11 Things Foreigners Will Never Get About the Middle East

By Scoop Team On Mar 19, 2014

Awkward.

1. “Inshallah”

2. That a “3 pm meeting” actually means waiting from 3 til 6 for the person to show up.

Eventually, you just gotta learn to enjoy. (Via)

3. All the touchiness, greeting with kisses – how many times is it, anyways? Two or three? – and why no one ever respects personal space – it really just doesn’t exist.

4. How everything is a conspiracy theory and everyone is a spy, including the bawab, animals and every expat in the region.

5. Traffic jams and the lack of road rules and regulations.

Taxi drivers themselves are a mystery to foreigners (Peter Wissa)

6. The art of stacking an insane amount of things on trucks.

7. Walking on the road. What sidewalk?

Crossing the street is like playing a real-life game of Frogger.

8. Men holding hands, wearing skinny jeans and being overly touchy, but hey, NO HOMO.

9. How everyone thinks it’s okay to discuss your weight to your face.

10. The shattafa (squirt things) in the bathroom by the toilet. Seriously. With the high pressure and the anticipation… It’s like holding a gun to your butthole.

11. That staring is “okay”.

WE SAID THIS: Check out the video “How Europeans Are Not Like Egyptians“.