Last year we were concerned about how little exercise the kids were getting, especially when it was so hot, so we bought a trampoline from Carrefour. Since that house was so big, we actually had an empty room that we put it in so that the kids could use it inside.
Then when we moved after the fire, we didn't have a room in this house to put it in, so in October we set it up outside, next to the house. It quickly became a very popular spot with all the neighborhood kids, which was great. Our kids got to see and talk to Emiratis like never before. It was a rare moment when there were not several kids out there jumping away.
It also let Bss meet the neighborhood mothers in a way that she never got to before. They would frequently sit out there in the shade, drinking coffee and watching the kids, even though they really couldn't talk (one little girl did some translating sometimes, but mostly they just enjoyed being together).
I was a little reluctant to put it out there, since we couldn't see it from inside, but it seemed to be going really well. Then, on the first day of Eid, we walked out to do some jumping and...
someone that night had taken a knife and cut the center of the trampoline out.
So, now I'm not sure how to take this. Is it just random vandalism like would happen at home? Someone expressing their displeasure with something we did or that they didn't like the Arab kids playing with ours? Someone upset with America? Regardless of the motivation, it is pretty upsetting.
5 comments:
My guess is that it was Arab teenagers doing it in a kind of gang vandalism sort of a way. I think if parents disapproved they would express themselves in a different way (I hope). That said someone once did let my tyre down deliberately, but it was a South Asian person, not an Arab, of this I am fairly certain given who my neighbours were at the time. There were no other Europeans anywhere around, if there had been I would have suspected them just as much.
Your trampoline may even have been damaged by some of the same kids that played on it, or their older siblings, having a "laugh".
Either way, it's a horridly spiteful gesture and I am very sorry for your kids and the others that enjoyed it.
We used to live behind the Oasis Centre in Al Quoz and had similar trouble. We were the only expats within the local community and experienced damage to our cars - they particularly liked to snap the aerials?!
I remember trying to put a doorbell on the main gate as the house was set quite far back into the garden and we couldn't hear our visitors arriving. The local kids rang the bell constantly throughout the night (usually about 3am) for about a week and when they realised I wasn't making a fuss about it, they tore it off completely! We bought another one but it lasted just under an hour before disappearing once again!
In the end we had to live without the doorbell and make sure we parked our cars inside.
Like SD said, it'll be local teenagers for sure.
That is about what I figure too. I think that thing that you always are unsure of is motivation. If someone at home did this, then I would just think that they were jerks (or stronger words, but you get the idea). But here, you wonder if you are being singled out. I prefer to think that it is just fun to destroy things and some people can't stop from enjoying themselves.
I am sorry that this happened to you. But let me tell you one thing about Al Ain people. If they don't like you, they won't say hi to you or give you a minute unless they had to for some reason.
And for sure if they didn't like you, the women won't mingle with "expats" . Al Ain people have kept the bedouin ways, they treat those who did them a favour or treated them like royal, they would go out of their way to pay you back.
I would suspect that it was just a badly mannered teenagers who thought they might get away with it as they are doing to a "non local".
I am a local, in our ex neighbourhood, we got alot of that, specially aerials snapping and the scratching of the car etc etc.
When I saw that picture, I intially wondered about sun damaging the elasticity of the trampoline, then I read the post.
too bad the kids can't enjoy it anymore. I hope you find out who did it, I would be interested to find out the reaction of the neighbours.
i hatm a-rabs they have no respect. that was vary immiture. when i frist sau ur pic i though it was from the kids not takeing there shoes off to go on the trampoline but i am sorry that happend to u
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