Exploring rural Saudi Arabia

by Tyrell Turner (United Arab Emirates)

A leap into the unknown Saudi Arabia

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Months into my teaching contract here in the rural part of Saudi Arabia the gym was the one place I could spend my time other than work. I would take long walks to explore the area where I lived. At this particular time the taxi apps weren't mentioned to me. I had to get used to shops closing during prayer time so whenever I went out depending on the time of day I had to keep this in mind. It was a nice sunny day while on the main road I came across this "cultural center." I almost made the mistake of entering the wrong side of the building since many establishments are gender segregated. Luckily a man who was working outside was able to communicate to me that this side was for females only. I had made this mistake before and I was happy he was there to avoid it from happening again. I was pointed in the right direction. Come to find out this place was more like a library. It had some cultural artifacts on the bottom floor but upstairs were tons of books. There were very few people but I was told many people nowadays don't read actual books. Many people prefer e-books. I personally agree but sometimes it is nice to read an actual book. Of course most of the books were in Arabic but that was expected. I was able to find a section of books that I was able to read in English. I eventually shared my experience with my students. Most of them didn't even know this place existed.