In the four days since we have arrived from the Middle East, I have been taking advantage of some of the key perks and freedoms that I have encountered living somewhere that is NOT the Middle East. Some of these include:
1. Being able to wear shorts.
2. Being able to wear skirts/dresses that are above my knee and don’t make me look like a Fulla Special Prayer Outfit Doll (or a certain Human Resources woman wearing floor length skirts, fitted through the knees and ankles with no slits. Shuffling everywhere can really be a full time job. You need head count slides? Insh’allah. A letter confirming your employment? Insh’allah. A staffing list? Insh’allah. I mean really, get your priorities straight. First one is shuffling to find the Tea Boy so he can bring you your Nescafe and biscuits. After that, you need to shuffle back to your desk to await your Nescafe and biscuits. Baby steps…)
3. Wearing tank tops (are we noticing a theme here?)
4. Wearing shirts that may show my bra straps (i.e. tank tops) or not wearing a bra if I really don’t want to. Or even skipping underwear à la Brittney Spears. Not like I would do that but if I wanted to, no one in Australia is going to throw me into jail and whip me for doing it.
5. Doing things outside and still being able to breathe during and after said activity because my lungs are not full of sand and pollution. Also not feeling like I am going to pass out after more than five minutes outside because the temperature in Perth is well below 100+ degrees F. These activities include reading outside, sitting by the outdoor pool or at the beach, and running/walking (ok maybe walking/running) by the beautiful Swan River.
6. Using SIDEWALKS and pedestrian crossing signals to walk anywhere I please. If I had a bicycle, this item would also include using bike lanes to cycle almost I want. In Doha there are no sidewalks and cars accelerate when there are pedestrians in the street. 100 camels for every Western man you hit, 25 camels for every Western woman you hit, 10 camels for everyone else. Hit a Qatari? Impossible! They don’t walk anywhere.
7. Being able to go outside by myself without getting harassed and or stalked by men in flowing white dresses, cough, robes.
8. Being able to buy alcohol. I don’t need a license and there is more than one liquor store. Moreover, I can’t go five minutes without seeing a liquor store.
9. Being able to drink said alcohol outside.
10. Not needing letters of permission from H if I want to work, get my local driver’s license, leave the country, buy beer, or do anything else.
11. Being able to kiss H in public. I can even kiss him in front of a police officer or other people if I want to, eat that Qatar. I can look at it as my personal payback for the British couple in Doha who were arrested in a Western hotel car park in Doha for kissing each other. They were both thrown into jail overnight. Too bad they didn’t get deported!
12. Green things. I can see trees, grass, and wildlife every single day. Beautiful, nothing else needs to be said.
13. Rain. It rains here, and when it rains, things get washed clean, not coated in a mud/sand mixture.
Ok, it is time for me to go outside in a tank top and very short shorts to look at some trees. Perhaps I’ll even bring a glass of white wine with me. Hey, I’m just trying to fit in!
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