Dopey Member
Post by doctork on Feb 19, 2007 22:42:19 GMT -5
I dont know much about Saudi Arabia - have not been there, and I believe it is at best ill-advised, and more likely unlawful or impossible for Western women to travel there as tourists. It is an extremely repressive government. What I don't understand is why there are 5.5 million foreign workers in Saudi Arabia if they have large numbers of poor and unemployed Saudi citizens. Is that the education gap Riyadh is trying to close? Otherwise, I'd assume they would employ their own citizens.
The westerners (and Africans and Asians, now that I think about it) I know who have lived and worked in Saudi generally have technical expertise, while the Saudis I've known in the US have been here for technical training. Oddly, most Americans I know who have lived in Saudi really love it - the culture, the tradition, the hospitality. Of course they live in protected western compounds, have male drivers, and obey the "clothing police."
When I was in Dubai (one of the Arab Emirates) I sustained an injury that required an Emergency Room visit for stitches. I inquired of the hotel concierge if my clothing (long dress to my ankles, headscarf, but the dress sleeves did not quite reach my wrists) was suitable for going outside in public there. He laughed and said my attire was fine, "We're not Saudi Arabia, you know!"
He was right - Dubai is a modern progressive international business hub with a rapidly growing tourist industry. Very impressive and inviting, easy to negotiate even if you are a westerner who does not speak or read Arabic. They are wealthy not from oil, but from robust local, regional and international business. Maybe this competition inspires the Saudis to change their ways.
The westerners (and Africans and Asians, now that I think about it) I know who have lived and worked in Saudi generally have technical expertise, while the Saudis I've known in the US have been here for technical training. Oddly, most Americans I know who have lived in Saudi really love it - the culture, the tradition, the hospitality. Of course they live in protected western compounds, have male drivers, and obey the "clothing police."
When I was in Dubai (one of the Arab Emirates) I sustained an injury that required an Emergency Room visit for stitches. I inquired of the hotel concierge if my clothing (long dress to my ankles, headscarf, but the dress sleeves did not quite reach my wrists) was suitable for going outside in public there. He laughed and said my attire was fine, "We're not Saudi Arabia, you know!"
He was right - Dubai is a modern progressive international business hub with a rapidly growing tourist industry. Very impressive and inviting, easy to negotiate even if you are a westerner who does not speak or read Arabic. They are wealthy not from oil, but from robust local, regional and international business. Maybe this competition inspires the Saudis to change their ways.