Dear Santiago from The Alchemist, my Spain is your Egypt!

A year ago, a colleague of mine told me I should go to Spain. I asked him why but he would not answer. When I insisted one day to know, he said:”there’s something for you there. Go claim it!”

Even before that talk, Spain to me has always been like Egypt to the boy (Santiago) in The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. A place with a treasure buried inside. A treasure for you only.

You “feel” you should go, yet you have no”logical” reason to believe those feelings. The more you ignore such fantasies and think they will disappear with time, the fiercer they grow. Eventually, they become so big you can’t shut them down. You want to go, but you are afraid to feel stupid in front of yourself looking for something that may not exist. You are afraid to have your expectations demolished. You are afraid of facing something you can’t define or fully comprehend.

According to an ancient myth, when two countries are spelled starting with the same letter, they share a big thing in common. In the case of Saudi and Spain, the striking resemblance of Saudis in looks to the Spanish is undeniable. Inside Saudi Arabia, we jokingly call one another “Spanish”. 

Could Spain mistake me to be one of its people and grant me my unknown treasure which I will go in search for?

I don’t even know if I look enough Spanish honestly. But it’s not how one looks. It’s how one feels. 

I haven’t dared to visit Spain yet. All pictures posted here are taken from the account of one of my  Snapchat friends in his trip to Barcelona.

While watching videos from the festivals of the three Kings day, and looking at children eating the King’s cake and all those sugary treats, I shed tears. I was overwhelmed. I felt as though I was there myself. I never become this emotional when seeing pictures or videos anywhere, but Spain has a special place in my heart. A privilege which I don’t easily give to any country. Specially a country which I have not yet visited.

I guess it’s time to pack my guts. It’s time to look for the unknown. It’s time to pursue my Spanish mirrors, and may be have some original Paella too. 

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💜💜 Hello I’m Noor and I’m Saudi. I love to write, eat bagels and dance. 

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If you have any questions about Saudi Arabia, Islam or the Middle East, feel free to contact me. You may leave me a comment and I will get back to you.

P.S: I follow whoever follows me.

Love, 

Noor