In Saudi Arabia

Dana Lee F. Delgado 2 the people are ruled by a king. Arab men wear white garments called thobes, which reach their ankles. Most of them smell of cologne, contrary to popular belief. it is hot during one half of the year, and cold during the other. The temperature can reach up to fifty degrees Celsius during the summer, often causing classes to be suspended. Houses are expected to have air-conditioning. the roads are wide and lined with date trees. Traffic jams are only often caused by reckless drivers, and though such accidents often occur, traffic jams do not last too long. there are no movie theatres.

Dana Lee F. Delgado 3 most people pray five times a day. This is called the sallah, about thirty to forty-five minutes of prayer where all stores close down as calls for worshippers are chanted in Arabic through speaker systems set up on mosques everywhere, simultaneously. People who are not Muslims wait outside until the store-owners return. Arab women wear black garments called abayas, to cover their real clothes. Besides this most of them also cover their hair and faces with black veils, and they wear black gloves and closed shoes. Sometimes children confuse their own mothers with other women. music is hardly heard in public, except perhaps when young Arabs turn up their volumes and drive past, their expensive, tinted sports cars bouncing. the deserts in the outskirts of the cities have red sand. Sometimes camels cross the roads and cause accidents.

Dana Lee F. Delgado 4 faces in billboards are mosaicked, and magazines are censored by the use of black markers, or in some instances by a rosey-colored substance that looks suspiciously like nail polish. Arab men greet each other by kissing each other's cheeks. traffic rules are hardly followed. Drivers tend to inch forward impatiently past red lights, such that if the cars behind them would blow their horns, they would drive straight ahead, thinking that the light has changed. many people gain weight from sitting all day in front of computers or television sets, or from having ample time to try out various recipes in the kitchen. it has been talked about in hushed tones that Arab women occasionally gather in unknown places to hold parties, where they take off their abayas and reveal expensive, provocative outfits that will never be seen out in the streets.

Dana Lee F. Delgado 5 there are stores so brightly lit that one must squint when he or she enters. the food is greasy and richly flavored with Arabic spices. One serving of takeout kabsa rice is often packed in a clear plastic bag, in a volume that can feed a hungry household consisting of five generally healthy members. Roasted chicken is often served with squeezed tomatoes. the temperature had once reached four degrees during the winter. There are occasional hailstorms, in about every four years, leaving unprotected cars deformed. there is a place called Batha'a district, where many Filipinos gather. In it there is a store called "Quiapo" and a restaurant called "Kamayan." There used to be a Jollibee in one dark corner, where they had served delicious mushroom sauce more than ten years ago. some women are fighting for the right to drive their own vehicles.

Dana Lee F. Delgado 6 CDs and DVDs do not reach the stores until about half a year since their original release abroad. When they do reach the stores, the bed scenes and kissing scenes have already been edited out. free food, usually packs of dates, is occasionally distributed in the streets during holidays such as the Eid. there are religious authorities called mutawas whose thobes do not reach their ankles, and who make sure that Islam is followed. They are often seen in shopping areas, or in other public places where there are many people. They must also persuade followers of Islam to go to the mosque during prayer time, but to most non- Muslims living in the kingdom, they are better known for telling women to cover their hair. Bs take the place of Ps because the letter is not in the Arabic alphabet, so that in some walls it is written: "No Barking".

Dana Lee F. Delgado 7 it rains only within the span of about a month. Sometimes it rains during the Christian Holy Week, and children whose families have been secretly practicing their faithwould look up to gray sky and wonder if it were God’s tears falling onto their cheeks. expatriate families do not stay for long, often considering the kingdom only as a stepping stone to reach places farther away on the map. Many farewell parties are thrown within the span of a year. sometimes men would suddenly start yelling out their cellphone numbers to women passing by. people learn to speak different languages. There are Filipino salesmen who wear headsets, demonstrating in Arabic how to use various kitchenware. And then there are Pakistanis and Bangladeshis who would call out from their booths, “Kabayan, mura lang! Bili na!”

Dana Lee F. Delgado 8 men who do not wear beards are presumed to be homosexual, a preference which is for the most part forbidden. For this reason most male expatriates grow facial hair. It is believed that the same presumption is applied to men who wear their hair long, and to men who wear bracelets and necklaces. Such men are reprimanded by the mutawas, and occasionally taken to a place popularly known as the "big tent," where law-breakers are brought to be preached about Islam, perhaps for the purpose of being converted. most schools have separate classrooms for boys and girls. This is also often applied to international schools, though it is strictly mandatory for Arabic schools, such that boys and girls often go to different schools altogether. thieves have their hands cut off, and murderers their heads. the shawarma consists of grilled chicken, garlic, mayonnaise, two strips of fried potatoes, and a strip of pickled cucumber wrapped in round, flat bread.

Dana Lee F. Delgado 9 pork is not allowed, nor alcoholic beverages. This is always announced on the airplane upon landing. Such products that are found in a person’s luggage are immediately confiscated in Customs. For this reason, people have mastered different ways to pack bagoong so that it is inconspicuous enough not to be detected under the X-ray. restaurants are divided into two sections: the singles' section and the family section. Only men are allowed to dine in the singles' section, and in most cases, women must be escorted by their husband or by a male relative before entering the family section. Occasionally some unmarried women are caught dating unmarried men. There are many speculations as to what is done to them upon being discovered. there are occasional sandstorms, where people run inside their homes, wearing surgical masks to cover their noses. But upon stopping to find their keys, they would notice that the world is suddenly a shade of red-brown, like a memory.

Dana Lee F. Delgado 10 not many things are spoken of. Some children would ask for the Arabic translation for the word "love" and not receive an answer from their teachers. the malls are spacious, occupied only by designer boutiques. There are no live performances, and no music is heard, sometimes even in music stores. Malls are hardly crowded. people have their plane tickets reserved before the peak season. Suitcases and Balikbayan boxes are then filled with bars of soap and bottles of shampoo, chocolates and cheese, and many other purchases from promos at grocery stores. There is always that scene at the eve of departure, late into the night, when all the pieces of luggage are mounted onto a heavy-duty weighing scale in the middle of the cluttered living room, to see if they have reached the limited baggage allowance. some airline companies claim tobe “In the Pursutte of the Better For You.”

Dana Lee F. Delgado 11 there are men who sexually harass eight-year-old girls in empty aisles in bookstores. gasoline costs have gone as low as 60 halalas per liter, or 0.60 Saudi riyals. Some people take this as an opportunity for long drives, occasionally reaching the causeway that connects Saudi Arabia to the Kingdom of Bahrain. Under this causeway is the Persian Gulf, and if one looks out the window in the right angle, it would seem as though the car is floating over the sea. almost every Filipino family subscribes to The Filipino Channel. When it was still being aired, no episode of “Pangako Sa ‘Yo” was missed, as with “Meteor Garden”. Episodes were often taped, and copies were lent to those who had no TFC in their homes. men sell women’s lingerie, except in some malls whose top floors are reserved only for women. “What size?” they would ask, keeping quite a straight face.

Dana Lee F. Delgado 12 it is prohibited to practice religions other than Islam. Figurines of Santa Claus found in Customs especially during Christmastime are often smashed, leaving the owner with only its red robe. It is a more serious case, however, for those caught with Bibles and rosaries in their luggage. However, many Christians in Saudi Arabia in fact belong to underground charismatic communities, and often live in apartments with elaborately designed altars. Some jokingly refer to themselves as "smugglers for Christ". the moon is a large, white-yellow sphere sinking low towards the cityscape, watching over the long trails of headlights, taillights, and streetlights. While driving, fathers would point towards the sky, and their children would picture witches flying on brooms across the full moon. plastic bags are cheap, and women occasionally ask for extra bags at the cashier while paying for their groceries. Often these women send the bags to people they love who live miles away.

Dana Lee F. Delgado 13 when the child of an expatriate reaches the age of eighteen, he is no longer considered a dependent of his parents who possess a work visa. Because of this he must apply for his own. By this time, the children of OFWs have already flown back to their home country as college students. Often they simply leave the kingdom for good. But sometimes they apply for a tourist visa, so they can visit and see the new homes their families have moved into after they left. it has also been discussed how some men would occasionally disguise themselves as women by wearing abayas and covering their bearded faces with veils. And then they would pack into a car driven by a man (perhaps) dressed as himself, and pretend to ask random women for directions, before snatching them into the car and taking them away, often to the deserts. women are still not allowed to enter some stores. Occasionally this causes young girls to cry.

Dana Lee F. Delgado 14 during the Christmas season, there are Filipino families who would gather in secret at night to celebrate the misa de gallo. A lay minister would preside, and they would sing the Yuletide carols that they still remember. After the service dinuguang manok would be served with puto, and when the families walk out again into the cold desert night, they would see their breaths suspended in the air, to the children’s awe. young girls are instructed to wear abayas and veils as soon as they grow hips and busts. Occasionally in places like fast food restaurants their parents are approached by mutawas regarding this issue. The mutawas would be polite and mild- mannered, but nevertheless in a few months the young girls would be forced to comply. it is important to learn how to get the message across, so that for the benefit of many there are some establishments called “Ahmad Company for Transilatory from Arabic to English and Opposittee”.

Dana Lee F. Delgado 15 families go out at eight o'clock in the evening. They come home past midnight, and do not immediately go to bed. many Filipinos have mastered the trick to bringing authentic shawarma to the Philippines by removing the pickles and garlic to avoid immediate spoilage and packing it while frozen. Upon arrival it may then be heated inside a rice cooker and introduced to relatives who have never experienced eating a shawarma from the Middle East. there are hardly any clouds, and hardly any stars. Sometimes families would gather in community parks, unrolling mats on the grass and laying on their backs to count stars. In the occasion that the number reaches nine, they would make a wish.

In Saudi Arabia

by University of the Philippines, Diliman on Oct 01, 2009

Accessibility

Tags

Upload Details

Usage Rights

Statistics

In Saudi Arabia — Document Transcript