I would not want any of my readers to assume I’m being insulting or offensive in my observations about my time here. Mu observations are supposed to be light-hearted and humorous. I wouldn’t expect or hope my experiences here to be the same as any other country I’ve visited. The fact that it is different makes it all the more interesting. My pre-arrival research and previous time in Iran meant I arrived with an element of caution. Much of the information I had read prior to my arrival was quite negative and I can only put that down to either a bad experience or an inability to accept the local culture on the part of the authors. I usually find that once you accept you are the outsider and the locals are not going to change their culture to suit you then you can start to relax. I will never forget the comment from one of my Australian colleagues in Iran when he watched a local male walk past with two quiet dutiful wives clad in black walking behind. “Jesus mate…. I can think of a few sheila’s back home who could do with some time here!?” He was of course…single!
A decade ago there were a series of terrorist attacks on western compounds which resulted in a large number of westerners leaving. Since then the government has maintained a vigorous campaign against terrorists and also increased security for expats. My experience to date has been quite positive and I find the Saudi society more ‘open’ than the society I viewed during my time in Iran. Of course there are more expats here than Iran which obviously makes me less of an item of curiosity (or hostility). Invariably the Saudi’s I work with or meet are very polite, generous and hospitable. As I’ve previously mentioned, it’s an inwards looking society involving family and very close friends. It is therefore unlikely I will be invited to a Saudi associate’s home and it’s almost certain I’ll never met a female member of the family.
It’s interesting to observe how Saudi parents and the authorities responsible for public morals grapple with the additional problems created by today’s technology. The use of social media by young Saudi’s is on the rise. Previously parents could ‘shield’ their daughters from contact with their greatest threat concern (the single male). Today social media and a very cheap mobile phone network is providing greater opportunities for young people of the opposite sex to make contact. Apparently a reasonably recent ploy is for one party to leave their smartphone number on a scrap of paper in a public place (a crack in a park bench) then move to a nearby location and wait. The other party finds the paper then makes contact and they chat via mobile phone. The roving religious police are unable to identify that the boy & girl on separate park benches are actually communicating. Another recent incident involved a senior religious figure making what was obviously a ridiculous statement about the physical damage done to a women should she driver a vehicle. The local outpouring of ridicule via Twitter and other social media made headlines. I can see that despite the various attempts to control it the “genie is out of the bottle”! Society here is gradually changing.
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