JEDDAH, 5 August — How are expatriates in the Kingdom spending summer? Do they prefer to remain here in the grueling heat or are they planning to travel to cooler climes? Do children want to move out as there is still time for schools to reopen or are they utilizing their free time attending summer courses and other activities?
These questions were posed to a cross-section of different communities here. Some of them said they had already returned after a short vacation abroad. Some are planning vacations in cooler places within the Kingdom. Yet some others say they wish to spend the summer here itself as their children are attending summer classes or would rather take care of their children’s studies.
Most of the families said they could not take part in the just-ended Jeddah festival as much as they would have liked to because of school tests. The six-week event was marked by scores of adventure and fun activities. However, only some of them could be enjoyed toward the end of the festival.
Some Indian boys felt the summer was a rewarding experience for them as they attended an annual camp organized by their school. “Aside from inculcating camaraderie, brotherhood and sportsman spirit, the camp turned a new leaf in our lives,” a camper said.
Syed Abdul Aziz Omar, a ninth grade student, observed: “It was a lifetime experience and I’m going to be part of all the future summer camps of my school.”
“It was both entertaining and educational,” remarked Hussain Muhammad, another student. The summer has already meant departures and arrivals for holiday-makers. Some expatriate families have started returning after a visit to countries other than their own. Some others who planned vacations in home countries have already left.
Taif, Baha and Abha in the salubrious Asir region are the most common places families said they would love to visit. In fact, quite a few families are already vacationing there.
Families whose children will be sitting for board examinations this year said they would not go anywhere this summer. “My son is a 12th grader and my daughter a 10th grader. We would rather remain here so that we attend to their studies for the crucial exams,” Abdul Hashim, a Pakistani engineer said.
“We’re just back from Singapore,” said Muhammad Hashim, an Indian teacher. “We spent nearly a month there with my daughter, but then we may still go to Taif for a short vacation to escape from this terrible heat and humidity.”
Abdul Nadeem, a Pakistani secretary at a multinational electronic firm, said: “I would love to spend my vacation back home, but not now as my home town is equally hot.”
Some of the Sri Lankan families said they would rather spend the summer “peacefully here” rather than risking their vacation in the trouble-torn island. “This would have been the right time to take a vacation back home, but then I’m happy to be here watching TV and going to gym,” said Akhil Navaratne, a Sri Lankan hotel supervisor.
Filipinos said there was no way they would go home now. “We’re quite busy playing basketball, tennis and other games in our camps,” said Blanche Mendonza, an assistant in a courier company.
“This is the right time to take a vacation and spend it with relatives and friends back home, but then sports activities have kept me busy here,” Rody Diago, a Filipino engineer remarked.
Most of the Westerners contacted were in the process of leaving for destinations within the Kingdom or nearby countries. “We’re planning a visit to Egypt and Syria,” said Norman Philip, an automobile marketing executive. “I’m a scuba diver and have spent some of my summer evenings diving in the Red Sea. In fact, I was among those who recovered trash from the sea in the recent past,” he added.
Many other families from Asian countries said they had been picnicking at the Corniche beach late evenings, despite humidity. “Our boys have been spending an hour or two at Internet cafes,” Omar Bashir, a Sudanese shipping executive said.
Asian families said, aside from assisting them in domestic chores, their girls are spending time experimenting with cooking. “My girls are trying new international dishes almost every day,” said Ayesha Adeeb, a Pakistani housewife.
“All my three sons are brushing up their knowledge of multimedia. They are busy specializing in e-business, and web paging, designing and solutions,” Riaz Mulla, an Indian advertising executive, said. Most of the computer training centers reported a big increase in students taking basic and advanced courses.
Inquiries show that shopping has taken a backseat right now. Families said they had nothing much to shop, except for their day-to-day needs of food and foodstuffs. So superstores continue to be largely visited. “The festival was an excellent opportunity to shop for whatever we wanted as there were attractive offers both from the owners of shops and malls, as well as from the festival organizers,” said a Yemeni housewife.
Dr. Abdul Mujahed, a Syrian physician in a polyclinic, said his children deliberately chose not to go on vacation now as they were keen on benefiting from the summer education programs. Courses offered by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry have been the most sought after, he added.
Some of the Indians hailing from the southern state of Kerala said an ensuing football tournament had kept them here. The Saudi Indian Football Forum’s three-month tournament in cooperation with SADAFCO begins on Aug. 10 and will continue with league matches every Friday until Nov. 9.
Boys who could not take a vacation out are keeping themselves busy with workouts at health clubs and playing tennis, billiards and bowling at sports clubs. “The turnout of boys has improved a lot in the past few weeks.” This is how most of the sports clubs including Galleria echoed.
“I’ve always been a health buff, and I consider this an opportune time for further shaping up my physique through extra workouts,” Numair Mohsin, a Bangladeshi 10th grader said.
My daughters are devoting their spare time in art and craft,” Muhammad Ahmad Kamel, an airline executive said. Most of the schools, which began their summer vacation at the beginning of July, are set to reopen toward end of August.
