* Disclaimer: This post was written in October 2010. So a lot of things, including KAUST policy, might have changed. About a week ago, I got a chance to visit the campus of King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. I had always been wanting to visit KAUST, but as the university was closely guarded, it was impossible to go there without knowing anyone who lived in the campus. Lucky for me, during an IndonesianRead more
About two years ago, I wrote a post about the Saudi government’s plan to abolish its infamous sponsorship system (kafala), which has been constantly criticised by human rights groups. The plan to cancel the system was immediately welcomed by many people. However, two years have passed and nothing came out from it. In the beginning of this year, it was announced that the possibility of cancelling the sponsorship system had been ruled out. The government argued that it’s not easyRead more
So delighted I was to have the chance to spend this year’s Eid in Jeddah! It all seemed perfect when my whole family reunited again. It felt ages ago when we spent our Eid together as a family. As for me, this was my first time to be with them during Eid after 6 years (straight!) of absence. I just couldn’t imagine spending another Eid without my family. So when the opportunity came (i.e. I had to come back toRead more
Who have never heard of a Saudi royal by the name of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal? If you're not familiar with his name, let me give you a brief introduction about him. Prince Alwaleed is the nephew of the current King of Saudi Arabia and the grandson of the founding King of Saudi Arabia. He was born to Prince Talal bin Abdul-Aziz and his Lebanese wife. Although the father has been trying to push for reform in his country (andRead more
I escaped the snowy Eindhoven and spent my winter/Christmas break this time in the sunny Saudi Arabia. It had been 2 years since my family and I hadn’t had a vacation with the complete members; it’s either I wasn’t there, or my sister wasn’t there. That’s why this vacation was quite exciting as all of us reunited again. And I wanted it to be a bit different than usual, so we decided to go to somewhere nice that we hadn’tRead more
Few years ago, I wrote about a number of accomplished Khaleeji women who became the leader of their men-majority society. Inspired by this post, I decided to wrote one about Saudi women. I previously asked in that post: When will Saudi society appoint their first woman leader? The truth is that, they already did. Well, they're not quite there yet, but it's unarguably a milestone for women in Saudi Arabia. So let’s now meet some of the distinguished Saudi women…
I have final exams and assignments in the next few weeks, but I just can’t resist writing about this ad campaign. The campaign is called Rahma which means mercy in Arabic. The main purpose of this campaign is to raise public awareness of mistreatments of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia. The campaign itself has been going on since the mid of November 2008 on Saudi-owned satellite TV — MBC channel (watched by millions across the Middle East), but I honestlyRead more
For the past few weeks, I’ve been looking very closely at the news regarding the plan to abolish the infamous Saudi Arabia’s sponsorship (kafalah) system. The system, which has also been implemented in the Gulf countries for years, defines a number of laws for the employers and their employees (in this case migrant workers). It was made in such a way so that the person who recruits the worker takes full responsibility for them, including paying a salary, obtaining aRead more
So I went to Riyadh for the first time in almost 20 years living in Saudi Arabia. Riyadh is the capital city, but it does not seem to be an interesting place to go for most Jeddah residents, as Jeddah is a fun place to hang out where you will find many sources of entertainment here… (compared to other cities in the Kingdom) and it’s indeed the Bride of the Red Sea. Even the Saudis living in other cities seeRead more
Wow! This must have been my longest hiatus ever! In the past 4 months, I barely checked my blog, comments, and even my RSS feeds at Google Reader. I don’t know why writing in a blog seems unexciting anymore. Let’s make it clear: I’m too lazy. Too lazy to get my hand open the damn Notepad++ and start typing. Too lazy to get my brain working :P. Too lazy to construct and put together the words into a sentence. EveryRead more
Two months ago, I got a job in an event management company. I was offered an interesting temporary position whereby I had a chance to develop a good connection with important people in Saudi Arabia and abroad. I actually had been dreaming about working in an IT company, so this major step was surprising for me. I was bored and had nothing to do at home. I had been searching for an IT job, but perhaps I was not luckyRead more
In Indonesia, we must respect people who are older than us, especially the elderly. We are expected to kiss their hands whenever we meet them, bend our body whenever we pass in front of them and talk politely to them. We cannot call them only with their names. We have to attach Mr, Mrs, uncle, auntie, et cetera in front of their names. These unwritten rules are applied to most Asians as well, e.g. Koreans, Malaysians, and Japanese people. SimilarRead more
There are not many things you can do in Jeddah. If you are obsessed with shopping, Balad and Tahlia are your destinations. If you love the beach, you can walk along the Corniche Road or rent a private villa in Obhur. If you are a food lover, you can try a different kind of Arabic foods and smoke shisha in the middle of the City or beside the Red Sea. Or if you like being in a desert, you canRead more
When I first arrived in Australia, I was quite surprised of how friendly people (read: strangers) could be. They would greet me on the street and said, “Hi, how are you?” even though we never met before. They would also engage in conversation when waiting at the bus stop, train station, etc. They would ask me about my country, religion, and my purpose living here as if we know each other! They would tell me about their experiences, views onRead more