Weird Questions People Ask About Growing Up in Saudi Arabia

I was 12 when my family moved to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. So, yes- I completed my middle school and high school in Saudi Arabia. Every time I tell that to somebody, I get asked the weirdest, most bizarre questions!

I had a really happy childhood and an amazing time in Riyadh. I made some super amazing friends, and so so many memories. If I could, I’d visit it again- because I miss it! Saudi Arabia was home for 8 years, and it will always be.

So, I thought, I can’t be the only person people ask extremely stupid questions about my time in Saudi Arabia too! I asked my friends and classmates about this and heard some really ridiculous questions from them. Some- that I can’t believe people would actually ask (like hello! use that little thing that weighs heavy in your skull!?). 

Pinned together- here are some of the stupidest questions people ask about Saudi Arabia!

1. What kind of food did you eat? Did they even have vegetarian food?
   See, I’m a vegetarian- so I would get asked this a lot. I would eat food, food. We used to get everything- dals, rice, veggies, spices, everything. But, honestly, what kind of ridiculous stupidity is this?
   
2. Do you have an oil field in your backyard?
   Yep. Wherever I dug, oil came sprouting out. It was actually one of my hobbies- digging up my backyard.
   
3. Do you ride camels to school?
   Oh yeah, totally. Everyday. We had those chain camels, that adorned yellow seats and lined together. It was two people on every camel, I always sat on the same one as my best friend. School buses with air con are so overrated.
   
4. Instead of chocolates, can you just bring us back some cheap fuel?
   Sure, let me just dig a whole in my backyard and sprout some oil out for you.
   
5. Do you ever get to see men?
   What is this suppose to mean? I don’t get this question.
   
6. Did your brother have to wear the male white gown?
   Not just white, he had different colours- you know the whole rainbow. It’s called a dishdasha btw.
   
7. Do they have malls in Riyadh?
   You know, I don’t even know how to answer this. Google it, please.
   
8. What did you do to pass time?
   I thought I answered this- digging holes in my backyard. Not, you know reading, dancing, swimming, playing, meeting friends. No, I dug holes for oil fields in the backyard!
   
9. Isn’t Saudi Arabia like right in Dubai?
   I’m guessing Geography wasn’t your strongest subject in school? Dubai was a whole 10 hours drive away from Riyadh.
   
10. Didn’t you get bored with just one outfit to wear?
    This was in reference to my abaya. For those who don’t know- I’d wear my abaya over my clothes. And I had like 7 different abayas- yep, one for every day.
    
11. Did the shopping malls, if any, sell women’s clothes? What was the point of that?
    It’s safe to say, these people were shown my hand. Also, Arab women are the most glamorous. The kinda clothes and jewels they sold in Saudi Arabia, you wouldn’t see anywhere in the world.