my new employer asked me to move into the newly constructed management housing OFF PREMISE to assist the recently relocated Spa Manager. i was STOKED to say the least. my last apartment...nice and WARM, which was key for the winter, but it had no windows and i felt a little like i was living in a cage. so my new pad is KILLER. when i say KILLER, i really mean, it's siiiiick. beautiful. i HAVE A BATHTUB. my very own BATHTUB. i might have to get a room mate...but who cares, i have rooftop access, my private garden, all new appliances. it is such a blessing and i am really starting to feel like cinderella.
however, two days ago the maintenance team and the housekeeping crew from the hotel was making adjustments to the property to prepare it for the Level 1 management team. anyways, i am not exactly sure what when wrong...but it all started to go downhill. the GM and the Architect ended up coming to find that ALL their employees were at our apartments to do god knows what...all that was needed for was a light for the outside and the satelite fixed. end up with over 20 hotel employees (all men) trampzing around putting their fingers all over my personal things.
regardless of how it went...tensions were high and then one of the plumbing dudes broke a water line in my bathroom and i got VERY nervous. i waved over the housekeeping manager since he was in charge of supervising the entire crew...i now know that you NEVER NEVER NEVER wave over an ARAB man. ever ever ever....i believe this is the point when the situation escalated but it boiled over when the housekeeping manager starts to walk into my house with a cigarette and i politely informed him i don't smoke. another big NO NO...a WOMAN DOESN'T TELL A MAN WHAT TO DO...NEVER...NEVER...NEVER...
he got carried away and was screaming in my face...i don't take orders from you...i only take orders from my boss...you can't tell me what to do...blah...blah...blah. soooooooooooooooo....since the property is under the management of the hotel the same entitlements and priviledges apply to us as if we were staying in the hotel. so the next morning housekeeping came to clean the apartments...i denied the service since i really did not feel comfortable have strange MUSLIM men trampzing around my apartment when i am not there...cash, passport, personal items. i leave for work and upon my return i found a large STAR OF DAVID painted into the sand in the garden.
i really felt very scared. i have experienced things here in which i have felt uncomfortable or ignorant or even a little frightened...but not at this level. i was downright FREAKED THE FUCK OUT. i immediately called my GENERAL MANAGER and her husband (the architect and project manager for the hotel) called me and came to see the property.
i am still unsure about this. everyone tells me that the egyptians are not dangerous...but it is still a sensitive and delicate region. regardless, thank god my neighbors are bedouin. i feel a little more safe. alot of lessons here. the next day i was sat down and spoke to...because I responded incorrectly. "ummmm, dude, a muslim man painted the jewish symbol into the sand of my personal space"....an EMPLOYEE of the hotel. i am a SINGLE FEMALE LIVING ALONE. WTF? but it is a lesson for me to learn. how to manage all male staff.
a story i really didn't want to tell again....but just in case. i have the photos on my camera.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
the biggest challenge...
the biggest challenge that i have been facing is LANGUAGE. talking. i rarely talk. when i do speak, it is usually with people that are using english as their SECOND or sometimes THIRD language. so it can be a bit tricky. especially with my vaste command of the english language...such as "dude", "that's sweet", "take it easy bro", "hot dang", "goodness gracious".
yesterday i was invited to sharm el sheikh for hisham's perfomance at the shark bay hotel. it was a long evening. we arrived around 7pm...popped some cold brewskie, sat...and sat...and sat a little more. we were waiting for the food...8...no go...9...don't think so...10...don't even think about it...11pm they casually start rolling out the food. i was STARVING. i think that everyone else was too. regardless, the buffet was bum rushed and i was left gnawing on some boiled carrots. undercooked boiled carrots. hell freeze over before i would open my mouth and actually say that i was hungry. so i sat there sipping tea sitting by the fire with friends. the only woman, yet again, nearly 100 bedouin men. mostly from the desert. a unique breed of humans. more mystics. anyway, sometimes i feel very uncomfortable. too much male energy. WAAAAY too much. but one thing i really enjoy about these nights is that you are left alone. bedouin men are not allowed to speak to an unmarried woman...much less look at one. so i can just sit and mind my own business. it's nice sometimes. sometimes i get really really REALLY bored.
the show was good. great, actually. as always. after, we head back to dahab and stop for gas before the checkpoint...yes, i said checkpoint...you think twice about drinking and driving when a couple of UZIS are staring at your face. ahhahah...anyway, i asked for a coca cola to tide me over the 1 plus hour back to dahab. the guys all call me GIBNA...it's arabic for cheese. hahahah...for real. it's hilarious...so they say "standa schwa-a, gibna...standa schwa-a"....(arabic for wait a little bit) and i'm thinking 'WAIT?! WAIT?!!! how can i wait anymore". but again, one of the life lessons i am POSITIVE that for me i have to learn here is PATIENCE...afterall it's a virtue. so i nodded my head and said "mashi". (okay).
next thing i know we are driving around sharm el sheikh at 3:30am...and my stomach is shriveled....when the smell of french fries....burgers....apple pies comes wafting through the window. i turn around and we are pulling into a MCDONALDS.....WAHOO MICKEY D'S! yessur. i wish i had brought my camera. however, sometimes moments like this are reserved just for your memory.
white american gir andl...6..yes...6! VERY nicely dressed BEDOUIN men...when i mean nicely dressed i really mean it...they take great care and pride in their fashion. it might look like dresses and towels to us, but it is much more. sooo here we are strolling in 6 + one rugrat deep. it was a feast none the less...french fries....a HUGE big mac...it was the size of my face. they definitely don't make them that big in the states. for sure! they just ordered a massive amount of food. it was so nice to EAT! and yes, it was mcdonalds...but shit, sometimes it's nice to have things from home. but boy o boy did everyone look at us...we are sitting there, half drunk, stoned and chowing on mcdonalds french fries and laughing. unique experiences.
but sometimes i shout very quietly..."GET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE".
the great and terrible.
yesterday i was invited to sharm el sheikh for hisham's perfomance at the shark bay hotel. it was a long evening. we arrived around 7pm...popped some cold brewskie, sat...and sat...and sat a little more. we were waiting for the food...8...no go...9...don't think so...10...don't even think about it...11pm they casually start rolling out the food. i was STARVING. i think that everyone else was too. regardless, the buffet was bum rushed and i was left gnawing on some boiled carrots. undercooked boiled carrots. hell freeze over before i would open my mouth and actually say that i was hungry. so i sat there sipping tea sitting by the fire with friends. the only woman, yet again, nearly 100 bedouin men. mostly from the desert. a unique breed of humans. more mystics. anyway, sometimes i feel very uncomfortable. too much male energy. WAAAAY too much. but one thing i really enjoy about these nights is that you are left alone. bedouin men are not allowed to speak to an unmarried woman...much less look at one. so i can just sit and mind my own business. it's nice sometimes. sometimes i get really really REALLY bored.
the show was good. great, actually. as always. after, we head back to dahab and stop for gas before the checkpoint...yes, i said checkpoint...you think twice about drinking and driving when a couple of UZIS are staring at your face. ahhahah...anyway, i asked for a coca cola to tide me over the 1 plus hour back to dahab. the guys all call me GIBNA...it's arabic for cheese. hahahah...for real. it's hilarious...so they say "standa schwa-a, gibna...standa schwa-a"....(arabic for wait a little bit) and i'm thinking 'WAIT?! WAIT?!!! how can i wait anymore". but again, one of the life lessons i am POSITIVE that for me i have to learn here is PATIENCE...afterall it's a virtue. so i nodded my head and said "mashi". (okay).
next thing i know we are driving around sharm el sheikh at 3:30am...and my stomach is shriveled....when the smell of french fries....burgers....apple pies comes wafting through the window. i turn around and we are pulling into a MCDONALDS.....WAHOO MICKEY D'S! yessur. i wish i had brought my camera. however, sometimes moments like this are reserved just for your memory.
white american gir andl...6..yes...6! VERY nicely dressed BEDOUIN men...when i mean nicely dressed i really mean it...they take great care and pride in their fashion. it might look like dresses and towels to us, but it is much more. sooo here we are strolling in 6 + one rugrat deep. it was a feast none the less...french fries....a HUGE big mac...it was the size of my face. they definitely don't make them that big in the states. for sure! they just ordered a massive amount of food. it was so nice to EAT! and yes, it was mcdonalds...but shit, sometimes it's nice to have things from home. but boy o boy did everyone look at us...we are sitting there, half drunk, stoned and chowing on mcdonalds french fries and laughing. unique experiences.
but sometimes i shout very quietly..."GET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE".
the great and terrible.
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