It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to conduct sporadic interviews on Desert Moon's Diary. This interview is with Fahad, a young Saudi gentleman who resided and studied in the UK for many years and has now made his way back to Saudi Arabia. He has kindly agreed to answer some questions about life in the United Kingdom and life in Saudi Arabia.Desert Moon welcomes him....
1.To begin with Fahad, Welcome! Please share a little bit about yourself such as where you are originally from in Saudi Arabia. Give us an insight into your family. How many siblings do you have?
First of all I would like to thank you for having me Desert Moon, it’s a real pleasure for me to be interviewed on your blog. My name is Fahad and I am a 25 year old from a small village in Al-Qassim. I come from a very simple and modest family. I have a 27 year old brother and two younger sisters at the age of 16 and 12.
2. How old were you when you left Saudi Arabia for the UK? Why did you move to the UK initially?
I travelled to the UK with my family at the age of 15 due to a work assignment for my father from the Saudi Ministry of Defense. In the beginning I was against the relocation because it is hard to leave your friends and relatives behind and go to a place where you have never been and where friends do not exist. However, the UK started to grow in me and right now I honestly feel its home.
3.What was your life and lifestyle like in the United Kingdom with your parents?
I didn’t have a lifestyle in the beginning. I was focusing too much on my studies and failed to bond with my peers and make friends. I was very concerned about the future and therefore I paid too much attention to reading and studying. What made the situation worse is that I studied in King Fahad Academy in London where it was the first year for this school to teach the Saudi curriculum. We did not have enough teachers and I struggled a lot in learning because I had to depend on my own self which was very new to me as the Saudi curriculum is a spoon-feeding educational system.
4.What kind of adjustments did you face when you returned back to Saudi Arabia the first time?
Since we relocated to the UK I rarely visited Saudi because I started to lose contacts with my Saudi friends. The longest period for me away from Saudi was 4.5 years continuously. My visits to Saudi did not exceed one week (I normally arrive to Saudi on Monday and then leave on Thursday based on the Saudi Airline Schedule which means my visit to the UK does not exceed four days). Currently I am working abroad and might relocate to Russia so I am still not quite settled in Saudi.
5.What did you miss most about the UK culture and lifestyle?
I miss many things! I miss my friends, the landscapes, the weather, I miss how organized people are in their queues and how they follow the system, I miss the fish and chips and Indian restaurants near my flat, I miss driving in the left hand side of the lane, I miss my university life, my old job, my neighbors and so many things!
6.What were you happiest to return to with regards to the Saudi culture and lifestyle?
I happy being back to my family and relatives. Regarding lifestyle, all what I can say I’m searching for a lifestyle here in Saudi because I still did not adapt to the situation and it seems a bit hard to find activities due to lack of friends and terrible weather.
7.Can you describe for the blog readers what your typical routine and life is like as a man in Saudi Arabia?
Lifestyle in Saudi Arabia is mainly based around family, relatives, work and friends. For males they normally hang out in restaurants, coffee shops or camp in the desert while females normally they will either have their friends over, hang out in restaurants or malls in their free time.
8.What is your opinion about females driving in Saudi Arabia?
Females should have the freedom to drive. There is no reason for them not to!! However, I don’t think the Saudi culture is ready for females to drive as this will cause a culture shock and will cause many females to be harassed. Therefore, I suggest that this idea should be introduced with a fixed step plan. For example, the first step could be to allowing Females over the age of 40 to drive between 6 am to 4 pm so that they can drive their children to school and pick them up. The second step could be to allow females who are working or have a career to drive where they will be restricted to a careful. After these two steps, the Saudi culture will begin to accept and absorb the idea of females driving so that all females will then be allowed to drive without any restrictions just like males.
9. You studied in the UK. Tell us a little bit more about the degree you acquired.
I have obtained my bachelor degree from the University of Nottingham where I obtained an Honor degree in Computer Engineering and Electronics. I also obtained a Master Honor degree in Communication Electronics and Computer Engineering from the University of Nottingham. I carried out many projects during my degree such as creating an optical software which was sold for Monica Health care LTD, creating a modem from scratch and then program it with a budget that doesn’t exceed 10 GBP within a 4 months period where I obtained the British Telecom Prize, I carried out a project in the Artificial Intelligence field where the project was called “Artificial Neural Network for Semiconductor Nano-measurements”. The project was then modified slightly with the help of my professor to aid the NHS in studding the effect of AIDS on blood cells to help them understand the disease and find a cure and finally I worked with the Rolls Royce in my master degree in the field of acoustics to characterize the materials used in their jet engines amongst other little projects in the field of ultrasonic and lasers. Currently, I am working for Schlumberger as a wireline field engineer As a Wireline field engineer I am trained to provide detailed records of the geological formation penetrated by the borehole using very advanced and high technical tools. The job involves a lot of pressure such working for very long hours continuously which sometimes exceeds 48 hours. In addition, it involves many risks such as heavy machinery, explosives, pressure that exceed 35K PSI and radioactive materials.
10.Since you spent a number of years earlier living in the United Kingdom, do you think this has made your parents more open about opportunities for you and your sisters?
Actually, my father travels a lot and he has lived in many places. Since I was born, I spent the first five years in my life in the USA but I vaguely have any memories, only pictures to look a. Moreover, I have lived around 10 years in the UK. I do believe travelling opens your mind, broadens your thoughts and changes you!
11.Please describe the distinctions and differences you see between the Saudi and the UK educational systems. What are the pros and cons of each one? How does it feel to be in the open environment of the UK education system without segregation? What do you think about the freedoms of expression such as the ability to wear almost anything to school rather than a uniform?
I would regretfully say that the Saudi education system is a spoon feeding educational system which is mainly based on memorization. While the UK system makes you depend on yourself and develop your research methods. The Saudi educational system is a bit strict such that the system is fixed and you have to take certain modules whereas the UK system allows you to tailor your modules based on your desired career path. However, the only thing I noticed is that the Saudi education system is very strong in math such that many of the things which were introduced in university was already presented in the Saudi educational system including the advanced subjects!
I do believe that school should have a uniform for its students but allowing them to have casual Fridays.
12.Were you accepted by classmates and neighbours in the United Kingdom as a Saudi person coming from an Islamic background? What are the typical questions you are asked?
The UK is a great place and in my opinion it’s the best country to live in due to its diversity. There are Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus and many other relegions . Everyone is accepted regardless of their gender, belief and ethnicity. No struggle with racism at all.
13.Do you find that your friends are more likely other Saudi and international students or do you also have a number of British friends as well?
The majority of my friends are actually British and I do have some few arab friends mainly from Saudi.
14.Were the female members of your family fully adorned with the face veil whilst in the UK or did they simply wear a scarf or was their no difference in dress code between Saudi Arabia and the UK? Kindly elaborate....
In UK they would wear the scarf and dress presentably whereas in Saudi they have to wear the face veil due to the cultural customs.
15.Are there many in your circle of family and friends who are living in polygamy? What are your own views on polygamy? Do you think a woman has a choice on whether or not she needs to “accept” polygamy?
I do know certain friends who are living in polygamy. The subject is too wide to be discussed. It is accepted in Islam to live in polygamy but there are guidelines and certain aspects that have to be fulfilled. The system was not created for the man to enjoy himself but there are big reasons behind it where many books do discuss it. But not anyone should live in polygamy and I personally cannot have more than one woman in my life!
16.What do you think is the largest misconception outsiders have of Saudis? How can this misconception be rectified?
The misconception is that we are terrorists and that we are horrible people. I am not saying we are good or bad but each society have both kinds. We are very peaceful, love to help others and I would encourage everyone to read about islam and know about our prophet and get their misconceptions rectified through seeking knowledge.
17. Would you opt for an arranged marriage or a love marriage?
For sure a love marriage. Even though it took a while for my family to accept it but it has to be a love marriage otherwise I am happy to continue being single.
18. Would your family allow you as a Saudi man to marry someone from an outside culture or religion?
It has been discussed with my family and most probably I will not marry a Saudi woman. However, that would probably mean I will migrate from Saudi and most probably to the UK because the culture will not be fair to my wife.
19.Where do you hope to see yourself in the next five years?
I am in the process of gaining field experience and already have plans to work for myself in my field. I started a couple of small projects and hopefully in five year I will be working for my own self.
20.Are there any additional comments you’d like to add for the blog readers?
I would like to thank you all for reading and it was an honor and real pleasure to be interviewed.
Thanks again, Fahad, for taking the time to answer these questions and also for sharing some of your pictures with all of us . I wish you all the best with your career and beyond!
