BY BARBORA KOUBKOVA
Many said I was mad. And those same people now say I was lucky. Many years ago, my stepfather moved to Saudi Arabia and offered to my mom, my sister, and me to come with him. My mom said no. My sister said no. And, surprise, surprise, I said yes.
Many said I was mad, and those same people now say I was lucky.
I wish I could say I was a natural sucker for a good adventure, but I would be lying to you. I was born in the Czech Republic and we moved a lot. I attended four different elementary schools and two high schools. Making new friends was a matter of survival. You either adapt to this new environment, or you die. That kind of thing. Only without the dying part. Each time we moved to a new place, we would get new furniture, new clothes for the first day at school, and, if we did it the right way, a new set of friends. So that’s how I came together. My circumstances made me into a self-made, courageous human who eats challenges for breakfast. Oh, how I wish for challenges to taste like blueberry muffins!
Many said I was mad, and those same people now say I was lucky.
In Saudi Arabia, almost everything was different from what I was used to. Religion, food, weather. Even meeting new people. That one thing I could always count on, my making-new-friends-survival-kit, did not work here, as I did not speak English, and all those people around me did. So it was like eating a challenge for breakfast that did not taste like blueberry muffins but mud and stones. There was nothing I could fall back on. Well, except my stepfather. It was me and him against the world. He read school books with me after work and made me see through the dusty days. Six months later, after gaining ten kilos due to stress-eating, I finally arrived at having the best grade in American Literature and having friends I could laugh with. I proved I could eat mud and stones for breakfast. I was back on track.
Many said I was mad, and those same people now say I was lucky.
Before leaving for Saudi Arabia, my history teacher told me I was mad. That I would die. That I would be lost and never found. The country had that much of a bad reputation in Europe back in the day. Two years later, however, I was back in the Czech Republic, richer than ever. With a new language engraved in my brain, a new bunch of cool kids in my wolf pack, and stories to tell. It was only when I came back that people said I was lucky, and that moving to Saudi Arabia was the best thing I did.
Many said I was mad, and those same people now say I was lucky.
Having lived in Saudi Arabia, I got to experience what many could not. A true cultural shock. The best kind. The kind that slaps you in the face and makes you a different, better, more awake human. Traveling does that to you. Placing yourself in a new spot on the map asks something of you. “Have your eyes and heart open; you may learn something, child.” Yes, that’s the sentence I imagine the universe using when speaking to us travelers in our sleep. Traveling has you meeting people and their worlds outside of your own. It asks you to kindly reconsider your views. Very literally, and sometimes not even so kindly. It can spin your head around and shake you from the ground up. Whatever happens during your travels, you get to meet yourself. It is then that you learn the most about yourself.
Many said I was mad, and those same people now say I was lucky.
These pictures are not from Saudi Arabia. My external disk with all the amazing pictures of Saudi Arabia died many years ago. This is Oman instead. My second Arabian love. After Saudi Arabia, my parents bought a summer house in Oman, and I got to, once again, accept the challenge of moving to a new place. This time, however, completely on my own. Oman is amazing. Travel to Oman. Get to meet yourself in a new world. You won’t regret it.
Safe travels, my friend.
BARBORA KOUBKOVA is a life-lover residing in Prague, Czech Republic. Having traveled the world for a while, she has collected stories she cannot but share with us. It is the different habits of people that fascinate her, unique views on life, and stories that usually get overlooked. She loves to make fun of herself and have people laugh along. You can reach her on IG: @barakoubkova or via email at bara@barakoubkova.cz.
