I do feel that more women seem to walk around looking a bit angry here, and many are quite quick to be rude...perhaps it's a stress thing, I know I have a really moody expression automatically if I'm having a bad day! It does seem to be across the board, in terms of nationalities.
Personally if someone is rude or miserable-looking towards me I just slap a huge smile on my face, they normally look embarrassed and sheepish, does the trick.
You've only been here 4 days, you're probably stressed as heck - give it a few weeks and things will calm down (or you'll get used to rude people and stop noticing lol!) :)
I'm an expat and I treat everyone the same....
When I first came here (I'm newish at 3.5 years) I automatically held respect to nationals, (and still do) however, having seen "ladies" in Abaya's "click their fingers" in people's faces for service....I returned the favour and did the same to them "click" ....."what did you just say to Mrs person behind me?"... and had the men in the group apologise to me for their women folks behaviour.
Rudeness transcends even the Abaya - and NO-ONE has any respect for dis-respectiful people, regardless of dress or nationality - you just have to pity them and their blood line.
Ooooh the times, they are a changing - however.....treat people as you would expect to be treated and it'll all be good.
The test of good manners is to be patient with bad ones.
Love that tally-ho. Squirrelling it away for future reference.
I just deleted that one in favour of the one below.
Just forget about their nationality/heritage and put it down to 2 women who were rude.
If you look for tension, there's a chance you'd find it but wouldn't you anywhere in the world and between different 'types' if you looked hard enough.
I know lots of ladies who are from the other side of the fence so to speak and there is no tension whatsoever. I certainly would never change my manners according to the nationality of somebody in a queue.
Smile and take the high road is my advice to you as a newcomer. Don't let it upset you because there are loads of good eggs here as well as rotten ones ;)
Hi
I have been here 4 days and came across to European ladies on seperate occasiona who were B.....y miserable and rude...and I feel quite upset about it
Both jumped the que and came in front of me,
one English lady at the airport who must have been suffering from PMT, because i mentioned to my kids that I thought there was a queing system when she turned round and barked at me for apparently "talking behind her back and to children too" and then walked off. I was speaking to my kids and in English!!
The second women today saw that my kids and I were at the taxi rank at Carrefour waiting for a taxi and came with her trolley, totally ignored us and took the taxi...
Now correct me if I am wrong PLEASE...but on both occasions I was wearing the Abayah and easily would be mistaken for a local.
Is there some kind of tension between the expats and locals or resentment there?