Kindness

This afternoon I went out to city of Rahima that is just outside the gates of the compound. My husband has been dying to share an ice cream shop with me that the guys at work had eaten at one day. I feel that my time in Saudi will be wasted if I don't experience some of the local flavor; however, being unable to drive makes it extremely hard to fulfill this desire to learn more about the culture. The ice cream/coffee house was one of the nicest coffee shops I have been to. They had such a delectable presentation of sweets, and authentic Saudi ice cream. You walk up two levels of marble stairs and find the family seating area. Our waiter could not believe that we were from America, and kept saying “America very great country, I like it alot” I cannot say enough about this place, but it's the gentlemen that we met in the coffee shop that is the most memorable.

We were searching for a shoe store, and none of the clerks at the coffee shop could speak English well enough to give us adequate directions. An older gentleman spoke up quickly and began to give us directions. After learning that we were in a cab he offered to drive us to the shoe store. When that shoe store did not have my husband size he proceeds to drive us around town to another store. He even bargains with the store owner in an attempt to get us a good deal. I noticed when we were heading back to the car; that my husband and Saud had begun to hold hands. It amused me how quickly my husband was picking up on traditional Saudi customs (it would have been rude for him not to have held hands). I secretly smiled!

The words of Saud stayed on my mind. When my husband told him how nice everyone in the city was and how thankful we were to be surrounded by welcoming people, Saud stated the following: “We are all just people speaking a different language". How true these words are, but how often we forget. The kindness that he showed us, made my night.