Isn’t it dangerous there? Aren’t you afraid? – We get these questions anytime we’re back in the US. To cut to the chase, I actually feel safer here, day-to-day, than I did in America.
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Petty crime is certainly not as common here, and absolutely not to the extent I experienced when I was in a place like Colombia where I carried minimal cash in assumption that I would be pickpocketed, or even small-town Ohio where my car was broken into multiple
times over the years. Maybe because criminal consequences are severe here, that makes small crimes not worth it. I don’t really fear a burglary or break-in – living on the top floor of an apartment building alleviates that concern. And since buildings are concrete, I’m not as worried about a fire either.
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In America, one of my looming apprehensions was road rage and getting a gun pulled on me for a traffic blunder. I’m sure the media played into those fears, but I heard about incidents quite frequently. That’s not a concern of mine here – probably bc everyone drives like a maniac so you just get used to it. 😁 Also, the frequency of school shootings in the US is disturbing on an entirely different level. There’s no doubt I would feel safer with Ezra and Abel attending school here. Sad but true.
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I wonder if I would have a similar outlook here if I were a local person, or of another nationality. Americans are generally treated well in Saudi and given the benefit of the doubt. There are many legends swirling among our local friends of caravans of black, US Consulate Escalades screeching onto the scene to rescue an American who’s been in a fender bender or who has been unjustly accused. If people want to think we have that kind of power behind us, I’m fine to let them. 😂 But this isn’t the movies – they aren’t opening those embassy gates unless it’s between the hours of 1-3pm and you have a PRINTED appointment slip. 😆
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I’m not saying this country is perfect, or that there aren’t trade-offs for the security we experience, but it is ironic that we feel safer in a place where most people expect us to feel the opposite…
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Pic: Air show put on by the Royal Saudi Air Force on Saudi National Day last year
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