How Old Is A Prince?

you know this movie, "the kingdom"? it's inspired by the bombings in an american compound in riyadh in 2003 (see more here).. anyways, they show a saudi prince in the movie and he's all young and handsome and stuff, whereas in reality he'd be about 60-something.. and i suppose this is the notion we have in our western minds.. a prince for us is a young handsome man, preferably on a white horse of course.. however, this is often not the truth in real life.. many and many of the princes here are quite old (needless to say, the royal family is huge, so there's plenty of princes).. actually, every now and then you hear a prince pass away.. here's crown prince nayef bin-abdulaziz al-saud who died recently at the age of 79

and here's the new crown prince salman bin-abdulaziz al-saud

sometimes when we would pass by a palace with my husband, i'd ask him what it is and he'd say it's a palace of prince so-and-so and i'd say "wow! nice for a young prince", and he'd be like "ya ayah, he's like 70 years old!" and i'd be like o_o cuz i'd think a prince would still live with his parents or something :)

so, for me the notion of "prince" has changed.. how old is a prince in your head?

Welcome To Reality

saudi arrested for murdering wife, brothers jailed for beating sister, hail pedophile murderer beheaded, - similar headlines can be found in a saudi newspaper every day.. many muslims around the world (and i used to be one of them) believe such things simply don't happen every day in ksa, for it's such an islamic society.. they come for hajj and umrah and see all the women wearing black abayas, often with niqabs, and men with beards wearing white thoubs.. hundreds of people praying in al-haram in congregation.. strangers approaching you in a mosque giving you leaflets promoting niqab.. yeah...

only, what you see when you come for hajj or umrah is not real saudi arabia.. in reality, it's basically like any other country in the world, with it's bad and ugly side.. ugly with a specific saudi twist, hushing it up and pretending it doesn't exist.. you can find all kinds of crimes here that you will find in any other country in the world, from murders and rapes to spreading drugs at schools and molestation, only here they are committed in greater secrecy and might seem more outrageous at times, because you did not expect them to happen in this country

however, i don't want to go into details, you can read about the ugly side of saudi in the newspapers and on other blogs and websites.. i just wanted to let those still living in a dream know that all kinds of things happen here and it's not as safe as it seems to be, specially for the children

and by the way, even during hajj and umrah, be creful with your stuff, some individuals manage to steal even in al-haram mosque

No Reservations In Saudi Arabia

if you are an american you might have seen this show on tv.. i've found this episode of no reservations show on youtube and just looooved it.. it shows the nice side of saudi which pretty much nobody knows or hears about.. and ta-da! it was filmed in jeddah where i live :) i also loved this danya girl, she's so sweet and bubbly mashAllah.. in a word, do watch!

Saudi Marks National Day

yesterday, on wednesday september 23, saudi arabia marked its 77th national day, not only to remember the country’s unification at the hands of king abdul aziz but also to celebrate its achievements in the educational, health and economic sectors.. being the world’s largest oil exporter, it has become a member of G20 and is the largest economy in the middle east

read more in arab news

It's Interesting To Know That...

...jeddah, situated on the coast of the red sea, is the second largest city in saudi arabia.. its' population is 3.4 million people and it's the largest urban center in makkah province.. jeddah is famous for high levels of humidity and, unlike other cities of saudi arabia, warm winters (+15 at midnight and +25 in the afternoon).. the summers are hot, tepmerature going above +40 in the afternoon and dropping to +30 at midnight.. it really feels like steam room when you go out on a summer day, the only thing missing seems to be a bath sponge

It's Interesting To Know That...

... saudi arabia is the world's largest producer of desalinated water.. 28 plants (including the largest water desalination plant in the world) provide more than 70% of the country's drinking water as well as supplying the kingdom with more than 28 million megawatts of electricity, which is about 21% of all electricity generated in the country.. it is done in the process of solar thermal desalination (using solar energy)

that's why tap water here slightly smells like sea.. well, at least in my tap...

Swine Flu vs Hajj And Umra

around 3 million pilgrims from more than 160 countries take part in the hajj (pilgrimage) and more than 2 million perform umra (minor pilgrimage) in the month of ramadan in the holy city of mecca every year.. up to 2/3 come from abroad.. they mostly arrive by air in jeddah

saudi arabia has diagnosed more than 230 cases of H1N1 this year and on monday announced its first death from the virus

in the past few weeks a debate about the virus has been held in the middle east.. of particular concern is how to keep it from spreading among the millions of visitors expected in saudi arabia during this year's umra and hajj season

last week arab health ministers held an emergency summit in cairo (egypt) to discuss the issue.. guidelines were issued, banning various groups from participating in this year's hajj - children under 12, adults over 65, people with chronic diseases and pregnant women.. however, king abdallah of saudi arabia has not yet approved the decision..

jeddah's hajj airport terminal will have 20 thermal sensors to check pilgrims and 20 percent more specialist medical staff than last year.. the team of 550 people will include doctors, nurses, lab technicians and pharmacists.. saudi arabia has increased its stock of the antiviral drug by 20%, double the WHO recommendation for other countries, and urged pilgrims to take seasonal vaccines as well as the new H1N1 vaccine once available in the coming months

the health ministry will also set up health centres near the jeddah and madina airports with capacity to house up to 500 patients who will be sent there for treatment during their incubation period of the infection

so rejoice! despite the tricky health situation in the country, hajj and umra will not be cancelled and saudi is doing its best, taking various precautionary measures that might help reduce the possibility of spreading the virus

sources: CNN, dawn.com

Hand Sanitizers For Public Use

as reported by arab news the jeddah municipality has ordered all commercial centers, malls and supermarkets to place anti-bacterial hand gel and tissue paper near trolleys so that customers could clean their hands before using the carts! the move comes as part of the municipality’s efforts to create a healthy environment and increase health awareness.. they also ordered the posting of signs in both arabic and english requesting shoppers to sterilize their hands before and after using the trolleys

it is said modern studies had revealed that the handles of trolleys are contaminated with bacteria, germs, viruses and traces of sweat.. and by touching the trolleys and sometimes putting children in them, people incease the danger of infections and diseases

dr. abdul aziz humaidan, a general practitioner, underlined the need for preventive measures and said they should not be limited to trolleys but should include all places which could be sources of bacteria and germs

a medical conference held in jeddah recently discussed the hazards of epidemics transmitted through touching.. it noted the kingdom annually spends about SR2 billion on the treatment of skin diseases caused by touching.. the conference called for observing correct healthy behavior in life and curbing the spread of disease and infection

well thank you jeddah municipality! as for me, i always carry hand sanitizer in my handbag as there's not always an opportunity to wash your hands while out.. i love this small dettol hand sanitizer! it's tiny and fits into any bag and it smells good too.. they don't have it in russia or egypt so i was really happy to find it here!

Finally...

well, finally i am at my destination, in the kingdom of saudi arabia, the most fascinating and mysterious country in the world, the dream of so many people, one of the richest countries on the planet where every 3rd man is a shekh posessing his own oil derrick, pockets full of money and a luxurious palace full of wives with no rights...

or no...

this is what i've been dreaming of for the last emm... about 4 years... well my main reason for longing to move to ksa was, as it is for so many muslims around the world, to make hijra and live close at hand with the two holiest places of islam - mecca and madina, and in the most islamic society (or so i thought)

one day the dream came true, my egyptian husband got a job in ksa and i was going to move there with him and live happily ever after in the perfect society... only nothing in this world is perfect...

the inperfection started when it took me long painful 9 months of being away from my husband waiting to get the visa to enter the country... alhamdulillah for everything though... during this period i had more than enough time to explore the cyber space to find first-hand info about life in ksa, only it didn't look at all as appealing as i expected... i kept reading and reading to the point that one day i found myself not wanting to go and live there at all

but the dream came true, unexpectedly and at the same time long awaited for... i am now an expat in the most fascinating and mysterious country in the world, the dream of so many people...

so is it that perfect or is it that bad? this mystery of saudi arabia is for me still to be unraveled