Day 9: Illogical Logic

Sunday, June 30

I would just like to note in this blog that it is very hard for Americans to truly comprehend other cultures. It's not like Europe, which is plumb-full of cultures, or the Middle East, which is surrounded by them. You can go from one country to another on a train, in a bus, in a taxi, even. Next to America we have Canada, which is America's hat, and Mexico, which is America's beard.

 

As shown here.

But really. The idea is that we don't have easy, real exposure to other cultures. People from around the world may visit us and within our culture they are very different, but they're still the outsiders, we're still safe within our bubble of ignorance.

Yes the people here live in a different world than the one that I typically live in, but it is necessary to note that this world works for them! It's not strange to them. It's normal. I'm strange. I talk weird. I have stupid pale skin. I wear large hats. I don't always understand all the greetings or partings or the proper way to act in the souq or when bargaining or even when buying ice cream. Do I say thank you here? Or would they be offended? Do I tip this man? Or would he be insulted? Do I look at him in the face when talking to him? Or is that rude?

It's so easy to think other cultures are like yours, and everything within them can be logically understood like yours, but it isn't true. To them, your logic is wrong. Of course you don't tip taxi drivers. Of course you don't say hello to everyone that greets you in the street. Of course you don't eat in front of people during the day who are practicing Ramadan.

So really, I don't really blame Americans for not being able to comprehend a culture or people so vastly different from themselves. Most people have never been exposed to that (or at the very least ,not heavily). It's not normal. It's hard for people to understand the strange, the different, the weird, especially at an older age.

Which is why I am very privileged to be able to live among a culture so unlike my own. I still consider myself ignorant. I have even scratched the surface of this culture, and it's likely that's all I'll ever achieve, because I haven't lived it.

Also I literally just heard a car crash outside while writing this. 

On another note: Sunday was mostly uneventful. My roommate and I tried to go exploring once the evening rolled in and it was cool, but all the streets that surrounded the neighborhood were mostly dark with groups of men lingering outside on porches. We satisfied ourselves instead with buying ice-cream next door and then promptly returned to the apartment.

Then I talked to Habiibii on Skype, and he made my day all better.

(Due to the severe lack of photos and humor in this post, here's some more pictures of the school. Enjoy.) 

There's no roof. Just a canvas that's only used at night.