Dealing with loneliness in Saudi Arabia

I watch lots of movies and long drives on weekend 

Hi
Being in Saudi Arabia for the past 8 years has made me quite a different person earlier I used to be very outgoing but over the years I have become very calm and patient. I am from Hyderabad, India we are surrounded by multi cultural society with lot of buzz and socializing but coming to Saudi with different culture has changed me as a person. In Saudi Arabia usually a person is occupied with working activities during the day and after coming home he doesn't mingle with people as compared to his native place. Due to weather conditions a person gets very tired and wants to stay indoors in an AC room or with a warm blanket during the winter season.

To cope up with the loneliness one has to engage himself in some activity after the working hours usually a hobby or do something which makes him happy .

How much were you able to save in these 8 yrs especially when there is no tax.

Yes it gets lonely here a lot.
I am living in Dammam,  a small town in Eastern Province of KSA.
Life here  is slow paced- may be it's just me as I recently moved from UAE.
Social life is limited and so is dining out and malls. Only escape is long drive to Riyadh or to western coast or to Bahrain. If you like to have a lot of personal and family time ... it is the place to stay.

Actually this is one of the most important issues usually faced specially when the family leave during vacation for around 4 months sometimes and for the single expats
Every one deals with this differently depending on what makes him happy as some enjoy sleeping long hours, some enjoy watching TV or playing video games.
I personally prefer sports and spending time in the gym but still this is not enough as it covers very limited time
Making friends is very hard if not from the work or compound “if you can afford to live in a Compund” but if you live in apartment and the work environment is not allowing you to make friends it will be very much harder to make friends
The key is accessibility to others

Hi,People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges..

  somehow it's funny because it's true .. that's about the extent of what you can do here .. drive your car around

Loneliness is the price we pay for having chosen to work in KSA,
generally i spend the weekends watching TV and a little bit of cleaning the house, but i am really looking for some company of like minded people so that we could exchange our views and experience.

Why dont you join in Toastmasters Club, where you can gain a friends circle

Oh, loneliness!  As what the song goes like this: "Loneliness remembers what happiness forgets".

I'm basically an introvert, I enjoy my solitude, therefore, I don't have any kind of loneliness to be living in Riyadh or to be working in the Kingdom.

There are 101 ways not to be lonely in KSA I can only name a few:

1. To enjoy your stay in KSA, you must first enjoy being alone.
2. To think positively.
3. Learn something new like new hobbies.
4. If you are not athletic (to get into sports), it's time be one, so that your tummy will not turn into a huge balloon.
5. Wise scheduling.  You must have the proper way of your time from work to leisure.
6. Be clean, neat and tidy in your room and surroundings, it will help kill the time.
7. If you are gregarious, start looking and selecting friends here at expat.com
8. If you are fond of food, start to cook and bake, and make them your hobby that is time-consuming so it will give you the pleasure of spending the time wisely and deliciously.
9. Whether you are a man or a woman, doing your fingernails or toenails like manicure and pedicure is one of the many ways of making yourself to be in good grooming and it will pass the time and loneliness shall not occur.  For me, it worked (lol)!!!!!
10. Learn to cut hair, to cut & sew pants from loose to skinny, it can be rewarding.
11. Some people indulge in an online business (for those whose focus is always on financial gains), yes can be considered, why not, but I don't recommend it.
12. Learn more about the culture, tradition, and location of this country, it will be fun and adds to our education and experience.
13.  Read a lot of books can be online and or hardbound books.
14. If the weather is fine not very hot and not very cold, explore the outside world with the correct companions.
15. NEVER involve yourself in what is not allowed in this country, because consequences can be that harsh.
16. Though I don't practice this, I always suggest it to my friends; start your personal journal, that's not only time passing but fun as well!!!
17. I want to say more but, I will give others a chance to share what they have too!

So my expatriate friends, anything you want to ask but afraid to do so, you may ask me directly, hahaha, no, I'm only joking.

Hello,

Loneliness is something that all singles in Saudi suffer with.
You are most certainly not alone in this regard.
I was in a terrible state when I arrived alone in 2010.
Meals and events were the worst as I did not feel comfortable or included in all the cultural events.

I found solace in subscribing to the expat groups and sharing experiences.
Also, I got to meet a few people in these communities that really helped me understand how to engage the new environment.

A tip: meet and greet your community of people around you and get to know them by name.
stay in touch with your cell phone and social media. go out as a group for coffee from time to time.
try and make yourself feel as human as possible as long as possible.
oh, and don't spend your money buying fancy things you don't really need
save your cash - use it to travel and take back home to improve your life back home when you go back home.

Agreed! very true!

this seems weird guys .. we are talking about loneliness when we can actually get to know each other, become friends and such

Hello Dear,

My experience at Saudi Arabia is very good and other facility is very good.
My colleagues are very good and co-operate with me.


Vishnu

I don’t find any thing which can be done to get rid of loneliness in Riyadh...you have to leave for Dubai or Bahrain

make friends and have fun, depends upon your personality you can chill any where any time its all about you.

true

Been here for approximately a year and a half, after a hectic social and fun life in Sharm el Sheikh, where I bought my home beside the sea.

This is kind of a sensitive topic to me. I think I am trying to mentally block the thought/idea/feeling of loneliness. Sometimes it hits HARD, especially when while I am waking up/opening my eyes, but I do the following to overcome these feelings:

1- I work HARD and efficiently.

2- I workout, and spend a good time in the gym daily, starting  with proper cardio training, then lift weights, then go to the sauna, then the steam room, and eventually swim in the pool. This daily program leaves me with a somewhat better feeling.

3- I read. I love reading anyway, and been a bookworm since infancy, so I utilise this ability to kill loneliness. I read both paper books and electronic stuff.

I try to stay positive and mentally strong, and so far so good to be honest.

right!

Me I came in Saudi Arabia 17/01/2016. When I was here I broke my before relationship want it was the worst I felt. The people was all Cyprus and me I was from Greece. I first me so must  competitions on my work.
Having different thing in my mind and all people were on different age of me I was closed to my self. Too many movies and lonely. After I tried to make connections with compounds to get inside but I realized that the life there for the people were not truth. Also my company has no good accommodation and the compound was a dream for me. But when I realized them that and the entrance was not to easy. I am guy and all girls was preferred from guys here.
The life here is just work and TV and internet. Same and Saudi People. Never try to make Saudi for friends. They will not spent time with you. Try to find and make a relationship it will make you to feel a little human. For girls don’t try too much with guys are too many around but try to recornize them, maybe they are married don’t trust too much easy. Spent your time and wait your vacations. This is what I do and sent cv for other countries

How to join that..

Yes and everyone to fend for their own
No helpful and friendly people around

You have to wait until you get used to it, Loneliness goes along with you until you cross the border for vacation or for good 😉

Nice idea bro...if u have a car u r lucky too

Nice idea bro

....

Scuba Diving

But where can we find scuba diving in riyadh..?

We Scuba only in  Halfmoon beach with our Students. In Riyadh only practice pool dive.

Can you please help us with more details bro.....?

To be honest i am an Expat since 2005, in different countries different locations but being in KSA is by far the most boring of all locations. That makes it even more lonely. Every place has its own atmosphere, culture etc. Things you are used to at home may not be applicable or available in other countries.

So what can you do here? If you are not a book enthusiast who loves reading (staying at home) fitness maybe a option if you are male ( female is difficult in most cities in KSA.  And if you dont live in RIyadh or Jeddah, than there is absolutely nothing to do.

I like taking photos etc as a hobby, landscape etc. at least something to get occupied with.

Besides that nothing very much interesting in 50c weather conditions.

Wasnt very optimistic but from the eye of a foreigner not living in Riyadh or Jeddah this us very realistic.

Wishing all a nice week
Best regards
NK

I like to be alone most of the time but even myself find it very difficult to pass time , the best thing to do is to be busy and it should be something else other than your profession.

Where is el sharm ? I mean country n city.

Its not ezsy!!!

Let me just say that I do live on a compound. It is up to you to do some thing!  I rarely have a quiet day!
There are face book groups for expats. Here in Riyadh, there are so many things to do, it is hard to keep up! You have to reach out. You have to say hi.
But don’t walk up to a westerner lady and ask them how much money they make or harass. No one likes that!!
     Talk to people say, hello. Check out Facebook groups. You will be shocked at how much fun you can have here.  It may take you a bit of time but you will meet so many wonderful friends.
    Do understand that in summer things die down. But as soon as the schools start back up there are coffee mornings every week. Hikes, walks around the DQ..Diplomatic quarters, no abaya!
Yes I am here as a housewife, I have. Any many friends that work full time and still have lots of things to do. This country is full of people just like us, looking for others just like them! Enjoy this amazing time here.

LOL! Very logical reply!

KSA is not yet open to talking to people any people.  BIG NO TO TALK TO ANYONE!

Friendship in KSA is only limited with your own colleagues only and as much as possible to your own countrymen only, REMEMBER THAT!

To deal with loneliness is very easy actually for a long as you know how to use psychology in your own self.

If ever that you feel so alone, the number and topmost thing to do is divert to anything that is useful and allowed (legal), like sports or exercise inside your room.  Actually to be with other people is risky, because 'YOU MUST ONLY TRUST YOURSELF" before trusting other people to avoid problems or huge problems.  Other expatriates can become misleading instead of helping us with our loneliness.

As I have been in the kingdom for a total of 27 years without any major untoward incident because not only I'm very cautious but I always use my wisdom.

Maybe my being a person who enjoys being alone is helping me a lot to cope up with being in solitude.

Wilfredo R. Adona wrote:

Friendship in KSA is only limited with your own colleagues only and as much as possible to your own countrymen only, REMEMBER THAT!

As a person who is coming from a hugely diverse multicultural background, I'll have to disagree on that. Friendship and bonding happen between 'people', and hereby I mean humans who happen to share close fundamental perspective on certain matters, and who can just feel good in each other's company, regardless of nationality, gender or colour. Sticking to countrymen only will only contribute to creating a 'ghetto' based society. I completely understand that different people hold different outlooks on things, and if this is your thing then by all means more power to you, but I just won't preach it. I'd personally rather preach friendship and trust, despite the latter being an extremely precious currency.

Short version: I don't give a monkey where you are from. I just care about who YOU are. Period. End of story.