I was carrying my gym bag on one hand and two white coats on another and a shoulder bag, my tarha ( a long black scarf, women use to cover their hair in public) was just loosely hanging on my neck.
I went inside the elevator and pressed number 2 without realising that my tarha was caught in between the elevator door.
As the elevator went up on the second floor, I saw my tarha disappeared in seconds! Thanks goodness, it wasn’t wrapped around my neck or else, I’ll be choke to death.
I heard a lot of stories about abaya (black robe women wears in public) being stuck in between doors of buses, cars or stairs of escalators , so I am so careful , but it seemed … tonight is not my night… 🙁
what happened next?
– Iphone on the rescue!, called my brother to no availed, probably sleeping or he can’t hear the ring. the signal is erratic but manage to make another call.
– called the Haris (our guard man) but he can’t understand “elevator” and I forgot the arabic term for it.(wast’nat/mas’ad,shad,rafa’aa or asan’ser)) and i should have used the term “lift” instead of elevator.
– pick up the emergency elevator phone, no one on the line, no electric fan inside the elevator, temperature was getting higher, after all this is Saudi Arabia! what to expect?
– sat down, hoping my elder brother will wake up, tried calling him again.I was calm, I know my younger brother will come anytime soon, he just dropped off my staffs in their respective homes.
– after 10 minutes, I called my younger brother but he was still far from my house.
– called my friend Nabil, he can’t recognise my voice and can’t hear me well too, thanks goodness, his wife malou, recognised me, after so many calls and explanation” I am stuck in the elevator, please call the “Haris.” oh lalala..at the end she told me to send text so they could understand clearly.
– yes ” text messages” works great in this situation, but how can i text the ” haris” when he can’t even understand my language? can he read? so i texted his number to Nabil.
-I tried one more time to talk to “Haris” slowly but clearly, I told him in arabic,
” Ta’al epta bil bab” (come open the door).
Eventually, he sensed there’s something wrong , so he went inside the apartment and saw my tarha outside the door and figured out that I am stuck inside..hurray! he has good mind after all ! He got a metal bar, with his mighty hand forced the door opened, while I am pulling the Tarha to released it as well, together we tried and wallah! the elevator door opened.
-After 25 minutes, I got out! My brother and friends finally came, just so thankful that I got out safely.
TIps:
elevator – arabic ( wash’nat acdg to Haris) in arabic (mas’ad or shad or rafa’a or asan’ser) or use the common term used in Jeddah, “LIFT”
Keep the “tarha” neatly tuck without any frills.
Look carefully…make sure everything is away from the door before pressing any number.
– use text messages, if no one understand you clearly, make sure before leaving any place phone battery is fully charged or at least not less than 50 percent.
– Keep Calm, don’t panic, PRAY
Ladies, I hope this mishap will not happen to any one of you. PLEASE be CAREFul!
Jamilamimi
This is a funny story with a happy ending! I would have panicked after 25 min I think getting hotter ! Now I can say elevator in Arabic : )
😉 i just found out, was’nat was arabic term for elevator according to the Haris, the real common arabic translation is “mas’ad” or in lebanon, they called it “asan’ser.
thanks for passing by!
I lived it with your writing ! Thank you!
God bless u…next time be careful….Thanks be to God ur fine cos you’ve got the idea to take pictures while on stuck!!!!hehehe…
thank you! I was calm at the beginning but a little bit got scared at the end, when no one seemed to understand my situation. Anyhow, I got out alive yahoo!