I remember the night when I was all awake even though it was already 1 in the morning and my flight to Riyadh was in eight hours. I stood there, my bunker of a suitcase open and a bunch of my stuff spread all over the room. I had 20 kilograms available, a ton of things and I was traveling to a place where I have never been before. So naturally, I…
Yesterday my mother and I went outside (outside as in “outside the actual compound” YES, my dear people, that is actually doable here…SURPRISE!!!) to get something for lunch. Luckily for us, there are some small places near us that sell (fast) food. However, since my mother has not been outside very much so far, she had some trouble figuring ut which of the two doors she was supposed to use in order…
Every time I go to a new place. and especially when I am fascinated by it, I always try to get something from there that I can keep as a souvenir. But when I am talking about souvenirs, I don’t really mean things like key chains or T- Shirts that say something like “I <3 KSA”, and if I were to buy something that has “I <3 KSA” on it, it would…
Many people who have never been here and are convinced that Saudi society is backwards, often think that Saudi Arabia does not have a culture. That also includes the opinion that in Saudi Arabia there are no artists who create fabulous paintings. For those of you who stumbled upon this post and (falsely) believe all the things listed above, let me share with you my favorite painting exhibits from a booklet that…
Most of us know embassies as places where you get travel documents or where you go if you have a “diplomatic hold up” in another country etc. But have you ever thought about what else an embassy could be useful for? Think for a moment… Yes, you are absolutely correct! In Saudi Arabia, embassies are also places for social gatherings that sometimes, depending on the level of effort, can be considered a…
Why would the average person move to Saudi Arabia? For many it is all about the luxuries, such as cheap gasoline, luxurious houses and a good salary. But unfortunately, many of those people don’t think about the differences between this country and the country of their origin. In the end, they realize that in order to have a bearable life here, one must adapt to the local customs and rules. However, by…
Some people think that Saudi Arabia is a place where things go backwards, meaning that people live like they did in ancient times. That may be true for some things which I probably should not be discussing on here but one of the things that contribute to this general opinion are the things that are (supposedly) banned in this country and to which this post is dedicated. At the very beginning, I…
Some people here believe that friday is always the hottest day of the week. Walking down the road to the gate, my floor long abaya wiping the dust after me and my black hijab covering the majority of my head, I was on my way to the place where a friend and I were supposed to be picked up by another friend of ours, to go to a place called Al Batha…
I used to be a very nice person, back when I was a child. I am not saying that I am not a nice person anymore, but back then I was more focused on doing at least one good thing for somebody every day. What made me decrease my amount of kindness and what in turn made me less naive is the fact that in western society it seemed to me as…