The Wheels On The Bus Go Round and Round...
I decided to catch a bus the other day. In Dubai that's a strange concept. Firstly white people are rarely seen standing at the bus stop and secondly, as a woman there are only four seats available to you. Confused? So am I.
You go to the bus stop and wait with all the other people. The bus pulls up and you go to get on and there are eight women sitting in the first four seats. These seats are designated for women only. How nice and polite I thought...how cavalier...how old fashioned...how weird.
However the bus was full and those seats were already occupied by other women so I kept walking down the aisle in the aim of standing up and holding on. People started looking at me and then a women yelled out to me that I had to get off the bus because it was full. I looked around and to my untrained eye the bus still had plenty of standing room. I followed this woman and got off the bus, blushing, because I felt I'd committed some sort of crime.
The kind lady explained to me that women are only allowed to sit in the first four rows and are not allowed to stand on the bus. So when the four seats are full, bad luck, you have to wait for another bus. Even if it's 45 degrees outside.
I looked around me, there were at least 15 women waiting. I stood there feeling like an idiot, then did what every Euro expat here does - hailed a taxi.
You go to the bus stop and wait with all the other people. The bus pulls up and you go to get on and there are eight women sitting in the first four seats. These seats are designated for women only. How nice and polite I thought...how cavalier...how old fashioned...how weird.
However the bus was full and those seats were already occupied by other women so I kept walking down the aisle in the aim of standing up and holding on. People started looking at me and then a women yelled out to me that I had to get off the bus because it was full. I looked around and to my untrained eye the bus still had plenty of standing room. I followed this woman and got off the bus, blushing, because I felt I'd committed some sort of crime.
The kind lady explained to me that women are only allowed to sit in the first four rows and are not allowed to stand on the bus. So when the four seats are full, bad luck, you have to wait for another bus. Even if it's 45 degrees outside.
I looked around me, there were at least 15 women waiting. I stood there feeling like an idiot, then did what every Euro expat here does - hailed a taxi.
posted by kookie at
6:05 pm
4 Comments:
Hi there! Just stumbled across your blog and really enjoyed it. Have you checked out the UAE Community Blog? You might want to consider joining. They are a good bunch and quite a lot of are women too (of all ages).
By
trailingspouse, at 12:01 pm
it just keeps getting better!
By
tunabake, at 1:49 pm
Thanks trailing spouse...very clever name...I have seen the site, that's how i found 'sand in my pants' but I must admit I'm not clear on the purpose...is it to share stories of life here? do you provide feedback on eachother's writing?
By
kookie, at 3:36 pm
Members don't really comment on the writing skills of other members - I guess too many non-native speakers for that. It's more a useful portal for sharing information and finding other blogs of people based in, or with an interest in the UAE. A kind of virtual water cooler. Personally I have found it a useful way to hear alternative opinions from other nationalities & locals in Dubai, as well as other age groups. Of course you don't need to join in order to read and comment; however if you do you'll probably generate some visits and feedback from local bloggers.
By
trailingspouse, at 10:14 am
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