Getting Attention

I got my first Faculty email today, from my new school in Kuwait.

I'm a little shamefaced- I have a sneaking suspicion that I've been sending Faculty emails to my spambox along with "Meet Big Beautiful Singles" for the greater part of the summer. At my current school there might be some justification for mistaking spam for staff emails. The new school, I'm thinking, maybe not so much.

The man was very nice, giving some tips to all the soon to be-new Ex Pats, namely number 3: "Don't call undue attention to yourself."

Don't call undue attention to yourself.

If it were only so simple.

When I announced my job offer in Kuwait, several friends pulled me aside and probed me for my intentions in moving to a different country. Particularly, a conservative country where there would be restrictions on my movements and clothing as a woman. After all, I'd graduated from a Left Coast, Private, All Women's College in my wild youth...?

(The tacit question here, being, "We know you mean well, but you aren't going to start a war? Are you? Please say no.")

The short answer is this: Leave only footprints, take only photos. It's kind of simplistic, but a minimalist attitude towards a culture you're entering lets you experience more. I mean, how much do you get out of a hike when you're screaming?

On the other hand, there are infinite ways to call attention to yourself. The noisiest people are not always screaming. Way back when I was a little Josie, I cultivated a severe and sincere distaste to attracting attention from anyone to stay alive. What I wasn't able to grow was the complimentary "Sure, you're right!" which would have saved me when I came out for food. Instead, I learned to do many things myself. As I got older, I found it was easier and quicker to do things myself anyway.

I don't set out to attract attention from anyone- one more person means I have to communicate effectively. It also means I might be misunderstood. It means I might have to backtrack to what I was thinking, find words to fit the situation and present it in a different light to make myself understood. This is all while I might be constructing a small catapault or eating something tasty. To say nothing of why the person is there in the first place, sure as I am of their own tasty dishes and catapaults in a place not around me.

The lesson here is that a total lack of intimidation, a high pain threshold, and an inability to lie will attract attention. Lots of attention. Which is frustrating as an adult, when you've spent your formative years up a tree without learning how to talk to people, or hide that you aren't having fun doing it.

And lets face it- I'm 5'8 and under 140 pounds. I could look like the tailgate of Satan's cow and still turn heads.

I don't have to stop off the plane in a micro mini skirt waving pamphlets about my political choices to attract attention. I'm different. It's done. What I have to figure out is the most polite, gracious way to manage it. Without starting a war. Welcome to my blog.