Saudi Arabia

Before I get into this post I just want to briefly acknowledge the awful attacks that happened here in Paris on November 13. What happened was truly horrifying, scary and sad and occurred roughly a 25 minute walk from our house. It was all too close to home for us. The week following was a strange one and definitely not normal but the Parisians were determined to go back to normal life as soon as possible. I would say that some did but it took more than a week before it started to feel remotely back to normal again. And now, I walk around a little more cautious and aware than before but it's back to life again. And I think that's the best we can do. My heart goes out to all the victims and families of this horrible tragedy.

And now back to my post.....

As you may recall from previous posts, my sister and her family moved to Saudi Arabia a little over a year ago for a great job opportunity for John, my sister’s husband. In that time they have visited us in Paris and we have met them in Slovenia. And now it was my turn to go visit them and see what their world is all about. So in October, that's what I did.

Nate and I decided that I would go on my own as it’s a 6 hour flight from Paris to Jeddah (the nearest airport to where John and Julie live). I was only going for a long weekend and we weren’t all that thrilled about having Josephine on a plane for a total of 12 hours in a span of 4 days.

After working with a French agency in Paris to get the required visa and it coming through in just the knick of time, I was ready to start my Saudi adventure. I left on a Thursday morning and with a one hour time difference landed in Jeddah around 6pm. Let’s back up for a second though. I flew Saudia Airlines which in and of itself was interesting. First of all, it was super nice and hardly full. The bathroom was probably one of the nicer and cleaner airline bathrooms I’ve been in with a bidet and all. They had the normal video screens in the back of the seats and once the pre-flight announcements were finished they had a prayer to Allah before taking off. I then watched a movie on my flight and they censored out “beer”. They also blurred out any cleavage. This proved to be a very Saudi start to my trip.

When landing in Jeddah, John had arranged for someone from government affairs at KAUST to meet me at the airport and walk me through passport control. I was quite grateful for this as the line was not moving all that fast as they were taking fingerprints and pictures of everyone that walked through. The guy walked me right up to the front and in a few minutes, I was done. I grabbed my bag and it then had to go through a screening where Julie explained they look to be sure you’re not bringing in any alcohol or pork products, because well, those aren’t allowed there. John was waiting for me as I exited and we were off.

The KAUST beacon

KAUST is about a 45 minute drive from Jeddah, near the city of Thuwal. After an unexpected little driving tour of the city due to a missed turn, we were on our way.

To enter the KAUST community, which is gated and highly secure, we had to stop at the visitor’s center to pick up my badge, which John had pre-registered. And then finally we were at their home! Julie and I went to dinner on our own while John stayed home with the girls.

KAUST is a fairly large community with a couple of rec centers, a number of restaurants, a beach, schools for the kids, medical center, grocery store, the university of course and all of the basic things you would need on a daily basis. They don’t need to leave for any reason. Within the community, Julie can drive. Outside, she is not allowed.



Friday we had brunch at a restaurant overlooking the Red Sea and I got a driving tour of the entire community. It’s all very nice and very new. You definitely get a small town feel from it. Throughout my time there, John and Julie were constantly running into people they knew. There is also the most beautiful mosque inside the community. Too bad I didn’t get a chance to go inside.

Oh, and I can’t forget to mention that it was HOT and extremely HUMID! I think I’ve only ever felt humidity like that when I was in New Orleans in July. You really can’t stay outside for very long before you are sweating through your clothes. So of course everything inside is highly air conditioned.

The other thing that stood out, and I noticed this even when the plane was landing, is that everything is beige. It all looks dust covered. Which I suppose makes sense as you are in the middle of the desert. But still, it is like there is a blanket of dust over everything.

For Saturday, John and Julie had rented a boat for us to go out on the Red Sea for four hours for some snorkeling and hanging out. This is probably one of the nicest boats I’ve been on. It was fully air conditioned on the inside with a full spread of food and three bedrooms and two bathrooms in the back. You could also head up to the top where you could sit and watch as the boat went along.

The Red Sea is really warm and that aquamarine blue….it’s so pretty. It makes you feel like you are on a tropical vacation. We snorkeled, we just hung out in the water outside of the boat….all in all it was really fun and a big highlight of the trip for sure.

Another must do was to hit up their grocery store, Tamimi. It’s essentially a Safeway and quite a thrill for this girl coming from Paris. There were so many American goods that I got to stock up on! Refried beans of course as well as zip loc bags, ranch dressing, etc.

Dinner in Thuwal

Saturday night we tagged along with a co-worker of John’s and his family who were heading outside of the KAUST walls into Thuwal for dinner. His co-worker speaks Arabic and has been living there for over 3 years so it made it that much easier to venture out. Julie and I donned our abayas because that’s what women have to do if you’re in Saudi Arabia. Looking at the guys who were in their shorts and t-shirts, it all just feels so wrong. Anyways though, we went to the restaurant, which is called the Fish Market, and they reserved the family room. This is a private, air conditioned room and once inside, we didn’t have to wear the abayas. Apparently they got the nicer family room as others I saw had concrete walls on 3 sides with a partial fourth wall. It’s all so bizarre. I learned that in restaurants you have the singles section, which is where the men eat and if they are with women and children, they have to go to the family rooms…which are more secluded.

Anyways, dinner was eaten at a low table where you sit on the floor. Oh and when we got to the room and got settled, the men went out to pick the fish and food. Dinner was delicious though with a variety of fish and rice and flat bread.

Sunday the girls were back in school and John back at work. Their work week goes from Sunday to Thursday. John gave me a tour of the university where he works so I got a good feel for the campus.

After the girls got out of school, we headed to a pool at the rec center where it overlooks the Red Sea. We ate dinner at the restaurant right next to it. Again, it felt like being on a tropical vacation.

My flight left at 1am that night so I took a taxi back to the airport and got to the gate with no problem. At security though I did have to go in the “Female” line which took me to a separate room where a female airport employee screens you with the wand.

Overall it was a super interesting trip and I was so glad I went. I know the feeling of wanting to show people your life and where you live and I was glad I got to see that for John and Julie. It’s a really nice community where they live. The culture is a bit of a shock but inside the community you don’t feel that at all. It was a reminder to me though to be thankful for all of the rights we do have, even ones we think are so basic and a given like wearing what you want to wear and driving.