It’s true: I was a Rebel in Arabia. Recently I was interviewed by a student since she was interested in the time that I had spend in Saudi Arabia. I love telling stories, and in talking with Rachel a ton of memories were sparked. Following is her lovely article about me–it actually brought tears to my eyes because she described this period of my life so well.
Enjoy!
Rebel in Arabia
By Rachel Chiu
“I had times when I was chased by the muttawa,” said Ms. Krembs, with a rebellious glint in her eyes. She laughed as she recalled the epic chase with the religious police, sparked by the black tunic that she was wearing. In Saudi Arabia, women have to wear the black abaya at all times.
“I was with my husband and we were running through this really maze-like mall with crazy escalators and we ran into a restaurant to hide,” she reminisced. “We lost them in the restaurant. The restaurants always shut down during prayer time.”
Having lived in Hong Kong my entire life, I couldn’t imagine living in a place with a religious police. A place where restaurants and stores locked their doors and pulled the shutters five times a day during the call to prayer. A place where women had to cover themselves head to toe in a black abaya. I couldn’t imagine it, but Ann Krembs, our very own librarian, lived through it.
Mrs. Krembs and her husband moved to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 1999 for a two year post at an international school there. It was the second international post that the couple had embarked on, the first being a stint in El Salvador. They would go on to live in Venezuela, Mumbai, India, and Beijing, before becoming our librarian here in Hong Kong. The couple taught at an international school owned by Saudia, the flag carrier airline of Saudi Arabia.
“I had no idea what I was getting into,” she said. “I was just so excited to continue this international career.”
Living in Jedda was a huge change from growing up in the small town of Spokane, Washington.
“I was very naive about the world,” she said. “I just knew that I was moving to the middle east. My dad was so scared for me but I had no idea why. I just pictured these grand palaces…”
Her visions of grand palaces and decadence were certainly accurate. Saudi Arabia is one of the richest countries in the world. The land is rich in oil and at the time the rich in Saudi Arabia were just getting richer.
“I’d never seen that much wealth,” she said.
Although we as Hong Kongers can relate to the side of Saudi Arabia to do with luxury cars and designer goods, it is harder to relate to the religious side of this absolute monarchy. Women do not have equal rights to men in the kingdom. Under Saudi law, female adults must live under the guidance of a “guardian,” a male relative. Saudi women face discrimination in court and are required to wear a black abaya that covers their hair and body.
“Did you know that women aren’t allowed to drive there?” she asked. “I had short hair back then and sometimes I would put on a baseball cap and drive around my compound just to be a bit of a rebel.”
Although Ms. Krembs taught at an international school and lived in an international compound, she still had to abide by all Saudi customs. Now, Ms. Krembs is known for her vibrant style and love of fashion, but in Saudi all her colorful outfits were swallowed by the black abaya.
“I don’t march in protests, I’m not a campaigner, I’m not an activist. But I found that my rebellious spirit came out under all the restrictions. I just didn’t find it right that I couldn’t drive – couldn’t wear what I wanted.”
“In restaurants, there were doors for men and doors for women,” she explained. “There was a partition between the two sides of the restaurant and I could see the other side but I was never allowed to sit there. I had never felt discrimination like that before.”
It was difficult living in Jeddah for Ms. Krembs and her husband. She had to struggle between feeling oppressed and respecting the traditions and cultures of her host country.
“One time we couldn’t get in a restaurant because of prayer time and I just had a mental breakdown in the backseat of our jeep. So much emotion was built up and I couldn’t stop crying,” she remembered.
Her husband was her greatest support during their stay.
“He always said to me, ‘Anne, you don’t have to accept it, you just have to tolerate it,” she said. She told me about how she didn’t feel like it was her fight. How she felt like it wasn’t fair for her to be angry at the restrictions because it’s an inherent part of Saudi culture.
Living in a culture so different from her upbringing was very difficult, but the difficult living situation brought Ms. Krembs closer to her fellow teachers. She described her network of friends in Saudi Arabia to be one of the closest and most tight-knit communities that she has ever been a part of. She met one of her best friends, Shannon Coin, a librarian, while she was in Saudi. She wears a silver bracelet, a gift from Shannon, everyday as a reminder of their strong friendship and of Shannon’s classy spirit.
“We relied on each other,” she said. “We all appreciated how different the culture was and supported each other through the transition.”
Looking back on her time in Saudi, Ms. Krembs has fond memories of strong friendships, shopping for carpets and jewellery, and kind hearted locals. She left the country and moved to Mumbai in 2001 with a new found appreciation for freedom of expression and a greater understanding of world culture.
“I realized that I have to be a guest in these countries,” she said reflectively. “I can’t go about changing anything. I need to embrace where I live and push myself out of my comfort zone.”
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