Category: blue abaya

What is a Wasta?

If you live in Saudi Arabia chances are you’ve heard the word ‘wasta’ mentioned before. A wasta is a widely used term for a well connected individual in the Arab world. It refers to using one’s influence or connections to getting things done, cutting through bureaucratic red tape,Read more

Blog Love- Reader Testimonials

The Blue Abaya blog has reached over 3 MILLION views and it’s time to say a huge big heartfelt THANK YOU for all the readers and fans of Blue Abaya for the continuous support and encouragement since this blog started in 2010. To celebrate this milestone and share some love, we’veRead more

Gone Fishing in Finland

Blue Abaya has been MIA while enjoying a nice relaxing break midst the Finnish summer. Every year we visit my home country Finland, where my family speeds most of the time at a so called ‘summerhouse’, typical for Finns to retreat to during the very short-lived Finnish summer. NormallyRead more

Never Stop Dreaming

I want to share with you dear Blue Abaya reader an incredible story of courage and inspiration. A while ago a young Saudi woman, with whom I had exchanged emails with a few years ago, contacted me again with some really great news. I had never forgotten about her and the dilemma she was facing inRead more

Bring the ‘Magic Kingdom’ into your home!

Dear Blue Abaya readers, As you may have noticed Blue Abaya has a whole new look going on for 2014! After some setbacks the new design is now finally (almost) finished. I ended up designing and building the whole website myself. More on that later! One of the new developments has been setting up aRead more

Blue Abaya- A Finnish Expat Blogging in Saudi Arabia

The following article takes a look at and analyzes a group of well-known blogs written by foreign wives of Saudis, the three popular expat blogs about life in Saudi Arabia; two American bloggers American Bedu, Susie of Arabia and one blogger hailing from Finland; the Blue Abaya blog. The articleRead more

Best Of Blue Abaya 2012

Happy New Year 2013 to Blue Abaya readers! 2012 was a great year for Blue Abaya and I want to thank all my readers for the continuous support and positive feedback. I could not have done without you! There are moments when I feel exhausted and discouraged but your comments and encouragement toRead more

Blog Fan Mail: Hall Of Fame

The Blue Abaya blog recently won gold at the Expats Blog Awards 2012! Woohoo!! I am so thrilled! A huge big shout out and thank you for each and every one of you who voted. I want to take the chance to thank all the readers and fans out there for all the amazing support and positive feedbackRead more

Blue Abaya Interviewed- What is Life in Saudi Arabia Really Like?

I did some interviews for a couple of magazines which focus on what life in Saudi Arabia is like from my personal point of view, as a Finnish expatriate nurse. I think these interviews will be beneficial in answering questions of readers who are new to Saudi Arabia and/or new to Blue Abaya blog.Read more

Why My Abaya Is Blue..

First of all what is an abaya? For those who don’t know, it’s the black “overcoat” or “cloak” some Muslim women choose to wear over their normal clothing when they are in public. Read this post to learn more about abayas: Underneath the Abaya In Saudi ArabiaRead more