Let me start this by fully admitting I had REALLY low expectations of Riyadh long before we arrived. I lived in London, which I highly romanticized, and even that was a tough cultural adjustment. I don’t know what I would have done without my dear friend Sophia while living there!
This is not only the heart of the Middle East, but one of the most conservative cities in Saudi Arabia. And I haven’t even mentioned the heat yet or the challenge of being able to communicate with my family and friends who I have leaned on the last three years while living in Virginia.
My first experience out of the villa and on the DQ (Diplomatic Quarter) was to get photos taken for IDs, the morning after we arrived. J suggested that I bring my abaya. Diplomats technically don’t have to wear it, but depending on the area where there may be more locals one may just feel more comfortable with an abaya. And good thing I brought it. Much like my initial feeling at Customs, I could feel the eyes on me even wearing my abaya. And it was the same when we went to Tamimi, the KSA version of Safeway, later that afternoon for our first grocery run. I quickly adjusted my mindset. I think it’s just a general curiosity people have. Not any different when we see a women covered from head to toe in the US. I had to keep that in perspective.
The following evening, things took a real positive upswing when we went to Steak Night at the US Embassy. Knowing KSA is a tougher place for Westerners to acclimate to, the support staff here does a great job of taking care of people. There are always social events, centered around food, for people to attend. Maybe it was because I was really hungry, but that medium rare steak and baked potato was the best comfort food I could have had 48 hours upon arrival.
That evening and weekend, I met a number of families who lived and raised their kids around the world. I was introduced to the sweetest, most polite, and intelligent children. These are fun loving kids and mature tweens who can already speak other languages.
I met mothers with young children who invited me and the gents to their playdate circles. I quickly was in contact with one mother as she invited me out nearly everyday to some get-together. I see why people make the extra effort to go out of their way to make others feel included. They have been in the same position as me and starting new in a foreign country without your crew is hard.
There is definitely quite a bit of sacrifice that goes into this life, but I get why people choose it as there are so many positives. And although I always thought we’d immediately come back to D.C. in two years, I’m certainly becoming more open to thought of seeing where else this post might lead us.