Interesting Issue

Live in Saudi Arabia. I’ll look it up. I did and it’s frightening. An American woman wearing native garb, an abayyah (cloak) and headscarves went to a Starbucks after a seminar to finalize her meeting with two male colleagues. She opened her laptop and was arrested by the police and strip-searched and taken to jail.

I couldn’t drive, or go out of the house without my husband. One woman couldn’t go out on her porch because males might see her. Even as two American ex-pats I would need Jim’s permission to leave the country if there’s a family emergency.

Yes, I believe there is gender bias in the USA. Look at France and food. All the rustic dishes they do are from their grand-meres but they think only men can be chefs. Here my pay was always less than my male colleagues doing the same job or less, in government, lobbying and non-profits. And cooking. And I made zero for that. I remember something on typewriters and men said it was a man’s job and a woman couldn’t do it. That was the birth of the “pink collar” era.

I started out driving a Toro at age eight, two pedals, a go and a clutch. Two speeds. To move to a country where I must cover my entire face and body and can’t drive and can’t go anywhere in-country or leave, is something I have to say “NO” to. No way. No how. If I’m going to be in a different country I need to experience history first-hand of so many historic sites. And bring our dog, who has been in virtual quarantine for four years now so has her international “passport.”

A lot of my life I didn’t know what fighting was (debating issues), and I thought if people didn’t agree all the time it was a bad thing. After winning and being beat up a few times (verbally), now I like to fight for good causes and am glad that my loving husband supports whatever I want to do. Honey, let’s not move to Saudi Arabia. I look good in black, just not so much of it. And no weapons, please. Cheers, Dee