Do and don't in Saudi Arabia - 2015

amaltas47 wrote:

Hi all...

Recently moved to Jeddah from Mumbai... joined this forum today to know more about expats life in Jeddah.

Thanks
Amit

Hi amaltas,
Welcome to your new home.. and Have fun while stay.
Life in Jeddah is wonderful.You didn't mention your religion because if you are a non-Muslim you need to adjust in order you to  adopt some habit and culture in the  Country.
In addition to that "As-Salaam-Alaikum," the Arabic greeting meaning "Peace be unto you," was the standard salutation among members of the Nation of Islam that need to be use.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is the largest Arab state .... "land of Haramayn (the two holy places)" in reference to Mecca and Medina.
Myself as a non-muslim Expat in Jeddah is really in love and  enjoying during the season of "Ramadan".RAMADAN is like a Christmas for us as an Asian people in the Philippines (Christian one)In Jeddah the City where I am staying "Ramadan"-Changes the entire ambiance of Jeddah,and everything from social life to diet is impacted significantly.RAMADAN also is a time of spirituality,where introspection,empathy with those less fortunate and good deeds whenever possible are encouraged and nurtured.Much more,Ramadan also often brings families together and "IFTAR" or dinner time is a time to convene not only spiritually but also as a family.Anyway,you'll know more about fantastic and fascinating views and other places to conquer with why you choosed "JEDDAH CITY".
Good luck to you and to your Family.
Apply this ""ma'elsalama" arabic language which means "good bye" in English..
Daniel of Jeddah

Hello all

For info some posts have been removed from this thread being considered as off topic.

A new thread has been created as from all 2015 posts.

When participating on this thread, please share about things to do and things not to do in Saudi.

Regards
Kenjee

Yes as long as they are covered

Very interested in diving but I'll be in Riyadh. Are your classes flexible if someone can attend every other weekend?

Hello zww2000,

Can you please post in english on this anglophone version of the Saudi Arabia forum ?

Every member will be able to understand if you do so.

Thank you in advance,
Bhavna

Of course you can
Try king abdullah road . Around prince sultan  University
There is another place in Rhoda . The have  tracks i think

I am an approachable Saudi
Ready to help  and answer any questions you have
😊

What a nice topic ...

i'm from Saudi Arabia and used to live in New Zealand for 8 years and i trivial much , so i know well difference btw this unlikely county in world and others ... Even i love my country soo much but if i could chose i would live out of it where the forest  rain and pinch of cloud ...

This is so Nice of you

Dear Daniel,

Can you tell me the procedure of family shifting to Saudi. I am from India, recently got opportunities to work in Jubail, having family status. I am going in Nov'2015. My family will come on April 2016.
Kindly tell me about the culture and entertainment of saudi?

Dear Madam,

I am from India shifting to Saudi Jubail city. How is the life there, My family also shift to Saudi in 6 months. Kindly let me know the life of women there?

thanks

Adding to the cheap prices, it is very safe to live in Saudi. In other parts of the world where I lived before no one dare to be out in the street after 10:00 pm unlike here you can spend all night out completely safe and secured.

sony2009 wrote:

Adding to the cheap prices, it is very safe to live in Saudi. In other parts of the world where I lived before no one dare to be out in the street after 10:00 pm unlike here you can spend all night out completely safe and secured.

truth ! alhamdulillaah

Good for you sony. Great to see that someone is making the most of their situation and surroundings - its the only way you're gona get through it ! wishing you further fun, adventures and happiness, all the best
Ps. If you're not Muslim you need not wear a head scarf (there are even some Muslims who don't wear head scarves )

Yes definitely , it is a very safe place alhamdulillah. As women we need not live in fear of being mugged or attacked at night like in other places (the UK for example, or Morocco, in my unfortunate experience), or burgled (rare ) , or harassed.

fmlibranda wrote:

Hi guys, im planning to work in saudi(jeddah). But I heard many negative things about living and working there. Is it true that saudi national loves raping men intead of women? Is it true? Specially those men whose white or fair in skin color?  Its kinda alarming for me.

I have the same question and I scrolled around and could not see an answer.

I'm asking as we (our company) is looking into deploying a few South East Asian chefs to SA. However, one of them, a Filipino who's friend apparently got raped and dumped in the desert is saying he'll never go there. Now the rest of the crew is unsure.

So anyone who knows first hand, how would you judge the situation, would you agree that despite the laws there, SA is a gay rapist country?

snake77 wrote:

fmlibranda wrote:

Hi guys, im planning to work in saudi(jeddah). But I heard many negative things about living and working there. Is it true that saudi national loves raping men intead of women? Is it true? Specially those men whose white or fair in skin color?  Its kinda alarming for me.

I have the same question and I scrolled around and could not see an answer.

I'm asking as we (our company) is looking into deploying a few South East Asian chefs to SA. However, one of them, a Filipino who's friend apparently got raped and dumped in the desert is saying he'll never go there. Now the rest of the crew is unsure.

So anyone who knows first hand, how would you judge the situation, would you agree that despite the laws there, SA is a gay rapist country?

Hey expats in Saudi, no experience?

I am really struggling as all I hear from a guy who's been working there plus what I've read on the internet is somewhat contrary to what I would want to hear.

Yes or no question = is it dangerous for young (20yrs old) men to go work there?

Longer answer to following question:

I read that rapist and/or gays get hanged, beheaded, etc. (which I anyway think is barbaric but out of respect for the local customs and law under sharia I acknowledge is the case), but I could not find any reliable source mentioning gay raping.

I found a lot which would recommend that Saudi is quite a gay country (despite the law that gay people are to be killed by law), and I noted lots of people say that if a foreign man is raped or found guilty he'll be taken care of by the religious police (sharia, beheading and so on) where he is usually found guilty of a "crime".

So despite the money which can be made there, is it dangerous for young men (who are not gay) to go work there or must they be concerned about this.

Any expats have an opinion?

here are two URL which I found:
http://www.cutepinoyportal.com/2014/11/ … iyadh.html
Quote:
Several male rape cases in Saudi Arabia have been reported. The most recent was the serial male rape allegedly committed by a married Saudi to at least seven Arab boys, according to Arab News.
However, there are also stories of male rape victims kept secret. These are rape cases of not Arab boys but of Filipino men working in the kingdom. - See more at: http://www.cutepinoyportal.com/2014/11/ … AP8VW.dpuf

and Pat Condel (on how much would you say he's spot on/off?):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnLTHHpKl60

Tax Free Yeahhh!!

I totally agree with most of the forum.. Yes Saudi Arabia is approachable and the local people of Saudi Arabia are friendly. They are all just like us but unfortunately the restrictions to certain extent in Saudi Arabia have diluted our mind set about the Saudis. You will love to communicate to both saudi males and female it does bring a whole lot of different world experience all together. Saudi workforce both male and females does provide quality in work just need to find the right candidate. Yes the compounds are old fashioned and people should not be confined to compounds to make friends. I am sure there are lot many decent approachable ways to make friends...I was in Oman and UAE before and now I am in Jeddah and I have already got used to this place. Best place for foodies...

@Mahnut : Also best place for Shoppers. its known as Shopping Paradise.

Hello

can a women go to red sea?

Kristina Vega wrote:

can a women go to red sea?

Yes

Hi Kristina. Yes u can go. A women can go anywhere in Saudi Arabia and Jeddah in particular. Just be sure about the location gather 2-3 of your female friends take a taxi and you are there.

I totally agree.

It has been 4 months since we moved here in Saudi Arabia and Im actually liking it here.
The first thing that made me fall in love with the place is the sense of privacy.
You don't have to worry about your nosy neighbors, everyone is busy minding their own life
And so I am too.
I gotta enjoy those things that are expensive in my country and find affordable in here.Maybe because of tax-free policy?( aside from education I guess, so expensive!its like you are sending your kids to college already)
The cost of living is low, but it also depends on your lifestyle.
I admire the way the people abide the rules. It makes me and my family feel safe.
So for those who are in doubt in working here,
I think( in my humble opinion), the bottom line here is if you follow the rules you will have no problem.Besides, There are over 1 million Filipino workers here ranks second to the United States.
So to my fellow filipinos, fear not.Give it a try! We are known for our resiliency.

I respect that

Yes. Dairy products are way cheaper than from where I come from. Which is awesome! Because I love yogurt!

To answer some of the issues shared on here. My dad has worked for the past 23 years and 2 more before he exits for good in Kobayashi.  He has not been raped. But he had violent experiences. When I say violent I mean, extreme rude experiences verbally from Saudis. He started working when he was 23. And he was blessed to work for one company all those years because he's found a good place.

As a Filipino don't attach strings to anyone in here. Just perform professionally. Working fast to finish ahead of time and slumber the rest of the day is not advised. Because most of them here are lazy. Just work slowly and they won't think you're doing nothing. Riyadh, is tight strict. Men and women are just never seen together unless related with proof of paper and iqama ID last names or sponsors.

Meanwhile I'm in Jeddah, I'm a woman. And. A teacher. And the kids in the intermediate level are the rudest of all. But then again I'm not generalizing everyou Saudi here, some are conservative some are open minded. And I've had awesome experiences with the other kids as well.

For women, don't make eye contact to men of all ages at all. It means different for them. Walking alone with hair down is attractive so don't show it as much as possible. Walking alone is not ideal. Never. Walking with loose abaya means you're asking for it (extreme). Some cars will stop to call your attention. And it's dangerous. Men being raped isn't closed to Saudi only it happens everywhere. But they're appetite may be most expected.

Throw in some more questions. Feel free.

I have a query, as I could not find an appropriate forum for asking the same I am going to post it here, if a person leaves Saudi on emergency leave and does not return but instead goes to some GCC country say Oman, will a ban be implemented on him or is the ban only applied on entry to Saudi?

hello all,
my contribution will be strictly to the purpose of why this thread was issued.

Do's
Basic Rule >> learn the bad words
1- respect the local laws and don't compare this culture to yours, cultural comparison is VOID.
2-  enjoy the shopping malls and restaurants.
3- Say al salam alaykom when you get into a business with locals working there ( not necessary but it's nice and friendly)
4- know that people who work in shops and restaurants are not Saudis.
5- enjoy the sea activities if you are living in a coast city and enjoy  camping if in riyadh.
6- talk to locals they are friendly but once the change to arabic and start laughing , they are making fun of you, no harm done LOL
7- in general, practice your freedom as long as it's not against the law

Do Not's
1- don't shake hands with women unless they offer to shake first ( for men )
2- don't offence religion and better not to get into religious arguments.
3- don't use your bad words with Old people or men with their families. only with young people.
4- don't kiss your ' wife, GF' in public. it's against the rules.
5- don't drink alcohol in public. stick to compounds and embassies or your one place for that matter
6- don't strictly follow the traffic rules you have known in your country, that might cause you an accident, DRIVE to SURVIVE LOL

in general, Saudis are friendly and easy to get along with, and very welcoming which some of other cultures don't get and think it's annoying. Moreover, don't ever compare your culture to here and think yours is what should be applied in here, cultures are beautiful because they are different, what's right in one culture is wrong in the other, so there is no right and wrong in the culture , we just understand it because if you want to force your opinion as it's right about a certain culture, also they have opinion about yours that you will find it very offensive , but they choose to understand it and that's it

wish you all a good time ,

If u go to Oman being on the Saudi Visa there is no ban implied in Oman. However it is better to cancel your visa and then go to any other country. Keep all the options open to move any of the gulf countries. Do not for any reason block your chances for any country for any reason.

Thank you for your reply.
I think Oman, Dubai Saudi etc are all tax free countries. Correct me if I am wrong.

Great place to live 

If you are going on the same place every day you can have private transport coasters which takes company employees from city to industrial area

Thing that really drives me crazy here...women not allowed to drivee... waaaa... sob sob sob..i hope i dont forget my driving skill when I am back to my country...