JEDDAH, 5 July 2004 — The long summer vacation brings a change of sleeping habits for young Saudis as night turns into day.
Hundreds of thousands of young Saudis spend all day sleeping and come to roaring, honking, motorized life at night, clogging up the Kingdom’s roads by endlessly driving up and down in search of some kind of distraction.
“What do they want us to do?” asked Rayan Muhsen, a student. “Where can we go to amuse ourselves besides cafes to smoke shishas or for a few rounds of billiard? There are no summer programs during the daytime.”
However, there are no summer programs at night either. Many boys between five and 16 spend their nights and days hypnotized in front of their PlayStations, without parental supervision or any concern for the effect it has on the brain or their eyesight.
Muhammad, a high school student, told Arab News: “In other countries and in the vacations in particular, there are more things to do in the summer: Festivals, music, all sorts of things. There are more sports and more educational programs as well. Above all, abroad they teach people to use their time well.”
Abdul Muhsen Al-Harbi never sees daylight during the summer. “I don’t know my night-time from my day-time. I spend all my time flicking through satellite channels until I get bored or tired and fall asleep.”
The daytime heat is another factor. “We can’t spend time together with friends outside in the daytime because of the weather. It’s way too hot,” said Raed Ghazi, another student.
So they drive around in search of adventure. However, there are families who try to make use of the summer vacation by enrolling their children in summer programs where they can learn new skills in computer or English language skills. All of them are available at private institutes.
