Since my last post I had some very interesting conversations with people around what unexpected adjustments they had to make after moving here from Europe. I even received suggestions to add to the list of things that tend to catch newcomers off guard, so here are a few more tidbits about everyday life I learned only after having lived in Saudi Arabia for a while.
Grocery Shopping
As I tried to gather my thoughts and jolt down useful information, I realised that the topic of shopping for groceries is worth its own post. Trust me when I say this, moving to a new country comes with having to build new shopping habits and figuring out a new budget, which is a steep learning curve. Then there were the cultural and habitual differences like the blunders when I didn't weigh the produce I was buying, or didn't want the person at check out placing my items on the belt and packing the shopping for me. I got over that pretty quickly though, but I'm still not sure if they are actually happy with us bringing our own reusable bags or they're just too polite to say anything.
The biggest shock here for us besides the rampant use of plastic packaging was caused by the lack of availability and extremely high cost of organic/eco-friendly products even in the largest supermarket chains. I also didn't expect the random variety of imported products and stock from UK supermarkets' own brands brands such as Sainsbury's crackers or Iceland's frozen products. I didn't know that fresh, seasonal produce will spoil faster due to the climate and what I assume are different growing, shipping and storing practices. What's great though, is that the origin of all fresh fruit and vegetables is always labelled clearly.
On that note, we also had to learn about the seasonal differences. For example, we kept spending an embarrassing amount of money on imported berries in the Summer months (May - July) only to find out that Saudi Arabia has its very own strawberry season between December - March. We slowly learned to enjoy the most delicious peaches, apricots and biggest variety of mangos I've ever seen instead.
The growing food scene
If you've had a look around the blog and seen my social media, you've seen that I already wrote a bit about my favourite places to eat in Riyadh.
Learning about the number of new restaurants popping up in the capital and larger cities was quite a shock. A huge number of international hotspots from London, NY, Dubai or Miami are opening up left and right spoiling everyone for choice whether they want a fine dining experience or more laid back street food. We didn't anticipate the amazing quality and variety of the growing food scene. It's impossible to keep up! But we're very happy to indulge and we decided to try as many international and local restaurants as we can during our time here. The quality of the food and level of service has visibly improved even within the short time we've been here and I'm so excited to see what's next.
Skincare Routine change
The dry air and hard water had a really negative impact on our skin and hair. We struggled with eczema during the winter months, which has never been an issue before. A few visits to the dermatologist, special body wash, unscented thick lotion, not using the air con around the clock and having humidifiers around the house has helped tremendously.
The whole family needed to be trained not to leave the house without slathering on an obscene amount of SPF since it's unrealistic to avoid the sun forever. In addition to using common sense, I amassed a ridiculous amount of different types of mineral and chemical sunscreen. We still haven't find one that works for all of us and isn't full of harmful additives, so we keep looking and experimenting. We all have very fair skin, but while me and Younger Toddler don't get sunburn as easily, Husband and Older Toddler have extremely sensitive skin that needs extra care.
With regards to products, a lot of international brands are available thanks to shops like Sephora, Harvey Nichols beauty counter or even larger pharmacies. For more specialised products I still rely on either stocking up on things back home or shopping online when I must.
It also took me about as long as it takes to grow a baby to finally find a hairdresser who can handle my very fine and extremely sensitive bleached blonde hair. I'm exaggerating slightly, but there are approximately only six specialised, experienced, competent and trusted hairdressers in Riyadh who cater to the blonde expats and they do charge accordingly.
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