Venting : Vulgarity!

To endeavor to work upon the vulgar with fine sense is like attempting to hew blocks with a razor.

Alexander Pope

When I'm sick I get upset and irritated very quickly. My poor boys tiptoe around me as they sense my mood. The little things that usually don't upset me, makes me want to yell and shred at the people who did, and sometimes, my usual nice self gets very nasty.

Am I a stickler to protocol and decorum? Most of the time I don't give a *heck* what people think and I'm not such a hypocrite either, nor a snob. However, growing up in our society you get to know there is an invisible red line of "Propriety" and "Good Taste" you do not cross, unless you are a very vulgar person.

I also know no one is perfect, and everyone is bound to make a mistake every now and then. I remember when I was a teenager (and thank God not a lot of people remember me at that age) I did things which makes me blush just by remembering them!!! In the end I learned from my mistakes and have become the woman I am today.

You know this saying "ili ma 3omera teba5ar… teba5ar w 7tarag?" It basically talks about "Nouveau Riche". You know like the "Hilly Bellies' of Beverly Hills".

Unfortunately for me and it was against my will, a "Nouveau Riche" walked into my life not so long ago. I tried to "subtly" explain how things work out here in Kuwait…even if it is sometime contradictive and there isn't specific written laws of conduct, but these are things you grow up with and just now, which I understand it is hard to understand, at first, for those who just walk into our society. I remember the first time I explained how things work out so she wouldn't feel socially awkward, she looked at me as if I insulted her and she retaliated with "I do not give a damn what you think!" attitude.

Ok..I understand her reaction. Maybe if I was in her shoes, w neyeti shaina, I'd react the same way. But if I walk into a world which is so new to me, I might give this person a chance at explaining.

I tried another approach, introducing her to some of my friends. Here she felt the difference. I could see it in the glitter of her eyes and the strained smile on her face. I knew she felt awkward and uncomfortable sitting among my BBF's. (Again we are not snobs) Ok so maybe now she will listen to me? At least with half an ear???

No…she didn't. At a wedding, few weeks ago, she takes out her phone cam and starts snapping pictures at the girls dancing!!! A friend of mine who was sitting at the other side of her grabs the phone and angrily snaps at her "Are you out of your mind!! Taking pictures of these girls!"

"I like their style I'm keeping it as a future reference for the next wedding I go to." She replies in the most unaffected way imaginable. I know she wants to send the pics to her family to show them the wedding styles in Kuwait.

My friend started deleting the pictures. "Sij inich haliligya! What if one of those girls or their parent saw you? you'll cause a scandal!!!"

My friend throws back the phone and leaves us for the rest of the party. Of course I yelled at her too and we left early. The way she acted on the way back to her house as if she understood the consequence of her actions but did it anyway and didn't care what we thought of her. Very childish, I thought at that time.

There are many never ending incidents of her actions, that if I start now I wouldn't finish. But the last straw was few days ago. A friend invites us to a party, beautifully planned and decorated in her house. That "Nouveau Riche" snaps pics of the event, and posts them and claims it is at her place!!! When my friend saw the pics she was of course incensed, and called her to confront her.

"Hahahaha! I took pictures of your place and told my family the party was at my place! Hahahah!"

The audacity of this girl!!!

My friend didn't know what to say.

"I can't allow myself to stoop to her level." My friend tells me, "But I don't want her in my house or in our gatherings again."

I agreed with her.

Now here is the part where I'm going to be nasty.

When I said "Nouveau Riche"… no she isn't rich compared to our standard of living here in K-Town, but compared to the slums she used live in, yes she is within this level of wealth she has never dreamed of living right now, a house, a car, and maids. She went through a cultural shock when she moved here the first few months. She thought we lived in tents in the desert!
When I took her under my "Bat Wing" as a favor to her husband who is an old friend of ours, I never thought she would act that way and she just doesn't have any "Self Respect" to herself, for her to have it for others.

Please don't misjudge me. I have a lot of foreign friends from all over the world and we understand and respect each other and we get along very well. None of them acted the way she did when they moved to Kuwait. When I introduced her to them, they were uncomfortable around her too, because she was just plain and simple Vulgar!

Yes…I know this is a side of me I do not like to show alot, but I am sick and beyond irritated and I just want to vent!!!