I started the day off with the wrong foot! Hurt my knee while jogging-again!-, "so much for listening to doctor`s orders I guess make that NOT listening" :) .Came back home only to find Hiyam sleeping on the floor with every toy in the house around her, she was ice-cold :(, tucked her in her “new” bed, 5 minutes later she woke up and DEMANDED I play with her b4 taking a shower, and so I did naturally.
Later on, I went grocery shopping, as I headed to the cashier, a couple walked-in, the man went to get a cart ?, I pointed out to mine offering him to take it -instead of going all the way to where they were placed-, he thankfully approached and as he got near I smiled and said: “sorry, this 1 is taken!”. He smiled back and realized I was kidding.
He took a few steps then looked back and said -in an American accent- : “you know what, I`ve been here for God knows how long and u r the very 1st person with a sense of humor I get to meet, thanks!” I smiled (sensing where he`s coming from, bcoz it IS rare to find cozy atmosphere around here) and said: “No way! I have met 3 people in 2 years already; you just need to open yr eyes a little bit more”. He waved and walked away smiling
It was a simple event but sure made me think! U see, foreigners where I reside are treated with utmost skepticism, just 4 the sake of it. Peoples here are (mostly) hostile and aggressive. Whenever they notice foreigners, they start pointing, murmuring in a weird -in lack of a better word- way. I hate that! They also start calling them names, by and large bcoz the women are not wearing veils.
I thought of all that while I headed to our car when I spotted a young man throwing a box to the ground, at 1st I though it was a pack of cigarettes, but it turned out to be a small box of perfume. I picked it up and shouted: “Hey young man! U dropped this” and rushed to give it to him -yes! I do that ALL the time- , he looked at me bizarrely and asked me what I wanted. I told him to through it in the near by trash can but he naturally refused. I simply took it and threw it in myself. He was amazed and approached me asking: “y did u do that?” I replied -as I always do- : “y not!”, he left w/o saying a single word.
I`m sitting in a café at the moment, my connection back home is not working and rethinking this whole day! U live u learn I guess!
• I`m writing in English bcoz the key board is Arabicless (a conspiracy! May be :P), but worry u not; I`m teaching a course entitled “Typing in Arabic” this semester and I shall make use of it myself in addition to the students, lol
What a day!
Later on, I went grocery shopping, as I headed to the cashier, a couple walked-in, the man went to get a cart ?, I pointed out to mine offering him to take it -instead of going all the way to where they were placed-, he thankfully approached and as he got near I smiled and said: “sorry, this 1 is taken!”. He smiled back and realized I was kidding.
He took a few steps then looked back and said -in an American accent- : “you know what, I`ve been here for God knows how long and u r the very 1st person with a sense of humor I get to meet, thanks!” I smiled (sensing where he`s coming from, bcoz it IS rare to find cozy atmosphere around here) and said: “No way! I have met 3 people in 2 years already; you just need to open yr eyes a little bit more”. He waved and walked away smiling
It was a simple event but sure made me think! U see, foreigners where I reside are treated with utmost skepticism, just 4 the sake of it. Peoples here are (mostly) hostile and aggressive. Whenever they notice foreigners, they start pointing, murmuring in a weird -in lack of a better word- way. I hate that! They also start calling them names, by and large bcoz the women are not wearing veils.
I thought of all that while I headed to our car when I spotted a young man throwing a box to the ground, at 1st I though it was a pack of cigarettes, but it turned out to be a small box of perfume. I picked it up and shouted: “Hey young man! U dropped this” and rushed to give it to him -yes! I do that ALL the time- , he looked at me bizarrely and asked me what I wanted. I told him to through it in the near by trash can but he naturally refused. I simply took it and threw it in myself. He was amazed and approached me asking: “y did u do that?” I replied -as I always do- : “y not!”, he left w/o saying a single word.
I`m sitting in a café at the moment, my connection back home is not working and rethinking this whole day! U live u learn I guess!
• I`m writing in English bcoz the key board is Arabicless (a conspiracy! May be :P), but worry u not; I`m teaching a course entitled “Typing in Arabic” this semester and I shall make use of it myself in addition to the students, lol
What a day!
though my keyboard is not Arabicless but i will write in English, too.lol
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you wrote about the people from a non-Saudi prospective
Maybe you should write about your experience here more
And God bless Hiam, she seems adorable
:)
أهلا ً وفاء، رجعت "عربيا ً" ما عليك ;)
ReplyDeleteبصراحة، عندي -شبه- ملف عن تأمّلاتي في السعودية (صار لي أكثر من سنتين هنا) و أنوي عرضها في المدوّنة على الوورد بريس. مع أني أخشى أن تُفهم خطأ ً على أنها تحامل و لكنّي سأنشرها :)
هيام شيطون صغير متخفّ ٍ بزي برّاق ، :) ، شكرا ً لكلماتك الجميلة.