Question

Choose a country. Explain why, in your opinion, this would be a challenging country for an expatriate. If possible, use a personal example or an example of someone you know. Support your rationale with at least TWO resources.

Cite your references.

Please post original response by Thursday and respond to two students by Sunday.

Answer 1

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The country I have chosen for this discussion is the middle eastern country of Saudi Arabia. This would be an extremely challenging country for expatriation and a very difficult country for female expatriates. The life in Saudi Arabia can prove to be very restrictive and dull for someone who has been exposed to the western culture of developed countries.

In Saudi Arabia, women are expected to be covered from head to toe in a black garment called as an Abaya, whenever they are out in the public. Also, they need to be accompanied at all times by a male relative, either husband, son, father or brother. Public mixing and interaction of unrelated members of the opposite sex is prohibited and may be punished if found guilty.

There are religious police who patrol the streets to catch any offenders. The punishment can vary from mild to severe based on the intensity of the crime committed. Also, all establishments are closed 5 times a day for the religious prayers. There is no freedom to practice non Islamic religions in public.

For people who are from developed nations such as USA, Japan, European nations etc, dealing with such restrictive culture as that of Saudi Arabia can prove to be daunting due to the situations explained above. The culture of Saudi Arabia can prove to be mentally taxing for a lot of people who are not used to the customs and traditions of the middle eastern countries.

These experiences are narrated by an immigrant to Saudi Arabia from USA.

References:

Inside the Lives of Young Women Living in Saudi Arabia(September, 2017) https://www.thecut.com/2017/09/young-women-living-in-saudi-arabia-interviews.html?

My life as an expatriate girl in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia (September, 2017) https://www.dawn.com/news/1358507/my-life-as-an-expatriate-girl-in-the-kingdom-of-saudi-arabia