July 26^th, 2012

My air con is not consistent. I came home from visiting Spencer to a warmer apartment.  I messed with the thermostat and walked away. It had worked for me in the past but this time no such luck and last night I was really hot. I remember those summer nights as a kid in my house, it was hot too but at least I had a fan circulating the air. Here it is stagnant.  But hopefully it will kick back on when I play with it some more.

What I’ve learned in the past month. Saudi’s are lazy. Work is beneath them.  That is why you have so many Filipino’s living here, they do all the manual labor.  But if you were not a Saudi and started a business you would be forced to hire a significant percentage of locals into the positions even if someone else is more qualified with more experience.  Nursing isn’t a highly revered profession and until recently it was a difficult profession to pursue to a Saudi.   The PCT, patient care techs, who are on the unit really don’t work,  we have to get our buddy to help us turn and clean up our patients.  The PCTs are locals. Silly, that we even have such a position then if they don’t do anything.   

Prayer time, 5 times a day really messes with productivity. If you have a list of things to do that involves retail, service or any working industry it will close for at least 30 minutes if not longer. The bank for instance, not only does it close for all the prayer times but it also closes an hour for lunch.  So the work day which would be 8 hrs is really only 6 hrs.  During Ramadan Muslims are only required to work 6 hrs a day so it makes that regular 6 hrs like 4.5 hours. 

Ramadan has arrived and everyone is fasting.  I am not quite sure what it represents but all Muslims fast for about a month, not only do they fast but obtain from their bodily appetites and passions, i.e. no hanky panky.  They fast from sun up to sun down.  That would really be a challenge if they led normal lives and normal activity during the day but they don’t.  They just change day to night, so they sleep all day.  Shops, restaurants, markets are closed all day and don’t open until the evening.  Some places don’t open until after evening prayer which right now makes that time 9PM.  So people are out from 2100 to 0300; eating their last meal and saying the Morning Prayer before going to bed.   This isn’t the case for everyone though, the Muslim nurses are still required to work their 12 hours and day or night whichever is assigned to them.   Like I mentioned previously the government positions are 6 hours, starting late and ending early.  My definition of fasting is slightly different than the locals.  But I am excited to head out next weekend and see what’s day has now become night.

The other day I sat thinking about Islam. I’d watched a movie about Mecca and Hajj or the great Pilgrimage.  I always assumed it was just a great travel to Mecca for worship praying around that big black square building in the eastern edge of the mosque.  But  it is like a week ordeal and very symbolic of Islamic beliefs.  In short those performing Hajj arrive and pray at the Kaaba;  then run back and forth between two hills seven times symbolic of Hagar desperately in search of food for Ishmael (now a covered route), next they go out to a camp where they make an 8 mile journey by foot or vehicle to the mount where Mohamed gave his last sermon and spend the day seeking cleansing and purification, then they go back to the camp.  From the camp they gather pebbles in which they throw a suggested number at 3 different pillars representing Abraham casting away Satan before making it back to Mecca for their final walk around the Kaaba.   The system is very structured these days in attempt to prevent people from getting trampled.  The government actually built two levels surrounding the pillars with a switchback path that controls the crowd a bit.  In  Islamic tradition holds that the Kaaba fell from Heaven to show Adam and Eve where to build an altar. Mohamed was given a revelation revealing this truth.   Those performing Hajj walk seven times around the Kaaba getting as near as to kiss the rock, emulating the kiss that Islamic tradition records that it received from Muhammad.  If they can’t touch it they point to it. The rock is covered by a piece of black cloth with gold threaded script sewn into the fabric. This fabric costs millions of dollars and is replaced annually.  Very interesting that there is so much symbolism, and it rings familiar to me.

I’d forgotten how many countries have a significant population of Muslim.  I had only thought of the Middle East.

Just a few things I learned about women:  They have to get permission to leave the country, to partake in Hajj, to do just about anything.

Women are not highly regarded but they are, yet they must be subservient to their husbands.   It is respectful to walk behind your husband.  As a woman your name isn’t told to guests or other people during introductions.

And they are confined to separation everywhere even rooms of the house.  They sit around a lot and the wealthy even have servants to do the housework.  You can imagine what effect this sedentary lifestyle can have on one’s body.  

When I was walking around the market the other week I saw very racy, trendy, and sexy dresses and outfits.  I didn’t understand why those would even be sold here.  Women wear an abaya and should be humble in appearance.  I found out that women do wear these items as well as frosting themselves with jewels at weddings, yet not for the men but for each other.  At weddings the rooms is segregated with a curtain in between and the women take off their abayas and flaunt their wealth and bodies to the other women.  This can also be worn at home, but only for the husband.  It is very different from my culture women do this for a man’s attention, but I guess to make themselves look better than other women but for a man.