Women In Black

W.I.B.

As we women teachers get ready to leave the university at the end of the day, we all put on our abayas and head scarves, as dictated by the dress code. (The full face veil worn by my friend on the left is not required for us but it is worn by all of the students. Just so you know, she doesn't typically wear her niqab; she wanted a more dramatic photo!) Normally, I don't wear the head scarf when I'm out shopping or walking, but since it's university policy, I do wear it each morning for about 4 seconds as I walk from the taxi to the university gate, at which point I disappear behind portable wooden walls that are staggered so as to hide the women the instant they enter the building. There are a few men guards who sit outside the gate. At times, they have to pass a note to the inside. They then stand by the gate, and a (covered) woman collects the note to take into the secretive world within, a world the guards can never know.

Inside the university, the students and staff are actually required to NOT wear the abaya, interestingly enough. Here we are in our staff offices.

Let's look at some pros and cons of wearing the abaya.

The cons are fairly obvious:

1. It's hot.

2. It's baggy. I catch my sleeves on apple stems and start landslides of fruit in the stores. I also step on the bottom of it, especially on steps. Also, I have nearly died trying to get into a flying-car ride at the mall.

3. The snaps pop open when I scootch over in the taxi or squat down. A white knee poking out? Scandalous!

4. It doesn't leave much room for personality in one's dress. However, you can find abayas with embroidery.

But there are a few pros:

1. It protects my clothes from dust. Josh's pants get covered in dust, while my skirt stays pristine.

2. If we're going grocery shopping, I can wear shorts and a tank top underneath, or even pajamas, because no one will ever see. Western men are discouraged from wearing shorts, unless they're on the compound.

3. If I get cold, as I often do at work or in restaurants, I always have it with me to give me an extra layer.

4. I have the perfect costume if I ever want to dress up as Hermione Granger ... or as a Dementor.