Saudi Arabia, I hardly knew ye

I have now been here for two weeks. It feels like two months. Without the Iqama, we cannot commit to housing, or a car, or anything else necessary to making a life here. The iqama should be in place soon, we are told, but when? Until then, we are in limbo. We are living out of a hotel. We don't have a kitchen, we don't have any privacy. The connection to the internet is often down. I am the only wife here (since I'm pregnant I was on a tighter traveling schedule than the other wives, they made an exception to allow me in) so there is a huge female void. (All male pilots, you ask? Yes, because female pilots are not allowed to fly in Saudi Arabia!)

In new cities, I love touring on foot and taking in the sights and sounds. Unfortunately, as a woman I am prohibited from such activities. There are separate entrances to all the eating establishments-- Singles (meaning bachelors or men without their wives) and Families (Women and children). If I happen to sit in the Singles section by accident, I can be arrested for prostitution. In fact, the first time Jeff and I went to a fast food restaurant and sat in the wrong place, four employees jumped up shouting and waving their hands, shooing us out of there and banishing us to the upstairs family section.

People like to stare here. I have been in (Far East) Asia and even back home, where people have stared at me, but it has occurred pretty infrequently as to not really be bothersome. Over here, I feel like a circus freakshow. I think any woman who doesn't wear a headscarf gets the same stares, but it sure doesn't make me feel any better. Jeff doesn't get the same stares, even though he is tall and Caucasian. I would think that I could blend in better than he, but he's not as noticeable probably just because he is a man.

These are not the type of embarrassed, or discreet stares. These are full-on, making eye contact, follow you from left to right type of stares. The most disconcerting are the ones in the hypermarkets, with women covered head-to-toe in black with the veils, with only eye slits showing. You don't know they are watching you, but then all of a sudden, you see the whites of their eyes moving the same direction as you are.

By the way, hypermarkets are these great places, with names like Carrefour and Geant. They are like Targets or Wal-Marts, I guess, but supersized. Groceries and electronics and clothing, and everything else you could need, laid out in huge, clean, organized spaces. We often time our visits to coincide with the prayer lock-ins so that we can browse around since you can't do anything else during prayertime (we Americans and our efficiency!)

The best part about these past two weeks has been spending time with Jeff. I've also gotten to know the fellow pilots and they are warm, funny people. We have the instant bond that is created when you're all stuck in the same situation.