How Refreshing!

It was so refreshing, so enchanting to fly out of Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, and Ho Chi Minh City International Airports. The reason why? I wasn't made to feel like a criminal. I can't explain how nice it was to go to an airport and not have everyone staring at you nervously. People from every country, religious background, and subsequently, wearing a different headress/ethnic garb, sat next to each other at food court tables, or stood in security checkpoint lines, oblivious to their differences. 

Immediately I noticed the calm in the airport. There wasn't that nervous and scary feeling that hangs in the air at U.S. airports. An ominous voice didn't get on the PA system and repeatedly remind us what color the security level was. We didn't need prompting to be alert of suspicious behavior. All of these airports are just as safe as any American airport but they don't have the atmosphere of alarm.

I always thought the fear mongering at airports in the U.S was ridiculous. Now I know it is. You don't have to scare people to be safe. I shouldn't have to act extra secular, modern, and western so people don't think I work for Bin Laden. People don't have to be ostracized to insure security.

While flying out of airports in the non-western world, I have never felt more relaxed, secure, and at ease while traveling.