I'm an Expat and I Blog!

Dear Readers,

Today, I'm doing a post about a great website, Expat Blog  for current and prospective expats all over the world.

I think its very useful to have a network of support when you are an expat in a foreign land, especially for the first time, it can save you from unecessary hassle and worries and help avoid embarrassing gaffes! You can post questions, make friends, post ads, look for accommodation and even apply for jobs. How to say basic stuff in a new language, basic DOs and DON'Ts all help to make the experience less daunting and more enjoyable.

Check out more information below:

What’s Expat blog? It’s a web portal launched in 2005 by expatriates, for expatriates. Its ambition is to help people living or willing to live abroad, wherever they are from or would like to go. Expat blog is the most active online community of expatriates, with 420 000 members from 206 countries and 400 big cities, a true online global village.
Who is it for? For all the people living or wishing to live abroad. It is a platform of expression and exchange, an information source about expatriation.
How does it work? The website offers various tools to help expats and potential expatriates:
-          discussion forums
-          expatriate blogs directory
-          guides
-          photo albums
-          business directory
-          classifieds.
 

Jizan Credit: Eihctir, Expat blog

New features : Jobs and Housing sections
To meet the demands of expatriates and soon-to-be expatriates in Saudi Arabia, Expat blog has launched two new dedicated spaces: a jobs section and a housing section. They are aimed at helping people in their job and accommodation search, two essential steps when expatriating.
The idea is to get access to job offers in Saudi Arabia and everywhere in the world, wherever you are. You can have access to the Saudi Arabia job opportunities, per job category and job contract. You can also create your CV and contact potential employers. This is a great resource as information about jobs in Saudi is not always available online.
 

Jeddah Credit: Jeddah-boy expat blog

 


The Saudi Arabia Housing section enables you to look for or to offer an accommodation: rental, flat share, flat, house…it’s up to you! You can see pictures of the apartment and get in touch with the person via Expat blog (you need to be a member of Expat blog to post an ad). Real estate agents in Saudi charge alot of money are of little or no use so this is really helpful.

Credit AmiraAlmani Expat blog

Curse You Dan Humphrey- Gossip Girl

Why am I cursing poor Dan Humphrey you may ask? Well, ever since I started watching Season 5 of Gossip Girl, I've been bitten by the writing bug. Well, to be honest, I've been infected by the malady for a while now; this blog itself is an amateur attempt to practise writing something-anything, which someone might find it worthwhile reading.

Now, I find that a close friend and I have been privy to lifestyles of certain individuals which some people would find captivating and maybe even entertaining, embellished by a touch of artistic license, of course. However, only if we go ahead and breach the confidence and trust which is a tacit part of most relationships. After watching Dan Humphrey’s 'Inside' become such a success on a similar premise, although with much more salacious content, I’ve literally got the writing itch.

Another factor which both compels me and hinders me from writing a book about my life in Saudi is the sort of literature currently available on Saudi Arabia. These books usually depict the 'magic kingdom’ in a draconian light, full of cruel sheikhs inhumanly abusing and locking up women; burdened by a vicious compound of culture and religion that deserves to be reviled. The characters are almost cartoonish caricatures of a few bad individuals that exist in every society. The writers seem hell-bent on twisting the facts to appeal to the tastes of an already brainwashed anti-Middle Eastern audience. 

There is a blog based on the book, Desperate in Dubai, and although you can immediately tell its been written with the commercial aspect in mind, I don't think I could write a whole book in that strain. Correction: I could, but I wouldn't. Firstly, thank God, this is Saudi, and secondly I don't want to propagate that false gold plated Swarosky studded vodka drinking on a drug-high, sleeping around image. I'm sure there are few of those types here as well, but then I know a few of those characters exist in every country regardless of culture and religion, be it Hong Kong, Mumbai, Brunei, Singapore, Milan, Riyadh, Dubai, or Gossip Girl's New York City- Upper East Side to be exact..

When I joined the Amazon Associates program I chose the option that adverts should be shown according to the content of my blog, I was expecting some Middle Eastern themes, but as I tend to write reviews of Western literature, I thought those books would most likely be advertised on my blog. Instead, I had to deal with titles like Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil, by Jean Sassoon (Argh!).  I would have never thought possible a book could spread so much misinformation and bad PR.  

I want people to know what Saudis are really like. A very small percentage lives as Bedouins living in tents and riding camels! They are not all evil or all saints, but like most of us, somewhere in between. The stupendous rise in wealth and modern conveniences in a very short time from the seventies to eighties has no doubt created a society with curious eccentricities, which can be understood, if not always justified. I wish to lift the veil of mystery, and mistrust that shrouds Saudi Arabia and shed light on a generally hospitable people. The urban culture of the larger cities has gone through immense changes since the eighties, so the stories of old seem even more irrelevant.

That’s not to say that everybody or everything here is the same as NYC, London, or Paris, or even Dubai, although the people I socialise consider at least one of these cities their second home. Saudi Arabia has its unique flavour, and but keep your mind open and expect the unexpected.

If I feel brave enough to accept the challenge, I may share anecdotes from the lives of local residents with a bit artistic license, of course ;-)

xoxo

Saudi National Day- Ten things I love about Saudi Arabia

In celebration of the Saudi National Day I am doing this post to highlight the positive points of Saudi Arabia. I find a lot of Saudi bashing goes on the internet, and I want to take this opportunity to celebrate the positive some obvious but oft forgotten and sometimes humorous aspects of Saudi from a Muslim expatriate perspective :

1. Makkah and Madinah- the two holiest sites in Islam- as a Muslim you just cannot argue with that :-)

2. No TAXES. There is NO income tax, NO VAT, and NO Petrol tax. :-)

3. Reduced working hours for employees and holidays for schools in Ramadan: Where else in the world can you have it so easy?

4. All food is Halal food; this means that you can eat at all the international fast food chains :-)

5. Low levels of crime, inflation usually, and despite all the propaganda a stable political climate (.Alhamdulillah, Thank God)

6. Instead of annoying coins for change we get a packet of gum :-)...what am I going to buy with 10 ten halalas anyway?

7. Very family friendly, of course no scenes of public nudity or indecency, so you don't have to worry about where your kids are looking.

8. You can make friends from all over the world, there are so many different nationalities represented in the expat population it’s amazing. The people are generally easy going and helpful.

9. You can find a masjid or prayer area wherever you maybe.If you are on the highway and it happens to be time of prayer, and there isn'ta rest stop nearby, then simply stop the car off the highway and pray.

Tell me how many places in the world you can do that?

10. Last but by in no means least: You can put on your abaya over your pjs and go out, without anyone being the wiser (unless you are in an accident).

Hope all citizens of this wonderful country: Saudis and Non-Saudis alike acknowledge and be grateful for their blessings and have a great day!

P.S What do you like about Saudi, don't be shy now speak up!

If you like this post be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter :-). Thanks! Ma'salamah.

Private and confidential

I am actually quite a private person and the main attraction of blogging to me is that it allows me to publish my writing, without revealing who I am. The charm of saying whatever you want without serious consequences is alluring. So far, it seems that I don't have many readers and I haven't inspired or provoked anyone to comment. Perhaps, someone as private as me is better off writing a meaningful journal blog..but not sharing it publicly.

But, I wish to give this blogging thing a go. Partially, because I feel I am growing too anti-social. Too anti-social? LOL! I believe there are degrees of anti-social behaviour, and I am going further up the scale. I don't feel like socialising with anyone except my friends. I am not interested in meeting new people anymore. At work, I have stopped making an effort. I feel I have become a better judge of the sort of people I can maintain a real friendship with and if I feel you are not that person I don't bother with the small talk am only polite. This seems to be perfectly fine because Arab women aren't in the habit of initiating conversation it seems. Especially, as they will have to make a special effort and speak to me in English. Oh well, I am not too interested in listening to the latest tiff you had with your husband or the recent disciplining problem you had with your teenage daughter. I guess the age gap adds to my reluctance to socialise with people closer to mom's age than mine.

The younger crowd is either not my type or not English speaking, and actually I'm quite content with the way things are. I wouldn't mind having one or two more friends though, especially since one of my close friends is getting married and leaving the country. The Expat lifestyle: lose a friend every year, except before you gained one as well. I feel my close circle of friends is shrinking. Blogging may be a way to gain like-minded new friends albeit maybe only virtual ones.