Over the past two years, the Family has navigated the complexities of a different lifestyle in a foreign cultural landscape to what we’re used to. Before sitting down to write this post I thought long about the amazing experiences and the plenty of challenges we faced since we arrived. A month ago, when I was facing a wave of homesickness, cabin fever and general feelings of “being over it”, I promised myself to focus on the positives, so here’s a look at our favourite things about this mysterious country.
Community and Support
Having friends who understand and navigate the same challenges is invaluable and is crucial to a positive expat experience regardless of country. We are lucky that we live on a compound that has a vibrant social life, and there is a strong sense of community. This really helps new families and trailing spouses make connections and build friendships and there is never a dull moment between social events and gatherings, brunches, fitness classes and cultural programmes.
Cultural Experiences
Living in Saudi Arabia right now provides such unique opportunity to immerse ourselves in the rich heritage of this wonderful country while witnessing its cultural and societal progress first hand. Taking the time to understand and respect the local customs and cultural differences was essential to realising that the things we often perceive as limiting (dress codes and adhering to local cultural norms are the most often mentioned) are insignificant in comparison to what an enriching and exciting journey we’re on.
From exploring the amazing local and international cuisine to attending one of the many cultural events during Riyadh Season, or attending concerts, film festivals, fashion shows and art exhibitions, there are so many ways for us to immerse ourselves in Saudi culture.
Travel Opportunities
We only fairly recently realised that Riyadh's geographical location opens up some amazing travel opportunities not only to other parts of the Kingdom and neighbouring countries, but to corners of the world that would be beyond our reach from Europe.
Sunset picnics in the desert, a weekend getaway in Dubai, a road trip to Bahrain and trips to Asia are readily accessible. Over the two years we explored different regions from the rose farms of Taif to the Nabatean tombs and orange groves of Al Ula. We decided that instead of always returning home for school holidays, we should use our remaining time here to discover parts of the world we may never again get the chance to.
Safety
One of the most appealing aspects of living in Saudi Arabia is the high level of safety and security. Compounds and schools are typically gated and monitored. There’s security in most public spaces like malls, that provides a sense of safety and in turn allows for a more relaxed lifestyle, especially for women.
The big challenge: work opportunities for trailing spouses
Fortunately I am not personally impacted by this as my status as a diplomatic spouse doesn’t allow me to take up a job locally without losing the privileges this status provides, but I have spoken to a lot of friends who are impacted by the limited job prospects. The main challenges are Saudisation in a lot of areas (companies in certain industries obliged to hire Saudi nationals wherever possible) and finding a company willing to hire and sort the legalities around changing the residency status of a partner (dependents are not allowed to work in most cases, with the exception of very few sectors).
While the landscape is changing, I see that many of my fellow expat partners struggle to secure positions that match their qualifications and experience and resort to trying to work remotely.
Overall, our adventure as a European expat family in Saudi Arabia has been a blend of growth, cultural exploration and adaptation. Embracing both the difficulties and joys has made this chapter of our life unforgettable and we can’t wait to see what the next two years bring.
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