The other day in class I tried explaining the concept of a nuclear family to some of my students. During the lesson it dawned on me that maybe it was a stupid thing to teach despite being in the book, because most of my student’s fathers have more than one wife, so what I was saying probably didn’t make any sense to them.

It’s really interesting to see how progressive some of my students are, especially in comparison to generations slightly older than them. Some of my students vow that, no matter what, they will be the only wife.  Some swear they will never have children. Some say they will never cave to the societal pressures of marriage and will stay single forever. Usually the ones with an apathetic attitude towards marriage are the ones that study the hardest, so that they will never need a man to support themselves.

People who don’t live in the kingdom have many preconceived notions about women here, that they are weak, powerless, and completely dependent on a man. This couldn’t be farther than the truth, though. Maybe the don’t view feminism in the same sense that most westerners do, but they have their own brand of feminism, and it’s quite special to see.

The ambition these girls have never ceases to blow me away, and I want nothing more than to see everyone of them achieve their dreams, with or without a man, depending on THEIR choice.

Salaam,

KC