Mama Rachael, that’s what I used to call her when I was six, kissing her on the right cheek and then kissing my grandmother on her cheek before leaving for school each morning. She was almost a common fixture in our house back then in Bahrain. She was family, not in my baby brain, but also in the neighborhood.

I was six, but I still remember that she wore similar clothes like my grandmother — colored Arabic long dress and black abaya with a scarf over her head when she went home after her morning visit. Not just her dress that looked like each and every old Arabic woman in the street, but also her features were the same (Arabic)... I could tell the difference when I compare her with our English neighbors in Adlyah. When I was 13, I moved back to my father’s home in Saudi Arabia... and when the question popped about her and her family, they told me she was Jewish and that her family had immigrated from Iraq. That did not make a difference, since I only remember her kind face and her soft voice. She was my grandmother’s neighbor and friend. No questions were asked after that. She was Mama Rachel to all the kids.

*****

Hi Nadia... one question... if I needed the services of a lawyer in Saudi Arabia, how can I get the best, and on whose recommendations?

— Katie

Dear Katie, I would advise any visitor to Saudi Arabia or any other country to ask their Embassy in advance of such services. You do not have to get into trouble to know where to go from there. I was in Geneva a few days ago and had to contact a lawyer for a real estate issue. My hotel concierge was more than helpful. But in Saudi Arabia you have two options only. Either your embassy or get help from a local friend especially in the business environment. The judiciary system is very different from any other country since it is based on Islamic laws (Shariah), and what applies in Western countries does not necessarily apply in Saudi Arabia. Get you facts right and make sure you have enough time if it’s a major case. It takes some time to solve issues — just like any other country.