Life in Saudi Arabia for an
Indian expat can be a confusing blend of Eastern and Western lifestyle.
When i arrived here one and half year
back, i had little or almost no knowledge of lifestyle here, except the fact
that i was supposed to follow the strict rules here. Indians here are a closed
community to the native Arabs and its true the other way too. In all the 1½ years spent here, i have not uttered more than
a friendly 'Salam' to the native men whom i saw in office. People live as
separate islands here,according to nationality. Indians mostly occupy cheaper
apartments than their Western counter parts who live happily in guarded
Compounds. A villa in a compound can cost anything above 80,000 SAR, whereas a
flat can come as low as 25,000 SAR per year in our city.
Life for the womenfolk in
Saudia can be gruelling, For most of the women , their entire clock revolves
around the man of the house and the children. Women have nothing else to do,
rather than cleaning and cooking.
Walking and other physical
exercises outside home is a big NO NO here, Especially for women,they can walk
in the confines of home. I too started enthusiastically by buying a mechanised
treadmill, sports shoes, attire at all. As months passed on, so did my interest
in running at home. Now my treadmill is the most ideal clothesline to dry my
bed spreads and towels. I did not lose weight nor my treadmill lose its sheen
and shine.
Women are not
permitted to drive here. They need their
husbands to chauffer them everywhere, be it week end shopping, urgent
hospital trips or a visit to the beach. Socialising is simply not that easy for
families, it can be better if we can arrange get togethers with colleagues.
For those party animals and
socialising people, there is not much fun. Is it looking bleak? No. Western
values have not spread here, but vanities have! Watch the roads, all you can
see are Hummers, Volkswagens, BMWs and Mercs flashing by. Its a nice pastime to
count the Humvees on a drive! All American food chains do brisk business, Pizza
Hut, Dominos, KFC, Mac, Chilis, Applebees, Burger King, Dunkin Donuts, Taco
Hut- anything under the sun.
malls selling tonnes and
tonnes of American Products, creams, lotions, soaps, sprays. And as for
perfumes, there are entire streets selling them, leave alone the malls. Chanel,
Bulgari, Baccarat, Hermes, Poison, and then signature brands- J Lo, Brit
Spears, Paris, the list is endless. and
then comes watches and jewellery- Estee Lauder, Rolex, Chrono Swiss,
Cartier,DKNY...You can get anything you like, all you need is a pot of gold!For
men ,only these things are giving a space to breath.But what makes the women
tick here is probably the Muslim lifestyle, prayers and all. Their day
typically starts at Fajr and ends at Isha Salahs. For the others, it is a
cocooned life. A life behind the veil...
some day we might emerge a beautiful butterfly and spread our
wings to fly back to our home, India
