Saudi silliness

I was telling this story on my recent holiday and it got some incredulous looks. I sometimes forget that things that I have become accustomed to are really quite strange and worth sharing. 

The story is that I have to have a man collect me at the airport due to my single female status! Sometimes they let me walk right through, other times they hold my passport until this guy comes to sign me out. 

As if this isn't ridiculous enough, the man has to be Saudi. So my driver, who has been in the country for almost 30 years, can't sign me out as he is Morroccan. This means that they send two guys to fetch me upon my return from travel. 

I try to focus on the luxuriousness of it so I don't get irritated with the insanity! I call my driver when I arrive and he sends in the Saud. This guy collects my passport then my luggage and schleps it outside where he loads it into my car, hands me off to my driver and then leaves.

As if this isn't silly enough, the guy looks like a ragman! So this is my immediate reminder that I am no longer in the land of the free. Sets the mindset immediately upon arrival, any Saudi male is innately above me in the pecking order here! 

Saying goodbye to my parents was lousy, I'm back in the sandpit now. Hope to travel to the states soon. Missing my friends and family is the hardest part of this adventure. I'm thankful I've met some great people here! Will be just as hard to say goodbye to them when this trip ends. I'm lucky to have such good friends.