As a long term expat, born and brought up here, I want to bust a fallacy: Saudi Arabia is not a baffling place to live in. It’s not even an enigma that the Western media so often portrays it to be, as being a challenging country for women. Yes, we can leave our homes without an accompanying male member and malls do have fitting rooms, although they are located in a separate area near the woman’s bathrooms, as opposed to inside the clothing store. Such stories in the international media are often inaccurate and irritating.
For many expatriates, living in the Kingdom is not a temporary thing. Expats who had come here as young 20-somethings are now seeing their second and third generations work and prosper in the country. Such is the love that Saudi Arabia evokes in our hearts and minds.
Listed here are just 10 of the many factors that make the Kingdom a truly favored country for expatriates from across the world:
1. A multicultural workplace environment: The experiences that you gain working overseas are incomparable to anything back home. Working with the locals and with expatriates from all over the world makes for an enlightening adventure as it comprises learning about new cultures, traditions and languages. It also broadens your perspective and makes you more open-minded. For instance, Indians and Pakistanis here mingle with ease and are able to establish long-standing friendships, something that is almost impossible to achieve back home in the two rival countries.
2. Exotic locales: Alright, there are no cinemas here, but that does not prevent expats from having lots of fun in the weekends. Apart from the usual fare of private beaches and resorts, coffee shops, amusement parks and malls, Saudi Arabia is home to unique weekend getaways, from the ancient ruins of Mada’in Saleh, to the magnificent Edge of the World near Riyadh and the pristine beaches of Jubail. Since the country doesn’t issue tourist visas, we expats consider ourselves privileged to be able to explore these hidden beauties.
3. Fabulous food: The giant supermarkets to the baqala near your house, are all well stocked with fresh local produce as well as select imports from other countries. Expats will hardly miss their country’s food as we are much likely to fall in love with the luxurious Middle Eastern cuisine we will discover here. We know what a ‘real’ shawarma tastes like as opposed to the mayonnaise laden sandwiches that pass off as shawarma back home. Be it fresh dates from Madinah or the world-famous broasted chicken from Jeddah, we expats are really lucky!
4. It’s second home: After living in the Kingdom for a long time and being used to the comforts in Saudi Arabia, when expats go back to their countries they usually stick out like a sore thumb. They consider the Kingdom as their second home and would love to stay back and contribute to the country when given a chance.
5. Islamic education: Saudi Arabia makes it compulsory for every international school to include Islamic Studies in its curriculum. As such, many of us grow with a solid foundation of the religion that our counterparts back home lack. In addition to basic Islamic education, there are excellent Islamic centers, Qur’an and Tajweed schools and Arabic institutes where everyone can enroll and learn from some of the best teachers in the field. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) warned us as to where and who we take our knowledge from. In Saudi Arabia, there is never a doubt about our sources of Deen as we can rest assured that everything we learn is coming from the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
6. Exceptional health care: The powerhouse of the Middle East has always been a magnate for migrant workers from south and southeast Asia and the Levant because of an array of affordable services Saudi Arabia offers. The most prominent among them is the mandatory insurance-covered health care available in all cities and towns at world-class specialist hospitals and clinics. The Kingdom puts a special emphasis on hiring the best available hands. Saudi medical professionals have made a mark at several facilities. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques periodically hosts poor parents of conjoined twins from the Arab world for all-expense paid surgeries and stay. Saudi labor laws have tied medical cover to visa thereby ensuring medical care for every expat.
7. Cost of living: Petrol costs less than water and electricity is cheap. A major attraction in the Kingdom is the low cost of living. The Kingdom’s strict polices keep the price rise in check and inflation under control. Food, transport, house rent, even entertainment for children at amusement parks is affordable for an average expat or Saudi family. Seemingly unending grocery shopping by families at packed malls reinforces the fact that the Kingdom is a shopper’s paradise.
8. Peace and security: We certainly do not miss the routine strikes, protests, and other less than safe law and order situations back home. The security and stability of the Kingdom is what makes it the most preferred place for all expats. In a region marred with conflicts, the country stands out as a stable, safe, and peaceful nation. Women can walk in the streets, shop in the malls without their safety being threatened.
9. We love the leadership! Our feelings resemble those of the 20.7 million Saudis who hold the Saudi rulers in much awe and respect. While the rest of the world incorrectly accused Saudi Arabia for not doing enough for the Syrian refugees, we, expats living in the Kingdom, left no stone unturned to prove otherwise, sharing facts and figures on social media to defend Saudi’s ample response to the refugee crisis, shutting down every unreasonable critic of the Kingdom.
10. Islamic ambience: There is little that can compare to living in the close vicinity of the blessed cities of Makkah and Madinah, and an opportunity to perform Haj. Anyone who has witnessed the call to prayer beaming from loudspeakers, mounted on tall minarets, would attest to the spirituality present in the air five times a day. Shops close down for prayer so that people can go to offer Salah without distraction. While there are a few critics of this practice, shutting shops during prayer time publicly shows and enforces respect for prayer, which is one of the five pillars of Islam.
Expatriates who left the Kingdom forever cherish sweet memories and affection for the country. They serve as ambassadors for Saudi Arabia when they return home, their efforts been appreciated by the Saudis.
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