Posted by: sel3 | August 27, 2007

Sabah… a love story

During the weekend I watched the movie Sabah. It tells the story of a Syrian family moved to Canada and how they are trying to fit in the community there, the eldest brother “Majid” is taking care of the family and is trying to keep it a conservative one according to the “Arabic traditions”. Meanwhile, his sister “Sabah”, a 40 year old single veiled woman, falls in love with a Canadian guy “Stephen”, which puts her in a dilemma, her family can’t know about her love and obviously the relation won’t work, but still she loves him and don’t want to lose him.

The main topic of the movie is the relation between Sabah and Stephen, there are other side stories like the arranged marriage and the Arabic community being a Macho one, where males are dominant, and have the right to do any thing without being held accountable for it, while the females, on the other hand, are not granted such freedom, and most of the time they are forced to things they wouldn’t choose if they were free to choose.

Now regarding the relation of Sabah and Stephen I really don’t know where I stand, looking at it religion-wise it is not allowed and not possible for a Muslim woman to marry a non Muslim.

Cultural-wise it is quite different, mainly the Arabic culture is based on Islam, so such relation is quite not possible, yet the culture itself changes due to many factors, for the family of Sabah, for example, it is mainly because they are introduced to a different culture in which the relation only depends on the two parts of it and how they are getting along. but the relation is still strange.

Looking at the relation itself, you see a couple who make a good match, in love with each other and there is not a reason, relation-wise, to separate them form each other.

Macho-wise, this is not what her macho brother arranged for her! So it shouldn’t work.

I still don’t know what I think about it, but what do you think?

7 Comments

Posted in Canada, Marriage, Syria, islam

Posted by: Hala | August 27, 2007

Simple Pleasures

Since it is summer, and since temperatures are rising, what is better than some ice cream? Not any ice cream though:

Booza 3arabeyyeh :)

Booza

It looks yummy … I want some :( The funny thing is, ever since I moved away, I would  find myself craving things that I did not really like back home such as Knafeh for example. However, I still feel like I should have some ASAP. As soon as I have some, well take a guess, I do not finish it but I feel like I satisfied the voice inside of me that kept nagging for quite a while.

By the way, I found the picture a while back on FlickrBooza, and I am pretty sure it belongs to a fellow blogerette. Yet I am not sure of her name. Probably Tololy, but I cannot find the picture above among her photos. Anyway, sorry for not mentioning the name whoever you are!

4 Comments

Posted in Expatriatism, Food, Jordan, USA

Posted by: wonders | August 23, 2007

I want the option with no options

Having options is good and convenient especially if you are picky (like me) but in a lot of cases it is confusing and annoying! You cannot go into a coffee shop now and just order TEA anymore, coz here is what will happen:

waiter: Hello sir/mam… what will you have today?

you: I will have a cup of tea…

waiter: what kind of tea?

you (happy to answer, coz just yesterday you learnt there is something callled green tea while watching a lipton commercial): I will have green tea..

waiter: green tea it is, would you like that with lemon, mint, or jasmine?

you (not knowing what you got yourself into): uhhhhhhh….. mint.

waiter: do you want the mint to boil with the tea or to be put after the tea is boiled?

you (shifting in your seat): uhhhhhhh……… uhhhhhhhhhh……. after.. after

waiter: would you like sugar?

You (relaxing after the conversation turned into something you know): yes please

waiter: how many pieces? 

You (you have started yourself on a diet, but you say to yourself what the hell, it is for free ele be balash kater menno): 3 please.

waiter: brown or white sugar?

you (WTF??): white..

only then you are able to get you freakin’ cup of tea!!

Even if you decide to have a sandwich, you go inside the restaurant pick yourself a table, and wait. Finally you get noticed, coz the waiter was busy playing pikabooooooo with a baby…

waiter: hello sir/mam… what do you want to have today?

you (deciding to choose on the spot other wise there is no guarantee the waiter will come back in this lifetime): i will have a Steak sandwich.

waiter: with cheese?

you: yes please.

waiter: what kind of cheese, we have cheddar, goat, emmental? (sometimes they don’t even bother telling you the options)

you (cheddar is the one you know, so you think it is better to stick with something you know): cheddar

waiter: what kind of bread? we have origano, italian, french, white and brown (i already stated he is a kind waiter willing to provide info)

you (&*%#$#!!@%): uhh… white….

waiter: what kind of dressing do you want? italian, one thousand island, barbeque and honey something..

you (when will this nightmare end!!) NONE…

waiter: this sandwich comes with chips or salad, what would you like?

you (wiping your sweaty hands against your pants): chips…

waiter: what flavor, salt or ketchup or bla bla bla (he actually says real flavours but at this point this is what you hear)

you (grasping for air): salt

waiter: what dip do you want with that?

you: I want to get the hell out of here!!!

inspired by a true story….

8 Comments

Posted in Food, here and there

Posted by: wonders | August 20, 2007

I betrayed my family and friends

Last night i did something that i am not so proud of, i betrayed everybody i know in Amman, my family and friends who love me and trust me. It even includes some of you guys…

I was raised on values that included sticking up to family, to my country. i don’t know what got into me, i couldn’t stop… once it happens you can do nothing about it. So please forgive me everyone…

I had Chicken Shawerma… lalala lalala

(Not another shawerma post..!!) After reading many posts yesterday on the shawerma dilema in Jordan, i couldn’t help myself! At dinner time me and my friend were starving, i don’t usually know what i want to eat, I just know I am hungry and i let my friends pick the place or the food, i don’t know why i do that :). But yesterday, i wanted shawerma. It wasn’t as good as in Amman but damn, it was delicious :) with french fries and pickles… yummy yummy!! good old days in my beloved Amman came flashing back. I miss it!

I am so mean!! :) 

10 Comments

Posted in Food, Jordan, Uncategorized

Posted by: Arab Expats | August 20, 2007

Updates on Arab Expats

When we started this a few months ago I had serious doubts it would go on for more than a month. My words to the other expats were “If it works it works, if it doesn’t, then we’ll call it a day, go back to our own blogs and act like nothing ever happened”.

Now I look at us and I know that it did work and I also know that it will continue to grow and become better. Little did we know that what only recently kicked off with 5 contributors now includes, what most of us would agree on, some of the best bloggers around here, whom, through their contributions, have certainly added a lot to the success of Arab Expats … and we take pride in keeping along the Pan-Arabism theme with our two recent additions: Amira, an Egyptian Expat and KJ, a Syrian Expat, in addition to Hala, a Palestinian expat in the U.S.

Some of our dear members have been missing in action lately: some were so busy moving to other countries, some have taken their summer vacations, perhaps others are lazy ‘bum-bums‘ and some are just very busy people. We wish them all the best of good luck in whatever that’s keeping them busy … but certainly the rest of the expats have been doing a great job in keeping our readers too busy to notice.

We’d also like to inform the readers that we’re still on a mission to hire more Arab expats. So if you think you got what it takes to become a contributor, kindly drop us an email on admin(at)thearabexpats(dot)com.

In addition to all that, we now, Thanks to Qwaider, have our new domain name: http://thearabexpats.com. The previous address is still active, but feel free to update your blog rolls with our new address.

Finally, thanks to our members for their valuable contributions and to our readers for their continued support.

On behalf of Arab Expats

10 Comments

Posted in News, comparison, updates

Posted by: KJ | August 19, 2007

Hideous Creatures

Although I work in a reputable company (whose reputation will drastically change once I quit and have the full liberty to blog about it), I have to admit that in this office of 400 people is a varied collection of the most ridiculous and absurd people who are ever to embrace humanity.

First off is Mr. I-Had-Sex-Last-Night-On-A-Bedsheet-Made-of-Week-Old-Eggs (let’s call him Subhi [smelly unagi beyond human intelligence]). You KNOW this guy is parking his car (and you are on floor 27) because of his smell. And he is toooooo oblivious to it. As soon as he enters the office, plants instantly die, all insect scurry away, and half the workforce is hospitalized. He insists he smells (and I quote) “Like a man bathed in musk”. He CAN’T possibly be this serious! He is 30-something, not married and lives with his mom, which is striking cuz I doubt a mother would leave her son like this. But at least we know why he isn’t married. He is impossible - my sense of smell has been significantly damaged just so I would survive his odor.

Then, there is Mr. FappFubar (for all practical purposes fucked up beyond any repair). The aptly named person says “for all practical purposes” in literally every sentence he utters. For instance, “So Kinan, let us say for all practical purposes, I want to implement so and so report, so for all practical purposes would it practically be feasible if for all practical purposes, say, I add so and so to it to add its practicality, for all practical purposes?”. Indeed.. what can I say? I don’t think I went blank for any more practical purpose than this.

One of my many bosses (5 in total) is an interesting fellow who cannot be given any label. So Unlabeled has a bad habit of nit-picking on everything. He gives me an absurd number of incomplete documents, all of which I have to magically understand and work on. Then, after 8 months of working on the same goddamn piece of code, I write an equivalently absurd documentation, which he sends back and forth telling me things like “there is a spelling mistake on word 4 line 8″. Are you KIDDING ME?! I mean, just correct the damn thing and move on! I correct it, send it back, then, 5 minutes later: “You have a typo on line 20″. I mean, people have better things to do you know! AND AFTER ALL THIS, his superiors (who are more inferior than an amoeba) send a Thank You email to the entire team, which my name is nowhere to be found. When I complain, “Kinan, you are in our hearts!”. Heartless bastards!

And finally for today is this most atrocious woman who is soooooooooooooooo may3a it sickens me. I was watching YouTube (great thing to do in an office) and I was giggling away at how Family Guy’s Stewie was beating up Brian for his money. So this edifice of stupidity tells me “Kinan please be quiet you are soooooooooooo distracting”. I look at her and give her my blank look, which means I am imagining her exploding and being cut into pieces. I continue my work, then I receive a phone call. After I am done, she says “Kinan your voice is deep!”, which I reply to “Ma eykoon 3andek mane3 enni mareed kaman!”. She laughed nervously and went back to work. I eyed my Jordanian friend (el afandi Zargawi) and we communicated that whatever wrong move she makes, Syrian and Jordanian ghalaza will be bestowed upon her. A few minutes later, we found her giggling - on a YouTube video.

HOW DISTRAAAAAACTIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

Needless to say, she never sits with us again.

7 Comments

Posted in dubai, سمة بدن

Posted by: Ammar | August 18, 2007

umm..

So I was at work..and the receptionist rings me up and says someone is on the line and wants to talk to you, I pick up the phone and the following conversation takes place:

ME: Hello?

HIM: Yes Hi..my name is so and so and I’d like the phone number of (a very VVIP in Jordan).

ME: umm…well I’m afraid I can’t help you with that one..but may I ask why you need their number?

HIM: yeah..well I’m a PROPHET..and I’d like to invite (the VVIP) to my new religion and discuss my role in bringing peace to the Middle East!

ME: “gobsmacked” umm..that’s very nice..are you serious?

HIM: yes I am..I actually have a book and a website, you can check it out and maybe consider converting, what’s your name?

ME: umm..My Name is Earl! “LMAO”

HIM: well Earl, please buy my book..bla bla, you can find it on my website..bla bla bla.

ME: aaaaaaaaaaaalrighty then..thanks for calling..b’bye now!

And for the first time in my life..I needed a cigarette, even though I don’t smoke!!

10 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by: Hala | August 18, 2007

Intimacy

When I thought about what to write as my first post on The Arab Expats, I decided it should be first and foremost an intimate one. The Arab Expats is brought to life by Arabs who live away from home, and what they miss the most about home is most probably the intimacy and warmth … But how do we define intimacy? We do not, it can only be felt.

In a month or so, Ramadan will be visiting us, and then Eid will follow. I can safely say I forgot how it feels like to have an intimate Ramadan and an intimate Eid; the spiritual and the emotional connections I used to have before are now gone. I do not want to depress anyone, I am just turning thoughts in my head into words on a blog. I remember the first time I wanted to try and fast a whole day of Ramadan. I was in first or second grade, and I just felt like a big girl. Of course I did feel hungry and tired, and I remember how I kept asking my mom about the time. She said I could eat if I needed to, but I insisted to wait until it was time to eat. By the time Adhan was sent out, I was the happiest girl on Earth. I did it! The funny part is, my mom had earlier allowed me to help her bake special Eid pastry since Eid was coming. My piece was shaped as a little bunny. I held it throughout the whole day (What? I was proud of myself). As soon as we started to eat though, I forgot all about it and I did not get to eat it.

Eid was -and still is actually- the most special holiday for me. We would go to bed early and wake up to find gifts next to our beds. We would then have breakfast while listening to Eid prayers. Later, we would get all dressed up, exchange greetings, and get ready to go on the usual journey to visit relatives. Even though we would see new faces, we still got lots of hugging and kissing. Arabs are sentimental people, I guess. For the rest of the day, we would go out for lunch and then spend the night with the family. Also, I am sure everyone has some sort of experience with Eid fireworks. I remember once accidentally aiming one at the neighbor’s house instead of up towards the sky. We ended up burning one of their trees down. There was no major damage though!

Ramadan and Eid are joyous occasions that hold not only religious significance, but they bring people closer together as well. They are times of giving and sharing. Now that I am older and away from home, all I have left is memories. I do not think Ramadan or Eid back home are still celebrated the same way they used to be celebrated. I know I cannot go back in time either. Do not get me wrong, I still love Ramadan and Eid, but they are not the same as before. The magic is gone, but maybe it is part of growing up and realizing how ‘realistic’ things get. However, I hope that someday I will get the chance to be home and experience the real feel of Ramadan and Eid and the simple pleasures that one gets to experience nowhere else other than home.

5 Comments

Posted in Expatriatism, Jordan, USA

Posted by: Ha Ana Za | August 14, 2007

The Expatriate

As my first post for the ‘Arab Ex-pat’, I thought it might be good to give an explanation of my understanding of the Expatriate experience.

Firstly, I was never aware of the moment that I became expatriated. Since I was very young I have moved between Arab and European countries and most people I knew were the same. The idea of staying in one place was very strange to me.

I was about 14 and living in Saudi Arabia when I came across the word ‘diaspora’ in an English novel, and to me the syllables sounded quite beautiful, romantic even. Then I looked up their meaning and found the true meaning and understood that they described me and many others.

As a child in Saudi, I felt quite rooted as there were many others like me, Egyptians, Palestinians, Syrians, Pakistanis, and Americans, all away from home. My family went back to Egypt regularly and I spoke to my cousins daily on the phone, so never felt that I was too far away.

I was 16 when we moved to England and that was when it struck me that I was strange to my surroundings, people spoke differently and laughed at the way I pronounced things, they had different habits and had mostly all lived in the same place since birth. They thought Egyptians still spoke Egyptian and that we danced the sand-dance and had never heard of the Delta city of al-Mansoura, where I’m from.

I started to long to meet other people from Egypt or the Middle East, regardless of what they were like and completely rejected the idea of mixing with the English, learning about the local area or adopting any of the local habits. As a result, I think I became lonelier and more confused than I ever needed to be.

Since I started university and spent a year living away in Syria, I’ve grown to accept England, to love it and count it as my home. There are certain comforts here that I’ve grown accustomed to and would miss if we went back to al-Mansoura. I also came to understand the beautiful diversity of experiences that we ex-pats enjoy, the things we only undergo only by living in a place and how we can come to understand different people and places much better than those who stay in one place. In one sense we have a culture of our own and can reach out to other ex-pats no matter where they’ve been. We are not unlucky to have opened our horizons but truly blessed.

4 Comments

Posted in Expatriatism, home

Posted by: Who-sane | August 14, 2007

Why I thank God that Khalil Gibran is not alive

How can a good idea turn bad? How can a good educational cause end up being labeled as “terrorist friendly”? O’er at the land of the free and the home of the brave, this can be possible.
Read More…

10 Comments

Posted in Democracy, Ghrabisms, Literature, News, Palestine, USA, islam, سمة بدن

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