Back in the desert-South Africa a reality shock!

So, I’m finally in Jouf and it is really good to be home. Yes, you are wondering why I am calling it home? Well Saudi just happens to be like a jealous lover, always making me long for it. I missed the quiet and the comfort of this country.

However, my holiday in South Africa was more eventful than I thought. I spend a great amount of time with my family, with my friends and met weird short people.

Before I left for South Africa, I couldn’t help but to freak myself out of the cultural shock that I might be experiencing. I was so worried, that I drew up a “Holiday spots” list of things to do for tourist. Even my brother was like “sis you are freaking out over nothing”.  Little I knew that South Africa would be an experience of saying “hello”, “it was nice to meet you” and now “goodbye”. While I was in the plane and the captain announcing that we have finally arrived in Cape Town, my little heart was beating so fast, I swear I was ready to turn around at the airport already. However, I was staring at the window while the plane was ascending. The beauty I saw of Cape Town was bewitching. The fresh green pleins, the small houses and the ocean so majestically boasting its beauty was more than heartwarming for me.  I told myself “you were born here, there is nothing to freak out about”. It was true, it was good to be home. My brother picked me up from the airport and there was so much to share on my trip home.

When I arrived at the door step of my mom’s house, It was really nice to be welcomed with love and longing. My mom spoiled my rotten while I stayed in South Africa. I mean spoiled me a lot.  I even got breakfast in-bed under her care. I think that it is always good to go away, because the home-coming is priceless.

I was very fortunate to spend half of my Ramadan in South Africa. However, the spirit was not the same. I got flashbacks of how hard it is to be Muslim person living in a non-Muslim world. It actually wears the soul out. However, Eid arrived and it was even more depressing!  I tried to keep the spirit up high by buying myself new clothes and buying gifts for my Muslim brothers and sisters.

One thing that made me and brother realize why we can only do South Africa for holiday was the “I am trying to survive” topic. I will let you in on this in more detail. If someone asks you “How are you doing today?” It is only very humane to be humble about life, even if life is either good or bad, and the best possible answer to give is “I am fine Alhamdulillah”. NOT “I am trying to survive!!”   Whenever I got that responds, in my head I was thinking “Are you for real?”.

The weather in South Africa was cold. The air was crisp and bit into our skins. However, it didn’t stop me from doing some shopping! One cultural shock that I did experience was “I can’t do this on my own anymore.” Saudi has spoiled me in ways I would never imagine. First of all, the fact that in Saudi I NEVER carried my own luggage. In South Africa I had to carry my own stuff! Secondly, skipping the shopping queues! I forgot that I was back in South Africa, the land of “every man looking out for himself”. I was standing in the queue and decided that this is just not working out for me. So, like I would do in Saudi, I just skipped to the front of the queue with my shopping trolley. One man tapped me on the shoulder and said “Girl friend! Girl friend! Back in the line!” This is not banana republic!”. I was half offended and I told him “But I am a woman.” He was even more offended and gave me that scanning look from my head to my toes “Hey sisi, back in the line.” So, I had to push my trolley back into the line like an injured puppy dog. I told myself again “I can’t do this on my own anymore.”

The second week of being in South Africa was more beautiful. The weather was just so nice to do things and my friends spoiled me rotten. I went to a media lunch with my friend and met some famous people. We ate gourmet foods at a beautiful hotel that over looked the Paarl and Stellenbosch mountains. The smell of fresh cut grass, the clinking of wine glasses and the buzz of fluffy conversations carried the mood. I remembered how I always wanted to live in a place where I can see the mountains. I realized why so many Europeans came to South Africa and never wanted to leave.  It’s beauty is unmatchable, the freedom is incomparable and most of all it is the soul child of Africa.

Another eye opener was the fact that there were so many traffic police in the streets. My friend, who was driving without a driver’s license tried to find various ways of escaping the police (also known as the POPO). Then something funny happened, her steering wheel was locked and therefore the car couldn’t ignite. For ten minutes we were struggling to get the car going. Eventually I said “dude, lets just get some man to come fix this problem.”. She looked at me and said “You and your Saudi mentality. This is South Africa, women can fix their own cars.”. That is when I realized again that I CAN’T DO THIS ON MY OWN AGAIN!!!!!!

Cape Town was alive, full of colours and different people. It was nice to see people enjoying the sun, because that means we will have a jam packed weekend. The clubs and bars were buzzing, girls wearing their shorter than short skirts with 6inch high heels and strutting their stuff! Students were walking barefoot in Stellies and painting the town red with their drunken songs and waving the South African flag.  Only in South Africa where you will find people becoming patriotic after heavy drinking!!

Me and my brother decided to go to our favourite place to chill out on a Friday night. Things clearly haven’t changed. There were the gay guys doing their thing. The black people clustering up with the scared expression on their faces, Emo kids wearing their skinny jeans and blondes dressing the same and screaming “hoooo” after every shot they drank. It is good to be young in Stellenbosch, but still I can’t do this on my own no more!

When I was packing my bags after an eventful time in South Africa, I was really pleased with my expectations and ready to get on the next plane back to Saudi. I and brother took some time out at the airport, and I told him that I even knew the Riyadh airport better than the Cape Town one. He looked at me with an un-impressed face “You only know the Riyadh airport, because there is no other way to go. There is only one way and organized chaos.”We had a good laugh at that. Soon I was in the plane on my way to Dubai. It was a beautiful flight, the sun was settling under the beds of the mountain and the ocean was glistering like a million diamonds floating on water. The mountains were a pale blue and sky was so clear. That is when I told myself that this is a goodbye.. for now.

As soon as I landed in Jeddah, I felt like home. The buildings were the way I knew them. Soon a Saudi gentleman was helping with my luggage. He organized a taxi for me to go to a hotel to take a rest before my flight that day.  When I arrived at the hotel, once again someone took care of my luggage; I just had to carry myself to my room. There was no tap on the shoulder anymore. It was feeling the way it was all suppose to be…normal.

When I arrived in Jouf late at night, I was welcomed by an overheating oven of a home, fresh dust on my door mat and the fresh smell of open air. The silence was surreal; I never felt such indifference.

It was good to see my friends back at the compound, everyone eager to share their stories and we all sang the same song “Saudi spoiled us”.

However, I sat on my bed and thought about it all long and hard. I have two homes now, one back home with my family and this one with my new family of friends. I have made peace with it all and realized no matter where God takes me or where the road goes, wherever I am, THAT will be my home.

Once again, I JUST CAN’T DO IT ON MY OWN ANYMORE J