Embracing Reverse Culture Shock in America – 9

Last summer I returned to the States.  The Midwestern oaks, maples and elm trees were in glorious green-leaf flower on streets and surrounding unwalled houses while grass was everywhere. No wonder American money is green!  Most everyone spoke English. I loved the overflow of conversations on airplanes, in stores and while standing in movie lines but I soon tired of eavesdropping after hearing one too many, “He don’t….”  Companies have 1-800 telephone numbers:  free long-distance phone calls to sort out plane reservations or to order products.  Summer school registration with computers was quick and easy. Dormitory living became tolerable.  I … Continue reading Embracing Reverse Culture Shock in America – 9

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day: Chicago’s Irish Heritage – 8 March 15, 1990

  For St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago, the Chicago River is dyed green, a leprechaun and green-hats parade down State Street and Michigan Avenue. It will be broadcasted throughout the day while a lot of drinking of green-dyed refreshment accompanies … Continue reading Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day: Chicago’s Irish Heritage – 8 March 15, 1990

75-Day Summer Break – 7

    March 8, 1990   Remember planning last year’s summer holiday?  We teachers have the lavish leisure of a 75-day paid summer holiday. But wait!  Like swamp lots sold in Florida or some property in India, such a lengthy holiday may be a golden time to destroy one’s finances and wreck one’s nerves. Staying home in the Gulf isn’t my first choice. My friends leave town and there aren’t any movies playing at wide-screen theatres.  Bicycling, jogging, camping or Hashing don’t seem inviting. One summer I spent a month on the French Riviera. The franc was nine to a … Continue reading 75-Day Summer Break – 7

Tax-free Income! – 4

Those magic words encouraged my move here, yet a year later zero savings!  “No one saves the first year,” fellow teachers console me.  “You’re too busy paying for the essentials.”  Like a car, computer and credit card.  Before I came here, I speculated an exotic future, but worried about my 110 voltage computer.  It could, like me, adapt, but the problem was the Hertz.  Many feverish phone calls illuminated me that my 60-Hertz-only computer wouldn’t work in a 50-Hertz-only country.  Ever buy a computer in the Gulf?  The prices and experience just aren’t the same as in America.  Then there … Continue reading Tax-free Income! – 4

HOW TO FIX AMERICAN SOCIETY

ABOLISH 99% OF ALL INSURANCE COMPANIES because most of them are like religions – false promises of the future without delivering legal benefits. I was a temporary worker in an insurance company. Papers were to be filed in absurd categories and covered the floor in an office. It was nearly impossible to track the progression of a claim. There might be some remote insurance that is real, honest and helpful, but I don’t know it. Do you? BRING BACK REGULATIONS – to banks, hedge funds, energy companies, environmentally-involved companies, etc. CONGRESSIONAL PEOPLE’S INCOME OVER ONE MILLION – will no longer … Continue reading HOW TO FIX AMERICAN SOCIETY

Top 10 Foreign Delights by countries lived in

(All photos are mine except for the Bali postcard and above UAE holiday card) 1.  CANADA – 2 years     Stanley Park, Vancouver http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/stanley-park.aspx Two years of happiness. Fantastic opportunity to write and receive feedback on my writing in … Continue reading Top 10 Foreign Delights by countries lived in

Top 10 Wonderful Realities about Teaching English Overseas

Asian students are wonderful. They are quiet and respectful. They also study and learn. Arabic countries are superior to Asian countries in regards to housing, culture and food. In the Arabic countries of the UAE and Oman, the weather is superb. Al Ain in the UAE was like spring every day for five months. Sandals 24/7/365 was fantastic. Yearly round-trip tickets home or to other vacation hot spots were enjoyable, such as a Christmas week in Ubud, a painting-haven in Bail. No USA income taxes. Nearly 99% of teachers make less than $99,000 a year, the cut off mark for … Continue reading Top 10 Wonderful Realities about Teaching English Overseas

How Living in Arabia Changed Me

Gulf countries are not just desert and oil. Two years in Saudi Arabia, two in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), one in Egypt and 11 in Oman, total 16 years. How did I change? Attitudes towards clothing, money, health, food, socializing, and religion. First, clothing. Nowadays I prefer the comfort of loose clothing, mandatory in Arabia. It allows air to flow between skin, cloth and the outside heat while being modest. Jeans were too hot. Westerners insulting Arabs as ‘ragheads’ should look in the mirror: Baseball caps and hoodies. Payday in Saudi Arabia (1984-1986) – cash. Then I wired it … Continue reading How Living in Arabia Changed Me