Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Wednesday, April 18th, 2012
I thought I would try to answer some of the questions people have asked me over the last few months. I may have addressed them in previous posts but I'm repeating it here just in case.
Do you have to cover your hair?
Simple answer…No….unless I’m asked to but even then as a Western woman I’m not actually required to cover my hair. However, if the Mutawa’a (the religious police) are asking and are accompanied by actual police, it’s best to just cover and move on. I have no need to see the inside of a Saudi prison anytime soon and it is an arrestable offence. I do have to wear an abaya (which I have already posted pictures of).
If you can’t drive, how do you get around?
Hala Limousine……which is just a fancy way to say cabs. Hala is a company that the hospital contracts for us…the drivers usually speak English and can get us pretty much anywhere. They are not always convenient and you do often have to wait but in the end I always get where I’m going and it is a lot safer than just grabbing a street cab.
Can you take care of male patients?
Yes I can, but male nurses cannot take care of female patients (although male doctors are not a problem). Fun thing about hospitals here is that all patients are required to have a sitter with them at all times to help with things like toileting and showers and those types of things. (They can get around this however if they are from out of town.) Call bells here seem to ring a lot less often than back home because of this. All rooms are private and quite spacious (since there is always at least one extra person sleeping in the room). All sitters also get meals (provided by the hospital….even if the patient isn’t allowed to eat).
Who is King Faisal?
Obviously he is a former Saudi King, reigning from 1964 to 1975 and is credited with many improvements in Saudi Arabia including modernizing the country and abolishing slavery. He was assassinated in 1975 by his half-brother's son. To remind us all, the first king of Saudi was Abul Aziz who had 22 wives and approximately 37 sons.
Do people speak English at your hospital?
The official language of the hospital is English which means all EMPLOYEES are required to speak it. However, our patients are all Saudi so there are days when I have patients who don't speak a word of English. I'm slowly learning Arabic (a slow and painful process I must say. It is a hard language) so it can be very frustrating at times. On a positive note my French seems to be coming back to me a little every day. Too bad that doesn't help any of us.
Who are your patients?
Saudi Nationals mostly but you will also get certain foreigners as well. We are a tertiary hospital which means you can't just walk up and get treatment. We are a Specialist hospital so people need to be referred to us. We have an emergency room but it is only open business hours and only treats people who are already patients of the hospital. Example: you can't be in a car accident and then be brought to King Faisal for treatment. We are also the Royal/King's hospital which means members of the Royal family are treated here. There are several VIP wards (where rules are just a little bit different by the way). The certain foreigners we see are often Ambassadors or other Diplomats from the GCC (Gulf Coast Countries). Most of them will also go to the VIP units but sometimes we see them on our unit because of the specialities we get (Thoracic, Surgical Oncology, Colorectal, Breast/Endo, Lung transplant and minimal invasive surgeries) and the reputation we have for providing great care.
Where does the alcohol come from?
I have no idea but it makes it to the embassies and some of the compounds and I get to drink it so I try not to question the whole process. Of course the home brew is just that and is made in bathrooms and garages and places like that (it's kind of gross but if you mix it with enough juice it tastes fantastic). The real stuff gets brought in from somewhere but no idea how it gets here.
Can you date?
Sure I can date, however, it is a little bit more challenging and you have to be a little more creative. Of course in most places I cannot go to a restaurant with a man who isn't my husband or my father however there are ways around it so it isn't an impossibility. The better question is Do I WANT to date? Men here are very often "single" by geography (have wives, girlfriends, fiancees, kids etc. back home but conveniently single when you ask). I try not to be a pessimist about the situation but so far I have met far too many "single" guys looking for girls who don't care who they have back home. I'm not one of those girls so so far have been keeping my relationships with men strictly platonic.....but I never completely close the door to possibilities. And no I'm not really interested in a Saudi/Muslim men at this point even if they were educated overseas and speak great English. We have a saying, "You can take the man out of Saudi but you can't take the Saudi out of the man". If you know a little bit about the Koran and Islams traditional views on a women's role in society you'll understand this.
Can you have men to your house?
No, no and that's a big resounding no. My housing complex (as are most on the hospital grounds) are strictly for single females. No men allowed (except in the family complexes where married men are allowed or the single male complexes where only men are allowed). The only possible single men you will see here are the maintenance crew (delivery guys, cab drivers etc) and the National Guard Soldiers who sit out front to keep the riffraff out. Yes that means no coed parties but at the same time it means I can run around the compound wearing whatever I want and don't have to worry about it.
Can I come visit you there?
Sure you can but why would you want to? Getting into the country is not that easy and once here our interactions are pretty restricted (sorry you can't stay with me). There are far many other countries that are easy to get to that would be a better place for us to meet. So if you are going to be over this way, let me know and perhaps we can meet up.
Do you like it there?
Yes I do. Even with all the restrictions and control and prayer time closures (etc, etc,) things here are not that bad. It certainly is an experience I won't get elsewhere. It is what it is and once you accept that and stop looking at all the negatives, you will find so many more positives.
There's a few answers for you. If there is anything else you want to know....please ask.
Julie
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