[And sometimes we find pieces for which we simply never hit the “Publish” button. This is about a year and a half old, but still perfectly relevant.]
Check out this excellent piece by Megan Stack, reporter for the LA Times, on her experiences in Saudi Arabia:
I was ready to cope, or so I thought. I arrived with a protective smirk in tow, planning to thicken the walls around myself. I’d report a few stories, and go home. I had no inkling that Saudi Arabia, the experience of being a woman there, would stick to me, follow me home on the plane and shadow me through my days, tainting the way I perceived men and women everywhere.
[ . . . ]
I spent my days in Saudi Arabia struggling unhappily between a lifetime of being taught to respect foreign cultures and the realization that this culture judged me a lesser being. I tried to draw parallels: If I went to South Africa during apartheid, would I feel compelled to be polite?
That last question is something I’ve considered myself, especially during my travels this past year. The photo on the right was of a Dubai-based newspaper that I read on a flight from Mumbai to Dubai. It was a little jarring, to see that as front page news (and not free of irony, with its position right under headline about “Fashion Week”).
Update: Here’s a response that I urge all to read.
Karen
That is an excellent piece; thanks for pointing it out.