Today I took the subway. On top of getting to the station in the rain and being concerned about getting the bottom of my abaya wet and dirty, once I arrived at the station there were additional concerns. 

First of all, I worried that the bottom of the Abaya would get grabbed by the elevator steps and that I’d either been sucked partway into the machinery or that I would be disrobed ( thank goodness I have clothing on underneath.)  Maybe clothing and elevator anxiety are built into my mix.  More than once, when I was a young girl ,the toe of my rubber boot was eaten by an elevator step in downtown Pittsburgh department store. I gathered the Abaya in my right hand and pulled it up.

Secondly, the hijab (black veil) kept sliding off my head. Maybe it was the humidity? My With holding up the long skirt and holding onto the head scarf, it was quite a lot of work getting onto the subway with the outfit intact.. 

The abaya, by the way,  is a simple, loose over-garment, essentially a robe-like dress, worn by Muslim women. It is yet another term for Burqa. Most Indians and Pakistanis use the word Burqa while people from the Arab countries usually call it Abaya. I inherited my Abaya from Saudi Arabian friend. 

 Hijab is the headscarf that a woman wears. The basic purpose is to observe Islamic modesty standards. 

Finally, here I am getting off the subway being modest indeed, in comparison to the long-legged young girl following right behind me. I’m too old to wear so little clothes!

On the inside, I might have had a bit of a battle with the outfit. Looking at these photos, I think I look quite elegant in the mink and black abaya.