nobody's equal

I have heard that nobody is equal to Saudis. To them, there are two types of foreigners: Western and non-Western. And accordingly the treatment or behaviour towards them differs. Westerners can do no wrong, for the most part, and are put up on a pedestal, whereas non-Westerners are on the bottom of totem pole. They are often treated like dirt underneath their shoes.

This demarcation, as horrendous as it is, works for people who belong in one or the other category. But it is problematic for those of us who belong in both or exist somewhere in between both categories.

Someone told me “You can’t be both Somali and Canadian at the same time in Saudi Arabia”. Choose according to how you want to be treated.