One thing that shocks most people when they find out that I have lived in Saudi Arabia for 4 years is that I hadn’t made Umrah. Most people make that their number one priority when they arrive here. And while it was definitely a priority of mine, I just never felt the timing was right….
Tag: saudia
Nofa Resort: A Horse Lover’s Haven
Any horse lovers out there? (And by out there I mean Riyadh, of course!) If so, Nofa Resort is definitely the place for you. Located in Tibrak, Riyadh, Nofa resort offers an esquatrian club, golf resort, and wildlife park. The resort recently opened the wildlife park to the public, so you can take a safari…
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…
Why do you blog?
Recently I received a message from a former professor I had in my undergraduate career at Marshall University. He informed me that he would be teaching a class in the spring semester focusing on blogging and other forms of social media, and asked me to write a few words about what I do and why…
Typical Thursday
What’s one of the best things about Saudi Arabia? Going for a walk in a park and finding a camel, of course!
Oppressed or Overdressed: Fashionable abayas
Saudi Arabia in the past was a very common place to see women dressed in all black everything, from head to toe, revealing only their eyes. Some places of Saudi Arabia still have strict cultural norms requiring women to wear the niqab (think piece of fabric covering the face) to feel comfortable. However, now that…
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…
Saudi Arabia has giant malls housing designer stores all over the country. Giant towers are full of beautiful designer items, luxury restaurants, businesses, salons, and more. Shopping here really is a unique experience but I cant help but ask myself, “Is designer really better?” Not saying I don’t love designer items from time to time,…
Everything is temporary
While I am waiting on my visa to arrive, I feel like everything is so temporary. I can’t make any solid, long term plans because I don’t know how long I have until I return back to KSA. The other day there was a really great sale on chicken at the grocery store and I…
Kendra in USA
My year in Saudi working for Al-Khaleej Training and Education has finally concluded, and I am safely home in the states. But that doesn’t mean I’m not returning to Saudi. I plan on returning this fall but working as a direct hire for a different university. Did I want to leave Al-Khaleej? Honestly, no. The company…
The Proposal
I am writing this now because the incident happened recently, however I am going to schedule it to post at a later date because I don’t want word to get around… It is my first day at work, and one of my supervisors calls me into her office. “The dean wants to interview you, please…
But they hate Americans
Often I am harassed by many people, even my own family, for my decision to move to Saudi Arabia. Everyone tells me how much the people in Saudi Arabia hate Americans. And it’s insane that they tell me these things, because I live here, I should be the ones telling them, right? So, I will…
Kendra in KSA 