The Safety of Marriage

So the other night I was in bed sleeping and woke up to a terrible itching sensation on the ring finger of my left hand. This has happened several times before in the past few months. I remove my wedding rings to find a red pealing rash of some sort...oh, how it itches! The pharmacist seems to think I have developed an allergic reaction to gold. My first thought...I guess I get to go pick out new platinum wedding rings! Although, truth be told, I believe wedding rings should be gold. (Could be the fault of Freda Payne and the countless others who have sung about gold bands...but I couldn't be sure)

For several days now I haven't been wearing my wedding rings. But today, I am going out on a shopping excursion. Our daughter's school is having a Saudi Arabia theme week and on Wednesday they are to come clad in Arabian wear. So, today I will go out and buy my 6 year old an abaya. As I am getting ready, I am eyeing my wedding rings. I think to myself, should I put them on? And, after considering it for awhile, I do.

As little as I want to be swayed by other's opinions, I have to admit with this action that I am. I have heard several times that single women are more likely to be harassed in KSA than married women. Now, I have never been harassed, and if you have read this blog you know that I have never felt intimidated or offended or uncomfortable or, or, or. In fact, as a woman that has grown up in the US with a lot of freedom I can say that there have been several occasions during my lifetime in the US where I have felt threatened...there have been times when I have crossed the street to avoid coming too close to what I have sensed as danger, or have had to ignore remarks made at my passing by, at least once I was physically grabbed by a man while walking down the streeet...but here? never. Granted, I am not out as much here as I would be out other places, I haven't been here very long and I do not speak the language..but even when I moved to Sweden I experienced a certain amount of discomfort and uncertainty, yes maybe even fear due to the fact that I didn't speak the language..but here? not so much.

Is it really more dangerous here? Hostle. That's how my neighbor put it in our brief meeting yesterday. Hostle.

"Hi how are you?"

"Good! How are you?"

"We're fine, how are you adjusting to life in KSA?"

"It's good, I like it. The weather is wonderful and it is really easy to meet people...very social. I like it"

"Yes, well I guess it gets social because we are in such a hostile environment. It makes us want to stick together."

It does? Really? Is that why I am meeting people? Because I (and they) feel threatened by my (our) environment? I don't see it...or feel it.

Am I just naive?