Jeddah Expats

They come from different countries, yet they are willing to break cultural and social barriers to meet at least once a month. They may have crossed great deserts or vast expanses of water, braved the climate of the tropical or temperate regions to come to Saudi Arabia to work, but they still found time to come together to kill the monotony of daily life in this country.


This week, they had a barbecue at a compound. It was a nice and welcoming place. It was around 8 p.m when the guests starting turning in. The smoke from the grillage filled the air in the compound as the chefs were doing their work. Oh yes! It was good to be reminded that one had salivary glands that functioned normally.


Most of the guests didn’t know each other. Some of them had only met online on this website. The ambassador of the group gave an opening speech and invited them to help themselves with the meal. After dinner, they played an interesting brainstorming game. 


It was a fascinating evening. Nothing crazy as some might have expected i.e. no booze and no eardrum-breaking music. Just a simple meeting among expats who came together to meet new faces and share experiences with people from other countries. Expats who are new to Saudi could benefit from such meetings as they will be able to meet others who have stayed in this country for years and who could give them handy information.