Salaam everyone! As you probably already know, the VAT has increased in Saudi Arabia from 5% to 15%.This will be a financial burden to some families here. A lot of people took this as an opportunity to go on shopping sprees before the increase happened, myself included. (Although I wasn’t as extreme as my…
Tag: jeddah
Exciting news
Asalaamalaikum everyone! Hope your summer is going well. I know this hasn’t been the best summer we’ve ever experienced with the Coronavirus and whatnot. I personally have been trying to keep myself busy with a side project, studying for my classes, and, of course, parenting. Even so, it has been a very boring and…
Office Parties
After nearly 5 (!!!!!!) years in Saudi, I have come to appreciate many things about the culture. The food, the music, the traditional dress… and the attention to detail regarding parties and gatherings. If I am being honest, I didn’t always appreciate this. My sisters-in-law used to drive me insane with how carefully and…
Ocean Blue, Jeddah
Every time we go to Jeddah, it seems we end up going to the same restaurant: Ocean Blue. It is an American style restaurant located on the beach and beside the aquarium. Do we go there because the food is delicious? No. Quite frankly the food is mediocre at best… We go there because…
Jeddah Aquarium
Having a toddler that is obsessed with “Baby Shark,”we never pass up a chance to visit an aquarium. So naturally we had to visit the Fakieh Aquarium in Jeddah when we visited. If you have ever been to Jeddah, you know the weather can be a bit miserable. Yes, it is as hot as Riyadh,…
Food Lust
It’s Ramadan, which means there is one major thing on everyone’s mind these days… FOOD! I know most of us, including myself, have been cooking at home a lot more since the COVID outbreak. And, while I am pretty good at cooking, sometimes I really just want to go out and eat something different….
chocoffee
One thing I learned about living in Saudi is that food plays a central role in everyone’s life here. Every week I collect so many chocolates and candies from students as sweet as the goodies they give me. It is common for my colleagues to knock on my office door with fresh baked goods. Saudis…
What’s really under the abaya?
If you ask anyone to describe what a Saudi woman wears, most likely they will say a long, black garment. Technically, that answer is correct. Saudi women are required to wear an abaya, or robe-like garment when they are in public. With that being said, just because women wear abayas in public, doesn’t mean that they aren’t…
Istaraha
There are not a lot of recreational activities in Saudi Arabia. Gender segregation is enforced very strictly not only by the government but by the people that reside here as well. One fun weekend activity would be to have an Istaraha party. An Istaraha is a small house with a giant walled in yard. Most…
Vlog: Staycation in Riyadh
Last week was the students break at university. My friend didn’t have classes, so she came to Riyadh to visit me. I still had some work to do so I couldn’t spend my vacation abroad; however, I did manage to have a great time here in Riyadh. Check part one to see how we spent…
Kendra in KSA 