Maldivian / Island Cultures.. April 3, 2009

After being here for 1 month and after my colleague and my boss  had informed me bout the culture in Maldives, now I am able to write briefly about the cultures here. One thing, they do things very slowly. They take their own sweet time to get things done. Therefore if you want things done swiftly, you would better of do it yourself! Seriously.. talk also have to talk slower and must have a huge level of tolerence!

Not only that, the thing that they do most of them are gossips! Gossip about management, gossip about departments, gossip even about their own colleagues! Looks like its their most favourite pass time their life, they practically has nothing to do but gossip about other people – regardless its true or not! Amazing!

Eventhough they seems to be very traditional, very conservatives, I tell you those are a pack of lies.. they are just a bunch of hyprocrite! They can have wifes and children in some parts and when they are at the resorts, they have scandals, girlfriends, mistress! This is the part that really totally disgust me. Call themselves religious, so upright, conservatives.. bla bla bla.. woman can’t wear revealing clothes – not even sleeveless! But the men can sleep around! Amazing huh! The men here is acting as though they are being sex deprived for a very very long time. Whenever they see a foreign ladies, they just look at them (even though they try to disguise it..)

Just one incident that happen when I went to Male about 2 weeks ago and I stayed over at my female colleague place, when we return to her apartment, there was a knock on the door, thinking that it was her neighbour, I just told her that there is someone at the door. She peeped thru the peeping hole and saw a man standing outside the door. She open the door slightly and the guy ask her if she stays there alone. Guess what she saw, his fly is open and he is holding his private parts on his other hand!! What a maniac! It is so totally disgusting and only after she threaten to call the police that he left the place.

Well.. that’s the negative side of the people here, but on the other positive side, hmm.. let me think.. in the resorts, most of the people here are quite friendly, but you will need to put some distance between or you will end up in the front page of the verbal gossip tabloids the next day. They like to play volleyball and crickets! (why that does not surprise me huh?) well.. I am sure I will be able to explore and to learn more of their culture here when I am here longer… since I am here for mere 2 months!

Eventhough every Saturday is our Maldivian night in the resort, where some staff – 08 – 10 men will gather around at night at the resort bar to sing and dance with 1 -2 person will play the drum and some ladies (apparently when they are being hired, they are asked to dance in such occasion as one of the criteria in the employment) will dance with the music.. But one thing that is lacking is a navigator to explain to the tourists bout their culture. So this event does not actually explain or show the real Maldivian culture… what a waste, rite? oh well.. one thing that I learn, don’t expect too much from them…