What is your idea of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia?

I find it surprising how dirty the country is in the cities, parks, and shore line. I'm afraid to go barefoot on the beach or even in the water with all the visible broken glass and trash. I would think with all the migrate workers that KSA would be spotless, especially with the obvious money of lavish Muslim homes which is another catch 22.

I personally witnessed a Saudi family open a car door, throw a ton of trash onto the ground, and then drive away although a trash receptacle was next to the car.

Aliakum Ashalam,
Al Khohol

Morgan,

A couple of times, I too saw this scene when some people looking like Saudis ( I can not prove they were Saudis?) littered the street. I stopped , took the plastic bag which I always keep in my car for trash, picked up the rubbish they had thrown.

I did not do any thing illegal, I hope that was enough to embarrass them.

At the end of the day, my responsibility is the little sphere of jurisdiction around me, my home, my compound, my office and my factory. As long as I can keep these clean, I am satisfied.

It's a shame more people don't have time to clean up but I guess with such a demanding prayer/work schedule they find it too daunting a task.

Alliecat wrote:

you have to be capable of amusing yourself.  If you're the type who needs constant activities and outside stimulation, you'll end up being a mall rat, buying things you don't need just to have something to do :

SO TRUE!!

but that's only IF  you have the chance to go to the mall in the first place!!

My thoughts are that most Western people who re locate to Saudi Arabia, do not really experience REAL LIFE here. Driving around in fancy vehicles ,, Living in western style compounds with all the comforts of home..
They should try living like the majority of everyday Saudi Citizens for a while then maybe understand that life here can be very hard !!

JOHN GOODALL wrote:

My thoughts are that most Western people who re locate to Saudi Arabia, do not really experience REAL LIFE here. Driving around in fancy vehicles ,, Living in western style compounds with all the comforts of home..
They should try living like the majority of everyday Saudi Citizens for a while then maybe understand that life here can be very hard !!

You said right

John,

You are very right. I am amazed you thought of this idea, you have just arrived here. This shows your mental maturity.

Very well said.

I like working here. I don't like the fact that there is nothing to do but go out to eat and shop during off time. It would be a nicer place if it wasn't so restrictive and backwards. It is horrible to try and plan an outing around the closure of businesses for prayer time.  I mean come on...pray in shifts and keep the business open.

now there's a positive and excellent advice for anyone coming this way (or any other way for that matter) gathering info on life where ever your headed, save you aloo~oot of trouble.. and shock

If it has become like all Gulf countries I think it will become perfect country

BORING
Just eating and a lot of sleep since there is nothing to do as a free time

KSA is always one of the best location that provides family friendly lifestyle.  The quality of lifestyle in KSA is best

I Like it

RWMorgan wrote:

I find it surprising how dirty the country is in the cities, parks, and shore line. I'm afraid to go barefoot on the beach or even in the water with all the visible broken glass and trash. I would think with all the migrate workers that KSA would be spotless, especially with the obvious money of lavish Muslim homes which is another catch 22.

I personally witnessed a Saudi family open a car door, throw a ton of trash onto the ground, and then drive away although a trash receptacle was next to the car.

Aliakum Ashalam,
Al Khohol

Well when you realize no one cares about fixing the roads and potholes, speed bumps randomly appearing ever few meters then it's ok to litter all over.

There are a lot of misleading ideas about ksa that have been giving to people by the media. Also, there are a lot of people who got confused between ksa and other Arabic or gulf countries so when ever someone pland to move here he should look in the right sources and ask the right people.

My opinion of KSA? Well, if someone is born and raised and educated in the West, then come here, and has some intelligence it will become clear, very clear. One of the most richest countries in the world, in the middle, vast land and resources, a religion that encourages good education for all and advancement in all major fields, and to respect others, co-exist, that made great civilizations such as Spain, up until Europeans were going there for study scholarships, that is when Islam was taken as a whole and not played with and applied like today, sadly. I have a lot to say from the experiences I had after having been here a few years now.  Sadly it boils down to politics and I don't want to speak on that at all. Just wish to get on with life, live peacefully, civilized and enjoy!

Moe47 wrote:

strkr62 wrote:

I like working here. I don't like the fact that there is nothing to do but go out to eat and shop during off time. It would be a nicer place if it wasn't so restrictive and backwards. It is horrible to try and plan an outing around the closure of businesses for prayer time.  I mean come on...pray in shifts and keep the business open.

i know right this place sucks with all the surround system shit going on 5 times a day and cars honking 24 hour can barely get peace of mind.

I understand what your saying mate, but if we choose to work here then we need to respect them for their culture and way of life also, just as they respect the church bells on Sunday when they go to the West, in fact even the Atheists living there do so. We came here knowing fully well what this land is. I think the expats in compounds are lucky as I heard they have a decent life. I live in the South of KSA and I really want to ride a bike for exercise, but will be killed by a Hilux driven by a youth for fun!!! And yes it is unprofessional and backwards in many issues in KSA, but that boils down to rotten politics which I hate and keep away from, so please don't ask me for detail! LOL!

very very great and best country but no doubt there r some issues with Saudi peoples. but over all it is very great country indeed

Great country for muslims and third world countries expats ^

very safe country for non Muslims too.

It is safe for non muslims in cities but try to go alone to qasim sorroundings or desert/ancient tourist places then you might encounter trouble from local outlaws. Google the french guys who got killed near mdain saleh.

Moe47 wrote:

It is safe for non muslims in cities but try to go alone to qasim sorroundings or desert/ancient tourist places then you might encounter trouble from local outlaws. Google the french guys who got killed near mdain saleh.

that kind of areas no wonder dangerous not only for non Muslims but for every one but that kind of places are not safe in any part of the world

STAT                                                    Saudi Arabia                                            United States
HISTORY
Assaults    63.2                                      Ranked 6th.    786.7                     Ranked 1st. 12 times more than Saudi Arabia   
Auto theft    85.4                                      Ranked 3rd.    390.2                     Ranked 6th. 5 times more than Saudi Arabia   
Believes crime increasing in the past 3 years    56.45, Ranked 69th65.22     Ranked 44th. 16% more than Saudi Arabia   
Burglaries    0.1                                Ranked 5th.    714.4                     Ranked 9th. 7144 times more than Saudi Arabia   
Car thefts    18,717                                    Ranked 26th.    1.25 million            Ranked 1st. 67 times more than Saudi Arabia   
Car thefts per 1000    0.858                      Ranked 35th.    4.33                       Ranked 11th. 5 times more than Saudi Arabia   
Crime levels    23.41                              Ranked 79th.    55.84                     Ranked 30th. 2 times more than Saudi Arabia   
Drugs > Annual cannabis use    0.3%       Ranked 21st.    13.7%                    Ranked 1st. 46 times more than Saudi Arabia   
Drugs > Opiates use    0.01%             Ranked 14th.    0.57%                    Ranked 3rd. 57 times more than Saudi Arabia   
Embezzlements    924                         Ranked 34th.    17,300                   Ranked 4th. 19 times more than Saudi Arabia   
Embezzlements per million    42.34      Ranked 42nd.    60.15                     Ranked 39th. 42% more than Saudi Arabia   
Executions    143 executions               Ranked 3rd. 3 times more than United States               42 executions Ranked 7th.   
Executions per million    5.52 executions Ranked 2nd. 40 times more than United States    0.139 executions Ranked 28th.   
Fear of crime > Feels safe walking alone > At night    71.03
Ranked 15th. 70% more than United States    41.84
Ranked 60th.   
Fear of crime > Feels safe walking alone > During the day    85.89
Ranked 26th. 14% more than United States    75.24
Ranked 57th.
We can compare Saudi Arabia to any other country in the world and we find Saudi Arabia much safer to any other country but as we see labor law violations the Saudi Arabia is in very bad condition.

There is no more choice for social activities. I am in in Kingdom and need friends please help

Its been a while since I arrived here.

When I first arrived, I was told all kinds of things about what to do and whats not to do!.

And because of my travels around the country, It is true that Saudi Arabia can be very different probably from anywhere you could go. This though does not make it horrible. I spent sometime to realize that if it wasn't the way it is, it would've lost its identity that we all know. Away from all the negativity that we see out there, I think it is a very safe, quiet and a beautiful land. If it wasn't the weather and how hot it gets, it would've been my first destination to start a family LOL!, I would though but I hate how hot it gets.

I am still struggling with the ideas put in the back of my mind about this land and its people. Please do not listen to anyone when you come to Saudi. Be the judge, go out and check things out yourself. Living in Saudi, getting to see Saudies, interact with them day to day everyday is a treat. I have many Saudi friends now and happy to say that these people are amazing. They are nothing like what I've heard.

Now I've seen things that I didn't like much but those things I couldn't really blame the people for. I am pretty convinced that the poor education system is the reason behind some of the bad attitudes you could catch around here. I am very sure that most of you would agree on this one. One of these things which you wouldn't expect happening in Saudi, its when you see Saudi women at traffic lights begging for money for the first time. It was a shock to me as I always thought they were all rich and happy!!.

Most expats moan about the same things every time, bad roads, speed bumps, litter all over. We keep forgetting that most of us live in compounds, tiny communities, far from Saudies real life out there. Saudies lived their whole lives with those bad roads, speed bumps and suffered from that litter everyone hates.

I like the land and I like its people very much. Go on Saudi ^5.

JesseGe wrote:

Its been a while since I arrived here.

When I first arrived, I was told all kinds of things about what to do and whats not to do!.

And because of my travels around the country, It is true that Saudi Arabia can be very different probably from anywhere you could go. This though does not make it horrible. I spent sometime to realize that if it wasn't the way it is, it would've lost its identity that we all know. Away from all the negativity that we see out there, I think it is a very safe, quiet and a beautiful land. If it wasn't the weather and how hot it gets, it would've been my first destination to start a family LOL!, I would though but I hate how hot it gets.

I am still struggling with the ideas put in the back of my mind about this land and its people. Please do not listen to anyone when you come to Saudi. Be the judge, go out and check things out yourself. Living in Saudi, getting to see Saudies, interact with them day to day everyday is a treat. I have many Saudi friends now and happy to say that these people are amazing. They are nothing like what I've heard.

Now I've seen things that I didn't like much but those things I couldn't really blame the people for. I am pretty convinced that the poor education system is the reason behind some of the bad attitudes you could catch around here. I am very sure that most of you would agree on this one. One of these things which you wouldn't expect happening in Saudi, its when you see Saudi women at traffic lights begging for money for the first time. It was a shock to me as I always thought they were all rich and happy!!.

Most expats moan about the same things every time, bad roads, speed bumps, litter all over. We keep forgetting that most of us live in compounds, tiny communities, far from Saudies real life out there. Saudies lived their whole lives with those bad roads, speed bumps and suffered from that litter everyone hates.

I like the land and I like its people very much. Go on Saudi ^5.

agreed but if u know Arabic then it is a very great place to live

syed zee wrote:

JesseGe wrote:

I like the land and I like its people very much. Go on Saudi ^5.

agreed but if u know Arabic then it is a very great place to live

How knowing Arabic makes it a great place to live, I dont know arabic and i still find it an intresting place to live

yep i know u will but try after few years when u know Arabia and if we are in contact i will ask u.in kingdom 90% peoples i m talking about Saudi national don't know English so there are many time came when u don't know Arabic u r consider on wrong side because u cant communicate so believe me it is yet a very great place to live but if u know Arabic u have plus point

JOHN GOODALL wrote:

My thoughts are that most Western people who re locate to Saudi Arabia, do not really experience REAL LIFE here. Driving around in fancy vehicles ,, Living in western style compounds with all the comforts of home..
They should try living like the majority of everyday Saudi Citizens for a while then maybe understand that life here can be very hard !!

I think this is the general misconception. Yes many Western expats live on compounds and have nice cars. But there are many Arabs (Lebanese, Syrian etc) like this too, but I am sure you are not thinking that they, or the upper class Saudis should try living a different life style.

On a general note; I am surprised by how many people are criticizing this country. Yes there is discrimination, problems with infrastructure or things such as littering. KSA like everywhere in the world has its good and bad points. Try looking at the good rather than the bad. And if life is just so terrible here then perhaps we should go back to our home countries?

my sentiments exactly, pack up and go home. I stopped taking this whining seriously a looooonng time ago.

rareshine wrote:

my sentiments exactly, pack up and go home. I stopped taking this whining seriously a looooonng time ago.

well thats ur opinion but pardon me u live in jeddah and u said that that's mean u never see jeddah.if u see real jeddah i bet u never say like that

I lived here for almost my entire life. My adivse will be to new expats dont expect too much over here in term of social life and activities. However, its a tax free country so its a good place for saving money. Specially Riyadh, its the right place for "workaholic" people. In my point of view, not recommended for young energitic singles. But for married couples its OK.. you will survive.
One last tips.. its really depends on which city, what type of job, the organization and compensations etc...

lol, now you're going to assess what I've done and haven't done? yes it's my opinion, and i stand by it. If an expat is here, living in misery and looking for company to join their whining tribe then they need to pack up and go.  The Saudi English isn't great, but neither is yours. Why would an expat expect to speak their native language when they are in a different country? That would be some very undeveloped thinking.

rareshine wrote:

The Saudi English isn't great, but neither is yours. Why would an expat expect to speak their native language when they are in a different country? That would be some very undeveloped thinking.

Thats what I was trying to tell him, Smile is the best language and it has worked with me most of the times

Hi all ,

my idea of Saudi Arabia is blessed country and the money also blessed  , its easy to save money and  when u
make compare with others country u will c that .
the most important for the expat is to be safe with save money so I think the best choice is Saudi Arabia  .

I like it and I hope the best for all.

Regards .

My 2 cents, don't do anything to get stuck with any kind of bureaucracy or government systems. Apart from that, there's nothing wrong

KSA is a good place to live in but all depends on your job. If you have got a good job at a good place you will lead a wonderful life. I m working at salman al habib hospital and satisfied.