The two brothers in this show, Dean & Sam, spend a great deal of time reading local newspapers for information. This information gives them leads on unexplained events. It also provides them with research into the local community and the people that live there.
I decided to do something similar for Oman. The BBC News Web site had a great page on Oman, including facts about the country, its leader, and media. One of the media links sent me to the Oman Daily Observer newspaper.
I checked out Columns, because I thought it would be a good way to get editorial commentary about events and activities that might be happening in the country.
Here's what I found, an article titled Daughters of Today
"JUNIOR’S SISTER is so ambitious that she wants to become a motor vehicle technician. To me this is so surprising and so unexpected. Her mother too wonders how she can opt for such a career, which is male-dominated. She is going to lose all her beauty. No nail polish, no hair treatment and no more tender skin. But this girl seems to ignore all that woman talk and wants to stick to her guns. She is so determined that she wants to enrol way before time. This daughter of mine, whom I consider to be an investment because one day some young man will come, asking for her hand with a bag full of money, seems to want to believe that what boys can do, girls can too. Her mother is worried that coping at such institute would not be easy being a female.
The male students would want to tease her. But she is known to be a hard nut to crack. Mechanical engineering is a good career to take. She is particularly lured to this type of training because ‘theories get spiced with practical’ — You get to dismantle and reassemble engines, which one can enjoy so much. Other girls could as well be encouraged to enter such fields by introducing incentives and promising them employment opportunities. How many of them go through life holding on to a belief that they cannot do something simply because they think that they will fail. How many of them refuse to attempt doing something because of their mindset?
As a parent one might realise that no matter what you teach your children in the end it will be their decision what they choose to walk away with. Nevertheless, my intention is to raise a strong and competent daughter. When the sister of Junior becomes a woman, I want to be contented in my mind that not only do I love her because she is my daughter; but that I like her as a woman and for that to happen she must be as tough and capable as men could be. She is a promise of a better world. When she was born, she looked at us with sweet newborn eyes as a world to her; and therefore we have a responsibility to model the world we want her to inherit. Daughters need to be provided with enlightening, empowering and encouraging advice on gaining success and significance.
With gender preference still prevalent, daughters of today need encouragement and motivation to achieve their God-given potential. For many girls, the kind of environment they grow up in determines their careers. The aim should be to develop the capacity of young women to engage more actively in the transformation of their socio-economic status in an environment based on respect for women’s worth, rights, empowerment and gender equality. There is a need for young women to develop personal empowerment skills and change their negative image of social worth, as a way of enhancing their opportunities. Understanding one’s self-worth ultimately contributes towards the expansion of socio-economic as well as leadership choices and opportunities.
If you look around you will see how domestic roles have been defined with gender-based mindset. Lack of understanding and self expression is a problem. See, for example, how many families have broken up because a woman has not borne a baby boy? Girls think they can’t do ‘men’ jobs because they have been made to believe so. Parents could play an essential role of letting girls be kids as much as boys by treating them the same. Girls need to also have social intelligence and differentiate between perspective and realities. Most of the gains in gender equality and empowerment are brought about by women themselves by being active hence the call of all women is to enhance their rights."
Except for this sentence (which reminds me about some of the culture differences!): "This daughter of mine, whom I consider to be an investment because one day some young man will come, asking for her hand with a bag full of money..." this article could have been in the Ottawa Citizen. It's about changing roles, changing identities, growth, expectations, societal norms. All the things we deal with in North America on a daily basis.
"JUNIOR’S SISTER is so ambitious that she wants to become a motor vehicle technician. To me this is so surprising and so unexpected. Her mother too wonders how she can opt for such a career, which is male-dominated. She is going to lose all her beauty. No nail polish, no hair treatment and no more tender skin. But this girl seems to ignore all that woman talk and wants to stick to her guns. She is so determined that she wants to enrol way before time. This daughter of mine, whom I consider to be an investment because one day some young man will come, asking for her hand with a bag full of money, seems to want to believe that what boys can do, girls can too. Her mother is worried that coping at such institute would not be easy being a female.
The male students would want to tease her. But she is known to be a hard nut to crack. Mechanical engineering is a good career to take. She is particularly lured to this type of training because ‘theories get spiced with practical’ — You get to dismantle and reassemble engines, which one can enjoy so much. Other girls could as well be encouraged to enter such fields by introducing incentives and promising them employment opportunities. How many of them go through life holding on to a belief that they cannot do something simply because they think that they will fail. How many of them refuse to attempt doing something because of their mindset?
As a parent one might realise that no matter what you teach your children in the end it will be their decision what they choose to walk away with. Nevertheless, my intention is to raise a strong and competent daughter. When the sister of Junior becomes a woman, I want to be contented in my mind that not only do I love her because she is my daughter; but that I like her as a woman and for that to happen she must be as tough and capable as men could be. She is a promise of a better world. When she was born, she looked at us with sweet newborn eyes as a world to her; and therefore we have a responsibility to model the world we want her to inherit. Daughters need to be provided with enlightening, empowering and encouraging advice on gaining success and significance.
With gender preference still prevalent, daughters of today need encouragement and motivation to achieve their God-given potential. For many girls, the kind of environment they grow up in determines their careers. The aim should be to develop the capacity of young women to engage more actively in the transformation of their socio-economic status in an environment based on respect for women’s worth, rights, empowerment and gender equality. There is a need for young women to develop personal empowerment skills and change their negative image of social worth, as a way of enhancing their opportunities. Understanding one’s self-worth ultimately contributes towards the expansion of socio-economic as well as leadership choices and opportunities.
If you look around you will see how domestic roles have been defined with gender-based mindset. Lack of understanding and self expression is a problem. See, for example, how many families have broken up because a woman has not borne a baby boy? Girls think they can’t do ‘men’ jobs because they have been made to believe so. Parents could play an essential role of letting girls be kids as much as boys by treating them the same. Girls need to also have social intelligence and differentiate between perspective and realities. Most of the gains in gender equality and empowerment are brought about by women themselves by being active hence the call of all women is to enhance their rights."
Except for this sentence (which reminds me about some of the culture differences!): "This daughter of mine, whom I consider to be an investment because one day some young man will come, asking for her hand with a bag full of money..." this article could have been in the Ottawa Citizen. It's about changing roles, changing identities, growth, expectations, societal norms. All the things we deal with in North America on a daily basis.
I love seeing an example of just how similar we are no matter where we live!
~ Lala
1 comment:
Our world is an intersting place and cross-cultural values continue to surprise us, especially if we view the world from the opposite side of something like selling your daughter into marriage. The "problem" is widespread though. I read another WSJ article that talks about Indian men living in the US, going on wife-hunting trips to India.
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