5 Greatest Challenges of Life in the Middle East

I am flattered to have been interviewed for the WE Project article about life in the Middle East. Though we haven’t been there long and have spent a number of months quarantined outside the kingdom, we’ve still managed a number of culturally rich experiences living in Saudi Arabia.

One question from the interview touched on the difficulties of moving to Saudi Arabia. My initial thoughts focused on how challenging it was to even begin the process; with intense, in-depth medical exams and loads of paperwork that seemed to multiply as we went along. I talked about adjusting to the 9 hour time difference and not having a car for our first month. After the article posted I gave more thought to the obstacles we faced once settling into the kingdom and came up with 5 of the greatest challenges of life in the Middle East, as an American. They are as follows:

There’s no Amazon Prime

I repeat. There is no Amazon Prime. I recognize and list this as #1 for the shear capacity of which we’d grown accustomed to relying on it for everyday convenience. Saudi had it’s own e-commerce platform, called Souk. It has since been acquired by Amazon and is now Amazon.sa. Similar to the Amazon.ca we shopped while living in Newfoundland. Or rather, glimpsed and passed at as (at least at the time) Canadian Amazon lacked the surplus of options and reviews that we’ve come to love. 2-day shipping to an island or to the Middle East… not gonna happen. We’ve always been a largely Amazon-operated household, so this has proven especially difficult orchestrating life with an infant, now toddler.

Shipping anything to the Eastern Province has proved challenging. Even food delivery services have a hard time locating our compound. It takes 5 or 6 phone calls and a walk down the street to pinpoint our driver and accept our now-cold nosh. Certain comforts or conveniences of home can be harder to find, which is why I’m thankful for Facebook groups dedicated to sharing shopping location information. If all else fails, you just have to be prepared to pay a large import tax to bring something you love in from the States, like I did with these storage jars I just had to have for updating our pantry.

Wearing an abaya

I preface this by saying that even before I left for Saudi, I understood that it was no longer a fully-enforced requirement that an abaya be worn by expats. The drive towards tourism has made drastic changes to the previously strictest of countries. I was notified, however, of a young woman from my compound being rejected from entering a mall for wearing an abaya that was deemed too short. So whatever you choose to wear, you still need to meet the Saudi criteria for modesty, which includes covering arms and ankles. Since my arrival, I’ve yet to leave the compound without my abaya. The majority of mine are open front, making it necessary for me to dress modestly under the abaya as well. I also own a couple of dress-like abayas that cause me to catch a few glances, but still cover me appropriately. I choose ones of various patterns and colors. I see younger Muslim girls doing this as well, but otherwise you are mostly out and about in a sea of traditional black abayas and hijabs. For me, I want to respect the culture and I want to partake in it. Wearing the abaya makes me feel closer to the place I call home. I also don’t particularly care to be gawked at should I choose to dress in more Western attire.

Ironically, it was me staring in disbelief at a small group of tourist women having lunch at Ithra in their sundresses. It surprised my friend and I that we were both so quickly adjusted to the custom of wearing an abaya that we too were thrown off by women showing their shoulders and knees. I really didn’t expect them to be able to dine in the restaurant, but perhaps rules are bending even more flexibly than I understood. Still, despite the added heat, decreased style options and overall inconvenience of having to run back into the house when I forget one, you won’t catch me in the kingdom without an abaya anytime soon.

i have no idea if i’m allowed to drive

Two years ago, Saudi granted women the right to drive, giving many female nationals a reason to celebrate. A small freedom that no other women in the world have been denied, but still, progress. The law wasn’t explicit when it came to expatriate women and therefore a number of them were able to ride this wave to obtain a Saudi drivers license. In January of 2019, all foreign applications were suspended due to high demand. Rightfully so, priority has been given to granting driving privileges to the Saudi nationals. This was still the case when I moved to Saudi at the end of 2019 and to my knowledge has not changed. Here, I’ve found information to suggest that non-Saudi women in the workforce can obtain a license, but those of us here through marriage, on an iqama, cannot.

HOWEVER, it is in fact legal to drive using a foreign, non-Saudi license in Saudi Arabia. The question remains if said driver could acquire car insurance. So the answer is that I possibly can drive with my Texas license, but if I get in a wreck (I’ll post on the driving culture in Saudi Arabia another time) I could be without coverage.

Not to mention that we currently have one vehicle for our family and do not intend to purchase another. So, for now, I’ll stick with Uber and the compound bus - despite inconvenience.

saudi arabia needs a recycling initiative

This is something I’ve talked ad nauseam with James about; starting a cleanup initiative for the Eastern Province. I believe similar efforts are already in progress on the opposite side of the country, the major focus of the Vision 2030 investment. It breaks my heart to see so much garbage along the roads and coastline of an otherwise grand setting. I’ve been searching for one of those long trash pokers that I could use to collect litter along the beach, once Cohen was old enough for me to enroll in the compound daycare. Our plans have gone askew, but the goal still remains. I found this article that clearly states the need for and slow-going approach to recycling in Saudi Arabia. One major breakthrough of note is that my compound has just released word of their plans to start collecting recycling. If more compounds start recycling, perhaps residents can bring any outside garbage they collect to their confines, increasing momentum and making the coastline more beautiful for all.

missing our family and friends

Last, but certainly not least. I touched on this in my first post after moving to Saudi Arabia, when I listed to pros and cons of our decision. It has not become any easier to be away. In fact, the more we experience without our family or friends and vice versa, the harder it is. Cohen is growing up so very quickly. If there’s one blessing, for us, about all the extra time in the States, it’s that we’ve been able to have real time with our loved ones and Cohen is able to recognize them. Keeping in touch over a 9-hour time difference requires a coordinated effort and doesn’t allow for much spontaneity. Cohen’s mastered taking photos with my phone, but his FaceTime skills are severely lacking.

There you have it. The 5 greatest challenges of life in the Middle East and I didn’t even mention alcohol. Well, now I did. Yes, it’s weird. Meals are incredibly short when not accompanied by cocktails, but I’ve mentioned before that you just have to get creative and learn to be your own brewmaster. It’s actually a fun little potential hobby that we’re excited to get into once we’re back.