Are You Safe- Thieving Arabs!

Thieving Arabs. I vaguely remember hearing that term as a child some where. I never gave it much thought, until the other night.


One night I forgot my purse at the cafe. In it was everything: my credit cards, my camera, my passport, my cell phone that can call anyplace in the world.... I didn't realise it until I was back in my room. Once I did, I walked back down to the cafe in hopes that at least there were people mopping the floor.

No such luck, and the sign on the door, after I translated the Arabic numbers into our numbers, said that they didn't open until 9 the next morning. (Yeah, I know we call our numbers "Arabic Numbers" but that is because of the zero. The Arabs were the first people to use a placeholder and so our numbers, which use zero as a placeholder, are called the Arabic numbers. The numeral system the Arabs use, also contain a place holder;a dot. But the symbols come from India and look very different than ours.) So I walked back to the hotel at about 1 in the morning with all the guards asking me if I was OK and why did I come back out so late?

The next morning I got up early and walked back down to the cafe again in hopes that they would be open early. They weren't. So I had to tell Garay, the leader of our trip, that I couldn't go on our big trip to the desert castles, Dana Nature Preserve, Petra, Wadi Rum..., and instead had to stay and cancel my cards, phone, get a new passport... .

He just looked at me and smiled. "It's OK. We'll call them from the road and they will hold them for you."

I'm sure I didn't look reassured, so he added, "Really, it's fine. You don't have this kind of theft in the Middle East."

Sorry to say, I didn't believe him. It's sad, but I've realized that I'm a jaded American. "I understand Garay. But I don't have money for the trip and I'm afraid that if I don't cancel everything right away, I won't have money to live off of until my next paycheck AT THE END OF AUG. ."

"Get on the bus. Everything will be alright. I promise. I'll cover your expenses until we return from the trip and then you will pay me back. If your things are stolen, don't worry, we have insurance."


I'd be lying if I didn't say that I was sure I was going to be homeless before the insurance money came in, but I did what I was told and got on the bus.


When we returned late at night three days later, my purse with everything intact was lying on my bed in my room. One of the guys from the cafe walked it to the front desk. He said he was going to hold it for me, but heard I was worried about it and thought it would be better for my "brain and Heart" if I found it safe and sound on my bed when I returned.

The next evening I went down to thank them for everything and they just stared. You could tell that they were surprised that I was worried about it and even more that I felt the need to thank them.

Thieving Arabs, hun? So much for ancient sayings.