A Girl's Guide To Saudi Arabia

This is it! Last day of school for the students...actually they didn’t even have school and reports were distributed this afternoon. I survived my first year in the Kindgom, with some ups and downs... and how fitting that TODAY Vanity Fair publishes a teaser for an article in their August issue about “A Girl’s Guide To Saudi Arabia”.  Link the Vanity Fair Article
Now, as a girl who now can say has lived in Saudi Arabia, I’m starting to know how to function in this society and the article is AGAIN talking about all the stereotypes of women in Saudi. Before moving here, I had heard and read it all...had to cover, could not travel alone, without a male guardian, could not do anything independently. Living here opened my eyes and ears and showed me that, although Saudi is still a very religiously controlled country, visiting women are treated with decency and are not required to cover completely...
Maybe I’m overreacting, but I even left this comment for the article: “ I'm writing this from Riyahd. As a western women currently living in Saudi Arabia I do not like this teaser article. It again perpetuates the stereotypes of being a woman in the Kingdom. Before moving here, I had the same idea as the author, but after 10 months here, there are more sides to the story than these quite sensationalized and exaggerated points of beign a women. I will buy the magazine when it comes out and will read it, hoping that the author went beyond what is believed life to be like in Saudi.”


Let this be heard and make sure to get a copy of the full article at publication!  That probably will be another blog!