Job Discussion Forums

vva · Joined: 19 Sep 2010 Posts: 42 Location: NY, USA

Thank you for contributing your lists Gulezar and Bulgogiboy; I thoroughly appreciate the insight.

Interesting information on how the experience matches up against inner-city employment (BadBeagleBad).

Should anyone else want to contribute his/her personal list, please do! It's helped me, so it'll help someone else, I'm sure.

Doubtless, the KSA is not for everyone and would require a thorough self-assessment and an open, yet determined, mind Smile

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

EnglishDoYouSpeakIt · Joined: 19 May 2009 Posts: 151 Location: Saudi Arabia

johnslat · Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 12:58 pm Post subject:

Dear EnglishDoYouSpeakIt,

"No culture in Saudi Arabia? Someone needs to spend an evening/night/early morning in a bedu tent."

I suspect that not too many EFLers actually get to do that. Of course, there's a "Saudi culture", but few Westerners get to experience much of it since the society is so insular and closed off. I attended some Saudi wedding parties, but after the first one, they seemed more like an ordeal than a "party". I'd tend to agree with this account:

http://nzinghas.blogspot.com/2008/06/why-i-hate-saudi-weddings.html

I'd say that anyone who goes there expecting to have a "Lawrence of Arabia" experience is unlikely to be find fulfillment.

Regards,
John

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

To experience an oral culture such as that in the Arabian Pensinsula you have to understand and speak. Ergo first thing is LEARN ARABIC. Which is what 96 percent of EFLers ion the Peninsula can't or wont't do !

CamTam · Joined: 05 Jan 2012 Posts: 32

People who come to Saudi Arabia hoping to experience the culture here will usually find out that most Saudis have nothing to do with foreigners if they can help it. Some lucky people may be invited to weddings or dinner at the house, but the vast majority of foreign workers eat out, go hashing, or surf the Internet in their spare time. Women experience a greater isolation from society, Saudi or not. There is a reason why so many foreigners get sick in Saudi. The Magic Kingdom is full of magic for lots of reasons. Still, it's a job and most try to make the most of it. Don't expect to "experience the culture" here, except in a way you or any normal person would expect. You will also come away for a greater appreciation for the simple things in life, like being able to see people, i.e. women, when you talk to them. The magic here is so real, it is surreal. By the way, if you do get to interact with a woman, consider yourself lucky. Most men have to be satisfied with seeing them from afar at Carrefour. Even then, the women are dressed in a black cloak and most will have their hair covered. Sometimes, fights break out between the men simply because they are tired of being around only men. It is like being in a pressure cooker for them when they are in Saudi Arabia.

So, in short, if you want to come to Saudi Arabia to "experience the culture," you may leave changed in ways that are entirely unexpected. Your view of good and evil may even be tempered by the experience.

vva · Joined: 19 Sep 2010 Posts: 42 Location: NY, USA

It's Scary! · Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 823

Too many affective barriers existed for me to learn. Not so many yearn to learn the lingo of their jailers...

It's a good excuse!

cmp45 · Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 1475 Location: KSA

Although not as prolific as their western counterparts, I believe KSA has pockets of thriving fine art and film making communities. If you're interested in learning another's culture, you do not necessarily have to learn the language. However, I agree with vva that calligraphy as an art form is a very popular in KSA and certainly would be an interesting compliment to learning the language.