Encounters
I sat in the lobby, waiting to check-in. That's when she approached me with a smile, asking me from which Gulf country I came from. Being tired from the long journey, I was in no mood for a conversation, but she seemed like a friendly old lady from California who wanted to know more about our country.
As the conversation progressed, she told me she noticed that Arabs were rarely found in the tourist attractions of any country she visits, only in expensive areas. I realized she knew a lot about Arabs, how they traveled and where they were found. She expressed her great amusement at the fact that Arabs were known to be found in great numbers in the classy luxurious parts of the city only and not many are found in places like museums, she added in mockery.
To me, that woman was judging out of pure ignorance. This is found in every culture and society, and does not entitle her to make a general judgment. Many of us are not like that. But we sadly fail to deliver that message. We are always mistaken for being ignorant rich Arabs from the desert who were born to spend. It is always important to show others around us, especially outsiders, how advanced our country and people have become. Yes, the money is there, but so is the brain. We have the wealth, and the wealth of knowledge. We must work on making our image outside a better one; by learning some of the history of the country you trip by visiting the many tourist attractions. We can start by making the difference ourselves and this will benefit us when we are around multicultural people, because the slightest history information we know about one’s country will make a positive difference, especially as a first impression.
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