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Had a rare "I want to go home" moment today
I've been in Saudi Arabia for a little less than a year now and I've adapted to most of the cultural differences and feel like I do a pretty good job of keeping my sense of humor most of the time. Today I had one of those moments where I just couldn't wait to get back to the States for a while.
It's a stupid thing really, but today's my birthday and I went to the mall and found a dress in Express that I really liked so I bought it. It's illegal for stores to have fitting rooms here so you have to buy clothes before you try them on. Most malls have fitting rooms inside the female w/c so you can return the clothes if they don't fit. The clerk had just rung my card when he casually mentions that if I choose to return the item I'll only get store credit and this store credit is only good at Express locations in Saudi Arabia. Say what? WTH didn't you mention this before you swiped my card? I have to buy this, without knowing if it'll fit me, and if I come back in 5 minutes and say it doesn't, you won't give me my money back? And I'm leaving KSA next week so store credit that's only good here isn't going to do me any good if I don't find something else I like right away.
And this is why, even though the malls in KSA are nice, I have avoided shopping here. I can't wait to get back to the States and actually try on my clothes before I buy them.
Sorry for the rant, I really have had lots of great days living here, I guess I just left my sense of humor at home today.
Re: Had a rare "I want to go home" moment today
I can totally relate to this! Almost the same story actually, I went to Mall of Dhahran to shop for my birthday dress and almost spent about 400SR in Express to buy stuff to try on...my DH had tried to get them to let me try them on IN the store and they had a cow, of course. I ended up only getting 2, tried them all on in the bathroom and then wanted to exchange the size and they didn't have it so I said, "well i return it" and they were like "no sorry, only exchanging" I WAS BEYOND ANNOYED!! I live in Bahrain, and I still don't like to shop here, even though we have fitting rooms, but it's just annoying, I totally understand!
I didn't realize you lived in Saudi - whereabouts are you living? We have been back and forth b/w Saudi and Bahrain for the past 3 years. It's nice to have another ME lady, especially so close!
And happy birthday!!
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Little Miss Lulu playing on the beach
First, happy birthday!
Why can't they have fitting rooms in the stores but they can in the bathroom??
Haha, that's just one of the reasons that makes Saudi a special place. Why would they allow women to undress while men are SOMEWHERE in the vicinity of them??
Women are not allowed to work in the malls over there, which makes shopping for bras/lingerie a little awkward, no? When my DH tried to get me into the men's fitting room, the manager freaked out and said he could be arrested. Who knows...
And yes, let us know how the dress fit or if you found something else?
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Little Miss Lulu playing on the beach
That would rile me up, too. But happy birthday!
Oh no! That's no way to spend a birthday! Hope the evening improves and the dress works out.
FWIW, I give you a lot of credit... I like to picture myself as broad-minded (it's not misogynistic, it's just different), but the reality is that I think I'd have a very hard time adjusting to daily life in Saudi. I'm very impressed with western women who do actually walk the walk and make the transition. Truly a fascinating perspective, I think.
Sorry to hear about this. I, too, have those "I want to go home!" days.
Wow, I give you a lot of credit for living in Saudi. I would probably have "I want to go home" moments a lot more often if I lived in a country that didn't even want women trying on clothes in a dressing room...
Anyway, happy birthday!
Happy Birthday!
I'd have a really hard time adjusting to that culture, your "I want to go home" moment is completely understandable. I hope the dress will fit so you can rock it!
Jupiter, I didn't know there was anyone on the board living in Bahrain. It is nice to hear about others in the region and that I'm not alone in experiencing the quirks of life in the gulf region. How long have you lived in Bahrain?
Luckily, the dress worked out ok and I wanted to keep it. My take on why dressing rooms are haram is that everything is haram in Saudi Arabia. The government actually did pass a law this year though allowing lingerie and accessory stores to employ female clerks because it really didn't make sense to say that it was haram for a woman to work in a retail store but a-ok to have women buying lingerie from an unrelated man. So maybe they can be reasoned with.
There are so many striking, funny inconsistencies though that leave you scratching your head. For instance, last week the government's huge annual college fair was held. It's a four day event that draws over 200,000 attendees and is the only non-sex-segregated, government-supported event of its kind. Men and women were literally side-by-side talking to universities from around the world. Yet, in the presentation rooms they still set up dividers and had separate entrances to "separate" the men and women. As soon as they walked out of the room and turned the corner, there they were, face-to-face with each other again. So weird.
This really is a country in transition and there are so many progressively minded, highly educated men and women here. I've been blown away by some of the Saudi women I have met- they are some of the most intelligent, articulate, poised, and confident women I have ever encountered. It gives me hope.
Another happy birthday from me! I'm so glad the dress fit in the end.
I have 'I want to go home moments' and I have possibly the easiest expat situation ever, I am endlessly impressed by so many of you on this board who adapt to these amazing situations!
BFP Apr 2012, EDD Dec 19 2012 * twin h/b at 6wk, 9wk scan * Baby A lost at 12wks, Baby B was my rainbow born at 36wks