Who says abayas aren't fashionable??

Weekend's go by so quickly no matter where you live. Before you know it it is Friday night and Saturday morning is just around the corner. Who would have ever thought that I wouldn't look forward to Saturday mornings?

This week's highlight event was an abaya fashion show. First a little history... Per Wikipedia, the abaya is defined as an overgarment worn by women to cover themselves in most parts of the Islamic world as the Qur'an instructs people to dress modestly. Traditionally abayas are black and drape to cover the whole body except for the face, hands and feet. Many women in Saudi Arabia also wear a 'niqab' which is a veil that covers all but the eyes. And some women wear long black gloves to cover their hands. The hijab is the veil that covers your head. Here in Saudi Arabia women are required to cover in public. There are religious police, called muttawwa, who enforce this law. The cover is called different things depending on the region of the world. For example in Iran it is called the chador and in most southeast asian countries it is called a burqa.

About a week before I was leaving for Saudi Arabia I decided I needed an abaya to wear when I arrived in Jeddah. While I had traveled to most countries in the Gulf region, none of the countries I had traveled to required women to wear an abaya so I had always just been conservative in my dress. Unfortunately I couldn't find a single store in the Boston, NY/NJ area where I could buy an abaya. And it was too late for me to order one on-line. Luckily, a very good friend and colleague at BU, Margot, had traveled to Saudi Arabia and offered to loan me hers. Thank you Margot! The only challenge was that Margot is much taller than I so it it was a bit long on me. But I was thankful for it the first weeks I was here.

In November I finally made my way to the old market or souq in Jeddah to purchase my own. Friends Kevin and Paul had been abaya shopping at the souq with some of the other women on campus and knew just where to find the best bargain. I wished I could have taken pictures of the souq and abaya shop but because of the conservative nature of the country, photography out in public ranges from illegal to not very PC so I erred on the side of caution. I did see a sign in th souq for an office where you can apply for a permit to take pictures. This will be on my to-do list for a future date. Of course we arrived to the souq just as prayers were starting so we wandered around for a bit and looked at all of the very old beautiful architecture. There are some very pretty and detailed wood shutters on the buildings. Once the shops opened we meandered through the narrow streets to a shop that is all of about 8x8 feet. With about 500 abayas hanging ALL over. And really they do kind of look all the same. The little old salesman took down the ones I pointed to. He kept wanting to sell me a medium but I had spent so many weeks in an oversized abaya that I really wanted a small. The reason he wanted to sell me a medium is that it is supposed to touch the ground and they size by length! The small comes about an inch above the ground which is fine by me. They are very difficult to walk up the stairs in. Where in the western world you see 'no stroller' signs posted by escalators, here you see 'abaya caution' signs. I know someday mine is going to get caught in an escalator and I will be headlined on CNN. You also have to try them over the abaya you are wearing. So if I could fit a small over the one I was wearing I was pretty confident I did not want a bigger one. Now you can buy abayas in the malls but they can be very fancy and expensive. If I am ever invited to a formal event then of course I would want to invest in one that is a little more stylish and of a quality material (I think mine are just polyester! I know... horrors!) But they cost only about $40 for two.

The abaya designer at the fashion show this week is from Lebanon. Her styles are very modern and quite honestly none that I have seen when I am in Jeddah. They really can be very stylish. Always black but often with beading and sequins and sometimes sheer with colors on the inside. The event was held at the Golf Club on campus. It was a big ladies night out. Sandwiches and chips were served with water and what my collegue Jess calls "fizzy pop." (She is from the UK.) She is on the right in the picture of the two woman. Ioanna is on the left. She also works in our office part time. Jess' husband Tim is in charge of the water sports and beaches (he is as anxious about them opening as the rest of us). They have twins (boy and girl) who are about 9 and an older daughter about 11. Ioanna's husband, Cristos is a postdoc and they have a two year old- Dimitri. (Greek in case you couldn't tell from their names.) apoligies some of the pictures are kind of blurry. I guess people were moving too fast. I really liked the one with the longer cuffs- black and white leather woven together. And the one with kind of the different color pom poms-- it was kind of Indianesque (country). These abayas ranged from 800-1200 Saudi Reals which is about $300+. We left soon after they brought the rack of abayas out to sell. Kind of like that awkward moment at a Tupperware party when the show is over and it's time to commit. So no worries girl friends-- no one is getting an abaya for Christmas! The last couple of pictures are of my abayas-- simple yet elegant.

Today started th esecond week of the four week winter enrichment period (known as WEP around campus). And I head to Riyadh at the end of the week for an International Education Exposition sponsored by the Ministry of Education. Cannot wait to see my BU friends!