The Necessities
Looking over the past year there have been two things that were absolutely necessary to my success and happiness in Saudi Arabia: friends and meaningful work. I have been immeasurably blessed on both fronts.
We moved to Riyadh in October and it took me about four months to land my job with Glowork, a private company who's mission is to provide empowerment, career advisory, and recruitment opportunities for women in the GCC. During those four months I, admittedly, had some very tough days. I often felt useless, unproductive, and invisible. But come February I had started my job with Glowork, was working on my master's again, and had a growing group of uplifting friends. These things didn't come without hard work and socializing (I'm an introvert), but it made a world of difference to my experience.
Ollie, Aliya and I have all made amazing friends from all over the world. They are from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Spain, United Kingdom, France, Palestine, and New Zealand. We feel so much more connected to the world with all these diverse perspectives in our lives. Some of you may know that I lost one of those dear friends this spring during childbirth. She was the mother of 6 girls and 1 baby boy and she and her family are forever in our hearts.
I have come to find that I can live without a lot of comforts that I once thought necessities, but I really can't thrive without my friends, work, and education. I'm so grateful for all those in Riyadh who have welcomed me into their life and work.
We moved to Riyadh in October and it took me about four months to land my job with Glowork, a private company who's mission is to provide empowerment, career advisory, and recruitment opportunities for women in the GCC. During those four months I, admittedly, had some very tough days. I often felt useless, unproductive, and invisible. But come February I had started my job with Glowork, was working on my master's again, and had a growing group of uplifting friends. These things didn't come without hard work and socializing (I'm an introvert), but it made a world of difference to my experience.
Ollie, Aliya and I have all made amazing friends from all over the world. They are from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Spain, United Kingdom, France, Palestine, and New Zealand. We feel so much more connected to the world with all these diverse perspectives in our lives. Some of you may know that I lost one of those dear friends this spring during childbirth. She was the mother of 6 girls and 1 baby boy and she and her family are forever in our hearts.
I have come to find that I can live without a lot of comforts that I once thought necessities, but I really can't thrive without my friends, work, and education. I'm so grateful for all those in Riyadh who have welcomed me into their life and work.
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