Ok, so let's recap..... I need a change so I decide to travel over 4,000 miles away to Saudi Arabia, a country where women are treated as second class citizens, they have to be covered from head to toe when they leave the house (the abaya, a black dress), they cannot marry unless they have the permission of the family, they cannot drive, they cannot eat in restaurants unless it has a family section (screened area), they have separate entrances in banks and McDonalds and the death penalty (decapitating) and hand chopping off is law!!! mmmmm, was this a good idea.
The BA flight to Riyadh landed at 9pm and as I looked around the plane I noticed only 5 women on it, was this how the next 12 months were going to be "A Man's World"?
I step into the airport with my passport and visa stating I was not permitted to work (this is the norm so I am told due to the cost of getting a work visa and most workers giving up in the first three months because of the working conditions) and start to sweat, "What if they stop me?", "What if know one shows up to collect me?", "What if I can't answer any of their questions?". Ok, just get in the queue (of only men) breathe and smile! (Is smiling allowed, I never checked! It didn't say it wasn't in my little handbook.)
A guard tapped me on the shoulder "OMG, they know about my visa!" He ushered me to the front of the queue. Every man's eyes in that queue were on me. Now I was really panicking, electronic finger scanning, check passport, check visa. "Ahhhh you're British. Enjoy your stay"...... phew I was in!!! Or was I? I stood waiting for my bag when a man in a long white dress and a red and white tea towel on his head approached me. "Maybe I'm not safe just yet", stay calm. "Hi Tanya" he said looking at my picture on a piece of paper that he had in his hand. "I'm Faisal and I'm here to drive you to your accommodation"....... And breathe..........
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