European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 10, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                I gift. .<.,�?�.  is Quot >4 a k a t a a you can to be in the Drivers seat without a Ca Deedee Arrington Doke staff writer forc the shooting started a popular b m pastime at the stars and stripes middie East Buican was coming up with b m wordplay on movie and song titles to a fit a saudi arabian or desert Motif. A driving is. Do Dee a for instance would be an appropriate title for a Black comedy about one woman a efforts to get around town in saudi Arabia. The feisty heroine of the Academy award winning a driving miss Daisy a lost her driving inv Illges by crashing her car. Is. Dec dec however lost hers by walking Oil an air plane in a country where women can to drive. Saudi Arabia Isnit a bad place for women who like to hang around the House. Or if a faithful drive . Neither was the Case in this situation. At first i got around solely by catching rides with my. Male colleagues who drove rented cars. But it quickly became Clear that this arrangement was. M the words of one a kind of a Bui Den Quot Lor some of them. Nopio Blem. Mobility is Independence and i decided to Start taking taxis As often As possible easiest thing in the world i ight wrong an address is a Good thing to have when sum Moning a taxi. We lived on a Street without a name in a House without a number. The one landmark was the Palace of Prince Mohammed bin fahd bin Abdula a. The Pio in Cine gone nor. A co worker was nearly at rested when he asked guards posted outside for the name of the Sti cot a Why do you want to know a Quot the gauls snarled suspiciously. It turned out they did no to know either they just worked there. Eventually a taxi diet who Wasabi ing mime Home from somewhere a aided a guess at the Street s name and i began using that name when 1 called taxi dispatchers to Send a car Tor me but it still took a detailed de seption of How to reach the House trom a Superman Ket several blocks away assuming that a taxi was on the w a it was Best to have someone to wait with you outside or plan to go out with a Friend particularly at night stars and stripes photographer Lynda Dav Idson and i would get whistled at called to and otherwise approached by strangers cruising our upper Middle class residential neighbourhood in their Large american cars a woman reporter from a broadcast network told me that she and a Friend had been accosted by several saudi men Ashe two women walked Down a main Street in Broad Daylight. The men got out of their car grabbed the worn Cne a  and aggressively tried to push them into the car. The Only saudi downright hostile to me during my live weeks m country was a 40-ish follow who hissed at me in a parking lot in a provincial City. He apparently thought 1 ought to be wearing an Abaya a the traditional Long Black cloak a and have my hair covered. Several minutes later an English speaking saudi in a big Chevrolet pulled up next to Lynda and me and asked Totake our picture. Maybe for him taking a photo of Western women was the equivalent of americans m Germany taking a snap of people in Bahai Lan costumes but i Digi Ess As it was Lor miss Daisy the loss of i i veg privileges was an obstacle to my Independence and to a certain extent the self esteem  comes from self Reliance. 1 did not like being dependent. Worse i did not like being perceived As dependent. I have to say that saudi men i dealt with proves a woman walks through traffic in dam Mam saudi Arabia. Signal la treated me Well 1 Hev generously offered to Send Drivers for me on occasion and worked Well a with me on most projects. But it s not a system is. Dee dec could live with Loi Long i doubt Many men could handle it it the situation Weie in veiled i left saudi Yiahia one week before  Bike out in be wondered what it would be like to live and Woik m a War zone without having at least As much  my mobility  men in saudi Arabia have Over theirs. Maybe ill never find out.  a Choice i think i la take my wars w Ith wheels thank you a saudi woman As seen through the eyes of a Friend Tina Coutain guest columnist this guest column is written in the style of the fast track celebrity profiles that appear frequently in sunday Magazine. Of Quot Fatima. Age 22 nationality saudi arabian a original town of residence Dhah ran saudi Arabia husband not by Choice first Cousin children one boy a Liz years old a a Little slow. Genes too close. Cherished child. Father struts him around. Husbands occupation saudi arabian  officer reason for temporary stay in United states husbands military training at a . Military. Base. A a. A a. \ a hobbies shopping shopping and shopping. Loves to buy expensive perfume silk blouses. Likes to buy for her eight Sisters and their broods. I husband not always agreeable  spending Money. A. Past wedding reception was at a live Star hotel. Fatima had another suitor in mind to. Marry but could t because her family disapproved. New husband was not patient with Young Bride. 1 Low her Day is spent Wake up at 5 30 a.m., prepare breakfast for husband if it is not ramada then Dean House. C ook big dinner at night about 10 . Cook lots of Rice Chicken with Lemon juice great salads. Always Tea in miniature glasses. If friends Are Over men eat first with. Hands. Sometimes the Chicken Bones Are regurgitated Back on to the food. A mess is left. Men. Disappear. The women and children eat the rest. Nights Are Long. Even children arc up until the a morning hours. A Fatima a grievances husband argues too. Much sometimes hits her too hard. He could get another wife at. Any moment. This is allowed according to Law in saudi Arabia. Fatima s concerns Sisters husband is ail Aleo Holic. He even drinks Cologne perfume. Fatima wants to do All for sister. Fatima has to sneak Money to her sister. Husbands father detests Fatima. Husband respects lather not Wile. Fatima s wishes �?o1 could walk with my Long hair uncovered flowing wearing my red dress and High heels Down the Street without the Black Abaya and get away from the gossiping Back stabbing women and talk to a Nice Man with Friendly eyes.�?�. A Fatima was my neighbor for eight months in the slates. Saying  her was hard. Fatima became my Good Friend i Learned about an exotic culture that was at tile same time demeaning to women. Maybe All this commotion in the persian Gulf could Lead to a decent Way of life for the women. Tina Coutain is a military family member living m one Foerg Germany. A March 10. 1991 sunday b Page 3 \