How is it we don't know?

 Do you recall a decade ago when we were all being encouraged to hate Afghanistan? But then, what happened to me was I read that Afghanistan was the rose-growing capital of the world and it shook me to my core and I kept thinking "Why don't we all know that?  Why isn't anyone telling us this?"

Well, that's how I felt again when I discovered, in Dubai, how engaging and charming all the Emratis I met were.

Truly, it felt like being back in Fiji with all the instant friendships and with everyone immediately on page with you without need of explanation. I grew up with that and always thought it was normal until I went out into the world and met Outsiders who have barriers and self/other divisions and don't know the right way to behave and treat others ... which is something we all in Fiji do exceptionally well.

Look, how it goes is that in Fiji you just meet someone and it's like you've known them for years and instantly you're engaged in a friendship that feels like it's at least three years in, and even those folks who are in your life for only ten minutes feel like they're an integral part of your current adventure.

And that's exactly what Emratis feel like, which is odd because I long ago worked out that Fijians are so astute and wise about people because they read people's mana, which cuts them straight to the chase because they immediately know who you are and what you're up to, and so have the option of immediately joining in, completely up to speed, and deeply meshed in with you, and since they all like people so much, that's indeed what they usually do. And I have to say that's exactly what makes Fiji so much fun to be in and hugely fun to grow up in.

But if mana-reading is how Fijians do it, I have no explanation for how Emratis do it, but I can tell you it felt just the same. Odd, yes?

And when I made this observation to Dubai-residing Fijians (there are heaps of us in UAE), they all said they'd noticed it as well but added "No, the REAL Fijians of the Arab world are the Omanis because they engage like Fijians do and also, like Fijians, they are outrageously funny."

And I had to agree because the Omanis we met had us in stitches, they were so naturally hilarious.

Like this wonderful Omani boy who showed the kids how they make those sand-bottles:

 A really, really hilarious young fellow.

And there were the fall-down-laughing young Omanis at The Walk who showed us how Emratis tied their head-dresses:

Actually that's a hilarious story:  What happened was we were at the Beach with the kids ...

 Marina Beach.

... and since it wasn't planned, they had no hats (Not me. I always have a hat.) so Little Brother grabbed Arabic cloths out of the car (Little Brother always has some to hand because they're so useful) so they could don them as improvised head scarves to ward off the sun.

 

Little Brother, who does not wish to

be named in my blog, in his version

of Arab head-dress.

Anyway, after nightfall, when we finally dragged the kids away from the beach and were wandering through The Walk ...

Dubai's only pedestrian walk

known as, naturally, The Walk.

... these genuinely lovely Omani fellows began chatting with us about how our scarves were tied all wrong and thus we dived immediately into a really hilarious conversation about how different Arab nations tie their head-dresses differently and the charming Omanis began to demonstrate the Emrati-style on Keith:

Keith, aka Captain Haddock.

And when I pointed out the resemblance,

the Omanis found it hilarious.

Sincerely, it was one of the very best conversations I've had in years and I wished we could talk so much longer, in fact for many years to come.

The funniest of them all.

Didn't get his name 

but I'd still call him "friend".

And later I was so sorry I didn't ask about the way Cool Young Dudes in Dubai tie their head-dresses because they do it differently to the other Emratis and it's amazingly chic and makes them look downright sexy, and that was something I'd have loved to know.

But I have to ask: how is it that we don't already know this? How is it we don't know that Emratis are enormously engaging and likeable, while Omanis take it even further coupling engaging personalities with the best sense of humour and the best comic timing ... short of Fiji that is ... so please pass this on because it's the sort of thing everyone everywhere should know.

Can't say that about Saudis however.  Gosh, the ones I met were GRIM!