Ma'a salama Saudi!

So, this is the last post from Jeddah. Originally, I was meant to stay for about 6 months or so, but it seems that 4 is my limit. In all honesty, Saudi Arabia is a challenging place to live in, especially if you are young, western and female. I guess that now that it's behind me, it's time to evaluate the experience.
It's not something I could just label as "good" or "bad". Very few things are like that, anyway. Being in Saudi Arabia took me light years out of my comfort zone. From the moment I set foot in Jeddah, I had to adapt to a completely alien lifestyle, one that I probably would have never even imagined existed, had my family not been confronted with it. It's quite odd living within, and yet completely apart from, a society as secretive as Saudi's. Before arriving, I had hoped to get some serious insight into Saudi Arabia's culture and society, but, in the end, I barely got a glimpse of it. Even though I left the confines of the compound as often as possible and was surrounded by these people, they remained completely shrouded in their blacks and mystery. It doesn't have much to do with the fact that I only stayed for 4 months. You could spend a lifetime in Saudi Arabia as an expat and never enter a local household. That's just the way it is, and it was a pretty big disappointment for me.
Despite the many challenges, I think I managed to make the best of it. I used all this excess free time to indulge in activities I probably wouldn't have had much time for in "real life". I experienced living in a unique cultural environment and gained plenty of perspective from it. I learnt to cope with the most frustrating rules and restrictions with a dose of humour. And I came home with a bunch of great anecdotes. Not a complete waste of 4 months I would say...
The three things I will miss most from Saudi Arabia are my family, the diving and Hellenic Hijab. I had a great time working on this blog and I wrap it up with a sense of loss. Perhaps I'll write a post or two on one of my future visits to Saudi, but this is officially the end of Hellenic Hijab. A big thank you to all the people who subscribed to me, and anyone who took the time to read even one post. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I have :)

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Saudi Stuff

Here's a small, random collection of some of the funniest things I've come across here: from products you'd be hard-pushed to find anywhere else, to exclusively Saudi situations!

Here, for example, we have the entrance to a marina, with separate entrances for men and women, clearly marked, to avoid mingling of the two sexes. The fact that the entrances lead to the exact same pathway obviously has no significance, whatsoever. 

Abaya shampoo! Because we wouldn't want to see our favourite blacks fading out now, would we?

 Uh-oh, this looks dangerous. Time to call in CSI Jeddah. Meanwhile, if any ladies are interested in contacting one of these young villains, a BlackBerry Messenger pin is provided. Seriously, this is how teenagers flirt around here. When a boy sees a girl who seems to have potential under her wrappings, he walks by her and quickly mutters his BBM pin out of the corner of his mouth. If he's lucky the girl will offer hers as well, and the flirty texts will commence.  These exchanges usually happen in malls and supermarkets. Other techniques for boys include "writing my BBM pin in huge letters on my car in the hopes that some girl will dig my ride and hit me up", and the all time favourite "calling random mobile numbers at all hours in search of a female voice".

Tired of swimming with your abaya dragging you down? Thanks to this modern burqini (burqa + bikini), it is now possible to enjoy the beach and preserve your modesty. (Note that this is actually way too radical to actually be worn on a public beach around here. From what I've seen, women generally just sit on the sand fully covered and watch the men prance around enjoying themselves.)

So it was prayer time in the furniture store, and this salesman decided to take a refreshing nap on the merchandise. When I first came here, I thought this sort of thing was pretty remarkable, until I realised that the same rule that applies for picnicking applies for sleeping, as well: it's acceptable anywhere. 

 

These signs are found on virtually every escalator in every mall. Apparently, getting the apostrophe right is an issue. Even so, I think it's good advice, considering how often I trip over my own abaya. 

The "water fountain" at the souk. For a drink of water just fill the tin cup hanging from the barrel. Everyone uses the same one, so it really strengthens your immune system. Sharing is caring!

In the album covers of this box set,  Amy Whinehouse brazenly shows off her bare arms, knees and collarbone. Thankfully, someone went through all the boxes in the store and scribbled over the uncovered areas with marker, saving us from this disgusting display of promiscuity.

Same with all these bathing suit-wearing mothers on the outside of these inflatable toys' boxes. There were practically hundreds of boxes in the store, so I couldn't help but wonder if they hire people especially for this purpose. It could be a legitimate profession in this country: "Unveiled Woman Scribbler". It would actually be really good for the economy, as it would create thousands of job positions, while simultaneously helping the promotion of morality.

Daily Life

So far, I've only posted about the interesting things I've been seeing and doing since I came to Saudi Arabia, but haven't talked about life on an everyday basis. Now that the novelty of living here has started to wear off, I think it's about time I covered this topic. Not that it's especially fascinating.
I spend most of my days in the compound, as there isn't much to do outside of it anyway, except go to a mall or the occasional restaurant. If you're not working or going to school here, it's incredibly easy to get bored, so I've tried to fill my days with as many activities as possible. Since I came here I have basically  become that kid we all knew in elementary school, whose overbearing mom made him/her do about a billion extra-curricular activities, from basketball to Swahili workshops for kids. My "extra-curriculars" include  Arabic, Spanish and tennis lessons, training in Tae Kwon Do three times a week and going to the gym. I also took a photography course a couple of months ago, and of course there's scuba diving at the weekends. All this keeps me relatively busy.
A typical day goes something like this: I wake up round 10.00 and go to the gym, do a light work-out for about an hour, then return home to study Arabic or Spanish. After that I just kill time until evening rolls around, which is when all the other activities take place.
I really enjoy doing all these different things. After all, when else will I have this sort of opportunity? The problem is, this routine becomes dull after a while. What's also incredibly frustrating, is not having anyone around my age to interact with. I've been here for 4 months or so, and I've barely met any young people. Most young expats leave the country the minute they graduate school, which is hardly surprising. That leaves me in the company of myself and my family.  Both fine in moderation, but after a while it drives you up the wall.
Life in Jeddah is hardly the dream-lifestyle of an 18 year old. Even so, I believe that stepping out of your comfort zone and trying out a different way of life is always beneficial.  If it's good it's wonderful, if it's bad it's experience. 

Flying Saudi Style

Most people don't ever get the chance to travel to Saudi Arabia, due to the country's extremely strict visa-issuing policy.   However, if you ever fly with Saudi Airlines (aka SAUDIA), you'll certainly get a small taste of what it's all about.  So far I've travelled with SAUDIA a few times, and each trip I marvel at how the uniqueness of this particular country is reflected, simply in the space of an aircraft. You're probably wondering how flying with a certain airline can possibly have any cultural significance whatsoever. Well, here you have it.

The first sign you're not in a typical aeroplane comes right before taxiing for takeoff. A recorded message informs you that you are about to hear a prayer which Prophet Muhammad recited before embarking on a journey, and immediately a deep, stern voice blares through the speakers: "Allah o akbar. Allah o akbar. Allah o akbar". After having established that Allah is indeed great, the prayer goes on for about a minute or so, with most of the passengers mouthing along in unison. Only after having obtained God's protection can the plane leave the ground safely.
During the flight movies are projected on the screen and, by plugging your headset into the armrest and tuning into the correct channel, you can watch whatever is showing. Nothing unusual about that. Of course, the airline isn't permitted to show anything even remotely haram, ruling out romance, unveiled women and probably pork-eating as well. This leaves a pretty limited range of movies. They always show a mini-documentary about Mecca, which I've already seen 3 times, and I've also caught a short animation film with some weird, blobby creatures that wear veils a couple of times. Not my first choice of films, but they help pass the time. What's really remarkable though, is what happens when one of the five prayer times rolls around. Yesterday, for example, I was watching the lame documentary about the Loch Ness Monster they were showing, when all of a sudden the buttons on my armrest started flashing red. Instantly, the hazy images of Nessie gave way to a compass indicating the direction of Mecca, and the mullah's call to evening prayer blasted through my earphones. When I tried to save myself from the cacophony by changing to a different channel, I found it was stuck on this specific one and I had to wait for the prayer to be over in order to listen to anything else. And that is why you should never, ever travel with a half-charged iPod, especially on SAUDIA flights.
Besides that, there's an announcement a half hour before the plane reaches a certain zone around Mecca (no aircrafts are permitted to fly directly above the holy city), so the passengers who wish to pray may prepare to do so. Some of the larger aeroplanes even have special prayer areas for this purpose.
While we're on the subject of passengers, I think it's worth mentioning the type of people I usually travel towards Jeddah with, regardless of the airline. Because Jeddah is the gateway to Mecca, all Hajj* and Umrah** pilgrimes pass through the city, however fleetingly. These people come from  all over the world, even from the most remote places you never even knew existed, to fulfill the journey of a lifetime. It's really an experience traveling alongside African women draped in endless folds of colourful fabric and wizened old men with henna-dyed orange beards, wearing nothing but the two towel-like sheets (ihram)  required for the pilgrimage. Many of these people have never flown before, judging by their disoriented behavior, and I've been on flights that have been delayed up to an hour due to the time it took to persuade them to get out of the seats they have chosen for themselves and strapped into their assigned ones. Even so, their determination to step out of their comfort zone and reach Mecca is quite admirable.
Despite these small oddities, which really don't affect the passenger much, SAUDIA flights are generally enjoyable, and the great quality of Middle-Eastern hospitality is evident throughout the whole thing. From the Arabic tea you are offered right after take-off to the multiple course meals with a choice of three different types of meat and the thick, wooly blankets. On longer filghts you even get a kit containing a toothbrush and toothpaste, a sleeping mask and an extra pair of socks. And all this is just in economy class.  So, all in all, it's a very luxurious affair. Saudis may have many faults, but when it come to pampering themselves they do it best!

* Hajj: it is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is currently the largest annual pilgrimage in the world, and is a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so.

**Umrah: Pilgrims can also go to Mecca to perform the rituals at other times of the year. This is sometimes called the "lesser pilgrimage", or Umrah.

 

Souvlaki & Mutaween

Today was my first encounter with a muttawa, a member of Saudi Arabia's religious police. The religious police force is often called hay'ah, which in English translates into "the Commission", a shortened version of "the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of  Vices". As you can imagine, they're a very well-liked bunch by the expat community. After all, who doesn't want to get bullied into complying with the rules of a religion they don't follow?
Anyway, here's what happened. This morning my sister announced that she needed some school supplies. Not having a driver and my father being away on a business trip, a family friend, who is also Greek, offered to drive us all to the bookstore. By the time we were finished shopping, the store was beginning to lock up for prayer time. Walking through the parking lot, I suddenly remembered that someone told me about a Greek souvlaki place right down our street and suggested we go check it out, since it was on our way. The prospect of a taste of home was too exciting for anyone to resist, so we headed over. Luckily, it hadn't closed for prayer yet, so we entered. Not surprisingly, a group of Filipino guys were behind the counter, working the skewer and wrapping the souvlaki. We ordered, and when the employees found out we were Greek, they engaged us in conversation, telling us that their boss is in Greece now, that he is planning on opening another restaurant in Jeddah, asking us how long we've been here etc etc. We were blissfully unaware that it was officially prayer time, until someone whispered forcefully "Muttawa!".  The man who was talking to us leaped over to close the shades, but it was too late. The door was already open and the muttawa was standing outside in all his bearded glory. Accompanying him was a big guy in military attire, a surly expression on his face. 
The muttawa did all the talking. First, he confronted the restaurant employees for not locking up for prayer time. They were very apologetic, but didn't look too worried, especially when a young Saudi employee from one of the neighbouring shops jumped in to defend them. It seemed as if he was saying something along the lines of  "Never mind them, they're Filipinos, they're clueless when it comes to our ways". Next, he rounded on our family friend. He very pointedly avoided looking at us women, as that would hardly qualify as "promoting virtue".  Squinting menacingly, he asked, "Inklish?
"Yes, sorry, no Arabic."
"She wife?" the muttawa demanded.
"Of course!",  our friend replied cheerfully. "We've only been in Saudi Arabia for a little while, this is the first time she's come out of the house", he continued to lie through his teeth.
"In Saudia, women cover hair", the muttawa declared in a didactic tone. 
I could practically feel my hair audaciously grow two sizes in the humidity, as if protesting this comment, so I quickly wrapped my hijab around it as best as I could. It looked totally sloppy, but it was enough to save everyone from the promiscuity that is my hair. Apparently.
"You Germany?" , he asked next. (We all have dark hair and complexions so I have no idea how he came up with that)
"No, no, Yunani!", our friend proclaimed with pride, using the Arabic word for "Greek".
Now, people in Saudi Arabia have always greeted our Greek nationality with enthusiasm. I'm not sure why, but they really like us. I never expected this to happen, though. The muttawa's savage face immediately broke into a huge yellow grin and he exclaimed: "Welcome, Welcome!", shaking our friend's hand vigorously. And just like that, the scolding was over.  The muttawa and his crony returned to their vehicle and left to prevent vice occurring elsewhere.
So, that was my first run-in with a muttawa. I had heard stories of people getting arrested or beaten by the religious police, even of a British man who was dragged forcefully to the mosque to pray, so I definitely wasn't expecting it to be such a mild encounter. To be honest, I was half-hoping for a bit more drama. Nothing too serious, maybe a bit of yelling in incomprehensible Arabic. Anyway, it was still an interesting experience, and we were actually very lucky to get away with it so easily.
Oh yeah, I did have souvlaki in the end. It was excellent.

Bahrain Photos

I wasn't able to add many photos to my last post about Bahrain, so here are some more pictures I'd like to share. First some from the interior of Al-Fateh Grand Mosque:

The courtyard in early evening, as seen from one of the mosque's stairwells.

Men performing al-maghrib, the prayer that begins as the sun sets. Women pray in a separate, much smaller room. Notice the horizontal stripes on the carpet. They exist to ensure the devout pray in an orderly fashion.

The magnificent chandelier from Austria. In fact, most (if not all) of the materials used for the construction of this mosque were imported: the carpet was woven in Ireland, the marble was extracted in Italy and the doors are made of Indian teak wood.

In the last post, I only mentioned the jewellery stores found in Gold City, but there are also a fair few tourist shops, literally overflowing with unique souvenirs, like shishas, belly dancing outfits, containers for henna body paint, prayer rugs, genie lamps, arabian tea sets, even pricey antiques. The clutter in these stores was unbelievable. I'm still amazed I didn't knock anything down, although one of the shopkeepers actually broke a porcelain camel while skipping around showing us his "happy, happy prices". Take a look:

 

Lots of great faux-arabian jewellery if you're not prepared to dish it out for the real deal.

Our second day in Bahrain, we decided to check out Muharraq, an island just 7km from Manama, easily accessible by car. It's also where Bahrain's International airport is located. The concierge back at the hotel had mentioned "The Lagoon" as a nice area to walk around and have lunch or a coffee.

As you can see, "The Lagoon" is indeed a nice development, with plenty of trendy coffee shops and eateries, but there isn't much walking around to be done. We walked from one end to the other in about ten minutes, so we decided to head off to Muharraq's souk.

The souk in Muharraq is nothing to write home about, just another flea market. While walking around the area though, we ended up in some neighborhood, where we slightly intruded in the locals' everyday lives. I'm pretty sure camera-bearing westerners aren't a frequent occurence in these parts, but almost everyone had a friendly, albeit confused, smile for us.

Paying a visit as evening settles over Muharraq.

Doodles on a crumbling wall.

Peeking into someone's... home(?)

There was even a fass food joint. We decided to pass, though.

Back in Manama, the city's trademark building, the Bahrain World Trade Centre. It's the first building worldwide to feature power-generating wind turbines suspended between two towers. 

And, Manama's skyline....

Manama Moments

Last week I was in Manama, Bahrain. Manama is a very popular destination amongst Saudis, because it's something of a libertarian zone very close to home. Just a short plane ride, or a few hours drive and they have unlimited access to all those pleasures they are denied back in the Kingdom: from the most innocent things, like cinemas or western clothing for the women, to alcohol consumption and commercial sex, it's all there for the tourist to enjoy. According to the local taxi drivers, weekends are a bit of a nightmare for them, as thousands of Saudis flock into the country, many of them on their worst behaviour. However, this isn't to say that all Saudis go to Bahrain looking to get wasted and sleazy. Plenty are just there for a breath of fresh air, so to speak.

My family and I probably belong to the latter category of tourists. It was really nice being in a slightly westernised, liberal environment, while still getting some insight into the Middle-East. I found Manama to be something in between Dubai and Jeddah. Despite its best efforts and even with its plethora of entertainment venues, Manama is less flashy and cosmopolitan than Dubai. Thanks to a lack of a substantial amount of western tourists and expatriates, the city has managed to preserve a great part of its cultural heritage, but it's not as, well...primitive, as Jeddah. The streets aren't littered with rubble and trash, shops aren't obligated to close for prayer time, women in mini skirts are no big deal. I'm thinking it's probably easier for a westerner to adapt to life in Bahrain, but again, Saudi Arabia makes for a more authentic Middle-Eastern experience.

Anyhow, here is my "Best of Bahrain" list: 

• Al-Fateh Grand Mosque

This was the first time I had ever entered a mosque, since in Saudi Arabia infidels like me are barely welcome within the perimeter of one. The Al-Fateh Islamic Centre though, welcomes all, Muslims and non-believers alike. Entrance is free of charge and we had our own personal tour guide, who not only filled us in on information regarding the mosque, but was also eager to answer questions concerning any aspect of Islamic faith.

The mosque itself is simultaneously simple and an architectural beauty. As the name suggests, it's very spacious, being able to accommodate about 7.000 worshippers at a time. We were lead through a courtyard with marble floor, into the main prayer room, which was virtually bare. There was plush wall-to-wall carpet, a pulpit, from which Islamic scholars deliver sermons, and a niche in the marble wall, which indicates the direction of Mecca. Other than that, the only ornament was the elaborate chandelier imported from Vienna. I don't know about other mosques, but in Al-Fateh I found that there's this incredible serenity, making it an ideal place to pray and reflect upon oneself.

After a general tour of the mosque, we sat in the main prayer room with our tour guide and engaged in a spirited conversation about Islam. He seemed anxious to eliminate any misconceptions we may have as westerners exposed to constant negative propaganda about his faith, and he answered all our questions, even the ones meant to challenge him, in a patient and straightforward manner. I can't say I agreed with everything he said, but this discussion definitely helped me gain a better understanding of Islam and the Muslim way of thinking, and that was the point of it. All in all, the visit to Al-Fateh Mosque was a very valuable experience, one I truly enjoyed.

• Manama Souk

Like pretty much any city in the Middle-East, Manama has its own souk. This one happens to be a bit different from Jeddah's. The "concept" is the same, of course: several blocks of shops with the merchandise displayed out on the street. On the outskirts of Manama's souk though, there are many stores selling souvenirs, your typical "I <heart> Bahrain/Manama" T-Shirts, magnets, shot glasses, whatever, the type of thing you would have no chance finding in Jeddah, as there's really no tourism. Well, except for the millions of Hajj pilgrims, but I've never seen an "I <heart> Mecca T-shirt. Which is a shame really, I'm sure they'd be big sellers around here. Anyway. Some parts of the souk in Manama are a bit touristy, but as you progress further into the heart of it, things change completely, and you get to see Manama's huge Indian community. Arabic gives way to Hindi or Punjabi, abayas to saris, and within a few minutes you feel as if you've stepped into a neighbourhood in India. The stores in this part of the souk cater more to everyday needs, selling pots and pans, tools, colourful clothing and fabrics. There are also plenty of sweet shops, where you can buy delicious Indian treats like jalebi or gulab jamun. I always like visiting this sort of local market, because that's where you really get to feel the vibe of a place.

•  Bahraini Pearls

In a different part of Manama's souk you'll find Gold City, a mini-mall with stores that sell mainly (you guessed it) gold jewellery. Gold isn't what attracts the tourists, though. It's Bahrain's most famous heritage item, the genuine Bahraini pearl. We ventured into one of the many jewellery shops that sell them, where the shopkeeper proudly presented us with a selection of gorgeous pearls, some of them no bigger than a grain of rice. He eagerly explained to us how pearls are formed: when something, ie a grain of sand or a piece of shell, enters an oyster's soft inner body, the creature, irritated, starts coating the foreign object with layers of a smooth, hard, crystalline substance, called "nacre", thus forming the pearl. There has always been an abundance of pearls in Bahrain's waters and the pearl-diving industry was thriving on the island long before oil was struck. Today, the pearl is mostly a national icon, with little economic importance. Now pearl-diving "expeditions" are often carried out by tourists decked out in snorkels and fins, and plenty of them actually find their very own Bahraini pearl to take home.