The Queen & I

Knightsbridge, Leicester square, Oxford Street. As Joey in friends would say it “LONDON BABY”. The wonderful, remarkable city. Where shopping, dining and site-seeing is what’s it all about. That was our destination for our MUN conference trip (don’t know what MUN is?> check out my previous Post). A group of 12 girls were headed for the fancy city where the lights are always bright and the cold breezing wind is always there to refresh us. Our flight was late at night. We arrived at the hotel near Oxford Street early in the morning at about 9 am. We were tired, messy and sleepy. Even though, we still didn’t stop talking about what we were gonna do in this fabulous city. As travelers looking for comfort after a long flight, we went to the hotel and each of us took her share of the chairs in the lobby. We looked exhausted yet excited. We were waiting for our chaperones to go check us in while we were yawning. Each person that would pass by us would hear two sounds. First, the camera flash’s sound that would NEVER stop. Second, the sound of our Arabic language which I’m sure that it sounded very very strange for the rest of British people (at one point we started mumbling to each other just to get a feel of how they hear us talking).

After waiting and waiting we found out that we can only check-in after 5 hours. So we left our bags and headed to the fancy city with our training suits and pale faces. Yet for me I thought of our faces as a picture of joy. A picture of excitement seen in our eyes that looked vigilantly to every moment, every opportunity to take the chances of the time we had to have fun, because we knew that after 2 days we were heading for the MUN conference that was outside London, where the fun would slowly start fading.

As we were walking through London streets wandering through the nice weather, we headed for a small café to get some breakfast. A couple of girls thought of a game that would insure us having a good time for the rest of the trip. This particular game included us (the “brave” students) and the strangers that we never met and hopefully will never meet again. We called the game (tahaddi) which means (Dare). A girl can dare another girl to do something weird to strangers that pass by. For example raising our hand to some guy that passes by, and say “Alsalam alaykum” in Arabic. We would see their faces’ weird expressions and then watch them walk away not giving us any attention. Well, that was how the game started, an innocent “salam allaykum” or a cool “YO”. But soon after that the game got more creative and as people would agree even more noisier. We took a corner and started singing Arabic songs and other English nursery rhymes. Our tricks got even more and more imaginative by time. For almost 2 hours we looked around for people with fashionable clothes and we used one of our friend’s professional cameras to perform this “game”. We stopped fashionable people or anyone different really, and told them that we had a “fashion blog” and that we would like to take a picture of them. You wouldn’t believe the poses that people made! I guess being famous and well-known still gets to people. We even clapped for people that passed by us just to see how they would react. (Just to let you know, anything we did that would be considered weird or funny, we did un-chaperoned. Or else it would be the end of our journey and back to old Saudi)

Walking around the streets of London and going through different situations resulted our imaginary minds to choose nicknames for each of us. Nicknames that had to do with what each person did the whole trip and how each person assisted and acted. For example, Sumer and I were the “transportation”. We made sure that everyone was with us and made sure we’re on the right road to wherever we’re going. Fatima and Alhanouf were the entertainment, once in a while they would sing for us, or take funny pictures, and suggest funny weird things to do. And Danya and Samar, well, let’s just say they were “with us”. They didn’t have much to do other than laugh and make our group noisier.

Since we were in London, we had to see 4 things, Oxford Street, London eye, Harrods and Madam Tussauds. We took our time in each one. Looking for details and taking pictures of anything in our sight. We wanted to capture the moments that will stand by us forever. And look at them when we grow older. Madam Tussauds was like a dream. The wax figures of our favorite actors, actresses, singers, players, world leaders and anything you can imagine. We started looking at people and wondering if they were the real ones or the wax figures. Let me tell you, going to Madam Tussauds with a sleepy head and right after a flight can really get to your mind!

People often neglect the small shops and markets when going to London. Well, we didn’t miss that. We went to a market called Spitalfields market. It was one of the most AMAZING places I’ve been to. It had sooo many nice things! We wished we had more time there. We all started wandering in this huge market picking up antiques and examining old cameras. We shopped for shoes and dresses and even little posters with Mickey Mouse and Audre Hepburn pictures! It was a true market where EVERYTHING was available. At night we went to one of the most wonderful plays; The Phantom of The Opera. It was an amazing play, most of us walked out with teary eyes and a sense of sympathy for the phantom. Except Alhanouf, she accidentally slept during the second part and regretted sleeping very very very much! Since all of us were like “awww it was amazing” and “one of the BEST plays EVER”. You could see the regret in her face.

After all the fun and excitement we headed to the other city called Cheshunt to attend the MUN conference. It looked like a place where old people would retire and buy pet animals when compared to the joyful city of London. The MUN conference was different than the conference I’ve been to. The organizing of it was very weird, but we still had a fun time at the General assembly. Many remarks have been made towards Saudi as a country in the debate. And each time someone would stand up and reply to these remarks even though we were only supposed to represent the countries we were assigned to. It was fun; we had a couple of verbal fights that were all very constructive and well-said by one of our delegates when replaying to a comment about Saudi. We all cheered for her hoping that people will one day repair their view of Saudi Arabia as a country and Islam as a religion. We only want to correct what other people think of us as individuals and as a country as whole. The GA was a blast. But we can’t forget what happened at the hotel. One of the days, the MUN scheduled a Disco party for the delegates, and we didn’t go, since it was against our religion and traditions. So we all gathered in our room (the biggest room haha!) and ordered pizza and had long chats and laughs for no reason. The soda and sleepiness started to show on us. After everyone went out and it was time to sleep, I went with my friend Fatima to “help her pack”. We got to her room and she started packing. I sat on the bed and started playing with my mobile. She was sweet enough not to kick me out when I told her that I was helping her pack “mentally”:p. After a couple of minutes I fell asleep and she woke me up and told me to go to my room. She told me she was really scared that I would get lost since my room was very far and I was very very sleepy. I couldn’t even stand straight! I walked to my room and found that one of my roommates was sleeping, but the other one was missing so I went out looking for her. On my way I got lost. I didn’t panic though. I knew there was a way out of that hotel maze, and I finally found my way and returned to my room where I went out again to another room with other friends of mine. It was a looong drowsy night that involved sodas being spilled, people falling asleep and then waking up again, getting lost and passing by the lobby, where almost everyone who worked there memorized the pajamas I wore.

For me, this trip was the start of new friendships, and the re-uniting with old ones. I got to know more about the people I was travelling with, and they got to know more about me. I discovered a whole new Sara, a very very whinny Sara (as most of my friends agreed)(a). I learned more about myself! The funny situations we went through and the amazing sites we saw including The British Museum, London eye, Big Ben, Imperial College and many more. All these will be memories that I will hold on to forever and share my experiences and stories with the people I love when I grow up. This trip was like a way for me to prove myself, to prove what I can be. A trip that highlighted fun, friendship, responsibility, creativity, sharing, embarrassment and guts. In my title “the Queen and I” The Queen doesn’t represent Queen Elizabeth. Instead it represents this particular journey of London. A journey that will be described beyond realistic. Which involved all of the above and all of what’s coming ahead.

To be “in the middle of no-where”!

Now that the winter here in Saudi is slowly fading, and the sunshine of summer started to shine with the company of cold breezing wind, most families are going to what we call here the (bar). This is what we call the desert. There is something about being surrounded with tons of sand and the quietness of the bar that makes you relax and really think of life and god’s creations.

I just came back from bar, and it was my first time camping there for 4 whole days. It’s amazing how staying in the desert would make you realize how the world has changed and evolved. Just to think that there were and still are people that live in tents, and eat only fresh food and drinks that are available to them. I know that a lot of people in different countries think that we Saudis live in tents and live like true “bado”, I get so mad and frustrated when I hear that. But if you think about it, bado are actually more evolved than us in some ways. I know you must think that the desert sun hurt my brain somehow, but when I talk about evolvement I don’t mean technology and the living standards, I’m talking about morals and health. I’m not saying they are better than us, but you gotta admit they do have some qualities that I myself would like to have as well. What made me think of all that was when my cousins and I went to see some camels that were approaching our tents, the one in charge of the camels was a “badawe”. He had clothes that were very suitable for desert (unlike us). Anyway, when my annoying young cousins started asking him questions that were too childish to answer, he actually answered them with kindness and respect (something I wouldn’t have done if I was in his place). After that he offered us a ride on his camel, we all agreed with joy. It was really scary when the camel sat down, it felt as if I was going fall in front of it, but I still had a lot of fun.

I came back to the tent and sat with my grandma and started asking questions about the old days and the way bados lived. I was very interested while she was talking, so that made her express her thoughts even more. It’s very interesting to learn the way they lived (especially since we were having such a hard time adapting and living like them for the past couple of days). She told me how healthy they live. They wake up at dawn and sleep as soon as the sun fades. They drink fresh milk from animals they own, and eat animal’s meat once in a while, and all of them eat dates. They adapted their lives in so many ways that every time I do something I wonder how they did it. They live by the quote:”When life gives you lemon, make lemonade”. They have such patience to many things including the heat of the sun in the morning and the cold breezing nights. They learn to treat animals with firmness yet with sympathy and kindness. Their life has taught them if you want something you have to work hard for it.

I still wonder how they dealt with bugs though; the insects there were very very annoying! Especially flies, I hated them! We actually wanted to catch all of them in one box, but we gave up after catching just one. The other insects were more scary than annoying! They were even worse than humans! :p… Almost every couple of hours we found one headed inside our tent, but luckily we caught each one before they came in. The line of our tent was like the “death line” for them, I could imagine one insect telling her child: if you don’t behave I’ll take you to the tent line: p… With all those annoying bugs I still didn’t have any trouble sleeping, thank god! The naps I took, and sleeping at night was the best! My cousins always woke me up at 5 am to watch the sunrise, but since in the dawn it gets really cold I end up waking up thinking: ( the hell with sunrise, I’m gonna stay warm and sleep all day). But the next morning they forced me to wake up, and I actually had a lot of fun! The sunrise was amazing! My mind felt so clear and fresh, that I wondered how lucky bado were to wake up every morning to the view of the golden sand that had some desert grass spread around. Being away from all the electronics: my laptop, internet, and TV, and for two whole days my iPhone! (I forgot the charger), all that made me cherish what I had, yet at the same time think about how life was simple and how it got so much more complicated.

Going to bar is one thing, but going to bar with a professional is another. We considered my uncle Khalid a professional. Since he was little he loved the outdoors and turned that love into a hobby, and by that he passed what he felt to us (the young people in the family), he raised the outdoor love in us. With him we went hunting for desert animals, and let me tell you, the thrill of hunting for desert lizards (dubb) is a one of a kind thrill! We all got into 3 separate cars, and went around looking for dubb, and lucky me, I got to ride the car that Uncle Khalid was driving : ). We were cruising for about half an hour, until one of us caught his eye on one. It looked dry and strong, my uncle moved so fast, it was the first time I’ve seen him move like that! He quickly got his gloves and ran towards the dubb and caught him, one hand on his jaw, and another on the end of his body, the love and the excitement of hunting showed in his eyes while he was doing the thing he liked most. I thought the dubb looked cute! Well, I was the only one who thought that… It was the first time I saw hunting in action. After he caught it everyone ran out of the cars and started taking pictures of the dubb, flashes were everywhere, he was like the desert version of Brad Pitt, and we were the paparazzi. At night we went cruising for jarboo (desert squirrels), which were funny looking, and apparently got blinded by flash lights at night. We caught a small one. The car that my uncle was driving was filled with girls, so when we saw the (jarboo) you’d hear the words (awww, cute!) from almost everyone inside. My mom said that it was considered like a hamster for Americans, he was white and cute! We started asking questions about different stuff and techniques that were used to catch them. He was like a professor and we were the students, everything he said grabbed our attention, it was a hunting trip I would never forget!

Many people come to bar but don’t really experience the real bar! How you ask? Well, they rent camping sites not tents. See, camping sites are like your own house, they’re filled with TVs, normal bathrooms, living rooms and all that. The only difference is that they have sand and your house doesn’t. I experienced the real bar, the bar that bados live, the bar that had no TV or technology of any kind, the bar that actually clears your mind and nourishes your soul.

Bar is best when you go with families and friends; you really enjoy the late night laughs and chats in front the warm orange fire, while hearing crickets make that sound of theirs. We also played hide and seek! Well, since most of us were grownups, we played what I like to call the grown up version, which is slower running and more screaming: p…

It’s a place to be thankful for what you have, yet get away from all those things that complicate life. It’s a place to get to know the people you’re going with, and enjoy talks and laughs with them. It’s a place to witness some of god’s amazing creations and enjoy the weather. It’s the real living of bado; it’s to be in the middle f no-where. It’s the bar!!

Understanding procedures, the hard way!

Since this is my first official post, I thought I’d write something that all of us can relate to. Something that each one of us probably went through, some may look back at this and laugh, and others might take a harder time accepting it. It’s a situation where you wish the ground would open up and swallow you. It’s the moment when you realize that something you did was either wrong, not at the appropriate time or just stupid. It’s when you feel embarrassed and humiliated! There are many different kinds of humiliation, believe me, I’ve went through most of them! But the worst kind is the one that happens with more than 200 people observing!

Before I start there are some words that you should know the meaning of to fully understand the story and how I felt at that moment:

- MUN: stands for Model United Nations. It’s a conference held in many different countries, for young minds to discuss global issues and to find solutions for them.

- Delegate: is the representative of a specific country in the conference.

- General Assembly: it’s an assembly with all the delegates in the conference, which in my case were above 200! Lucky me!

- Chairs: no, they are not normal chairs as I thought when I first learned this word, they are people that manage each committee, and each chair manages his or her own committee.

- Head Chair: is the one in charge of the whole general assembly.

(The chairs and the head chair all were seated on the stage where everyone could see them).

- Placker: A card that has the country’s name on it, each one of us had a little one for the small committee, but there was a big one special for the general assembly. And knowing this information would’ve probably saved me from what I went through.

- Admin: a person who passes notes between delegates and chairs.

Okay, now since we finished the Vocab lesson, we can get to the part where I actually wanted to cry, but at the same time laugh!

At an MUN conference, my friend and I were the delegates of Brazil, a nice country with many views on different global issues. We, as I mentioned before, were two of 200 delegates who were seated in a huge conference room. So just imagine what 200 teenagers would sound like snoring and sleeping! Yeah it was a scene I’d never forget!

The second day, the head chair was having the attendance checked. She called each country by its name. One, and ONLY one of the delegates that have the same country should stand up and raise the big placker. Now when the head chair called Brazil, I didn’t know what was I suppose to do, so I thought I’d raise the small placker that I had in my file. So I held my own little card that said (Brazil). A few moments passed by, and all of a sudden everyone in the assembly (at least everyone that wasn’t‎ sleeping) started to laugh. I looked around wondering, who was the idiot that caused all that laughter? I mean I was sure someone did something very stupid. Guess who it was? Me : )…Apparently my friend held the right placker up (the BIG placker), and I raised the little one that wasn’t even supposed to be used in the general assembly. I imagined how the two plackers would look like from the head chair’s point of view; it looked like a small sheep following its mom. The chair said: “would the delegate of Brazil only raise one placker”. That sentence actually woke up most of the sleeping delegates and made them start laughing with the rest. I slowly put down my placker and sat down, and laughed with my friend at what I just did for a long, long time.

After that happened I still didn’t give up, I don’t know why but I have a tendency to continue doing things without knowing the procedure, and things that often lead to me changing my face color from white to red… After I stopped laughing at what happened before, I had to go to the bathroom. My friend told me to wait but I really needed to go!

I know that if I want to do something I have to ask the person in charge, I couldn’t just walk out without asking, well, I later realized that I actually WAS suppose to do that, but after all, I had to understand it the hard and humiliating way…

My friend suggested that I write a note to the head chair and excuse myself, since I didn’t really know the procedure I agreed with her, and later I found out that she didn’t know what she was doing either. I called one of the admins that were busy waking   up delegates, and handed him a note with my country’s name on it, and asked him to give it to the chair (The note said: May I please be excused to the bathroom). I watched him walk to the stage and hand the paper to the chair that was sitting on the corner. Now what happened took like 1 minute, but the way I saw it felt like it took a whole year. I saw my paper get passed between ALL chairs, each chair took his turn in reading it, then a confused face appeared on his/her face, and then the note was passed to the next chair. I sat down looking at what was happening, not being able to do anything to stop it. My face was full of colors like a rainbow! My friend was laughing so hard that everyone started looking our way. To put it in other words ALL the chairs (including the head chair) knew that the delegate of brazil (Me) had to go pee!!

I watched the admin walking my way with a big smile on his face, saying that I can go and that I apparently didn’t need to ask for permission to go to the bathroom. Yes it was very very humiliating, but at least I got to go : )

The thing is, in both those situations, I didn’t think of what I should’ve done. And that’s why I had such a fun time laughing at myself. I thought “why should I start thinking now? I mean I didn’t think at the beginning, and worrying now wouldn’t change anything!” and now I know not to do anything without knowing the right procedure, I have to always be ready, and be informed.

So I guess it’s true what they say, laughter is in fact the best medicine, at least it is for a disease I call humiliation!:p..