Last week my Lost in Riyadh Facebook page has reached 1000 likes! Since then I have been thinking about ways to celebrate the occasion beyond the usual thank you post. Looking through my old entries that once composed my Lost in Riyadh blog right before GDPR came along in the EU, I found a comment by a reader from back in 2014. Tonight, to celebrate my blog’s wide outreach, I would like to…
riyadh
Guest Post:24hrs in Riyadh- Female Solo Travel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Yes, you read it correctly. I did actually put the words Saudi Arabia, femaleĀ and solo travel next to each other and I am just as excited about that possibility to occur as some of my readers may be confused. š For a blogger or a writer of any sorts, there is nothinng betterĀ than getting in touch with his or her readers. Since I started this blog, I have received manyĀ Ā E- Mails from…
The Women Who Did it
Sometimes during my stay in Riyadh I found myself in situations where no matter where I went, I heard moans, complaints and the excited voices of those who could not stop talking about how they would go home for vacation soon, listing all of the (by Saudi standards inappropriate) things they would do once they got there, in great detail. I was not so much surprised to find that the vast majority…
Post Saudi Q&A Part I
When I woke up this morning, I noticed some new notifications in my WordPress app. One of them was a comment on one of my posts by a reader from Australia who had some very interesting questions to me, regarding my life in Saudi Arabia which by now is long over. Since I love it when people share their thoughts with me on my work and ask me questions, I thought I…
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…
The Saudi Souvenir Checklist
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…
A Visual Intro to Saudi Art
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…
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…
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…
Buildings and Their Nicknames
I am pretty sure that in any city in the world, you will find some building that has some sort of special nickname, given by the people who live in that city. Only a couple of days after my arrival in Riyadh, I learned that even here there is a building that has a rather amusing nickname. Just as in Berlin we have theĀ Haus der Kulturen der Welt (House of the Cultures…