New friends in Riyadh?

welcome to the mother of all sand dunes and enjoy the rumblings of riyadh. hope you guys have a pleasant stay.

welcome...hope u guys have a nice term here

great to have you here, the sands were expecting you.

kidding, enjoy the stay.

DD

Hi we moved here from UK in Nov 2009

we really enjoy KSA.

No issues (so far)

Hope it goes well.

wish u all the best times
if u got lucky to have some
loooooooool

Just kiddin

welcome,hope to have a lavish time and i bet this country is gonna spoil and papmer ya alot[plz minus the negative aspects]

just do it, babez...

Hi there,

Welcome to the great Sandbox!  You'll have an easy time of it since you're married.  Unfortunately, life here can be difficult for single women lol

But lots to learn and observe and it's truly an interesting (if not exciting) place to be!

so far so good in this forum - every one are nice / considerate and very helffull. I have 10 days and counting till I get there. And hope to meet everyone someplace where expats can socialize.

And hope to meet everyone someplace where expats can socialize.

So you're suggesting a trip to Bahrain? lol

I have heard that expats prefer going to Bahrain once in a while to feel a little bit like free. What other places in or around Saudi Arabia may be worth visiting?

sure alliecat - Bahrain Bound we go - since company provides a car for me - we can go take a field trip

how many expat can you fit in a car for Bahrain?

that depends on waist size...

You might get invited onto a compound where you don't have wear the "black sac" and you can sit by the pool and chill out.

Would you be surtprised if I told yopu that there are some western compounds in Riyadh who do not allow women in Abhayas to enter their premises as is displayed by a loud and clear sign at the entrances?

Would you be surtprised if I told yopu that there are some western compounds in Riyadh who do not allow women in Abhayas to enter their premises as is displayed by a loud and clear sign at the entrances?
___________________________________________________

does this create any frictions with locals musicman?

Nope, it doers not cos the ones wsho would usually want to visit such western compounds are of the same thinking themselves even if their own women are still clad in Abhayas.

Thats the Great Paradox of our Times, young man

Thanks for all the welcoming messages here. I live at a compound and meet only people from Europe and countries like my own (Sweden). I would like to get to know local people (women) and see the real Riyadh. Is that impossible?

u can very well know a dozen of local women here and wat do u expect of real riyadh? for women, real riyadh is their home! u can see riyadh with expats only

so basically, women other than saudis can be your friend - right Shahab?

even saudis can be friend...but to see the real saudi they cant be of any help coz they r mostly not allowed to go out to discover new places from their husbands...just my observation...i might be wrong

It is possible,,,but hard as they dont tend to go out or socialised outside their family circle,,,,nevertheless there are liberal saudi ladies that do visit with their husbands embassy social gatherings and one can socialise with them easily. I am sure over time you will meet locals.

ive met and know many. they can be wonderful people...once you get to know them closely. and very intellkigent too, very much more than their men...

I'm repeating myself, but here goes:

I know many wonderful Saudi women, some as colleagues and some as students, through my job.  We like each other, laugh, get along well.

BUT ... they've never suggested doing anything together outside of the job.  I've never been invited to their homes or even to meet at Starbucks for coffee.

Those of you expats who now will pipe in that you have Saudi friends, stop and think about it:  is it female-female, or is it the MALES who have initiated the friendship? In other words, it's easier for couples to become friends because it's much easier for males become friends. 

I think this is because of two things:  1. the women are 'sheltered' by their husbands; and 2. the women are involved with and responsible for the family. 

What I mean by this is the hubby can be late coming home from work because he went out for coffee with his ex-pat co-worker, but this certainly doesn't work the other way around!

And, on weekends, the hubby has free time but I think the wife's 'free time' is spent entertaining both HIS family and HER family.

Discussion, as always, is most welcome

so basically, women other than saudis can be your friend

Steer clear of Saudi women, Ray.  Male family members feel it is their duty to 'protect' their women. 

I heard a story from a reliable source about an Egyptian driver being shot dead on the street because one of the men in the family thought the driver was showing too much interest in his sister.

Alliecat, that's an interesting pov. Maybe the lack of mobility (dependent on husband/men in the family for transport) is a factor too.

for sure its much easier for expat families to engage in lucrative friendships with saudi families rather than on a single status basis unless its of the same gender.

weve been here long enough to be accepted by many local families as pseudo "sons of the soil" and hence are able to swing with the locals across the board amiongst a network we have built for ourselves. No one in the group cover up amidst the gang.

Its a matter of trust and friendship that has been built across time. Not possible to earn it in a day. Most expats wouldnt last that long in the sandbox to be able to get there.

hi swedish lady,welcome to KSA ,i am also new but older than you though.Hope you have settled down in the unique culture,i am from Pakistan and a flier.Thats the only thing i enjoy here cause no other special activity.Tell me about yourself.

be in touch

of course there are many horro stories of issues and events that have arisen from clandestine relationships between all types of genders across the board in ksa. however this does not take away the very fact that there are olso many healthy, fruitful, and successful relationships betwwen expat and local families. the basic premise is not different to any other place on earth except for the modality in which it is executed.

just by reading some of you guy's comments here, it really gives me a sense of awarness of what to expect during my stay.
great insight.

ray...here u can expect the unexpected the way u hear in some movies! just step in here and u will remember my words!