10 things expats discover when they live in Riyadh

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Saudi Arabia, and Riyadh in particular, gets a bad reputation for being a closed-minded country with very strict laws. While this is true, there's also a lot of things that people on the outside don't know about. Expats who had this idea prior to traveling to Riyadh are usually in for a shock because of the massive amount of misconceptions they've heard.

This might seem common to every country you visit but it's not. Many Middle Eastern countries are more or less similar to one another in so many aspects, but Saudi Arabia isn't one of them. I consider Riyadh to be one shock after another because it really is different from other countries not just in terms of its culture but even in how spacious it is.

Wearing an abaya is mandatory. What's not mandatory, especially for a foreigner, is to cover your hair and face. However, you are required to cover your hair and face when a Hai'a member shows up during prayer time! You don't have a say in this unless you're willing to be dragged out of the mall, followed or even put in prison. But if you live in a compound, you are not required to wear an abaya or to cover up. You can walk around in a bikini and nobody would look at you.

You'd be surprised at how open-minded Saudis can be. Some are even more open-minded than your parents. That is because most of them have traveled to so many countries and have probably even lived abroad for some time. Saudi people are one of the friendliest and most respectful people you will ever meet. They value family, traditions and friendships. They will respect you and your beliefs as long as you don't try to change theirs. In the last couple of years of high school or after high school graduation, some families will send their sons and\or daughters to a homestay family in a different country just so they can get a better education and meet new people from different backgrounds.

This is probably one of the most annoying misconceptions about Saudi people. They're constantly portrayed as having very little table manners. Eating with your hand is a choice, do they prefer it? Yes, some of them do. But most of them don't. Also, it is mandatory to wash your hands before and after eating. So chances are, even if they do eat with their hands, they're probably much cleaner than you.

The khaimah or tent is very important to Saudi people. They spend a lot of time in it separately. For instance, when a woman invites her girlfriends over, they sit in the tent because it's more private while the woman's husband sits in the living room.

Few boys are allowed to enter the malls by themselves. They usually go through hell to do that. Most of the time, they have to be with their parents. That way, they'll get in trouble less for hitting on girls because their families will usually be a just a short way away from them. If a Hai'a member catches a guy eying a woman or hitting on her, they might be able to resolve this with the parents to prevent any problems. However, most of the time, boys are allowed to enter the mall alone at around 8 p.m.

Everything closes down during prayer time. By everything I mean: restaurants, shopping malls, bakala and stores. You have to wait until prayer time is over so that you can go out.

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In what can be a shock to other Arabs, you really have to abide by every single rule. You run the red light, you get fined and possibly jailed. You cross the road when the light is red, you'll possibly get jailed. You honk as much as you do in most Arab countries and you'll go to jail. You throw anything from the car window, you get fined up to $200.You're going to have to follow the rules. You are not above the law.