Rayan and I discussed Saudi Arabia and its neighboring countries, because I asked him about popular vacation spots for him and his family. He listed many countries that were an easy trip because of their short distance from their hometown of Jeddah, including Lebanon, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Egypt. He has vacationed to all of these places, and one of his favorites was Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. He compared it to New York City with its vibrant night life, and said it was a ton of fun! He also told me that the 2020 World Cup is going to be held in Qatar, which is an easy drive across a bridge from Saudi Arabia. Rayan said that he will be there for sure!
Rayan explained that 7 countries in the Middle East have the same kind of system that the 20 or so countries in Europe have, where you don't have to have a passport to travel between the countries included in this group. They include: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen. This makes it easy for him and his family to travel.
Hanah arrived late, and when she got there we began to talk about the major differences between their home in Saudi Arabia to my home here. One of the things they mentioned was the dress. Back home, it is customary for the men to wear white robes and for the women to wear sashes; however, the clothes here are much more casual.
They also said there's a major difference involving meals. In Saudi Arabia, they don't usually eat lunch until after they get off of work at 5. This is usually an extensive, spread-out meal that includes salad, a main course, then dessert. They eat dinner usually around 9 or so, and some families eat a smaller dinner but others have a large meal for that as well. This seemed to fit what they told me about the night life in Saudi Arabia...it starts at 6 and lasts until 3 AM! Hanah said that basically they don't sleep a lot there!
It's crazy to think about how much they have taught me about their culture that I never would've known about before. It was a blessing to be able to speak to them and learn so much from them! I think this is something all TCU students should get involved in.
