cultural dislocation... in a nice way

I joined a gym last Thursday. The combination of being without a bike, walking very little, and being driven around a lot made it a priority for me to find a place where I could get some exercise. It is a nice gym - it has a clean, spacious work out area with lots of equipment, a divine steamroom with beautiful blue tile work and emanating a slightly mentholated steam that does wonders for sinuses, and it is also a reliable place for a hot shower (not always a given). The gym happens to be located in one of the international hotels here - but it is used by lots of local folks, not just hotel guests.

When I went after work today, I was astonished to find a Christmas carolling party happening in the hotel lobby. I'd say very few of the participants were guests. There were lots of little kids running around, women in headscarfs running after them, and there, on the stage, 7 bright young people wearing santa hats and singing a heavily accented version of 'hark the herald angels sing'. It was lovely. Lots of good cheer. Not something I would have expected.

Once in the gym, I decide to take my first fitness class in arabic. It is billed as an aerobic/step class and I figure even if I don't know the language, I can just follow along with the movements. In Canada these classes are almost universally the domain of women. Occasionally there is one stout-hearted male who is doing the 'grapevine' and 'chassee' along with the ladies. But only very occasionally. So imagine my surprise when I enter the studio where the class is being held to find a room full of men - the students - and one other woman, who turns out to be the instructor. She is covered head to toe - headscarf, long-sleeved shirt, long exercise pants and a tunic thing over top. She must be boiling, I think to myself.

So we get started. And the instructor kicks ass. It is one fantastic, energetic class. And all the fellows are, indeed, grapevining and knee-upping and hamstring curling and ab crunching just like you do. It was really fun and, for some reason, a good experience to see these fellows in a new light. Something about gender parity, perhaps?