First impressions

After two back-to-back red eyes, we arrived in Jeddah this morning! I could try to find something to say about our transit, but frankly the highlight was eating lunch at a Wagamama in Heathrow. I will say this: it was pretty awesome for us that Saudi Arabia isn’t among the world’s top tourist destinations because each of us had an entire row of seats to ourselves on the second flight, so we were almost comfortable. The flight was a mix of western men (consultants perhaps?) and Saudi families (many men were wearing towel-like wraps that revealed bare chests, which we think means they're pilgrims). There were very few western women, and we were the only ones who got off the plane without abayas, although we put on headscarves, which we’ve since discovered are optional here. We thought people would stare at us, but no one paid much attention.

The school’s driver was at the gate to greet us and gave us our abayas. They’re not just plain black – each of us got one with embellishments around the wrists and on our headscarves. Quite pretty.

We stopped at the hotel just long enough to shower and turn around to head to the school. The hotel is nice; it’s got all the Western fixings, including a bidet. We also discovered prayer mats in our closet and a sticker that points the direction to Mecca.

We arrived at Dar Al-Hekma as the women (girls?! – they’re undergrads) were getting dropped off at school by their drivers and fathers. Seconds later, barely on the other side of the school’s tall walls, they began removing their hijabs and abayas. To say these women are fashionable is an understatement. They're gorgeous, diverse and vibrant. We could hear their excited clamor reverberating through the halls of the school from our office. Some wear skinny jeans, others fishnets and skirts, some wear makeup others don’t. I'm looking forward to getting to talk to them when we start interviewing for our project.