Before I watched the program about Saudi Arabia I had many preconceived notions about this country and their people. First, I knew that the majority of this country was desert. The film stated that 95% of the country was actually made up of desert. I thought that it was awesome that the Saudi Arabians had off-road vehicles that they used to tear up the desert. I would love the opportunity to cruise the desert in one of those types of vehicles. I also believed the people of Saudi Arabia to be very reserved and quite. I thought this because I knew that there were many strict religious rules and codes in which they had to follow. I also thought that the majority of the population was either rich or poor because of the significance of oil production with very little middle class. It was fascinating to find out that the cost of a gallon of gas was under $1 in Saudi Arabia. It seemed that there was also a middle class present throughout the filming of this show. I was expecting to see a large presence of wealth and materialistic people in the program, but this class was not represented or shown in the program. It was interesting to see that they also had a huge shopping mall for people to go shopping. I was also aware of the dress code in which women are forced to follow. It was interesting to find out that the reason the women covered up in public was to protect female beauty. However, I did not realize that they could wear whatever they wanted in their own home. It was nice to know that females had some freedom when it came to dressing in clothes! It would not be very fun to be limited to a certain dress code everywhere you went! I thought it was so bizarre and fascinating that women had to follow the dress code even while underwater! It was interesting to see that the outfit the men wore actually was very light weight and helped to keep them cool in the hot temperatures. I learned that vendors and practically the rest of the city shuts down during the time of prayer. I also learned that Saudi Arabia is a very family oriented country. Families get preferential treatment when it comes to certain things within the community. I was shocked at how similar Saudi Arabians act compared to people from the United States. It seemed that everyone was very nice and polite to the American host. I also saw many friendly and proud Arabs who were honored to serve their guests. Hospitality was also an important aspect when it came to the culture of the Saudi Arabians. It was also interesting to see the wide variety of food selection that they had. I didn’t know that camel meat was actually a part of their diet. It was also interesting to see that the majority of people ate with their fingers. They would share a main course and just rip their food right off with their fingers. This is a different concept compared to American culture. Overall I thought that the country of Saudi Arabia was very different from what I expected. I would someday love the opportunity to travel to this place!
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