Abaya Archives - Oxford Seminars Blog
Children in Saudi Arabia in a single-sex classroom

Living & Teaching ESL in Saudi Arabia as a Foreign Woman

As a woman, when I tell people about my experiences teaching ESL in Saudi Arabia, the question they always ask is “Did you have to cover your face?” They are surprised when I tell them that I didn’t have to cover my hair, let alone my face, though sometimes I chose to cover both. Wearing an Abaya I lived ...

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The Abaya: Women Traveling in Oman

The Abaya: Women traveling in Oman

As a foreign woman traveling in Oman, and one who did not cover her hair, I was constantly stared at by men. They weren’t threatening stares, I soon realized, but curious ones, which at least in part spoke of the locals’ curiosity about me (and about my many colleagues both female and male) as newcomers and obvious foreigners. Although ...

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