My city: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

 

                    I live in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This is the capital and the largest city in the country. The city has a lot of people and is pretty packed but is still chill. I like this place because there is so many things to do. You can visit the Masmak Fort, Jabal al-Lawz, the National Museum of Saudi Arabia, the Jawatha Mosque, and Royal Saudi Air Force Museum. There's a lot to sight see as well.
                    For people who are not just visiting but live here regularly it is a good place to go shopping. There is a lot of stores and malls. I enjoy the Masmak Fort a lot out of the attractions because a lot of students visit it too. It is a huge castle and it represents the turning point in King Abdulaziz's efforts to unify the country. It is a nice learning place which why many students visit it too. It is open to the public, it is now kind of like a museum.
                   At night the city is very bright with all the lights because there is so many big buildings. Most people who live in the city as me, Riyadh live in apartments because there is so little space and it is expensive to own a house in this city. Theft is very high in the city since there is so many people living here trying to afford their apartments, etc. so you want to make sure you keep your valuables locked up, etc.

                  Overall I think this is one of the best cities to live in if you are thinking about moving to Saudi Arabia. There is a lot of things that take place. Other cities don't really have a lot you can do but this city is full of various activities and attractions. Like I said there is a lot of crime but if you look past that it is a beautiful city to live in. There's many things to not only do but be apart of in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia Holiday

                    A famous Saudi Arabian Holiday I enjoy is The Feast of the end of the Ramadan. This holiday is the 9th month of the year. The feast follows a month of fasting for us Saudi Arabians.

                   Basically we pig out after we have lived off of very little food for a month. People (including me) celebrate it by making a lot of food for everyone to eat and we basically go ham on it for the next week until we cant eat anymore. The fasting just proves that we can give up stuff for god and appreciate what we have so we only eat when the sun is down which is morning and late at night. This is apart of our religion and to celebrate us making it threw the hard time of not eating we all get together and eat a lot of food basically as an accomplishment.

                   It is hard and you get tempted throughout the day to eat but you need to keep yourself busy so you don't think about it so you can show god and help support the religion. I think it is also fun because it is something that the people in my religion do together and I think it brings us closer and not only that but I really really really enjoy food. There is so many different kind of foods too because almost every family makes a regular meal and the neighborhood or you could say friends get together and feast.
                   I think this holiday is very unique to us too because not every religion does it in Saudi Arabia, a big part of it does but for those who don't we get to share with them what we do and it could help them become a part of our religion. I feel like this holiday is almost like Christmas or Thanksgiving after we fast since we just eat. Like I said before I look at this feast as a giant awards for us being strong through the fast.

Saudi Arabian Meals

                     Saudi Arabians eat at the same normal times as I did in the United States. We eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the same times as I did in the US. Saudi Arabians usually sit down on pillows to eat their meals in a circle. It kind of think of the floor as our dining room table or something.

Like usual the women prepare the food in Saudi Arabia. Usually the mothers cook it with little help from their daughters. The mothers usually make a main course with about two sides. They provide some kind of meat to be served as well. Sheep and goat meat is really popular over here. Along with many meals we eat bread with it as well.
                      Some main meals that I eat quite a bit over here is usually some kind of cuisine with beans, rice, or chicken. For snacks throughout the day I might have yogurt or wheat. International foods that popular here consists of Italian and Chinese. I ate Chinese back in America so I eat that here quite often as well.

Saudi Arabian Schools

                     A typical day in Saudi Arabia at school is pretty similar to the US. The subjects we learn consist of math, science, history, and English was just recently introduced. We are also taught Arabic and Islam. The schools are actually pretty nice, a lot nicer than I pictured before I came here to live. A couple of schools only have grades Kindergarten through ninth though which I think is different. The schools are usually open to anyone wanting to get an education.
                     Saudi Arabian schools in Riyadh where I live take a lot of trips. We visit many sights in my city. I think the schools do this because we are closer to many museums and they are very educational and free. Honestly I pictured the schools to be like huts with no walls but they are legit buildings almost nicer than Lone Tree.
                     The periods are set up different than Lone Tree instead of having every class everyday for example kids will have like math, English, and Arabic all day one day and the next science, history, and Islam than alternate daily. I don't really like this because it is a lot of time in one class but I guess we get more accomplished and can do more detailed things without getting interrupted by having to switch classes.