I wrote this article almost a year ago. I totally forgot to post it on my blog..
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One of the best things I love about being able to travel frequently is having the opportunity of coming into contact with people from all walks of life and socio-political backgrounds. Whenever, I need to travel I try my best to be at the airport well in advance so that I have a stress free, smooth sailing journey. Naturally I would also be one of the first people to board the flight when the boarding gates open. I would take my allocated seat in the plane and then eagerly anticipate the arrival of the passenger next to me. Of course on some flights I came across really friendly individuals who gave me a brief insight into their own lives, and there were times that I wished that the plane landed quickly so that I could escape from the annoying passenger next to me. On my return flight to the Kingdom a few weeks ago accompanied with a family friend of ours who resides in Medina, we landed up sitting next to a young woman from Cape Town who was accompanying her grand mother and uncle on a two week Umra trip. What surprised me about her was the fact that she conversed with the air hostesses in fluent Arabic. At first I was under the impression that she was a Saudi girl until I discovered that she was in fact a South african girl that was born and resided in the Kingdom for the first ten years of her life. Her father is a professor and lectures at one of the universities in the Kingdom. Returning to the Kingdom brought back a few painful memories for her as her parents divorced due to her fathers infidelity. She had caught her father having a few illicit relationships with female students from the university and naturally told her mother. Eventually the truth came out and her family fell apart. What I admired about this young woman though was the fact that she had such a positive, bright outlook towards life. She aspires to complete her university degree and stand on her own two feet. Her biggest wish in life is to see her mother getting married again and leading a life of happiness that she failed to acquire during her initial marriage. Sitting next to this vibrant and energetic young woman made the entire flying process quite a pleasant experience and the flight even seemed shorter than normal. I guess time always flies when you having fun. During my connecting flight from Jeddah to Riyadh, I landed up sitting next to the CEO of a company here in Saudi Arabia. Seeing me all veiled, he was under the impression that I was a Saudi woman and was initially reluctant to sit next to me. Since there was no other seats available he was forced to sit next to me. Ofcourse I eased his tension by informing him that I am not a Saudi woman and that I have no issue if he does sit next to me. Suddenly I witnessed a huge smile on his face and he breathed a sigh of relief. Naturally, during the trip we engaged in a meaningful conversation. He enlightened me about his family life and roots and of course he was equally fascinated with my origins and history. Whilst we had lots to talk about during the short flight, as soon as the plane landed he got up and left speedily. As per the customs and traditions of the country he would not want to be caught chatting away to a female on the airport premises.What really surprised me though was the fact that he tracked me down and called me the next day. He managed to get hold of my mobile number through a friend of his who works at the airport. It was quite a fantastic gesture on his part to invite me over to his family home and date farm situated outside of Riyadh city. His family were kind and pleasant and they went out of their way to make me feel comfortable in their home. They shared family photo albums with me and gave me an indepth insight into Saudi culture and customs. Naturally I will never forget them due to their sheer kindness and hospitality. It is individuals like these that build countries and nations. They are the ambassadors of their country by promoting their country and customs in a positive manner. Two weeks ago I was on a flight from Riyadh to Jeddah and as always the plane always takes off late due to the fact that all the passengers need to be rearranged on the flight to prevent unwanted males and females from sitting next to each other. The seat next to me was allocated to a religious Saudi man who refused to sit next to me. He asked me to stand up and move to another seat. I refused telling him that there are no other seats available and that if he is uncomfortable sitting next to me then he should leave. After his short performance with the air hostesses, he eventually returned to the seat next to me. But what really made me laugh about him was the fact that he sat in the extreme left corner of the seat, took his shemagh (red and white chequered scarf) and covered his face with it. It was as though he was sitting next to a poisoned ivy lololol. For the entire one hour flight he never moved or said a word and neither did he partake of the onboard snacks and refreshments. During my trip to Dubai last year I recall being sandwiched inbetween two obese gentleman. It was the most horrific flight I ever had as I could not move. Both gentleman hogged the chair armrests and I was unable to pass to utilize the bathroom. I felt suffocated. But the passengers who took the cake for me was a Chinese couple my family and I encountered during a trip to Dubai from South Africa. Mom's younger sister sat to my left and on my right was a Chinese gentleman who was seated next to his wife. Correct me if I'm wrong but I am yet to encounter Chinese people who are friendly and approachable. Any way, there was no real interaction with the couple, that is until the gentleman started drinking like a fish. He became rowdy and started arguing with his wife. His wife moved over to another seat so he then decided to start an argument with mom's sister and I..." You talker talker.....talk, talk talk, talking too much...." he said whilst pointing his fingers at us. I fail to understand why do airlines serve alcohol onboard a flight. It turns a sweet, quiet, meek individual into a monster.The person becomes an absolute nuisance to other passengers on board. The UAE always prides itself in believing that it is a Muslim country, yet their is nothing Islamic about the country, its policies or its airlines. Having encountered numerous issues with Emirates over the years I have stopped using the airlines. Well folks these are just a few of the colourful characters that I have encountered whilst traveling. As Ralph Crawshaw once said, "Travel has a way of stretching the mind. The stretch comes not from travel's immediate rewards, the inevitable myriad new sights, smells and sounds, but with experiencing firsthand how others do differently what we believed to be the right and only way." Having said that I do look forward to my next trip and who knows the seat beside me could be yours!!
One of the best things I love about being able to travel frequently is having the opportunity of coming into contact with people from all walks of life and socio-political backgrounds. Whenever, I need to travel I try my best to be at the airport well in advance so that I have a stress free, smooth sailing journey. Naturally I would also be one of the first people to board the flight when the boarding gates open. I would take my allocated seat in the plane and then eagerly anticipate the arrival of the passenger next to me. Of course on some flights I came across really friendly individuals who gave me a brief insight into their own lives, and there were times that I wished that the plane landed quickly so that I could escape from the annoying passenger next to me. On my return flight to the Kingdom a few weeks ago accompanied with a family friend of ours who resides in Medina, we landed up sitting next to a young woman from Cape Town who was accompanying her grand mother and uncle on a two week Umra trip. What surprised me about her was the fact that she conversed with the air hostesses in fluent Arabic. At first I was under the impression that she was a Saudi girl until I discovered that she was in fact a South african girl that was born and resided in the Kingdom for the first ten years of her life. Her father is a professor and lectures at one of the universities in the Kingdom. Returning to the Kingdom brought back a few painful memories for her as her parents divorced due to her fathers infidelity. She had caught her father having a few illicit relationships with female students from the university and naturally told her mother. Eventually the truth came out and her family fell apart. What I admired about this young woman though was the fact that she had such a positive, bright outlook towards life. She aspires to complete her university degree and stand on her own two feet. Her biggest wish in life is to see her mother getting married again and leading a life of happiness that she failed to acquire during her initial marriage. Sitting next to this vibrant and energetic young woman made the entire flying process quite a pleasant experience and the flight even seemed shorter than normal. I guess time always flies when you having fun. During my connecting flight from Jeddah to Riyadh, I landed up sitting next to the CEO of a company here in Saudi Arabia. Seeing me all veiled, he was under the impression that I was a Saudi woman and was initially reluctant to sit next to me. Since there was no other seats available he was forced to sit next to me. Ofcourse I eased his tension by informing him that I am not a Saudi woman and that I have no issue if he does sit next to me. Suddenly I witnessed a huge smile on his face and he breathed a sigh of relief. Naturally, during the trip we engaged in a meaningful conversation. He enlightened me about his family life and roots and of course he was equally fascinated with my origins and history. Whilst we had lots to talk about during the short flight, as soon as the plane landed he got up and left speedily. As per the customs and traditions of the country he would not want to be caught chatting away to a female on the airport premises.What really surprised me though was the fact that he tracked me down and called me the next day. He managed to get hold of my mobile number through a friend of his who works at the airport. It was quite a fantastic gesture on his part to invite me over to his family home and date farm situated outside of Riyadh city. His family were kind and pleasant and they went out of their way to make me feel comfortable in their home. They shared family photo albums with me and gave me an indepth insight into Saudi culture and customs. Naturally I will never forget them due to their sheer kindness and hospitality. It is individuals like these that build countries and nations. They are the ambassadors of their country by promoting their country and customs in a positive manner. Two weeks ago I was on a flight from Riyadh to Jeddah and as always the plane always takes off late due to the fact that all the passengers need to be rearranged on the flight to prevent unwanted males and females from sitting next to each other. The seat next to me was allocated to a religious Saudi man who refused to sit next to me. He asked me to stand up and move to another seat. I refused telling him that there are no other seats available and that if he is uncomfortable sitting next to me then he should leave. After his short performance with the air hostesses, he eventually returned to the seat next to me. But what really made me laugh about him was the fact that he sat in the extreme left corner of the seat, took his shemagh (red and white chequered scarf) and covered his face with it. It was as though he was sitting next to a poisoned ivy lololol. For the entire one hour flight he never moved or said a word and neither did he partake of the onboard snacks and refreshments. During my trip to Dubai last year I recall being sandwiched inbetween two obese gentleman. It was the most horrific flight I ever had as I could not move. Both gentleman hogged the chair armrests and I was unable to pass to utilize the bathroom. I felt suffocated. But the passengers who took the cake for me was a Chinese couple my family and I encountered during a trip to Dubai from South Africa. Mom's younger sister sat to my left and on my right was a Chinese gentleman who was seated next to his wife. Correct me if I'm wrong but I am yet to encounter Chinese people who are friendly and approachable. Any way, there was no real interaction with the couple, that is until the gentleman started drinking like a fish. He became rowdy and started arguing with his wife. His wife moved over to another seat so he then decided to start an argument with mom's sister and I..." You talker talker.....talk, talk talk, talking too much...." he said whilst pointing his fingers at us. I fail to understand why do airlines serve alcohol onboard a flight. It turns a sweet, quiet, meek individual into a monster.The person becomes an absolute nuisance to other passengers on board. The UAE always prides itself in believing that it is a Muslim country, yet their is nothing Islamic about the country, its policies or its airlines. Having encountered numerous issues with Emirates over the years I have stopped using the airlines. Well folks these are just a few of the colourful characters that I have encountered whilst traveling. As Ralph Crawshaw once said, "Travel has a way of stretching the mind. The stretch comes not from travel's immediate rewards, the inevitable myriad new sights, smells and sounds, but with experiencing firsthand how others do differently what we believed to be the right and only way." Having said that I do look forward to my next trip and who knows the seat beside me could be yours!!
