Happy New Year
New Year’s Eve is a concept without much currency in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia mostly follows the Islamic calendar, so their new year came about a month and a half ago. Everyone knows that the Gregorian calendar exists, and I’m sure that most people read in the newspaper that its 2011th year came to an end a few days ago. But if anyone was excited about it, they did a good job of keeping it to themselves.
Saturday and Sunday are also not considered particularly special here. The weekend is Thursday and Friday, so Saturday means only a sad return to the daily grind. Sunday is as meaningless as Tuesday is in the West. There are TGI Friday’s restaurants scattered around the city, and I sometimes wonder what Saudis think about the name. Friday is the Islamic sabbath, though, so I suppose that thanking God for it here is even more appropriate than it is in America.
This is all to say that my New Year’s Eve this past Saturday was not especially exciting. This was finals week at the University, so I had to spend the 31st and the 1st proctoring writing exams (proctoring being known here by its British name, “invigilation”). Some of my housemates went to a New Year’s party at the Marine House on the US Embassy grounds, but I wasn’t able to get a ticket. And to be honest, I wasn’t that sad about it. The thought of being able to drink actual Scotch and eat actual pork ribs was very appealing. But drinking until two in the morning, getting three hours of sleep, and then driving to work to stand and glower at undergraduates all day sounded just terrible.
My day was brightened considerably, though, by this drawing of Mickey Mouse that I found in my afternoon classroom. When I saw it, I was astounded that any of the students here would be able to make something like that. Creativity is for the most part frowned upon in Saudi Arabia. Some of latest generation are starting to break out and express their individuality through choices in clothing and music. For example, it is not uncommon to see a kid walking around in a thaub and sandals, but with a Pelle Pelle leather jacket on over it and a flat 59/50 baseball cap cocked to the left. But artistry is basically considered to be evil, so the counterculture comix Mickey was surprising.
Driving home, though, I learned that it was actually drawn by a teacher. One of my housemates worked with him that day and saw him draw it, in about three minutes. Apparently he used to be a serious artist/graphic designer, but got sick of being poor and decided to make some money teaching English in the Gulf. Artists pensions being what they are (nonexistent), that was probably a good idea.
