Greetings from Saudisandy
The weather out here in Saudi Arabia right now is utterly heavenly. Amazing how much good weather can affect my mood. I have added more potted plants to my front walkway, including a Frangipani tree that is about ready to open a pink flower. Our upstairs neighbor, Ed, has added more plants as well to his major courtyard garden he started last year in our area. We are easily the prettiest section now in Ferdaws Court. Jim and I have been sitting outside quite a bit in the afternoons and evenings, until we get driven in by flies. The walkway in front of our apartment is very secluded and quiet but lately traffic has picked up with campus workers coming by as well as a few covered women and now and then a Saudi will walk by on his way to his car. Doesn't bother me to be sitting outside in this area in my shorts and I am pleasantly surprised how friendly people are who pass this way. Jim said the walkway I have created with my flowering pots is a draw now. Before I craved the isolation, but if my flowers and potted plants are indeed the draw, and they do make people open and more friendly around here, then we are all the better for it!
I don't read the local ARAB NEWS very often now as I find too much in their paper that I let dampen any good feelings I have at the time. However, yesterday, we bought a paper and I settled in for a read.
The article that captured my attention was a small piece about a situation that occured at a huge women's festival (Janadriya) held at a cultural village in Riyadh. The festival went on for about 3 days. This is a time set aside especially for women and draws hundreds of women, probably thousands, during this 3 day period for this yearly festival. The men as well have their time for such a festival held at the same place and you can get all kinds of information on what goes on for the men during their Janandriya. But, good luck on getting any of the information about the women and their celebration on this festival over the internet. This was the first time I ever saw where Saudi information printed in the Arab News was not available on line, but could only be obtained through the printed word. Unfortunately, I didn't buy the newspaper on the day the information was printed about all the festivities that went on at the women's festsival. This particular paper just had this one piece of news about the festival.
Apparently the women organizers had arranged to rent golf carts to help drive the old and infirm around this huge area during the festival. Their plans called for "trained women to drive these carts". Women are not allowed to drive cars here, but, apparently some had been trained to drive these carts for the festival. Also in women's universities here, golf carts are used to shuttle girls around their campuses. I am assuming that 'trained women' are in charge of driving the female students about the campuses. I really don't believe the students drive the carts themselves. So having the carts for this festival seemed a practical and logical option for moving the old and infirm around a very large space.
At the last minute, the golf carts were denied the women. When the Saudi men use this same cultural village for their gatherings they have the golf carts, but even tho the contract was set up and signed for the same use for the women, it was denied at the last minute. The reason given was safety. Security was "looking out for the safety of the Saudi women and their protection". This reason is given for pretty much all restrictions on women in this country. Just another illustration of the unreasonable cultural rules and restrictions that make no sense in this country.
I was talking to Ed yesterday and he is just a wealth of information about the Saudi culture. We swap stories. I give the female side of life here and he gives the male side. Ed is fluent in Arabic and has close contact both professionally and socially with his students. I found it very interesting to hear how strongly his students feel on this subject of women driving is this country . The majority of his students are very much against giving women this freedom as they deeply believe that the women in their families would become "whores and sluts" once they get behind the wheel of a car. This is a belief that his students expressed about their own mothers and sisters. Ed has lived and worked here for 15-16 years and his fluent Arabic enables him to have some amazing interactions with Saudi men and several Saudi families.
On a lighter note, I was opening the glass door to our front patio last night, and felt something hit my shoulder. I thought it was a leaf or something, but then it pushed off on its own and flew up the wall of the living room and clung to the wall. It was a Gecko, about 8 inches long! He must have been just outside , high up on the glass door, and somehow I knocked him off, to my shoulder. Well, Jim tried to capture him, but..... I have no idea if this little Gecko is still in the house or not. He is welcome, maybe he will eat the occasional cockroach. Ah, desert living!
I don't read the local ARAB NEWS very often now as I find too much in their paper that I let dampen any good feelings I have at the time. However, yesterday, we bought a paper and I settled in for a read.
The article that captured my attention was a small piece about a situation that occured at a huge women's festival (Janadriya) held at a cultural village in Riyadh. The festival went on for about 3 days. This is a time set aside especially for women and draws hundreds of women, probably thousands, during this 3 day period for this yearly festival. The men as well have their time for such a festival held at the same place and you can get all kinds of information on what goes on for the men during their Janandriya. But, good luck on getting any of the information about the women and their celebration on this festival over the internet. This was the first time I ever saw where Saudi information printed in the Arab News was not available on line, but could only be obtained through the printed word. Unfortunately, I didn't buy the newspaper on the day the information was printed about all the festivities that went on at the women's festsival. This particular paper just had this one piece of news about the festival.
Apparently the women organizers had arranged to rent golf carts to help drive the old and infirm around this huge area during the festival. Their plans called for "trained women to drive these carts". Women are not allowed to drive cars here, but, apparently some had been trained to drive these carts for the festival. Also in women's universities here, golf carts are used to shuttle girls around their campuses. I am assuming that 'trained women' are in charge of driving the female students about the campuses. I really don't believe the students drive the carts themselves. So having the carts for this festival seemed a practical and logical option for moving the old and infirm around a very large space.
At the last minute, the golf carts were denied the women. When the Saudi men use this same cultural village for their gatherings they have the golf carts, but even tho the contract was set up and signed for the same use for the women, it was denied at the last minute. The reason given was safety. Security was "looking out for the safety of the Saudi women and their protection". This reason is given for pretty much all restrictions on women in this country. Just another illustration of the unreasonable cultural rules and restrictions that make no sense in this country.
I was talking to Ed yesterday and he is just a wealth of information about the Saudi culture. We swap stories. I give the female side of life here and he gives the male side. Ed is fluent in Arabic and has close contact both professionally and socially with his students. I found it very interesting to hear how strongly his students feel on this subject of women driving is this country . The majority of his students are very much against giving women this freedom as they deeply believe that the women in their families would become "whores and sluts" once they get behind the wheel of a car. This is a belief that his students expressed about their own mothers and sisters. Ed has lived and worked here for 15-16 years and his fluent Arabic enables him to have some amazing interactions with Saudi men and several Saudi families.
On a lighter note, I was opening the glass door to our front patio last night, and felt something hit my shoulder. I thought it was a leaf or something, but then it pushed off on its own and flew up the wall of the living room and clung to the wall. It was a Gecko, about 8 inches long! He must have been just outside , high up on the glass door, and somehow I knocked him off, to my shoulder. Well, Jim tried to capture him, but..... I have no idea if this little Gecko is still in the house or not. He is welcome, maybe he will eat the occasional cockroach. Ah, desert living!
posted by saudisandy at
9:51 AM
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