Young men also known as "shabaabs" try their luck at meeting young women through the following dating tricks:
Trick number one: Many young Saudi men would either have their mobile numbers or their BBM PIN written on a piece of paper which is then stuck on one of the windows of the car. I have witnessed groups of Saudi men chasing cars that have young Saudi women in them in an effort to seek their attention.
Trick number two: If a woman is walking alone in the supermarket for some odd reason a single Saudi male would assume that she is single as well and would simply drop his mobile number in her trolley and walk on as though nothing happened. I have a friend of mine who is married and she went to the Hyper Panda down the road to do grocery shopping without her husband only to encounter such a situation. After shouting at the man, his face supposedly turned red and he walked out of the supermarket quite speedily.
Trick number three: Nowadays with internet and mobile phone technology many young Saudi males and females are meeting each other through online internet dating sites. Now how does this meeting occur? Usually the young woman would go out with her friends and her driver to the mall. Once they get dropped off at the mall she simply hops into the car of the man she has set up a date with. This is how Mrs Z met her husband three years ago.
With the Kingdom having almost two million unmarried females, it is only natural that the females are becoming bold enough into asking men directly for their telephone numbers. Last week the Executive on Duty who happens to be a close friend of mine encountered this situation. Apparently there is a group of women who are frequenting the hospital emergency department for no real apparent reason simply requiring panadol or brufen and this has been occurring for over a few weeks now. So finally after frequenting the hospital a few times during a short space of time and of course irritating the medical staff who should be dealing with more serious life threatening cases a lady from the group went straight up to Mr. EOD (Executive on Duty) and asked him for his mobile number and if he is married. Mr. EOD is such a friendly, sweet man that he was blushing and laughing away whilst relating this story to me.He then went on to say that he hopes InshaAllah all these unmarried women here do get married as living in this country without a man can be quite difficult for a Saudi woman.So did he give her his mobile number...NO...Definitely not!!!!
I myself have been victim to many of these tricks but the one I'm frequently encountered with at work is when you ask a male patient to write down his ID number as proof of medication receipt. In most cases the man is quick to write down his mobile number with a smile and a wink in his eye.I then have to be a little louder and reaffirm that I require the ID number and not his mobile number.
But the most hilarious dating trick for me which certainly didn't take the cake but rather the whole bakery was a written note that was stuck behind a plane seat. The note read as follows and was written in both English and Arabic: Hi I am Muhammed, a 33 year old single, well educated Saudi male. So if you are a single, beautiful woman sitting on the seat with this note staring at you and you are looking out for a life partner then give me a tinkle....mobile number and BBM PIN followed!!!!!
I guess as long as you have single male and females in society desiring to interact with the opposite sex in meaningful relationships leading to love, people will always find ways around rules and regulations. So despite the Kingdom's strict laws pertaining to gender segregation coupled with severe punishments imposed if these laws are violated, young Saudi males and females are very much into the dating scene trying to forge relationships leading to marriage. The younger Saudis especially those that have returned from abroad and have seen life in a different light are willing to break free from culture and tradition and marry people who they love and care for as opposed to an arranged marriage whereby the parents choose a potential partner and in many instances the marriage lands up in divorce due to incompatibilities between both partners. The parents happiness is only considered as opposed to the couple. Whilst many of these dating tricks may be considered abnormal in other parts of the world....you will probably be slapped or clobbered on your head but in this part of the world this is DATING, SAUDI STYLE!!!!
