The Education of an American Tourist

Which leads me to a useful analogy, at least for an American, to contemplate before making too many assumptions about the Middle East: consider how culturally diverse the United States is and, specifically, how many areas you'd probably feel like a fish out of water in. Speaking as an Indian-American and adopted New Yorker who grew up in a suburb of Detroit, I know that I've been stumped by many of the customs I've witnessed in the South, not to mention being unable to make out what anyone is saying. I've been mystified by the laid-back approach Californians take with life. I've been scared when driving through some of the plains states when I had the misfortune of spying an upside-down cross. And I've definitely been put off by my fellow New Yorkers' frequently brash attitude. The fact is I probably have as much (or as little) in common with many Middle Easterners as I do with many Americans, but I've been conditioned by the media and politicians to view them as the "other."

As a result of my experience in the region, however, I think my expectations have self-corrected. These days whenever I visit I'm more surprised by all the new developments that are going up than anything as mundane as an abaya. Doha and Dubai resemble giant construction sites, as real estate developers race to meet spiraling demand. Kuwait, which is less developed as a tourist destination because of its ban on alcohol, will soon be home to designer boutique hotels. Apparently there are enough business travelers and mocktail-enthusiasts to warrant nonalcoholic hospitality options. Everywhere you look in the region there are familiar brand names: Chili's, H&M, Cinnabon, Saks Fifth Avenue. It's fair to say that, after Allah, globalization is God. Sitting in a Starbucks in Dubai watching the crowds surge by is a looking-glass experience. Many familiar markers are there—Nike sneakers, Polo shirts, an explosion of denim on people of all ages—but the meanings are not necessarily the same. Sipping my herbal tea, analyzing and imagining, I try to sort the puzzle, and after a bit of time it begins to make sense to me. Some things are still a surprise, however, like the little kids snowboarding down an indoor mountain in Dubai, or the city-size palaces in Riyadh. Strangely, after all these years I still haven't spied a camel or seen a belly-dancing show. Maybe on my next trip.

© 2008