Hello everyone, and welcome back to our website, the best place to learn about expat life, intercultural skills, and business abroad. Now, you may have seen my previous article, “10 Questions About Saudi Arabia Answered.” Well, now it’s time for me to tell you why specifically I loved living there. So stay tuned to find out even more information that you always wanted to know about Saudi Arabia. Top 10 Reasons Why Living in Saudi Arabia and Life in Saudi Arabia as an Expat. Now, as you may know from my previous article, I lived in Saudi Arabia for four years, and I worked at KAUST, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. I had an extremely positive experience, and now I have my own business helping others to understand different cultures, including Saudi Arabia. Before we get into the top 10 reasons why I love Saudi Arabia, just hit that subscribe button down below to keep getting informative articles on living, working, and doing business abroad. Okay, now for the reasons. As I always tell people, you don’t love a place because it’s beautiful; you love a place because of the people and the experiences you have with them.
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Saudis are friendly
So, my number one reason is the people. To say Saudis are friendly is an understatement. Their hospitality, generosity, positivity, and loyal friendship all go far beyond your expectations. First of all, whenever you get into a conversation with Saudis, either on the phone or face-to-face, they will ask you three times how you are. It really gives you the feeling that they genuinely care about your well-being. And as my friend Shouq told me, “We Saudis love a lot, and we do everything with love.” Shouq also told me that, “We love hosting, we love to reflect our culture, we love to make food, we love to give gifts, we love to give more than receive, and we want to make you feel you are a part of our family.” It’s almost like their strong family values also transcend into friendships. And making you feel like you’re a part of their family was evident to me in how my Saudi students and colleagues all called me sister practically from day one. Next, related to the aspect of their relationships with people, is my number two reason: the communication style. Whenever you talk to Saudis, you find them to be extremely positive and upbeat, and so talking with them always ends up being pleasant and enjoyable. They’re smart, they have a great sense of humor, and they’re very well spoken.
Western countries
Moreover, I have never heard Saudis making those sarcastic, snide remarks or perverted comments that are so common in Western countries. I just like that conversation with Saudis is always clean. Finally, Saudis have a “saving face” value in conversation, so they always try to speak diplomatically. If they have a negative opinion about someone, they will never say it to your face. And if they have feedback to give, they will say it in a way that doesn’t hurt your feelings or embarrass you in front of others. This communication style preserves harmony and good relationships in the workplace. Top 10 Reasons Why Living in Saudi Arabia and Life in Saudi Arabia as an Expat. And speaking of the workplace, that brings me to number three: a great professional working environment. You will find state-of-the-art facilities with modern work equipment in most workplaces in Saudi Arabia. The classrooms I taught in, for example, were extremely spacious; they had all the latest technology and equipment, and it was so comfortable to work there. Then, in Saudi workplaces, there are a lot of opportunities and also flexibility. I found it really easy to work with Saudis, and they always find a way to make the workday fun. Also, I found a pretty decent work-life balance. The typical work week is 40 hours, just like back home. Yeah, sure, sometimes you may work extra hours because of certain projects, but generally speaking, that’s not too often.
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Hottest Season
Then, every day when you walk out of your office, you find sunshine, which is my reason number four: the weather. It’s sunny and warm nearly every day of the year in Saudi Arabia. The hottest season is from May to September, when the average daily temperature is 102° Fahrenheit or 39° Celsius. Even in the hottest month of the year, July, when temperatures get up to 110° Fahrenheit or 43° Celsius, the constant sunshine is just glorious. I would take that heat over cold, gray, and rainy winters in Europe any day. The cool season in Saudi Arabia is from November to February, when the average daily temperature is around 75° Fahrenheit or 24° Celsius. Top 10 Reasons Why Living in Saudi Arabia and Life in Saudi Arabia as an Expat. Then, speaking of the environment, you will also find yourself amongst a multicultural population, my reason number five. First of all, Saudi culture itself is so diverse and rich with history and very different from region to region. There are Saudis with roots traceable to many different parts of the world, from Africa to Uzbekistan, from India to Indonesia, and many other places. You’ll find unique foods, dialects, and ways of living in all the different parts of Saudi Arabia. Then, about one-third of Saudi’s population of 35 million are expats. That means you’ll have the amazing opportunity to meet and work with people from all over the world. At KAUST, for example, we had over 120 different nationalities working and living in the same place. It was the first time in my life that I met people from Kazakhstan, for example.
Environment and Human Security
Now, reason number six for why I loved living in Saudi Arabia is on a slightly different note: no drinking. So it’s just so nice to go out and meet people and know that they’re not drunk. They’re in a good state of mind, and then you don’t have that craziness that happens because of drinking, like fights in the street, drunk driving, and other issues. Source Of Content In fact, speaking of this matter brings me to reason number seven: it’s safe. Saudi Arabia ranked in the top 10 of the Gallup Law and Order Index and in the top three safest places in the world by the Institute of Environment and Human Security at the UN University. Speaking of safety, that brings me to the next point: no guns or gun violence. No average citizen can obtain a gun license, so you can be sure there are no random shootings in Saudi Arabia. Then, about Saudi Arabia’s location in the world, that brings me to number nine: opportunities to travel in the region. Saudi Arabia is located in the Middle East Gulf, which means traveling from here to many places is very easy and quick. You can get to the UAE, like Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and also Qatar and Oman, in just a couple of hours’ flight, for example. And then you can easily reach Europe from there. Plus, Saudi Arabia is right next to Africa, and you can even reach Asia in a reasonable amount of time.
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Conclusion
Now, my last but certainly not least reason to love living in Saudi Arabia was, drum roll please, the opportunity to be a part of the Vision 2030. It’s exhilarating to be a part of the opportunities that have sprung forth and are still springing forth from the Vision 2030. It’s amazing to see Saudis, with 70 percent of the population under age 30, super energetic and engaging with the world in a way never seen before. It’s exciting to be a part of the rebuilding, in a sense, of a nation. Personally, I’ve been an expat for the last 20 years and lived in 10 different countries, but I have never before seen this kind of transformation, ambition, and excitement as we are seeing now in Saudi Arabia.
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