It’s been one week since my plane touched down in the Southwest Asia and since then I have gained enough cultural insight to rattle off a 20-page Middle Eastern exposé. This place is amazing and I’ve barely scratched the surface. I’m so far removed from all I know and recognize. The Middle East is in fact, a whole new world for me to explore.  So far, four cultural differences stand out to me most so far here:

1. Royalty
First, I’ve become fascinated with the Qatari Royal Family. The Emir just handed down power to his son. The princess, Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser al-Missned, is on Marie Claire’s most fashionable women list. She studied sociology at the University of Qatar and caught the Emir’s eye with her charm and intellect. Of course he would say that right? He can’t publicly say her hourglass figure was spell bounding or whatever else hip hop stars say about curves.  As princess, she founded Education City, a neighborhood that houses five top ranking U.S. Universities including Texas A&M. I just think she’s all around fabulous.

Princess Ameerah @ Kate’s Wedding

The Western World finds interest in Kate, Michelle, and Carla’s fashion but Saudi Princess Ameerah is simply gorgeous in anything that she wears. She was actually at Kate’s wedding. I’d like to think they’d make great BFFs.

Additionally, Qatar oozes of luxury. I went from living in Europe’s richest country to the world’s richest country by GDP per capita.  Now I don’t know for sure, but I’ve been told, all Qataris are some degree removed from the Royal family and the most distant get paid a minimum of $80K per year just for having Qatari citizenship. So, technically, every Qatari is royalty in some way and Western visitors can experience a taste of royal treatment. Native Qataris do not work, at least not physical labor. They don’t pump their own gas. They don’t carry their own food out the car. They don’t carry their own shopping bags. They have third country nationals come in to do the less desirable work. Everyday 500 new expats migrate to this country is search of opportunity.

 2. Islamic Fashion
No I don’t have to wear a head covering, but I want to. It’s part of the blending in. You don’t have to were lederhosen and a dirndle around Bavaria but it’s nice to blend in a little. People don’t readily know I’m American by looking. But with the way I dress, even though its conservative on American standards, I’m still easily identifiable as a foreigner. I never knew how diverse Islamic fashion was until I went Abya shopping. My goodness, who would ever think there could be so much variety in a simple black garmet. There’s lase, bling, embroidery…they range for pocket change to hundreds of dollars.

 

Syria has more colorful women’s fashion

The ever chic Qatari Queen

I find the white thobes worn by Muslim men charming. It can make any man look like prince. When I got to Dubai it was like Arabian prince heaven. Seriously.

UAE Hottie, Omar Borkan got deported from Saudi Arabia for being too sexy & making women lust.

I never knew all the fashion available in Abayas, or the long black robes the women wear here. Then there’s the introduction of colors in Islamic women’s fashion. There’s even a fashion week in Dubai!  Dubai is the Paris/New York of the Middle East. Everyone talks about its glory. The Americans I’ve met say they could see themselves living there.  Fashion is advertised as “From Dubai” as if it gives it more value like the fashions that are advertised as Milano or Parisian fashion. Nevertheless, I’m pretty sure I will end up in a conservative Abaya and hijab while I’m here.

Modesty is such a paradox between The States, Germany, and Qatar. In most places in The States cleavage, shoulders, bellies, butt cheeks, even but cracks are all fair game to be seen in public. But heaven forbid a woman nurse her infant in public or someone sit in a suana naked or want to swim naked. Our prime time television keeps body parts covered. In Germany girls for the most part keep their private parts hidden in public. But on TV, you can see bare nipples like its no big deal. You go to spas and beaches nude. No big deal. In Qatar locals stay covered from head to toe due to modesty aspirations yet the locals can just look over to immodest tourists and expats and western TV and still be tempted into lust.  There are still beaches where bikini clad tourist mingle with abaya covered citizens.

In addition to the modesty provided by abayas, this clothing also provides protection from the elements. It’s so freakishly hot and humid here. Abayas provide protection from the sun the sunblock just can’t do because it will get sweated off instantly. Also, just standing outside will drench your clothing in sweat which is just disgusting. The abayas spare us all from having to see sweat splotches all over. Then there are dust storms. Imagine being back on the playground and having 10 kindergarteners hurl sand at you for 15 minutes. Bet you’d rather be in an abaya & hijab than shorts and a tank top.

3. Gas Prices
I can fill up a 16 gallon fuel tank for $15 USD or less. It’s crazy how I went from spending 91 euro on a tank in Germany then down to $50 USD in America then down to $10 in Qatar. I laugh when I hear Americans complain about gas prices. Although we don’t have it Qatari good, we still have it good.

4. Green Living
Qatar and Stuttgart are polar opposites when it comes to ecological living. I’d venture to say Qatar has a more wasteful culture than the U.S. Due to the scorching heat, people guzzle bottles of water per day and not a bit of it gets recycled. In Stuttgart, recycling is obligatory.

In Stuttgart, of course, there are the sassy European sports cars but most people cruise around in fuel efficient small cars. Here in Qatar, everyone cruises in huge SUVs, pickup trucks, and vans. Because of the terrain, it’s almost a necessity to have a vehicle with off-road capabilities. People here leave their cars running…granted oil is more plentiful than water and the heat forces the air conditioning to remain on.

This is just my initial impressions of this new fabulous country I’ve just inhabited. Can I make it home? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.