Saudi Arabia

[mrerick]

The Saudi's and their culture are both interesting and quite different than our own.

I have a distant relative that married a Saudi pilot (the son of a Saudi 747 pilot). They are both well known and respected, one being trusted to the extent of flying Yasser Arafat to New York for attendance at the United Nations.

They live in Jeddah. In her words it has been like winning the lottery with nothing to spend it upon! They live in luxury with servants, etc... She is not allowed to drive, so must be driven when she needs to travel. This also means that there is always someone with her.

A few years ago, she got inattentive about her appearance, and let her hair show outside her head covering and scarf. The town religious "police" warned HIM about her behavior, yet she continued to do this. Eventually HE was brought in for a ritual beating to punish him for not controlling his wife.

There are cultural things that I'm sure will take some time to get used to. For example, don't talk about your pet dog in Saudi Arabia. Dogs are considered dirty, and keeping one barbaric. Also, don't cross your legs and show the bottom of your shoe to anyone. That's a rather significant insult!

Best wishes... Every time I'm overseas, it's a great learning experience.

Marc