I've never been to Ethiopia. Now, I've been to the Addis Ababa Airport, which is in Ethiopia. But it doesn't count. I never left the terminal. I gazed out the windows at the Ethiopian landscape, and then did crossword puzzles and took a nap while I waited for my next flight. Airports are a special place: A place for people just passing through, a place that's neither here nor there.
Living on a compound is sort of like living in an airport.
See, technically, I live in Saudi Arabia. I have the stamp on my passport. I have an iqama, or residential visa. My postal address says "Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" at the end.
But at the same time, I definitely do not live in Saudi Arabia.
For instance: The official language, where I live, is English. Most women don't wear the abaaya. Cultural events like weddings don't take place here. And, if I wanted to, I would never have to interact with any Saudis, at all. There are enough Americans here that I could stay entirely within a Western clique without having to engage with the local culture.
To be honest, I've found the entire experience...disappointing. I've wanted to move overseas for years. But I live in an airport--a place that's neither here nor there. The compound is eerily defamiliarizing: It's like living in a Middle-Eastern impression of a small Western town. The coffee shop is a replica of an American chain. Middle-Eastern "festivals" held in the public town square are attended overwhelmingly by Westerners. There are so many Americans here that it's easy for us to duplicate the exact routines we used to have at home. And since we're so far separated from the actual culture of Saudi Arabia, we're missing out completely on the most valuable thing you can gain while living overseas: community. While I might have Arab friends sprinkled here and there, I have virtually no connection at all to an actual Saudi community.
So maybe as a first "living overseas" experience, this isn't actually representative.
Which is maybe why I have another itch to move, but maybe....maybe not home.
If move out of SA, and not "home" I'll come visit!!!!! I have another itch, too. Living abroad doesn't satisfy that itch. It turns it into hives that come up every so often and continue to get worse...international living gets in your skin!
ReplyDeleteKarl and I talk often of moving away. I just can't figure out how and when and where. Someday, though...
b, I completely understand what you are talking about. The American bubble in Monterrey is out of control. I sometimes wish I lived in a small town in the middle of mexico where no one could speak english and I didn't have the job I do now. Sometimes I feel like I live in Dallas Texas, not Mexico. But, when it comes down to it, and you think about all the ways you've grown, would you trade the experience?
ReplyDelete