Category: expats

The Najdi Village Restaurant in Riyadh

Have you been to the Najdi village restaurant in Riyadh yet? I would highly recommended visiting this amazing Saudi restaurant that serves traditional Saudi dishes in a heritage house built like the old houses of the Najd region. Visiting Najd Village restaurant would be a great a learningRead more

Janadriyah Cultural Heritage Festival for Families

Guide To Visiting Janadriyah Cultural Heritage Festival With Children- How to make the Most out of it?  The annually held Cultural Heritage festival Janadriyah is definitely one of the most important cultural events of the year and a must visit for all expats in the Kingdom of Saudi-Arabia. ThisRead more

Why I Love The Janadriyah Cultural Heritage Festival

It’s almost time for the annual Janadriyah Cultural Heritage festival, organized in 2013 for the 28th time. I for one have been waiting for this festival for months. I truly love going to Janadriyah and have been there every year since I came to Saudi in 2008 and some years I went on severalRead more

Riyadh’s Hidden Gems-The Diplomatic Quarter Gardens

Riyadh expatriates are always on the lookout for new and refreshing things to do on weekends.  There are many places in and around Riyadh which remain mostly unknown to the public, to find some of these ideas for weekend activities go to Blue Abaya’s Things To Do in Riyadh page. One suchRead more

We Found Love In A Hopeless Place

Saudi-Arabia…such a hopeless place to ever even dream of finding a life partner, a soul mate, or the love of your life..The country that strictly forbids mixing and all interaction between the sexes. How could anyone meet a member of the opposite sex here, let alone go out on a date, or fallRead 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

My Interview with InterNations Expat Community

In case you haven’t heard of them, InterNations Expat Community is a very useful site aimed at expatriates residing in Saudi Arabia (or anywhere in the world). InterNations offers a platform to share information, network, meet other expatriates and find interesting places and things to do.Read more

Saudi Salary Racism- What is the Color of Your Passport?

You might have heard how employees in Saudi Arabian workplaces get different pay for the exact same job based on their passport alone. Western passport holders might earn ten times more than their just as qualified Asian country passport holder colleagues for the same amount of work. How does thisRead 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

15 Things to Do in Riyadh in the Summer

Many expats and locals find themselves “stuck” in Saudi for the summer with nothing to do, fearing death caused by boredom. Not everyone is lucky enough to escape the Saudi heat. With the schools now closed, children and youth get very bored! This causes frustration in parents, what toRead more

Saudi Hospitals, Bureaucracy And Bullying

A colleague I used to work with recently asked me, don’t I miss work at the hospital? My first reaction was yes in a way I do miss it. I miss the patients mostly. I miss interaction with them and the opportunity of meeting so many different Saudis from all levels of society and learning aboutRead more

Expats Guide: Flying To Saudi

Many expats find themselves worrying about their arrival to the Kingdom. The first flight into Saudi-Arabia and the initial shock experienced at the airports can be eased a bit by this simple guide! Checking-in When boarding the plane at the country of origin, the passenger should have his/herRead more