Boomer Retirement Abroad - I will not be retiring in Saudi Arabia

Since I've been making my plans  to escape  from the U.S, oops I mean relocate, I've been following a lot of expat blogs.  I have even contacted some of the bloggers.

One of the blogs I follow is Black Chick on Tour. I have not contacted her (yet) but find her posts and her videos to be very funny and always informative.

Now, under NO circumstances do I plan to move to Saudi Arabia, but I thought it was very interesting to hear about her experiences as an expat in Saudi Arabia and I especially enjoyed her change of attitude regarding the abaya.

You know, I never really gave it much thought that there was any diversity in choosing one of these garnents. (c'mon and you didn't either) I figured they were just black garments that the women wrapped up in.

Right?

Wrong!

Just goes to show you - women are women, everywhere!

Here are a couple of things you might want to know if you plan to go to Saudi Arabia

What is an abaya anyway?

The abaya sometimes also called an aba, is a simple, loose over-garment, essentially a robe-like dress, worn by some women in parts of the Muslim world including in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

 Traditional abayat are black and may be either a large square of fabric draped from the shoulders or head or a long caftan. The abaya covers the whole body except the face, feet, and hands. It can be worn with the niqāb, a face veil covering all but the eyes. Some women choose to wear long black gloves, so their hands are covered as well.

Abayat are known by various names but serve the same purpose, which is to cover. Contemporary models are usually caftans, cut from light, flowing fabrics like crepe, georgette, and chiffon. Other known abaya styles are front open and front closed abaya. Styles differ from region to region: some abayat have embroidery on black fabric while others are brightly coloured and have different forms of artwork across them.

What is the difference between an abaya and a burka?

A burka and abaya are different. Both are undergarments worn by Muslim women to maintain modesty in public.

A burka is a head to toe covering worn by women. Their face is concealed by fabric that you can not see into but they can see out of. This style of Islamic dress is common in Afghanistan. They can come in different colors but black and blue (afgani) are the most common.

An Abaya is a body cover, often black in color (especially in the Gulf Region), that covers a women from neck to toe. There are many different styles of abayas, and they usually are paired with a matching shayla (oblong) style hijabs.

Check out Terri as she chooses her new abaya