Beyond NPR: cool books about today's Middle East

Many of you have heard me raving insensibly about the following two titles. I HIGHLY recommend them. A few more are listed below for those with a special interest in the region...

Arabia: Journey Through the Labyrinth by Jonathan Raban

Sadly out of print, but available at your public library or used on Amazon. It was written by a British journalist in the late 1970s at the start of the last big oil boom. It's a well-written, sensitive outsider's look at the point in history when the Gulf was transitioning most energetically from its Bedouin roots to the sparkling modern cities we see today. And how they did it without abandoning those roots, which hold the place together. It was fascinating to hear Dubai and Abu Dhabi described as vertical Bedouin villages where social patterns and cultural expectations remain much the same, despite the fact that everyone has traded their tents for condos and sand dunes for offices. Of course, this was the 70s...but what an incredible mid-origin story.

Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea (translated from the Arabic by the author and Marilyn Booth)

A sassy, frank memoir/novelization of the lives of four young, wealthy Saudi women and the ways they negotiate the highly monitored and restricted relations between men and women in the Kingdom. It's told in the form of emails posted to a listserv in 2004/2005 when the author was in her early 20s. However, the chatty tone often veers into profound territory when musing about some Saudi men's slavish devotion to their mothers, the pitfalls (and practicality) of arranged marriages, the ever-present double standard (men who like sex are studs; women are sluts)--and the respect the authors and the characters (for the most part) have for their culture despite these frustrations. Though the focus is on the characters, the author also paints a picture of modern Saudi society, including the noctural nature of Ramadan (the stores stay open until 2 or 3 a.m.!), weddings (divided by gender completely! The groom has a banquet with the men; the bride has a party with the women and there is only a brief time where the couple interacts), and shopping/talking about clothes with one's girlfriends (truly an international phenomenon). The UAE makes an appearance as the much-more-open place one of the characters escapes to when the repressiveness of Saudi society becomes too much.

I normally do not read chick lit, but I loved this book! I found it at the airport bookstore in Charlotte, NC. Widely available in paperback. Pick it up today and pass it around! It would also make a good book club book!

If you like these, you might want to check out...

Misadventures in the Middle East:Travels as a Tramp, Artist and Spy by Henry Hemming. A young British artist and friend(s) drive a Toyota pickup named Yasmine from London in search of art and the "true" Middle East. They find adventure, a thriving art scene in post-invasion Baghdad, their first gallery shows in Iran and Jordan, "the gayest country in the world" in Oman (according to a taxi driver, since the country's Sultan Qaboos is known as a big homo) but, unsuprisingly, no monolithic Middle East. You can tell the author was 22 when all this was happening, yet the writing is solid; the travelogue is fast-paced and well-crafted, and his focus on art is unusual (and cool) in a book about this region.

The Lonely Planet's guide to Oman, UAE and the Arabian Peninsula by Jenny Walker, et al. For all of you who are going to come visit! Well-written, concise information about the whole peninsula, including a page-turning breakdown of the Hajj pilgrimage (a peek into something this non-Muslim will never see), the history of the countries, a much longer reading list and visa info. Since all of you will have a free place to stay, you can breeze through the hotel listings, but a glance at the (extensive) restaurant and sights sections show that there will be plenty to do and lots of yummy stuff to eat from all over the world! This will not be a hummus-only vacation...

Note: there are smaller guidebooks and city guides out there as publishers jump on the Gulf train now that Dubai, especially, is such a destination. These guides are usually overpriced for what they offer, and the LP guide (or another comprehensive look at the region, if you can find it...) is the best bet. I, of course, bought every book I could find in the travel section at Borders, but it wasn't necessary.

Sahara Unveiled: A Journey Across the Desert by William Langewiesche. Not about the Middle East! Well, sort of. The best account of crossing the Sahara I've ever read (and I've read quite a few). A peek into modern-day life in the desert. It begins: "Don't regret the passing of the camel and the caravan. The Sahara has changed, but it remains a world without compromise..." (p. 3) And pretty much goes from there. Excellent, excellent writing and information.

Abu Dhabi (and UAE) FAQs

What do my mom, several colleagues, many members of my stepmom's church and my doctor all have in common?

None of them could find the United Arab Emirates on a map when they first learned where I was going.

But now you can! Impress your friends with fun facts about everyone's favorite Gulf state.

Q. Isn't the UAE home to that huge palm tree island and the hotel Tiger Woods hit golf balls off of?

A. Yes! The UAE is growing at an incredible rate (thanks, in part, to ridiculously high oil prices). It's estimated that over half the building cranes on the planet are located in the UAE. Not bad for a country roughly the size of Kansas. The Palm Jumierah and two other frond-shaped developments, along with a series of islands shaped like a map of the world, are just a few of the ways the UAE is investing in its future, even if it does mean landfilling the Persian Gulf. They know the oil won't last forever. The biggest developments (including the ones listed above) are happening in Dubai, the largest city in the UAE. Abu Dhabi (where I'll be living) is a different scene.

Q. Wait! Aren't Abu Dhabi and Dubai the same place?

A. No. Think Vegas (Dubai) vs. San Francisco (Abu Dhabi). Abu Dhabi is the capital of the country. It's just as rich, but it has set itself up as the anti-Dubai (what else can you do when Dubai is 90 minutes down the road?). Instead of building palmy islands and the tallest skyscraper ever, Abu Dhabi has attracted a branch of the Guggenheim AND the first branch of the Louvre outside Paris (set to open in a couple years). Dubai is the glittery, just-when-you-thought-conspicuous-consumption-was-passe hot spot of the Middle East. Abu Dhabi is planning a residential community with a zero carbon footprint (hey, when you got the sun, use it!). Abu Dhabi is less Vegas, more San Francisco, but with mosques, malls and searing summer temperatures.

Q. Speaking of the temperature...

A. Yeah. Summers are hot and humid with temps averaging in the 100s every day. Don't get me started on the heat index. I looked up Abu Dhabi on weather.com at the beginning of July, and it was "90 but feels like 114." At 11 p.m.

From Novemeber to April, it's very pleasant with temps even dipping into the 50s and 60s in December and January. It hardly ever rains.

Q. What is there to do in Abu Dhabi?

A. Lots. Abu Dhabi has all the amenities of any major European or American city--even an Ikea. There are museums, malls, gyms, cultural events, concerts, clubs, parks, restaurants, beaches, etc. In fact, according to Wikipedia, the UAE is one of the most developed countries in the world.
Outside the cities, the UAE is desert. I'm looking forward to camping near the Liwa Oasis about three hours from Abu Dhabi. It's supposed to be gorgeous, with apricot-colored dunes stretching as far as the eye can see.


Q. Is the UAE safe?

A. Yes. In a country this wealthy a lot of people are literally and figuratively invested in maintaining the status quo (for better or worse...). So far, Abu Dhabi is as safe as any major city in terms of terrorism and safer in terms of petty crime.

Q. Is it OK that you're not Muslim?

A. Totally. In fact, 80% of the people in Abu Dhabi come from outside the Emirates, and many aren't Muslims. Unfortunately, though, non-Muslims cannot enter mosques in the UAE, with the exception of guided tours of the Jumierah Mosque in Dubai.

Because there are so many expats and a high level of religious tolerance, expats are not required adhere to Muslim cultural practices. Expats of either gender can drive, buy alcohol (with a special permit), and eat pork (special section of the grocery store) etc.

Q. Will you have to wear a burka/cover your head?

A. This is one of the most commonly asked questions! Let me assure you: I will not have to wear a burka. In fact, few women in the UAE wear burkas (a robe that covers the whole body with just a mesh peephole around the eyes so a woman can see where she's going). Emerati women wear abeyyas, long black robes with a head scarf and sometimes a veil that covers the face below the eyes. Western women are asked (but not required by law) to cover their shoulders and knees in public. My school, reasonably, does require this of both female teachers and students. Though it's hardly onerous, it has been tricky to find clothes that are short-of-sleeve (but not sleeveless), long-of-hem--and appropriate for incredibly hot weather.

Q. Will you have to learn Arabic?

A. I will try to learn some Arabic (the offical language of the country), but it's not a necessity. Because people of so many different nationalities and cultures are found in Abu Dhabi, English is often the primary form of communication, and most people speak it.

Q. Where will you be working?

A. I'll be teaching 6th grade English and social studies at an established American/international school in Abu Dhabi. The instruction is in English. About 50% of my students will be from the States and Canada, and 50% will be from 42 different countries. My colleagues will come from all over the Anglophone world as well as the Middle East. My partner teacher (also teaching 6th grade humanities) is from Melbourne, Australia.

Q. Where will you live?

A. The school provides apartments for teachers. I will have my own two-bedroom apartment in the same building as several other colleagues, including K! It's quite near the school, a grocery store, a mall, a public park--and not too far from the Gulf!

Q. I have other questions--what should I do?

A. Email me or write a comment here!

Intro: a journey away and a journey toward

Marhaba! On August 3, 2008, I'll board a Lufthansa 747 that will take me to Abu Dhabi, capital city of the United Arab Emirates, and a teaching job at an international school there.

To me, the decision to move halfway across the world makes perfect sense. It is about adventure and growth as much as change and renewal. It's about dispelling myths and discovering new truths. It is both a journey away and a journey towards.

I will be safe. I will not under any circumstances have to wear a burka. I will be allowed to drive a car and appear in public unaccompanied by a male relative (fortunately, since they will all be thousands of miles away). I'm not afraid, nervous or bracing for mad misogeny--but the number of times I've had to give these answers to questions asked by otherwise progressive, highly educated friends and family make me eager to invite as many people along for the journey as possible.

Hence this blog. And if we are going to be traveling together, this is what you need to know before the plane even takes off.

A journey away. June 2008 marked the end of the first five years of my teaching career in an urban charter school I helped start. Being a founding teacher was a creative process in the literal sense of the word. The school infiltrated every aspect of my life until it was as much a part of me as my arms and legs. The need to recover my own body parts and sense of myself as a separate entity led me to this journey away. But it's less of an amputation than a way to rub life back into long-neglected limbs. I'm leaving with a head full of questions about the meaning, reality and process of education, especially urban education, and a deep love for the work of standing shoulder to shoulder with committed teachers and families on the front line of the modern-day civil rights movement. I bring these questions and this love with me on the journey, though my present trajectory is away from urban ed. Most of the questions connect my former school to my new one: how are middle class, privileged students educated differently than the low-income students of color I've taught for the past five years? How are schools the same, regardless of student background and parent education level? How will I, as a middle class white woman, teach my middle class students (who will come from 42 different countries, but will be children of privilege regardless of their ethnicity and culture)? Will I become different with them or will I remain the teacher I am now? How will I be able to use what I learn in this new context to become a better teacher in the future? Will I be able to in some way to further the goals of my former school, where a huge part of my heart will always reside?

One of the reasons I'm writing this blog is because I'd have loved to read about an urban teacher's move to a private school overseas. If you fit into that category--or ever plan to--I hope you find these pages helpful. If you have no interest in this topic--no worries. It won't be the only thing going on. This is not just a journey away. It is also...

A journey toward. I'm moving toward the next step in teaching and learning, dashing there, in fact, with a huge grin on my face. I'm moving toward a school that will help catch me up on five or more years of technology; to colleagues who are both older and more experienced than I am; to a place where I can be a teacher only--and leave the pressure of being a founder miles and miles behind. I'm moving toward a diverse community in a new culture in an area of the world I've always wanted to go. And I'll be coaching JV girls softball!!!!! I leave my old school and community with no regrets or bitterness, and I'm moving toward something that feels exactly right for this time. I can't wait to meet my new students and colleagues, explore a new city, set up an apartment, travel around the world (already in the works: Oman, Morocco, Spain, Poland and Ireland!) and learn, learn, learn.

What makes it even more perfect is that I won't be doing it all alone. The best friend, fellow explorer/seeker and committed educator anyone could ask for is coming to Abu Dhabi too. I will also gladly mention anyone else who agrees to make an appearance here (though I won't be identifying my school or individual students by name). Anyone want to go first? :)

See you in Abu Dhabi!

--Ray