Moving to Jeddah

Hey there 
Life in Jeddah is not so hard , you can do many things on your own , other than driving
You can go alone , to almost anywhere !

Jeddah is pretty open , traditions and customs are followed , but yet the city is liberal in some things !

I must say , Jeddah is different 

Hi,
I just left Jeddah. I'm very independant also. Yes you can go out on your own, it's not a problem, I did it all the time.
What drove me nuts was the fact that I couldn't drive. I knew that before I went there and thought I could handle it; but it got to me in the end. Woman can't even sit, outside in the same area as men. I was told to move when I was having coffee.
There are lots of things to do there, apart from shopping. But if you like Malls, you'll love it. My advice is to join some activity groups and get out and about.
Also, use google maps on your iPad, when in a taxi. You can track your journey and don't be affrain to tell the diver when he goes the long way round. I was asked for SR80 for a SR25 journey. Hahaha
Good luck!

I'm sorry Gunnet757, I don't mean to be rude, but as a man, you have absolutely no idea what it's like for a single woman.

Apart from the traffic which is ridiculous in Jeddah. Everything else is great. One of the cheapest larger cities to live in Saudi at the moment. I have lived in all 3.

Scuba diving and trips to Africa or the middle eastern countries is something that you can look forward to.

I'm a keen Suba Diver, but I have to say, I was hugly disappointed with the diving there. I thought, being that Jed was on the Ref Sea; the diving would be the same as places like Sharm. I went on several dives, including shore and boat.
It was just OK but nothing to scream about. The divers I met were super friendly though, as were all Saudis I met.

Aww thanks guys your posts mean alot!

I love driving though! So its a big sacrafice i'll need to accomodate! Although teaching holidays can get me to other places where I can fulfill my driving needs lol!

What about the covering up? Eg Head scarf, abaya? I dress modest anyway but I dont wear a headscarf all the time.. Any views on that?

@Doodle - Thanks
@Gunner - Thanks
@live.ali - travelling seems awesome to do whilst out there

I was only there for 6 months and never wore a scalf.  I got myself a couple of trendy Abays, down Shati Souk, they had hoods. The only time I put my hood up was when I went to the Old Town and it was my choice. No one ever asked me to cover up. I sometimes left my Abaya open, but then I'm 49 and apparently it's tolerated.... When you're old. Hahaha

They are strict about the abayas but you can get away with not covering your head. The religious police are often found roaming in the malls and can be easily spotted with their beige cloaks and long beards. If they ask you to cover your head just obey.

by can, I hope you mean some sort of ability - or in this case, an inability to do so. of course, you can go out by yourself. however, I haven't seen anyone from the women eating by themselves. it's just not done in Jeddah. I have seen westerners (males) eat by themselves, only place I have seen women eating alone is makkah. - women here generally roll in groups-  but if you're comfortable with a few stares here and there, no one will physically stop you. Mall is the same thing, although I have gone to the mall by myself. - If you want to be independent, you won't have any problems with that either EXCEPT you will be dependent on the drivers. you would be able to go out and stop a taxi almost anywhere on the street, but I prefer to ride with drivers i'm familiar with.

Lol!!! Good one! Although I dont mind the abaya either way i'll see how it goes.. im sure I can accomodate whatever needs to be done!

Thankyou!!

@rareshine:

Thankyou for your insight! Uprooting to a new country for a teaching job and working in Saudi everyones telling me horror stories of woman being restricted they cant even breath! I doubt thats the case - Im open minded and up for a challenge and change! So the offer in Jeddah seems promising and welcoming! I hope I am able to roam around freely.. i'll be decent through my dress but being in a hot country I might want to walk around in casual clothes - tshirt and jeans.. but then with the abaya.. suppose it would he ok. I hope my western compound is ok... they say it could be "continental village" anybody know of that one??

jeddah has a lot of options and activities to get into. I live in Ta'if which is A LOT more conservative, but I prefer it that way. I visit jeddah a lot - usually spend  weekends there. When I'm there - I play basketball, dine out, go to the beach, chill with the locals, I like going to bookstores (book nerd here)  there are tours and galleries opening and the art scene although small, compared to Los Angeles, has been slowly growing. I'm a single woman here and yes, I have gotten frustrated with the drivers but it's a small nuisance compared to what I get in return. I'm religious alhamdulillaah, I love this environment. Its exactly what i'm looking for.  I mixed for 20 years with men and women and I prefer to be in the women's section! sometimes the men stare like no ones business - aggravating.  They will try to engage in talks because you're a foreigner and they know that foreigners generally like to talk. I always wore hijab and abaya in the states but here I just find that they leave me alone if I wear a niqab -

ultimately, it is a different environment than the west and you can accept it and find enjoyable things or you can whine