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The Middle East
Sharjah, UAE
So begins our second article of “NSA Tourism.” So far, I can personally say that it’s been a lot of fun working with Laurel, and the people that we have interviewed. I hope you, the reader, are enjoying learning about these places as much as I am. If I knew before that I could learn so much about where my friends live, I would have done this ages ago. Anyways, let’s move on with this article.
For this particular article, we have interviewed a fellow Jr. Higher and friend of mine, Jordan. The images in my mind of the small country of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are rather clouded with different thoughts of tall skyscrapers and high sand dunes. Jordan has helped to clear that up, and to show me what it is like to live in the UAE. Hopefully, he’ll do the same for you ;).
Once again, the person we interviewed put a lot of effort and time into his responses. Jordan did a great job. My thanks go to him with sincere gratitude ;).
So, get your prayer mat, we’re heading to the Middle East.
Interview
Nathan Tilton (NT): So, Jordan, do you think you could tell us a little about yourself and where you live?
Jordan(J): Well, I was born in Austin, Texas and lived there for four years. From there, my family and I have been in a couple different countries until a few years ago, when we moved to the country of the UAE. I’m 13 years old, I have two older brothers, Josh and Jake (who are 17 and 15, respectively) and a younger sister, Jade, who is 5. I also have a dad and mom, who are without age ;).
NT: I’d personally like to know a little bit more about the culture and people of the UAE. Could you tell us a little bit about those two?
J: The nationals of the UAE surprisingly make up 11% of the population. In fact, 57% of those who live in the UAE are from South Asia. Another 21% are other Arabs. A large amount of those here are Muslim. In fact, around 90% of those living here are Muslim. Moving on, clothing worn by Arab men is typically a long white loose robe type garment and a head cloth, covering the top and back of the head and neck only, not the face. The Arab women wear a similar black robe, and black head cloth. Arab women that are married to devoted Muslim men wear their head cloth where it covers their face completely. Some have large eye slots; others have tiny holes all over it for looking out of. Men from South Asia (from now on, I’ll call it SA) wear either a shalwar kamese, which is like really loose, baggy shirt and pants that are made of simple cloth, almost like a bed sheet, or they wear Western clothes, e.g. button-up shirt, suit and tie, t-shirt, slacks, jeans, etc. The SA women here wear one of three things: the same as Arab women (see above), Western clothes, or whatever is traditional from the country where they come from, if that made sense. Obviously, different countries have different traditions, but there is only one real thing that is widely observed. During one month in summer or fall (varying on the year), the Muslims observe Ramadan, a 30 day fast in which no food or drink can be consumed from sunrise to sunset. Despite the fact that not all here are Muslim, it is against the law to eat or drink in public for anyone during Ramadan during the day. You could get arrested for it. ;P So, that’s it for this category. Oh yeah, did I forget that about 70% of everyone here speaks English? Therefore, 70% of signs are in English. That is really nice. ^_^
NT: What is the scenery like there?
J: The UAE is really bland, just sandy desert and a few shrubs. ;) No, just kidding. That is almost all you see, though. Sharjah and Dubai are on the Persian Gulf, so the waterside looks pretty nice, but that is all for natural scenery. Wait, they do have some grass and trees (all planted though) in most places, but still the majority is sand. There are lots of tall buildings in Dubai, which is close to the city of Sharjah. They are nice to look at. Oh, and malls EVERYWHERE!!! There must be 30 of them in Dubai alone. They decorate them really nice, and theme them. One mall is Egyptian, and another is themed with 5 different countries and has lots of info of this one dude’s travels to all of them. So, that’s all for scenery.
NT: What kind of changes did you have to go through when you moved to the UAE?
J: Yeah…it was really weird seeing 35% of everyone covered from head to toe in robe-like clothing. That took awhile to get used to. Also, the fact that it is hot ALL THE TIME!!! Even in November it still gets up in the 90’s Fahrenheit every day. It gets annoying. Even when we first arrived at the airport, in September at midnight, it felt like it was the middle of the day in the summer! And it gets up to 120 degrees F. in the summer, and the coolest it gets the whole year is about 60 F. in the winter. So those factors took a year and a half to adjust to. It rains once or twice a year (no joke), so it is a big event! Since they don’t have rain drains or ditches on the roads, one time 1 and ½ inches of rain flooded every street! It was hilarious! Never snows, of course. ;)
NT: Could you share some pictures with us?
J: Sure, here they are:
NT: All right, that’s it for me. I’ll hand the rest of this over to Laurel ;). Thanks for your time and effort, Jordan. I’ve had a lot of fun getting to know more about the United Arab Emirates, and a little bit more about you. I’ll see ya around then?
J: Yup, ttyl!
LB: Hi Jordan! Here are a couple more questions
J: OK, shoot!
LB: What (if any) are the biggest differences between the city of Dubai and the city of Sharjah?
J: I know a lot about both, so good question! Sharjah is nice, smaller (about 600,000 people), not that many tall buildings. There are only 200 Americans in that city. It is also very conservative. Alcohol is not sold, pork (which is wrong for Muslims to eat) is not sold, people are required to dress more modestly, etc. There are fewer malls there, but there are still probably more than 5. Dubai, on the other hand, sells alcohol and pork, has a more lenient dress code, and there are a lot of Americans there. The population is more than a million. There are lots of tall buildings there. In fact, they are building the world’s tallest building there. It is already at floor 150 something.
LB: Are there any interesting dishes that people eat in the UAE that you don’t usually see in the States?
J: Since most of the people that live here are South Asian, you get mostly Pakistani, Indian, Afghani, etc. food here that isn’t seen in the States. Biryani, for one, is a rice dish that is very common in SA. It varies from place to place, but is generally made with rice and different spices, and served with chicken, beef, or lamb. Chicken tikka is a chicken dish made of skewered (kebabed) chicken with lots of spices. It is always spicy, often has no sauce, and is served either with rice or in a sandwich (Western style sandwich or wrapped in Arab bread). Jalfraysi (sp?), Butter Chicken, and lots of other good foods are also served. Breads…Arab bread is usually in thin, round “loaves”, ranging from 1/8 inch thick to ¾ inch thick. The size really varies, since the term Arab refers to many countries, but it is found between 4 inches and 1 foot in diameter. Most commonly, Arab bread is 6-8 inches in diameter. The most common bread of SA is called naan (yes, two a’s). It is probably the best bread I have ever tried! It is also thin and round, like Arab bread, but usually stays between ¼ inch and 1/3 inch in thickness and 7-9 inches in diameter. The best kind is called tandoori naan, and it is made in a special round, clay oven that has a large opening at the top (which is called a tandoori oven). The bread is stuck on the sides to cook.
LB: What do people like to do for fun in the UAE?
J: Well, lots of stuff. Bowling, arcades, browsing electronic stores, walking around in the giant malls, and going to Starbucks to grab a coffee are among the many fun things to do. On coastal cities, such as Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Ras Al-Khaimah, going the beach is a major pastime. Many people go on special arranged desert safaris, where certain organizations take you in four-wheel drive vehicles to drive around in the big dunes, and then stop at special eating areas for food, entertainment, and other stuff.
LB: What are the economics like in the UAE?
J: Sorry, I don’t know much about the economy…XD
LB: How can we pray for the people in the UAE?
J: Pray that God would provide a way for them to come to Christ, and that the rulers would make wise decisions. Also, the laborers that live here (they make up easily more than 15% of the population) often live in pitiful conditions and some of them go without a paycheck for several months, and few of them know Christ, so if you could pray for their physical condition, and more importantly, spiritual condition. Well, that’s all, folks! Jordan, signing out!
