My company sent me to a 2.5 days course. I got to sit next to a Tyra Banks look-alike. My initial reaction: Who's this clown? I just hate newbies, I can't help it. Anyways, I just acted courteous, and tried to curb any of the many sarcastic comments I had flooding my brain. And this is what I get...

First day of the course-

Tyra Banks look-alike: OMG you are so nice!
Hanan: ....
Tyra Banks look-alike: No seriously
Hanan: you don't really know me
Tyra Banks look-alike: No, I saw your pics on the intranet and I knew that I had to meet this girl..you seemed so nice.. your pics are so pretty mashallah
Hanan: errr thanks?


One week after the course, Tyra Banks look-alike ads me on BlackBerry Messenger.

Tyra Banks look-alike: Hanan, what's your favorite color?
Hanan: I don't know ... (color)
Tyra Banks look-alike: (color) nice :) I wanna know 3 of your favorite colors. What are the other 2?
Hanan (seriously confused): color 2 & color 3
Tyra Banks look-alike: Hanan is a very nice name. But when I chat to you it feels more like Hanno or maybe Alhanan. Duno. What do your friends call you? Any special nicknames?
Hanan (seriously scared): No one calls me anything. It's just Hanan.
Tyra Banks look alike: May I call you henno or Hanno?
Hanan: hey g2g

Hanan changes her status to unavailable.

It is completely acceptable for a woman to work, travel, spend forty hours a week with her male co-workers. However, she can not take pictures with them. 

Co-worker 1: Sorry, we don't take photos. Mangood. 3eib. Am not allowed to.

Me: Why?

Co-worker 2: Cause we just dont trust people. You never know who will get hold of them.

Me: So you mean you don't trust your co-workers? Cause no one else will look at them.

Co-worker 1: No of course I trust them! 

Co-worker 2: It's not about trust. The guys I work with are amazing.

Me: 3eyal? what is it? 

Co-worker 1: Ah well you never know!

I just don't get the whole stigma around taking and publishing Emirati women's photos.

We have 4 women in our cabinet
50 percent of the jobs in the ministries and federal organizations are occupied by Emirati women.

We have the youngest female judge in the Arab World. 
We have women working as public prosecutors, doctors, engineers, pilots, etc.
Over 70 percent of Emirati undergraduates are women.

But the majority of the women still thinks that it's unacceptable for others to see their photos.