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cultural observations

cultural differences cultural observations day in the life of a saudi expat expat expat blog expat blog saudi arabia expat life lost in riyadh lost in riyadh blog Lost in Riyadh-Blog riyadh saudi arabia May 17, 2014

On Social Segregation: Beware of the Sections!

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…

cultural observations expat blog expat blog saudi arabia expat life Lost in Riyadh-Blog saudi arabia saudi arabia expat blog saudi arabia expat life April 18, 2014

A Little Party Never Killed Nobody: On the Other Purpose of Embassies

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…

cultural differences cultural observations day in the life of a saudi expat living in Saudi Arabia Lost in Riyadh-Blog middle east riyadh saudi arabia saudi arabia expat blog April 13, 2014

To Adapt, or Not to Adapt, That is the Question

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…

arabic cuisine arabic food cultural differences cultural observations day in the life of a saudi expat expat blog expat blog saudi arabia Lost in Riyadh-Blog April 9, 2014

On Adventurous Day Trips, Cotton Candy and How I Got a New Name

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…

cultural differences cultural observations day in the life of a saudi expat expat blog interesting observations Lost in Riyadh-Blog April 8, 2014

The Kindness of Saudi Strangers

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…

coffeee morning saudi arabia cultural differences cultural observations day in the life of a saudi expat expat blog expat blog saudi arabia expat life Lost in Riyadh-Blog April 7, 2014

Excuse Me, Are You One of Us?

Sometimes, when the sun is shining and you are on vacation, you decide to grab your stuff, finally put on that swim suit again and go finish that English reading assignment by the pool. But as it so happens, you end up doing something completely different instead. I did manage to get my things together and make it down to the pool, but just as I lied down and tried to continue reading Top…

cultural differences cultural observations day in the life of a saudi expat Lost in Riyadh-Blog March 30, 2014

Riyadh Spring Festival

Friday morning in Riyadh. I have two days to myself so what could I possibly be doing? Homework I guess, but as you may have read previously, I have recently discovered an interest in going outside and just walking around town wherever there is a sidewalk. One of my friends mentioned the Riyadh Spring Festival to me, so I thought: Great! Let’s get outside, look at flowers and mix into the crowd…

clothing culture in saudi arabia cultural differences cultural observations day in the life of a saudi expat expat blog expat life Lost in Riyadh-Blog saudi arabia expat blog March 20, 2014

Wearing Hijab for a Day

Looking at foreigners’ opinions on Saudi Arabia, I noticed how the most concerning thing for women, is the idea of having to cover one’s hair. If you ever ask a western woman about why she would not accompany her husband to Saudi Arabia, the answer is very likely to be: “I do not want to cover up.”, unless she actually decides to come along. Yesterday night I saw part of an interview…

cultural differences cultural observations expat blog expat blog saudi arabia Lost in Riyadh-Blog March 16, 2014

What to Be Grateful For?

I have not been writing anything for a while now and thought that I could use some practice again. Maybe even to just allow my brain to “breathe” again after cramming for all sorts of assessments, hoping that technology won’t give up on me again three hours before the deadline. Just as I was looking through my Facebook news feed, seeing how my former Kosovar classmates, now seniors, are enjoying themselves in Dubai,…

cultural differences cultural observations expat blog expat blog saudi arabia living abroad living in riyadh living in Saudi Arabia Lost in Riyadh-Blog riyadh saudi arabia student blog March 7, 2014

Cultural Pas Faux: Shaking Hands

Today, one of my western friends seemed to be very surprised about the fact that in Saudi Arabia men and women who are not related to each other do not shake hands, as it is, generally speaking, socially unacceptable. I can imagine that some of you may be very surprised as well when finding out about this, so I thought that a post about this cultural norm may end up being helpful…

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