Maintaining a long distance relationship as an expat in Saudi Arabia

Using WhatsApp or other communication tool regularly help. More importantly traveling every 2-3 months should be planned. Meeting an agreeable destination should help.

Its too damn difficult. Using Facebook messenger to speak to my better half and my elder kid is only available to talk on Saturday/Sunday as our timings to sleep and work/school totally mismatch. Such kind of communication sometimes lead to misunderstanding as well. Although the plan is to meet 3 to 4 months but staying away for this long duration is kind of challenging for a person like me. But then I think about those poor people who are living here for years and see their families once in a 1 or 2 years. I don't recommend to have such kind of life unless we have concrete objectives to achieve out of it. Nothing is more worth living with your family and especially we have equal responsibilities towards our children. They see both parents to learn and develop their personalities and many skills they posses.

Dear All,

I am very delight full to writing this at least we have one platform to tell about our self.

Experience about maintain long distance relationship is really very tough.

This is our life and our decision we are here by choice not by force.

I tried many time to go on exit but it is also not working.

It has been 12 years and I didn't find the partner here as per my situation I have to live here without my family for my family.

Time to time visit is increasing my pain as well as on the time of returning is more pain full.

I will suggest to new comer please make good plan in advance. It is really very tough.

Best Regards,
Mohammad Nauman khan

hi....
Kindly share your mail id

Hi Bhavna,

The most important thing is to keep relationship so it is not advisable to move KSA in such scenario when your spouse is in undeniable nature.

Saudi Arabia is good place especially for Muslims who can visit on low cost to their worship places in makkah and madina. It is little dry for you and spouse so better rebuild your relation so that if you go at job then he can stay cool and calm at home till he will not get job because Saudi Arabia is not like UAE.

I am in Riyadh since Feb 2011 and telecom engineer by profession.

Let me share my personal experience that My family is coming twice a year and three times I am visiting because they are holding iqama since last 4.5 years as my wife is completing her 5 years post graduation training in medicine from Pakistan which is not possible while staying in KSA because of saudization and secondly It is difficult to manage the kids during post graduation training which is of 5 years.

We both are in very close coordination and have confidence at each other so we have passed this time by staying away from each other and very often small arguments which ended in fight as it is normal 😃

Be positive, cool and calm.

Any query you can drop me message at my below WhatsApp number.

Saad
***
Riyadh.

It is tough for both partners as well as for kids, who actually get deprived of care and affection of one of the parents living far away from them. I think the important thing to go through this tough situation is mandatory continous communication at least once everyday by calling apps, messages etc etc, which will make your presence felt in daily lives of our partners and kids living far away.

WhatsApp, IMO, Skype are useful tools for connecting relatives. Saudi Arabia is good place people are nice and good for delicious food and shopping. The best of Saudi Arabia is safety it is very safe country.

For Indians, the time zone difference hardly matters in communication. Sometimes, early morning call from India are disturbing.

In Saudi Arabia, majority of internet applications are working and India has cheapest data, hence communication is always affordable and cost effective for Indians.

Dear Bhavna,

Thank your for introducing a topical topic to discuss.  It is very hard to maintain a long distance relationship as an expat.  Due to work requirement, maintaining household and prepare for another day of work.  Always in a busy schedule.  But I am sorry to mentioned here that, it is very very difficult to maintain relationship with the coworker with whom I worked 20/30 years.  It is very sad, I worked with the colleague in that period, but when he left Saudi Arabia, he left everything here, relationship, friendship, emotion etc.   There are very few coworker, who remember his friendship with his coworkers during his working period in Saudi Arabia.   Most of them forget, when they ride on the flight.  May be there are some different experience also.  But from by experience, I found them, forgetting everything.

Best regards,

Hey Bhavna,
                       1.Well to start off, communication with your loved ones would be bit difficult if you would be moving to a remote location in Saudi Arabia because we have too many signal glitches. But if you would be moving to cities like Al Khobar, Dammam, Jeddah..it shudnt be a problem. Particularly Al Khobar is the most developed part in Saudi Arabia.

2. Travelling to meet loved ones entirely depends on contract signed with ur employer. Other than that the only official holidays u get are during Holy month of Ramadan, EID, and for National day

3. Social life isn't that happening 'here and you might face troubles in the beginning because of communication issues. Once you get over the initial phase, u have too many food joints, coffee lounges, malls to hang out.