Growing up in a very protective environment in Saudi Arabia, I wasn’t allowed to make some simple choices for myself. That changed after I got to India and journalism school. These beige and blue sandals are exactly like the first ones I bought myself. I was 22 at the time. My ‘freedom shoes’ and I became inseparable. They accompanied me on many adventures along the journey to independence. They even found a way back into my life when I thought I had lost them forever.