The Biggest Adjustment

My Mom,my Friends,My job,My City,My Gatherings,The food,The roads,The Sea....Infinitive List but i am still very happy to be in Riyadh with my Man.Saudi was always the last place on earth i ever wanted to move[apart for Hajj & Umrah]But i was Destined to be here and now the best part "I am Content and Happy".

Although yes,i have adjusted on "The Lost of my independence"
i have always been a very independent woman.i would have hardly depend on anyone for my shopping,chores or any out door responsibilities.I have driven even 3'o clock on the Roads of Karachi on my own but in Riyadh i am entirely Dependent on my hubby.....Anyways,i have learned to enjoy with in my Adjustment too

Well, two things for me.

One is the desperation of so many expat women here.  The treatment they tolerate just to have a 'BF' is ludicrous (especially when the BF is somebody they only see at embassy functions or talk to on the phone).  Many cases of arrested development around here--grown women acting like giddy teenagers and wallowing in the drama (Stretch?  You work with all men? consider yourself lucky lol)

The second thing is that zero contact thing that's imposed on all of us.  I was at Carfourre the other night and a western guy who was scanning the spices (I was looking for oregano--no luck!) asked me if I knew where the bullion was.  We exchanged a few sentences but I knew we shouldn't be doing it. I think I was even glancing around to see if anybody was observing us! Pretty freakin' pathetic.  I wonder how long I'll carry this paranoia?  Is it something that will immediately vanish when I leave here or will it linger?

Wow, when I stepped out on the tarmac from the PIA aircraft at Dhahran Airport, around 1 pm, on Nov 13, 1979, the heat of the sun on my face was my very first impression of this desert land even though it was almost time for winter. Of course I knew that the heat was on before I came, without a doubt.

However, my first impressions of dimunitive AlKhobar with its poeaceful people, quaint little shops on King Khalid Street, and the warm waters of the Gulf at Sunset Beach, were definitely most welcome. The trust factor that prevailed between the locals and the expats was incredible. I had never seen it anywhere before. Not even inb my own home state.

To see shopkeepers leave their gold ships, laen with chunks of Gold hanging from the ceiling, fully open, accessible to anyone, and empty, during prayer times was mind boggling. I dont think such a scenario would have been possible, even in that time, anywhere else on the planet. I was truly impressed.

Sadly, today, we cant even leave a half drunk pepsi can on the sidewalk and someone will surely pinch it...

Almost upto 1985, Turkey was the same.. I pretty well remember, you could let your door open even when you were sleeping.

But then after, money talked.. b.... walked... Since then I am missing the same feeling... hard to explain that confidence and other all... I am sure that anyone older than 40 can catch the same all over the world..

That feeling already sold out !

agree, its very much the same across the planet. the new generations are getting finger happy, sadly....

i remember when i wrote home and told them about the gold shops they really thought i was joking. i had to take pics of the empty gold stores and send it back to them to make them believe. even then they were of the view that the pics were not genuine or the salesmen were not in the frame.

back home in SL I remember the amount of respect and honor that senior citizens used to receive from the younger ones. For instance in public transport systems you would never see an elderly man or woman standing while younger people sat on their comfy seats and looked out the window. I remember the many young pewople assisting older ones to cross the streets. All extinct now, sadly....

Where has all the kindness gone?

the new generations are getting finger happy, sadly....

Now, to the crux of the issue:  who raised these new generations?  Where (and why) did they fall short as opposed to the generations before them??

Absolutely spot on, Puddy Tat.

Its the parents to blame and that means the previous generations.

The transition that has overcome humanity over the past several decades is massive and also painful.

While on the one hand we have been dished out a fabulous dose of technology and development, it is also a sad state of affairs to realzie that we have also evolved inbto a very thinly materlaistic race. Evereyones cahsing after the greenbvacks by hook or by crook in ordert to live the luxurious lives they perceive based on what they see and hgear, irrespctive of whether they can afford it or not. The pl;astic generation has put everyone in serious debt. Milking the stock market has duped everyone into making millions overnight or falling flat on their faces. Banks have also contributed to this evil phenomenon, seeking to make much more than they aught to, as was seen by the crash in the recent past.

When will this ever end? Or will it?

oops.. hijacked MisterStretch's topic, which I think is a very good one.

I would like to add another adjustment I've had to make, which is having to remember that I am a  '2nd class citizen' here.

Saudi women may consider not being able to drive--having men take them around--as being protected or pampered but this rationale is difficult for me (although I knew about this before coming here and accepted it, so can't complain now that I'm here).  I view it as having my movement restricted--being held in a certain place--since my ability to 'explore' the city has been limited.


Moreover, there is apparently some kind of upcoming festival and I see a great deal of interest in other forums, with women asking if this year there will be a 'family day.'  Now, let's face it: 'family day' is just a way of saying females can come.  I am quite certain (correct me if I'm wrong) that a man and his SONS can attend if it's NOT 'family day.'  So who is being excluded here?  And better yet, WHY?  I think the exclusion is just a way to remind you of your place.

It's ironic that we (women) have to sit at the back of the bus because any American reading this knows about Rosa Parks!

So.. these are my adjustments.

I always find myself conflicted when I think/talk about KSA.  I like it here, but I don't like it LOL  Do you know what I'm saying??