptable that extended family, friends, or even strangers meddle in what is not theirs for the sake of curiosity, gossip, or in the “true spirit of good”.   I think part of this lack of privacy stems from the fact that many Arabs are raised in large families, with many siblings and possibly more than one “mother” (a.k.a other wives of the father).  Often times, although these families are large, they may not live in suitable houses that accommodate the family’s need for space and privacy,  so kids will be crammed in the limited bedrooms (even living rooms).  Sometimes the mother-in-law, some aunts, uncles, and cousins may even be living in the same house, and if they do not share the same dwelling, they definitely feel welcome to stop by for a surprise visit any time.  Living such a shared life like that, it is totally understandable how some Arabs come to feel there is no need for “privacy” as they grew up just fine without it.

It’s very common for Arab visitors (acquaintances, friends, distant family members) to feel no shame in snooping about in a person’s drawers or cupboards just because they feel like wandering around and looking at one’s belongings while he or she goes to get them something to drink or steps out of the room for a moment to take a phone call.  Some even will do this browsing right in front of the host’s face.  Once I had a couple of visitors over and found that after I had stepped out of my room for a few minutes they had started going through my clothes and underwear.  One even took the liberty of using my hairbrush without permission.

Without a doubt, since behind closed doors life is not private, out in public one can expect nothing more.  Some Arab women seem to just love to glare at a person out and about doing his or her own thing, especially when that person is a Westerner – a true object of fascination.  They stare and whisper before one’s face, but they don’t think it’s an offensive thing to do.  After all, they are only expressing their awe and curiosity, and there is nothing embarrassing or rude in that!

Even at school,  our principal thinks she has the right to hack students’ facebook accounts by forcing some poor students to spill their passwords.  She then takes the liberty to scan through other students’ profiles who are on the friends list.  There’s nothing wrong with that, now is it?!  No, the school rightfully has ownership over the students’ private social life as they have ownership over the students themselves.  Plus, a little threat of deducting a few marks off the report card goes a long way when a stubborn student doesn’t want to expose his or her cyber world, making the process all the more ethical – no hacking, just forced logging in, you see.  As for cellphone drama, if a mobile is caught in school, the mistake of breaking the no cellphone rule is taken full advantage of by the administration.  The principal seems to just love reading text messages and going through files of pictures.  Spreading fear of what might be read or seen on one’s cellphone is viewed as the right way to discipline students who break the rules, and at the same time bored administrators have something to stare at, read, and then gossip about for at least an afternoon.  If they get desperate enough for drama,  someone willingly steps on the cellphone or bashes it against a wall before the student.  Sorry, but our parents didn’t enroll us in military school to expect this harsh treatment.

So if you’re an exposed soul out there wandering the streets of the Middle East or trying to hide under blankets,  you have three options:

1) Suck the term “privacy” out of your head.  Most of these privacy intruders are just bored drama-seeking individuals, or they don’t intend any harm since invading personal things is naturally in their blood.

2) Get rude; get cold; stand up for your rights.  Glare back at that person staring at you or going through your stuff…

3) Bolt the doors, close the curtains, and cut off all unnecessary human contact – but even then I cannot assure you complete peace.

Newspaper Coverage of #RiyadhRain

The Proof Is in the Images: Riyadh Floods

Huge Rainstorm Strikes Riyadh

As I am typing this I can hear ambulances in the distance and helicopters flying overhead.   Around 2 o’clock this afternoon,  a very strong rainstorm began its downpour in Riyadh.  As the clouds became more condensed and all sunshine disappeared from the sky making day appear to be night, rain began to pour down rapidly while very strong winds blew sand, trash, trees, and anything it could carry into the streets.  Parents and children leaving school were stranded in the rain and shielding their heads and eyes with scarves, umbrellas, and plastic sacks.

Within minutes, rain water was running down the roads and into drains in a river-like fashion.  To give you an idea of how strong the wind was,  my car was being moved by it at a stoplight!  Driving past Tamimi supermarkets,  shopping carts and water bottles were rolling down the road.  The first downpour  continued for  at least 20-30 minutes non-stop.

It has been reported that Al-Faisaliah Tower’s garage has been flooded and one man was trapped down there and drowned.   There have been more than 23 accidents on the Eastern and Northern ring roads, and Korais road going south, as well as exits 9 -11, has been closed.  Several homes and shops have been destroyed from the rain in Dariyyah, Akik, and Ra’id neighborhoods and nearby areas.

People have been warned to remain at home as a stronger rainstorm is expected within the next few hours.   Just turn on the T.V.  The roads have become RIVERS!  Some people are swimming; others are helping direct traffic with a grin on their faces.  Although some people are suffering from this rain, MANY are loving this unusual chaos.  I have never seen Riyadh like this before!

I will be posting pictures of all the flooding as soon as possible.

Are We Humans, or Are We Blobsters?

It is said a picture is worth a thousand words, and I think this picture is no exception.  The minute I saw it, it struck me on so many levels.  What’s the point of taking a picture when your face is hidden?  Does the man in this photo photographing these women really think this picture will have meaning to them and prove that they are participating in activities?  How do these ladies feel dressing like this abroad?  Covering like this is so impractical, uncomfortable, and hurts one’s self-esteem.  It triggers a mind-set that makes one feel set apart from the surroundings.  How do some people think a modest woman is a woman with no face?  Life isn’t meant to be this restricting.