I need to believe

ok, so I've been away from here for, like, forever...sorry about that. You didn't miss too much...summer was awesome, kuwait is the same as always...just slightly less hot.

This school year has been amazing so far (Inshallah). The problems I had with staff (admin and "underlings") have vanished, as have some of the troublemakers. I have two new assistants and they're both amazing and positive people...hard workers too. So, the BIG problems in my life are gone...yay!

and now to tonight's point...I need to believe that the people I meet and don't know are nice to me because they want to be not because they want something.

When we first came here we were kind of warned that cabbies, maids and other such people would be "nice" to us "rich" (ha!) white people because they wanted a bigger tip or whatever...this is such a service driven culture that the notion that anyone who helps me in the run of the day is on the take is beyond depressing.

So, I have chosen to believe the best in everyone (a surprise to anyone who knew me as a teenager I'm sure). I've also chosen to treat these people as actual human beings...something that I forget to do sometimes, in part thanks to the language barrier and cynicism.

Tonight I complimented a bank teller who was helping me on her nice bracelet, was teased by a cashier who "knows" me about buying M&Ms when I'd mentioned dieting and had a cabbie help me carry groceries to my door (outside not apartment) in what seemed to be a genuine show of friendliness. I've had maids at work say they like a shirt (yes, one you picked out Mom) and necklace of mine...they didn't have to do that, but they did...the least I can do it return the favor.

I had cabbie a week or two ago who in very broken English told me he's been in Kuwait for 19 years (he was Pakistani I think). He asked where I was from and what my family was like. The man had upwards of 7 sons, one of whom is in Canada and another in Spain...he seemed to really miss them. I assured him Canada was nice and did my best to empathise...I live in a country where at least half the population is made up of foreigners.


The point of this ramble is, we are all people, no one should be ignored. My feelings are not more important than yours because we are different...even cabbies get homesick.