Bitter Sweet Goodbyes

"You speak English!!!"
And that was the day i made my first friend in the desert.

You see, it had been over TWO months now, and i really had not spent quality time with another human being other than the better half.
I had made the random acquaintances, but these were people so far removed from my reality, that we might have as well have been living on different planets.
Many times i really thought we did.
People who did not understand why i wanted to study and work, or earn my own money, or drive myself around for that matter. I mean, why would you want all that when you can have everything done for you??
That was the rationale that didn't quite seem to connect with my own gray matter.

Two weeks after arriving in the desert, I broke down like i was at a funeral. And that came with the realization that the ONLY person that i had spoken to at all in those two weeks, was the very same person that i went to bed with every night.
The better half was at a loss of what to do. Poor thing. He didn't know how to stop me disintegrating......to make it all better.
The hugs did help however:-)
One if his best suggestions was that I join the women's gym!
Hurray!:-) Somewhere where i could meet people, and give me something to look forward to everyday.
After one week of constant uncomfortable stares (I was after all, the only dark skinned woman in that place and hence supposedly out of place)...and a super language barrier, it was like a voice from above, my ears couldn't believe it....
"You speak English!!!"
That one sentence changed my whole life.

And so like a little lost puppy, I was now found, by my own kind.

To my utter surprise, there were loads of Non-Arab English speaking ladies, nicely tucked away in villas with high walls.
Suddenly, I could breathe again:-)
Real human contact.
They took me into their world, and i ceased being a bystander in their society. I was now part of it all. And what a ride it was!

To say that i felt like a nurtured baby when i was with them is an understatement.
And these bunch of voracious ladies saved many from a literal insanity spree.
To be able to give your opinion without crushing fragile egos....
To be able to laugh out loud till you're out of breathe....
To be able to dance like a scarecrow without a care in the world....
To be able to hug someone and feel the warmth in their hearts....
To be as free as a bird for a limited time and space.

They were my true oasis.
And as i parted from them, my heart ached, for they will never truly know how much love and appreciation I hold for them.

My sisters in the desert....This one is dedicated to you.