What have been some of your best experiences while traveling? originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.
Answer by Elizabeth Muller, environmentalist, entrepreneur, on Quora:
I put on a burka in Yemen, and became invisible.
As a western woman in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, I was noticed everywhere I went. It wasn’t unpleasant, people were friendly and helpful - but I was clearly being observed.
After just a few days of my one-month stay, I decided to buy some local clothing. I was in Yemen to learn. To learn Arabic, but also to learn about an extremely foreign culture. I am a firm believer in learning by doing.
I bought a chador, hijab, and niqab. They were all black, like most women wear in Sana’a. Even just learning how to put them on correctly was fascinating. And from the moment I first put them on in public, things changed. All of a sudden, I was no longer a matter of public interest - I was invisible and able to observe local life in its true and authentic state.
It wasn’t a comfortable experience. It was stuffy under the niqab, and I was uncomfortable with the idea that women can’t have normal interactions with men because of the way that we look.
But I learned something in my discomfort. I would never pretend to fully understand women who wear the burqa, but I do think that I understand them better than I did before this experience. It was one of the most profound travel experiences I have ever had.
This is me, smiling for the camera.
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