Family Beach
Every now and then, I get a good giggle. Usually it is a European family, and it only happens once . . . they go to our local beach. They are in normal beach attire – swimsuits. And they head for the “Family Beach.”
They haven’t been here long enough to know that “Family” is a little different here, it means mostly women in abayas and scarves, or some form of head covering.Even for those not in abayas, it means body parts are modestly covered, at the very least, with a Tshirt. You will see women swimming in abayas and scarves, floating in inner tubes, fully covered.
There is usually a wide circle of empty space around the European family; people regarding them with fascinated horror. I rarely see them come back. I am hoping they find other beaches, maybe more private.
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LOL…they really must feel like a fish out of water. Even as a middle easter myself sometimes i get a shock. The other day i went to check out the swimming (woman only) at Rashad and was shocked to see women in t-shirts in the pool.
Once I nearly screamed in terror and swam out of the water when I saw a large floating black patch of nothingness in the water…with eyeholes & arms flailing about.
Gotta love it when they attempt to swim in their abayas, quite an amusing sight. π
The country needs to re-open that beach at Al-Zour, it was quite nice..bikinis and all…*sighs*
YES !!! open Al-Zour again!
but…. shhhh… found a decent place not too far from it… π
Drop me a line and i might tell you where it is … π
Actually, I wore abayas when I lived in Saudi Arabia, and they are very light. I’d be tempted to wear one if I had an inner tube to float in. . . it really looks like fun. Most often they are in a group, like five women floating in a circle, chatting, soft drinks in their hands. It looks like fun to me.
Actually I respect them for doing that. I know of a girl that has a Harley Davidson and she wears the head scarf and another one that goes jet skiing. It might be unattractive for most men but who cares, the hijab isn’t gonna stop them from having a good time. Go for it girls.
I agree with you, Elijah. Hijab doesn’t have to hold women back. There are many women wearing hijab elected to parliament, running major companies, getting their black belts in karate, leading their classes in high school, running marathons . . . there’s nothing a woman can’t do, hijab or no hijab.
Women, they swim in heavy clothes soaked in water in the middle of the sea, and still be afraid of drowning.
*grins* I could tell of a few things I’ve done…”while wearing an abaya”
-biking
-sailing
-paddleboating (and we ended up flipped over, but that was due to being silly and goofing off, not because of wearing abayas!)
-hiking
-swimming
-PNE (amusement park in Vancouver, BC Canada)
-mowed the lawn (that was one of the more challenging things I’ve done actually)
And there’s probably more, but I’ll share as I remember (or experience)!
I admit, it’s fun going with other abaya-clad women, because we’re all in the same boat and it often is cause for giggles and amusement, whereas other women don’t often see the humor or just “get it” in general, I find. I think it’s terrific that muslim women are out there and getting active – bravo, sistahs!
It’s not a matter of wearing the hijab or not. I myself wore t-shirt and pants (not even shorts) when i used to go to women only beaches (not even 3 year old boys were allowed) in Iran.
Living 10 years in Iran had taught me how to use my brain and not body to get ahead in society. I have cycled, went mountain climbing, played football (soccer), jumped over gates, kicked people in the ass (literally) all while wearing a complete hijab (including manteau)
And no one can be more proud of these fellow Iranian police woman than me: http://www.flicklife.com/6dde9ce8fadaf3e7601f/Police_women_in_Iran.html
Mcode – Girls need swimming lessons! Everyone needs swimming lessons! It’s so basic, surviving, everyone needs the fundamentals!
Huda – Nothing holds you back, girl! π
WOW! Magical! That is totally awesome. I have actually rapelled down a building, scared the hell out of the the first time, but oh, the adrenelin high it gave me to know I could do it. but in an abaya (manteau) – holy WOW. I would be so tempted to tuck it in somewhere, but they look like dark angels coming down that wall, don’t they. WOW, I am so impressed.
I agree – hijab is no obstacle to most activities, and being in the water is a joy that should not be restricted to those in swimsuits.
When I lived in Fes in 1999 half the people at the pool I went to (a local hotel pool with day passes and summer memberships available to Fassis), male and female, child and adult, wore shorts and t-shirts to swim in. There were plenty of bad swimmers in swimsuits, and plenty of good swimmers in shorts – and everyone was laughing and splashing around, having a terrific time!
I was just going through rather surprised how our opposite sex has been dealing with the male dominated society in middle east. Well I am boy so dont have that much restriction. I am still living in saudi arabia since last 4 months, and it is kind of difficult after living in UK. there is a funny story to share with “magical Droplest” ass kicker… I was talking to a local guy in a local shop in Jeddah saudi arabia… He was i guess picking on me about it is easy to wear trousers.. I asked him why… he said if there is a fight he can kick without lifting his toab/toap… saudi men’s traditional dress… it made me laugh for another three days whenever I saw any guy wearing that stuff….. LOL….
I am sure magical droplets … that hijab wont bother you when it comes to kicking asses in the middle east… bravo… keep it up…no offence on ladies. I respect them..