Going to the Movies (Cinema)

The other night we did what any normal couple does on a weekend night and decided to go see a movie. Little did we know, this experience would be like none other.

We decided to see The Devil's Double, a true story of how Saddam Hussein's family would use body doubles in many of their public appearances. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1270262/) The men chosen to be doubles were given "training" and medical procedures so they would, in essence, become the identical twin of the Hussein family member. They had no choice in the matter and were forced into this life. On the positive side, they were given everything they could ever need: a home in the palace, food, designer clothing, women, etc. On the negative side, they lost their own identity, leaving families to believe their son/father/uncle was dead. While not the best made movie I've ever seen, it was pretty good and gave you insight into a very twisted world.

But this is not what my story is about. My story, I believe, is MUCH more entertaining and scary.

We booked our tickets online so that we were not directly on the end of a row, but one seat in. 'Who decides to sit on the end of a row on their own?' we thought. When we sat down, my husband offered to take the inside seat so I could "avoid sitting next to the crazies" in the theater. That phrase was my death sentence.

As we sat waiting for the movie to start, an Indian family of 6 walks up to our row with their tickets in hand. Staring confoundedly at our completely full row (aside from the empty seat next to me), the father repeated the same sequence of events for about 3 minutes: Looked at row, looked at tickets, looked at wife with a puzzled expression...looked at row, looked at tickets, looked at wife...etc.) My husband and I, observing this frustrating behavior, noticed that the row directly in front of ours had 6 empty seats. With common sense FINALLY kicking in, the family took their seats just in time for the movie to start.

Pic source: IMDb.com

With the lights dimmed, commercials and trailers playing, in walks Crazy carrying 4 large shopping bags and a large popcorn, being escorted to her seat by the concierge. She plumps down next to me, still holding on to her many bags and snacks, (imagine Dr. Sybil Trelawney from Harry Potter).  

The movie begins and Crazy starts clapping and talking excitedly to herself. In one of the beginning scenes, the main character first arrives at the palace, so she said "HELLO SADDAM!!!" and laughs to herself. Then, she started meowing like a cat and mumbling. This type of behavior continued throughout the entire movie and at the end, she started clapping and yelling "Yay" when one of the bad guys died.

Along with my special friend, we had some other interesting characters in the theater with us:

   -A group of Arab men who thought it appropriate to talk back to the characters, as though they were in the film too. For examply, when a character would say "Salam alaikum" (a greeting meaning peace be upon you), the group would respond in an almost chant-like unison, "Wa alaikum salam". Or if a character said, "Insha'allah" (a veryb common phrase in Islam meaning God willing) they would simply repeat it as though they were joined in the conversation.

    -A Indian/Pakistani man sitting behind us who would constantly break wind loud and proud throughout the movie, while sitting next to his wife and surrounded by strangers.

As the movie came to a close, I was excited to get a properly-lit vision of my crazy friend next to me, but the second the credits began to roll, I looked over and she was gone like the wind. It was at this time, I decided that going to the movies here brings more stress than pleasure.

Here are a few things I've noticed when going to the movies:

     -Arabs will go watch anything and they won't usually read what the movie is about. Instead, they pay the money, sit and eat their snacks, and if the movie proves boring they get up and leave 20 minutes in. I've

been astonished, at first, at the amount of locals in very cultural movies: The Iron Lady, J Edgar, etc. but realize half-way through that they just wanted to sit in a movie theater and not watch the movie.

     -They like to do anything else but actually watch the movie: talk on their cell for 10 minutes, gossip with each other, play games on their phone, etc. I personally find it rude and a waste of money (not that they have financial problems, but still!)

     -They will ask the ticket sales people to choose a movie for them. I've seen it happen a few times where they will go up to the desk (at a VERY busy time) and say "what should we see?" and "what's this one about?" It takes forever!

     -The sense of humor is very young and/or different. For example, if a man dances around with a flower  on his head, this is hilarious to them. Witty banter is not.. Or when a man is released from a torture prison and told he better clean up before meeting Saddam, this is the funniest thing they've heard in years. I'm no stranger to differences in sense of humor with other cultures, (many times I ask myself  "WHY?!" when watching Britcoms with my husband) but this really baffles me.

Moral of the story (very long story) is that simple activities can prove very difficult and frustrating in this place. Pick your times and places wisely.

Expats..Us or Them?

People frequently forget that the term "Expat" means: a person who is voluntarily absent from home or country. It is common practice here to refer to all Western people in Dubai as expats but we forget that unless you are a citizen, you are an expat. This includes all of the Indian, Pakistani, Phillipino, Bangladeshi, etc. people who make up this diverse country. I often find myself referring to only Europeans and Americans as expats but I have to remember, most people in Dubai/Abu Dhabi are expatriates.

When I start to find life hard and somewhat unbearable here, I try to think of those in a much worse situation than us (and there are so many). I frequently meet taxi drivers, cleaners, and sales representatives who are paid below minimum wage and never have a day off. The taxi drivers, for instance, get one month off a year to go home and see their family. They work 12 hour shifts every single day. Many of them can't afford to call long distance to speak with their families on a daily basis or even weekly. They aren't all young men either, many are middle-aged men with families. They all come to Dubai for the same reasons we all do: To make money and send it home to their families.

I had a moment of shock and clarity the other night while speaking to my personal trainer at my gym. These men are specially trained professionals, not simply cleaners or construction help. I asked him how often he got to see his wife and young son and he replied, only once a year. I asked if he was able to speak with them much and he just shrugged and shook his head no. I guess I expected that from the more menial jobs but not from a higher profile one.

I feel so lucky and blessed to be able to use Skype at a moment's notice, to be able to hop on a plane with ease if needed, and to have my husband with me. I couldn't imagine having to leave a family behind and hardly ever see them. Parents miss the growing of their children, all for the sake of being able to send them to a good school and feed an entire extended family. I find that amazing and so selfless.

I think we European and American Expats need to remember these facts and find some compassion when we start to lose our patience with them (which is a daily occurence for many of us). I also urge Americans and Europeans to be thankful for your country and lifestyle. Things are difficult for many of us out there in the US, UK, and Europe, but we don't have it anywhere near as bad as a lot of the people in the world. There are opportunities in our countries that many people in the world can't even imagine. Be thankful for what you have been blessed with.

And remember, we are all EXPATS in this country.