The four seasons of the Magic Kingdom

Before I moved to Saudi-Arabia I assumed the weather would mostly be hot and dry all year round without much variations. But I've come to realize there are in fact different periods in the year which could be defined as seasons, but very different to the ones we are used to in Finland or elsewhere in the western world. These following seasons would be more typical in Riyadh than in Jeddah where the climate is very humid year round.

The cold, rainy season
Characteristics for this season are the "cold" weather ranging anywhere between near zero in the mornings to +20c during the day. There might be heavy showers or occasional light rain but typically they won't last more than a few days at a time. This is the best time to visit the desert which will be blooming with green scenery and flowers after the rains. Begins usually around December lasting until February.

The sandstorm season
This is the worst time of the year in my opinion. It starts around February to March lasting until May-June. Saudi-Arabia is ridden with sandstorms from mild to moderate or severe with total lack of visibilty. Sometimes they come with thunderstorms, hail or rains mixed with dust resulting in muddy rain. The temperatures start rising eventually topping +40c at the end of the season.

The hot season
From around May up until October the mercury will not drop below +40c. This season is when most people want to leave the country. The dry heat might rise up to +50c degrees in the worst months and typically the nights will not bring much relief to the scorching heat.

The mild, clear season
This is my favorite season, although it usually doesn't last long, the weather is perfect from around October to the end of November. There are typically very clear skies with no sandstorms and the temperatures hover around a lovely +30c. Reminds me of weather on a perfect Finnish summer day, which we might be lucky to get a few times in a year!

Thumbs up for the muttawas!

Warning! This post contains muttawa-friendly sections and reader-discretion is advised.

In previous posts I might have been a bit (but just a tiny bit) harsh on the members of the CPVPV also known as the muttawa or Hai'a. Okay well they deserved it.You can read more here or here. Check out a Saudi woman's recent horror experience here.

But I thought this time around they would deserve some positive feedback since I happened to witness some exceptionally clever actions from them.

So what happened to change my mind? Well I must point out I haven't actually changed my mind about the Haia's concept of justice or their code of conduct and I still think they are dispensable.

So I was in Kingdom mall with my husband and saw a muttawa squad of three strolling around. As usual they sent some shivers down my spine but I continued my shopping without further disturbances.
As we were driving out of the mall however I had to rub my eyes to be sure I was seeing correctly. These three had parked their GMC at the main entrance of the mall where women usually wait outside to be picked up.
One automatically assumes the Hai'a would be so very busy herding all the women in, perhaps beating them (lightly) with their sticks and "kindly reminding" women to cover their hair/faces/eyes.
But to my amazement they were in fact holding the MEN accountable for their behavior.

One muttawa was busy keeping a bunch of Saudi teenage hooligans from entering the ramp at all and the other two were seeing to that the women were not bothered. Yes you read correctly. The muttawa did not bother the women at all. And we are talking about Saudi women with uncovered faces and flashy abayas here.

I watched in awe and heard myself saying hey this is smart, good for them! After all the harassement women have faced at this exact location it was about time they acted. It sure took them a while and to figure out the cause of the problem, the MEN!But better late than never. Earlier this year there was this incident and afterwards I've heard of many cases where women taking a taxi from that area have been followed by crazy Saudi guys.

My husband could not believe I had just said something so positive about the Hai'a and he had a good laugh.
So I guess miracles do happen! And I'm not ashamed to say thumbs up for the muttawa (this time).

Saudi government offices- women's sections

Saudi-Arabia is a gender segregated society where government offices are no exception. Women are not allowed in the main buildings at all because their male family members are supposed to take care of most of the woman's issues. However there are specific much smaller sections for the women, usually located in a separate building or at the side or back of the main building.They are frustratingly burocratic places that operate with stone-aged policies.

There will be a male security guard watching the door and letting women enter into the female only office. The door is kept locked to prevent the dubious men prowling the area from running in to see unveiled women. Just kidding.
Inside are female security officers and other office workers in normal clothing. The places are pretty unorganised and confusing especially to a first time visitor. Just like in the men at the main buildings, the women are also forced to que to one window after another to get something done. Only difference is women's sections are not as crowded and the most important things can be done in the men's (main) office ONLY.
Women are required to sign all paperwork by stamping their thumb on the forms. Note even if the women are literate and fully capable of signing their own names this ancient practise is compulsory for them.

The illiteracy rate among the older generations and especially women is quite high. This of course poses great difficulties especially for women without a mahram's (male guardian) help. If no male family member is able to write documents for them or they are unwilling to help, there are places these women can go to to get their paperwork done. Men offering secreterial help to write documents can be found near to government buildings. They will have simple old school typewriters.
I overheard a woman accompanied by her daughter approach one to help make a complaint about her husband who had not showed up for a long time or given the family financial support.

Women in Saudi-Arabia are forced to be so dependant on men. Nothing can be done without a man, even to run a women's section of a government office!

Has King Abdullah returned to Riyadh?

King Abdullah was recently discharged from a New York hospital after full recovery from his back surgery. He was planning to stay a while at the Waldorf Astoria hotel but no news of his return to Saudi-Arabia has been released.

Something weird happened today and I started suspecting wether the King has in fact already returned quietly to Riyadh or planning to come any day now.
I was having my lunch at the hospital park when suddenly low flying jet planes appear in the sky just above the city center. I suspect it was the Saudi Hawks, part of the Royal Saudi Air Force. They were flying in formations and started drawing figures with the fumes in the sky, huge loops and what looked like some kind flower formations! I had to rub my eyes when two of the planes came together to make a heart shape and the third proceeded to fly through it as if an arrow had punctured it. It really made me smile imagining these Saudi air force guys showing their "soft side" depicting hearts over Riyadh! So was this all in the King's honor or just a spontaneous air show? My husband commented that it was just the air force rehearsal..hmm I wonder is this part of the Air force curriculum?

Another sign of the King Abdullah's return could be the preparations being taken in the hospital. I wrote a post on treatment of VIP patients before, but the King gets some extra special treatment in the hospital. He not only has his own entrance, helicopter landing area and whole ward, but there is also an ICU designated for the ruler only. All this is being prepared anticipating his possible need for the facilities in the near future.

I wish the King many healthy years to come, inshallah he will be able to continue his reforms and make Saudi a better place to live for everyone! Read more on his reforms on women's issues in my previous post.

I snapped some pics from the "airshow" with my mobile, sorry for the bad quality!This is the heart