Panda

“All the concepts about stepping out of your comfort zone mean nothing until you decide that your essential purpose, vision and goals are more important than your self-imposed limitations.”

-Robert White

My first outing in Saudi was at Panda. Panda is a giant supermarket very similar to Wal-Mart. Badr and I went during the heat of the day. Mistake.

            (The Saudi sun is much more harsh than the Arkansas sun. In Saudi during the hottest part of the day, the sun is like a concentrated laser beam blasting you with flaming heat. It almost takes your breath away! The sensation is similar to when you are really close to a bonfire, when your face feels like it turned into hot dry leather.)

            We got to Panda and it seemed very normal to me. I saw familiar items on the shelf like Heinz ketchup and Coca Cola. I stayed close to Badr because I got a lot of stares. I think it’s the white skin and blue eyes, but I’m not sure. It also could have been because my veil fell off my head twice! I was horrified. I felt my blonde hair exposed and yanked my veil up on my head and tried to wrap it tightly.

            Other than struggling with my veil, everything went pretty well. I felt happy; we had coke, chocolate, and cake mix. What more could I have needed?