After extensively researching the kingdom and discussing with my husband who had travelled over to KSA and started his new position prior to my arrival, I had a rough idea of what to expect when I got over there… an uber conservative Muslim country where females are required to wear an abaya (full body black dress) and a hijab (head scarf), must be escorted by a male, and prohibited from driving, in addition to the ban on pork, alcohol, movie theaters… the list continues. A complete 180 from my career driven, pro female empowerment self where I was raised to believe I could do anything that any man could, of course! This was going to be one heck of a cultural change.
After boarding my direct flight on Saudia airlines out of JFK and watching a handful of females in burkas (only eyes visible) object to their assigned seats which had them placed next to males who were not their husband, I knew I was in for quite a change. Luckily, it was very apparent that the airline was used to handling this situation and quickly re seated the females where they did not have to sit next to any man. I wondered how these poor flight attendants possibly handled this situation when the flight was full. There was also an absurd amount of carry on luggage per person brought on. Although the flight wasn’t near being full, the overhead bins quickly filled and the excess had to be checked. This caused heated arguments in Arabic with the flight crew. Although the airline stipulates one handbag and carry on per person, each passenger must have thought the rule didn’t apply to them particularly. Although, I again, felt so bad for the flight attendants just trying to do their job and get the luggage stowed, I am perplexed to this day as to why they would allow people to bring on multiple bags per person in the first place.
Once we got past boarding, the flight was infinitely better that any domestic experience I’ve had, as almost all international flights usually are. After the safety instructions followed by the commencement Quran prayer played over the individual seat back screens concluded, warm towels, tea, coffee, and snacks were served followed immediately by dinner which, as far as airplane food goes, was delightful - Cheese Lasagna (don’t eat meat anymore). I did take note, as I would on several future flights in and out of the kingdom, that the male to female ratio was skewed significantly to the bearded sided. I was one of three western looking females on the entire Boeing 777, the only with blonde hair which made me feel like I stuck out like a sore thumb… I was actually relieved that I would be covering my head once arriving so I could blend in a bit more.
The flight went fast as it was an overnight and I slept through most of it. After I finished breakfast, I grabbed my recently purchased abaya and hijab and headed to the bathroom to throw them over my clothes. On the way, I passed a curtained off area where rows of seats had been removed to create an area for prayer. An attendant manned the area to ensure men entered first, and once they concluded and exited, the women were granted access separately. Muslims wash their feet and hands prior to prayer. The result of this left the bathroom looking as though a fire hose had sprayed down the small space, as well as the carpet leading up to the door. I threw my black cloak on and was out of there in no time. I noticed the other western women had also put on their abayas.
The plane arrived in the middle of the night, Riyadh time, which is eight hours ahead of the East coast. It seemed as though multiple flights arrived at the same time; the customs lines were packed with migrant workers from India, Pakistan, and the Philippines. The Saudi residents had their own priority line right next to the visa (expat/ migrant worker) line. I took my spot amongst the, mostly all, men in line, but was quickly pulled out and sent to the front of the, now empty, Saudi line – being a female had actually helped a bit I thought. Until I realized there were still a handful of Indian and Pilipino women in the same winding line I had just been pulled out of. I would later come to understand the racial hierarchy and segregation in the Kingdom, but at this point in time, I was rather confused as to why I had been sent to the front of the line.
I passed through customs with my shiny new, full passport page, visa and corresponding Arabic entry stamp and was given a strongly worded notice not to traffic any drugs in the Kingdom - noted. I said Shukran (thank you), one of about three Arabic words I knew, to the Saudi Customs agent who seemed pleased with my attempt at the language and moved on to baggage.
There was no shortage of workers to help with loading and carrying luggage (working for tips). If anything, the supply outweighed the demand, and the workers became quite forceful about helping with your luggage. I then moved on to the baggage screening. I fretted quite a bit about what to bring into KSA as I had read that pg13+ DVD’s, books, magazines, and anything religious or having to do with western holidays could and would be confiscated, but the screener didn’t look the least bit concerned with my luggage or anyone else’s for that matter. I didn’t see one bag unzipped. I finally met my designated male chauffer, my husband, and we started our journey to the expat compound we would call home for the next year - our adventure together was beginning!
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