A Middle -East Memoir

1979, I went to Saudi Arabia in my mothers arms to meet my grandparents, aunt and uncles who had made the dessert country their home away from home. Home is where the heart is, home is where you dream of, to this day the sets of my dreams are in Jeddah.

To the rest of the world, Saudi Arabia was and is still known primarily for being the holy land for the Muslims. The world knows very little about the daily lives of the residents of the country. People in Bangladesh also thought that Saudi Arabia was only about Islam, our prophet, umrah and haj. It was, and so much more to those of us who have had the opportunity to live there.

Softy ice cream cone trucks by the beach, the guy with the moustache on the can of Olé chips, the elephant Jumbo on huge ice cream containers, that’s my Jeddah.

The fragrances of The Body Shop in malls, the fragrances of Arab perfumes, the aroma of Albaik fried chicken, the scent of the sea, that’s my Jeddah.

People in all white, all black, all bright multicolour are the residents of Jeddah, locals and foreigners.

Galaxy, Safari, Kit Kat were the favourite chocolate brands amongst us youngsters.

Foul beans and bread was everyone’s favourite quick meal.

Amazing how our body tunes to it’s surroundings and the imprints forever stay with us. Even today, the heat doesn’t bother me much, takes me back to red waters, clear blue skies and white cotton clouds. Kishore Lata duets, Pankaj gazals.

Bangladeshis have been crossing borders in search of a better life since the old days. Uk and the Middle East have been on the top of the list of countries for Bangladeshis to go to find work. Unfortunately unlike other countries Saudi nationalities are not for takes. Work permits and resident visas are as far as one can get.

Bright blue clear skies, white cotton candy clouds, bright blazing sunlight, yes that’s my Middle East. I’ve been through numerous sun burns, with only The Body Shop’s greasy melon sunblock stick at hand. Many end up with cataracts for not wearing sunglasses. My family was among the privileged doctor/engineer families in KSA. Starting with my engineer grandfather and uncle in Taif, engineer father and uncle in Jeddah and engineer uncle in Riyadh and this is just my immediate family. I had doctor cousins around Saudi Arabia as well. It doesn’t get any better than that for a Bangladeshi in KSA where the majority was yes, labourers. My family socialised with Bangladeshis employed in a wide spectrum. The class distinctions were absent in the students of The Bangladesh Embassy High School but ever so present in the Society groups of our parents. The financial gap was too wide to ever be bridged.

The 90’s. Madonna,George Michael everyone  knew, I witnessed the debut of The Jets, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, Menudo and New Kids on the block along with Hisham.

Pepsi not Coke or rather Bebsi as Arabs pronounce ‘P’as ‘B’. One of my favourites from childhood is the Cadbury tv ad. It shows a tree growing Golden leaves which turn into Cadbury chocolates and people of different nationalities standing in awe under it. That’s my middle east. Arabs, Americans, Bangladeshis, British, Egyptians, Indians, Pakistanis, Somalians as one. Something I couldn’t explain to my generation in Dhaka.

To me the whole world was mine, Allah had given me a huge home, the boundaries were drawn by people, who were they to tell me that my territory started and ended in Bangladesh? Now after all these years I love seeing Bangladeshis travel with a right to all land and sea.

As a Bangladeshi I had very little opportunity to mingle with Arabs. Like all countries Saudi Arabia also had a close knit Bangladeshi community. There were so many of us that we never felt the need to befriend a Saudi. It wasn’t that they didn’t welcome us, they did, but like all Bangladeshis we preferred to stay within our pack. Everything had a label. Arab breads, Pakistani jilapis, kababs. It was very important where things were made in.  The first thing we would always check was the ‘Made in ……’ whenever we picked up something. In Bangladesh when we pick anything up, we look into the model, price and then casually ask where it’s made in. Back then electronic gadgets were mostly General, Sharp and Sony. Samsung and LG had hit the Saudi markets much much later.

Badar a Pakistani restaurant was the top choice of venue for Bangladeshi social gatherings. I still remember the guy selling betel leaves  downstairs during every dawat.

1983 Saudi TV Channel 2, opened my window to the outside world. I was sitting alone on the day, mother in the kitchen, father at the office as I watched the first broadcast aired from Riyadh. The initial programs were in English and French. I owe my 2^nd language fluency to this channel.

The bollywood movies were a big part of Bangladeshi lives. Amitabh Bachchan at his angry man era, courtesy of Shemaroo video.

The Eid parties had everyone from all circles of society. Thus we met up with people we liked as well as the ones we didn’t. I would say these sort of gatherings made me apt at putting on a diplomatic face, smiling at every one and anyone and looking dumb whenever faced with an uncomfortable situation requiring any comment or response from me. My days in Saudi Arabia were of innocence, truthfulness, honesty and straightforwardness. These virtues and teachings made me ill prepared to survive in  Bangladesh when the time came after 13 years of my life. I probably spend the first couple of my years in Dhaka just observing my surroundings and learning the ropes. Do I want to go back? I don’t. It’s a good place for a child to grow up in but one has to leave the nest in order  spread wings and fly.

Shahnaz Sultana currently lives in dhaka, Bangladesh. She has done her BA in English majoring in Language from North South University. She has worked there as a teaching assistant as well. After her bachelor’s she joined Unocal  in their External Affairs department. She has worked with Monower Associates as an HR Consultant. She was a faculty at Brac University.