The other day my husband and I were visiting friends on a large western compound. For security reasons guests cannot bring their vehicles into the compound but instead have to park outside the gates and walk to the respective residence. We did not mind at all and enjoyed the walk. At the end of the evening we were getting ready to go and our gracious hostess was telling us to wait, that she would take us. Of course we responded there was no need for her to walk with us; we’d be fine. Again she remarked, ‘no, no wait. I will take you.’ My spouse and I looked at each other and thought, okay, we did not want to hurt her feelings. She grabbed a set of keys which we assumed were to lock the door. Instead she led us to her car and proceeded to get in the drivers seat. A neighbor also joined us and entered the back seat. So there we were…my husband insisted I sit up front with my friend and he also got in the back seat.
Who would have thought it…in conservative Riyadh we were driven by a foreign woman in her car with me in the front seat and my Saudi spouse enjoying the ride through the compound to the gate!
Filed under: culture, gender, relationships, Saudi Arabia, Saudi culture, Saudi customs, travel, Uncategorized, women driving | 17 Comments »
