When the clock strikes 5:00 on a Thursday, swarms of vehicles can be seen making their way to the bridge connecting KSA to Bahrain.
Cars of families are on their way to a mall or a movie.
Cars of Westerners are on their way to a bar.
And other cars, well, they might be hoping to find love.
But that’s a story for another day.
This weekend I have decided not to cross the bridge.
Because the person I am over here and over there are different people.
Many people breathe a sigh of relief when they arrive in Bahrain, which doesn’t have a dress code and offers places to dance and drink alcohol.
Freedom is much more than these things.
For me, Saudi is where I can be without expectations or judgement.
Sometimes people say hello or start a conversation. (It is much easier to make friends in KSA.)
And to be honest, I think I am living in a more open, liberated place than the conservative Shia village where I usually stay in Bahrain.
So, today I breath a sigh of relief that I am here and not there.
Perhaps I will go to the supermarket, or to a cafe with my son, or you might just find me roaming the isles of IKEA shopping for items to fill my new, small home.
musafira 