When a Stranger in a Niqab Rescued Me
I was stuck. Not on the Wordle word of the day. Not on how to escape from a boring conversation at a party. Not even on how to complete my tax return. I was a white girl with about five words of Arabic, stuck with nowhere to go and no-one to help me, in a big city in Yemen.
I was at the tail end of a fascinating six weeks travelling around that beautiful country. It was the kind of place where you felt you’d stepped back a thousand years into something like Arabian Nights. It was thrilling. I’d been travelling from city to city, visiting friends of friends, using the local bus service and in public, always wearing a hijab and abaya (a long black overdress). I’d gained confidence in managing by myself, felt very safe and was treated very respectfully. Putting on a hijab is an artform which I’d nailed. Getting the right amount of tension in the wrapping so that it doesn’t slip off, let a strand of hair peek out, and declare you to be immodest!
Obsessed with Shiny Things
It was a f-a-n-c-y bathroom.
It was very impressive, given the family was struggling financially. It was at the front of the house and particularly designed to impress guests. Everything was ‘gold’. The basin looked like marble. The lighting was soft and flattering. But the toilet didn’t flush and the taps didn’t work. When this experience was recounted to me I chuckled with understanding. All the money had been spent on the fittings and shiny things, and there was none left to connect a water supply and make the bathroom functional. Strange, yet not at all strange.
In Arab culture, it has to look good. Appearance is everything and brings honour. Even in a refugee’s home, where they can only afford stale bread, I no longer blink an eyelid when I see something fancy in the room where guests are hosted. Perhaps some ruffled, satin curtains? Or a gold (plastic) coffee pot? I am slowly growing to understand this Eastern worldview, reflected in so many Bible passages which describe wealth, jewels, beauty and abundance to communicate significance and honour.
Soundscapes of Irritation… And Hope
My top suggestion for “what to bring if you’re coming to visit the Middle East” is…. silicone earplugs. Not foam ones. Silicone putty ones, that you use for kids with grommets who go swimming. I speak from nine years of trial and error to find a way to a good nights sleep. Sound pollution is not a concept here.