A difficult part of living here is the snobbery I feel like we've adopted in Qatar. Actually, it's not difficult, it's conflicting. Service positions are filled by other foreigners (non-westerners/kiwis/Australians/south Africans) who came here for the job opportunities. I feel guilty for slightly getting used to the culture of convenience. I don't feel as self-conscious being waited on by brown maids, driven around by brown drivers and just paying for conveniences I always associated with some measure of wealth back home. I mean, it's crazy, if we have a child here, we'll probably hire a nanny. This is a taste of the change in lifestyle that really is just a result of being an ex-pat, lower prices on many things, and the way of life here:
We have a driver. We share him with 3 others, but we have a driver.
We have a washer in the crib but I get all of my clothes washed and pressed at the dry cleaners because it's mad cheaper than NY and I wake up too early to iron.
As an administrator, my wife has a person to bring her tea and coffee and such throughout the day. Not like a secretary, like a maid at work.
They will stand at your table and crack open your lobster at Red Lobster, BUT we don't do that. Plus, we go to RL for the biscuits and chocolate wave.
Many teachers have cleaners clean their apartments. We don't, but are considering a maid service for next year.
Even at McDonalds, food can be brought to you and many don't dare think of throwing their trash away themselves.
There is a greater irony though. As a teacher, you kinda fall into the class system somewhere between the servants and the monied. Nationality plays a big part though. Being an American makes me highly desirable as a tutor. And although I am compensated well, as a tutor, I am hired help, just a little higher in the pecking order. So the parents treat me like someone they pay a decent amount of money to provide a valuable service. But it's clear that I work for them and they have expectations. So even though we have drivers and cleaners, when we are tutoring at the homes, we are...well, not the same, but...I mean, we are contracting out our services for much more than the nannies, maids and drivers and we are being serviced by them while we are at the homes, but to the family, we are an expense. It's just that we provide something they couldn't on their own. Qataris are as willing to pay for their enlightenment as they are for their Bentleys. But make no mistake, they know the going rate. I can actually get more as a tutor in certain situations in the states, but no tax, utilities or rent, plus a much lower cost of living means I clean up much better here. I'm interested in seeing how I'll adjust to life back in America after all of this.
We have a driver. We share him with 3 others, but we have a driver.
We have a washer in the crib but I get all of my clothes washed and pressed at the dry cleaners because it's mad cheaper than NY and I wake up too early to iron.
As an administrator, my wife has a person to bring her tea and coffee and such throughout the day. Not like a secretary, like a maid at work.
They will stand at your table and crack open your lobster at Red Lobster, BUT we don't do that. Plus, we go to RL for the biscuits and chocolate wave.
Many teachers have cleaners clean their apartments. We don't, but are considering a maid service for next year.
Even at McDonalds, food can be brought to you and many don't dare think of throwing their trash away themselves.
There is a greater irony though. As a teacher, you kinda fall into the class system somewhere between the servants and the monied. Nationality plays a big part though. Being an American makes me highly desirable as a tutor. And although I am compensated well, as a tutor, I am hired help, just a little higher in the pecking order. So the parents treat me like someone they pay a decent amount of money to provide a valuable service. But it's clear that I work for them and they have expectations. So even though we have drivers and cleaners, when we are tutoring at the homes, we are...well, not the same, but...I mean, we are contracting out our services for much more than the nannies, maids and drivers and we are being serviced by them while we are at the homes, but to the family, we are an expense. It's just that we provide something they couldn't on their own. Qataris are as willing to pay for their enlightenment as they are for their Bentleys. But make no mistake, they know the going rate. I can actually get more as a tutor in certain situations in the states, but no tax, utilities or rent, plus a much lower cost of living means I clean up much better here. I'm interested in seeing how I'll adjust to life back in America after all of this.
No comments:
Post a Comment