First,
The food. This has to be one of the top most reasons; I’m talking about the authentic Al-Baik fried chicken and shiz. Tons of people stand in lines to get into that place. Dare I say one can even compare that to the claustrophobia one experiences whilst wanting to kiss the black stone in the Kaaba in Makkah. Apart from this every Turkish/ Arabic/Pakistani/ Mughlai/Chinese /American food you’ve dreamed of ,you can get!
Why I rather wouldn’t?
To start with because I’m claustrophobic. On a serious note though, considering myself as someone who loves good food, it’s hard not to be tempted by what Saudi has to offer. But, the idea of comfortably gaining 20lbs in a year (tried and tested) makes me cringe. I would rather occasionally have really good Turkish food than have it every day. Foodies would understand what I’m saying. Out of sight, out of mind.
Second,
Cost of living is relatively cheap compared to the other gulf countries. oil, electricity, rent, you name it, it all comes at a pretty decent price. A middle class family can afford the luxury of living in a compound of villas/flats , the Indian equivalent of a ‘society’ or a ‘residential complex’ and reap the benefits of a shared swimming pool, gym etc. You looking to save some money, you move to Saudi baby.
Why I rather wouldn’t?
Everything good comes at a cost right? If you are fortunate to live in a compound, that’s great. From what I’ve heard, there are no restrictions in a compound. Male and female gentry mingle without fear of being misunderstood. Women and girls drive. You can wear what you will within the boundaries of your compound. But once you leave, the rules apply. Most of my friends come from families who have lived in these compounds. It doesn’t take much to wonder what life would be like if one wasn’t lucky enough to live in one of those. Constant vigilance is not pleasant. The wise wouldn’t gamble on that.
Third,
The beaches. Jeddah Corniche, Yanbu corniche, Al Jubail corniche, these are clean man made beaches made only for one ultimate reason, to chill. Even the natural beaches at Khobar offer serenity and small huts to lie under, all at once. There are even cushioned play areas, a relatively new concept, for children’s safety. I mean I think that’s amazing because, did I mention desi kids get pushed a lot? Lol totally different topic btw
Why I rather wouldn’t
Like most people, I’d like to relax without worrying about comments from people who can see my ankle and ear. Mic drop.
Fourth,
Now we all know that the oil industry in Saudi is vast, and jobs here are abundant. Apart from that, there is also Health care, IT, banking, teaching, telecommunications, construction etc. Saudi is generally very open to employing expatriates, especially the desi crowd. The economy is huge, it needs taming, and it needs it now.
Why I rather wouldn’t
Working in Saudi as a woman comes with a host of problems. Not all arenas are equally open to women . Complicated issues arise because of the confused state of the people trying to induce feminization which unfortunately gets coupled with social disapproval to rear fascinating outcomes. For example, women looking for job offers as shop clerks are often over whelmed with responses, but an IT graduate gets discouraged because female IT experts aren’t needed. “Try accounting instead honey”, they are told. Yes, times are changing and we as feminists are proud that in one way, the presence of women folk in sales has risen more than ever since “the lingerie revolution” but unfortunately about 60 percent of (female) university graduates are still unemployed.
Even though there are several new initiatives by the government to make it easier for women to get jobs, the social stigma lurking behind it all does not make it easy. And I’m speaking about Saudi women here, Let’s not even get started about expats.
Fifth,
Security. Sure if you want your government to protect you, especially if you are a woman, this is the place to be. It’s no joke, the government takes safety of women to be a priority issue.When a woman leaves the country, an automated text message informing her departure is sent to her husband/father. Yep, a movie like Gone Girl can never be reality in Saudi. Extra extra Added security is when you are answerable to the moral police/ police about who you hang out with, wacha doing at this hour in this part of the town etc. Never will you have to worry about travelling to any place alone, because by the law, its mandatory for a Mahram to accompany you.They also take it personally when you don’t cover up. It’s nice to know security of women is a priority.so much in fact that it becomes intrusive. But security is security, so no arguing bout that.
Why I rather wouldn’t
Because I wouldn’t want to be in a situation dangerously close to an inmate. Being a woman in Saudi is hard. When you lift the veils of overt security, there are dark areas comprising sexual harassment, dishonor, contempt etc. The negative attitudes have no end. Most rapes go unreported in this region because of the harsh Sharia rule of presenting witnesses to one’s own rape. If not, one could be accused of adultery and thus face a number of prescribed lashes as punishment. Several cases like so have come to light in the past.
I remember of one incident where a few school girls died because they weren’t allowed to leave a burning school building without their hijabs. For a long time now women are asking for their rights to drive. I feel sorry to hear horror stories of being molested by chauffeurs every now and then.
And then there is the moral police. Do you know that Iranians have come up with an app called Gershad to combat moral policing? It’s high time Saudi gets their own app. Being reasonable is one thing but going insane is another. I’ve seen people tremble with fear for no good reason. But when in Rome do as the Romans they say. That is why I would rather not be in that kind of Rome. Would you?
Photo- By the author herself (Riyadh Skyline)
