Of course there are many distinctions between USA and KSA and I’ll try to touch on various ones with different blog posts. Today I’m going to write about driving, parking and attitudes! As we continue to be in the USA with family who has not been to the States before it is interesting and enlightening to see the USA through new eyes.
We took a drive to the old seaport city of Galveston, Texas. This was about a one hour drive from Houston. A family member was driving and here is where new observations began. Of course it not only started with all the female drivers that one does not see in Saudi Arabia but also with all the female drivers who were behind the wheels of huge and tall four wheel drive pick up trucks! After all, this is Texas where most things are oversized, to include its pick up trucks! My family member also remarked on how orderly and polite the drivers were. There was none of the fighting to get in to the appropriate lane or the constant quest to be in the fastest lane like one sees and experiences in Saudi Arabia. Not only did drivers let others in to the necessary lane but did so with a wave and a smile.
Once we arrived in Galveston we made our way to a parking lot so we could walk around and explore the historic area of the city. To all of our surprise the parking lot was an “honor lot” where each parking slot had a number which corresponded to numbers on this large box with slots. One was to put their parking contribution into the correlating slot on the large box. There was no sign to say how much one should contribute but there was a large notice which did say failure to pay would result in towing. Not only had I never seen a parking lot like this before in America I cannot begin to imagine how such a parking lot would fare in Saudi Arabia!
Our relative also remarked repeatedly his surprise on how orderly everyone parked in the USA as well. I sensitized him that unlike Saudi Arabia if one does not park appropriately they’ll likely receive a parking ticket with a hefty fine attached to it.
And last of all our family member keeps repeating about the openness and the friendliness of the American people. He likes how people in the United States naturally meet rather than avert the eyes and usually smile and say Hello.
Filed under: America, culture, Saudi Arabia, Saudi culture, Saudi customs, Saudi Living, travel Tagged: | America, culture, culture shock, customs, KSA, places, Saudi, Saudi Arabia, Saudi culture, Saudi customs, travel
The historic parts of Galveston (the original old homes, and the renovated warehouses) are wonderful. Lucky tourists!
The friendliness, the straight driving lanes, and the parking habits of North America, are always part of my “reverse culture shock, so I can well imagine your family member’s extra surprise.
Although it is a longer drive, I hope you will all get a chance to visit San Antonio, the mission/presidio architectural style is particularly interesting for the Moorish/Andalusian influences , and who could forget the Alamo! It is on my list of places to see in Texas.
Texas is so American to this saudi. I have visited the southern part (Galveston, Houston), the northern part (Dallas) and the western part (Austen). It is so much fun to drive the wide open highways.
It is the first place I ate barbecue – delicious!! but messy. You need both hands, which is rather difficult for me to get used to.
If it’s not too much trouble, post some pics, please.
I’m so glad that they are having such positive experiences here.
Enjoyed reading this. Thanks for sharing.
“There was none of the fighting to get in to the appropriate lane or the constant quest to be in the fastest lane like one sees and experiences in Saudi Arabia. Not only did drivers let others in to the necessary lane but did so with a wave and a smile.”
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Is your family member sure that he/she was driving in Houston, TX? Because I’m really finding that hard to believe. If anything, I observed that Houston has the worst drivers on earth, even worse than those crazy drivers in KSA and other GCC countries. I only drove in Houston for about 4 weeks last December, and I really couldn’t believe how crazy motorists can get in Houston. First of all, none of them sticks to the speed limit. I could hardly see policemen in the streets, so nobody seemed to care about the speed limits. Secondly, none of them signaled while changing lanes. With their huge pick-up trucks, they think that they own the roads or something. They can change lanes whenever they want to, and drive at whatever speed they want to. Not to mention the reckless driving of all these truckers… It’s really crazy.
My brother lived in Houston and when I first arrived there, he warned me pay extra attention while driving because Houston motorists are very crazy. And indeed, a couple of days after I started driving there, I noticed how crazy they are.
I also drove in Dallas/Fort Worth and other parts of west Texas. I can tell that what your family member said applies to all Texas motorists, except those in Houston. So if your family member was referring to a city in Texas other than Houston, I totally agree with him/her.
Nevertheless, I agree with your family member in everything else that he/she observed. Pretty much the same things I have been observing throughout my stay in the US.
This is so cool–and dh is having a wonderful and warm experience in Jeddah–he says everyone is friendly and welcoming (well, except for the driving!) The US is so big and there are so many regional differences that I hope your family is having such a good experience that they want to see more of the country in the future. Any favorite new foods?
it isn’t something strange, however, I’d like to see this positiveness and openness on the United state government policy.
In fact one of the first places we went out to eat with the infamous Texan “Q” was to a place called Papa’s BBQ where we did indeed eat with our hands. (more to come in a future post on the outing and hospitality with “Q.”
I’ve driven and been driven in so many countries and can say that Houston has been a piece of cake in both driving and getting around – much more relaxing and easier on the nerves than KSA.
may be its the southern style of hospitality and openness.. but wait until your family member visits NYC or the west coast or even Chicago.
Yay! We may be god-less heathens over here, but it’s nice to know there are some things that even Saudis can appreciate
I love driving in Texas…people will pull over near the side of the road to let u pass by ..signals are used frequently…and parking is orderly and fuss free…love it. I have been there on and off over the years and I never ever seen a horrendous crash due to speeding etc. (not that they dont happen…but I never seen one there…and see them damn near everyday here in little Bahrain)
Carol…my kids/family in texas…about 90 miles from Dallas…and they go to Houston now and again…for some reason I feel closer to them merely because I know you and you are there…dont ask me why…its just like that
Carol,
As you know I live in Dallas, but I also visit Houston often. I agree that Houston tends to be wild compared to the rest of the state. I do like the fact that I can drive as fast as I want in Houston highways and never worry about the cops. Houston is really unique as a southern city. It has a large industry base and workers from all over the country and the world. I never feel like I am in Texas when I am there.
In general though, Houston does not compare to Saudi. Even in the worst places in the US people still drive and park between the lines, really understand the meaning of a stop sign and a red light, you rarely find kids under the age of 16 driving, etc. I stopped driving in Saudi during my visits a long time ago. I guess I lost my skills of driving under those conditions
You’re not driving them around in your own country!!! Shame on you! Put those two in the backseat and let them get a taste of how you feel in Riyadh!!! : )
My young son was amazed when he saw women not only driving cars and trucks, but also watching them work up on telephone poles fixing the wires, or on rooftops putting in new roofs in Florida.
I think that American t.v. shows should show and promote the new sexy American woman in all her new roles….Remember the old perfume commercial that had a song that went, “She can bring home the bacon…. Fry it up in a pan….And never let him forget he’s a man….cause sheeees a woman!! ha ha ha
America the beautiful, relaxed, comfortable, open people, be what you want to be and enjoy life for the utter most part
Enjoli … and there was “Charlie” perfume …very popular. I wore it, but then graduated to Miss Dior … which cannot be found any longer … boo to that.
I am glad the differences they are see are giving them a different perspective of life on this side of the river…enjoy your stay- Had you had Tex-Mex food yet?
“Women driving huge pick-up trucks”…heh, heh, heh…welcome to America!
I wish he could see my Muslimah (and hijabi) friend Carrie driving hers, it still manages to give me a thrill every time I see it.
Overall I think Americans are courteous drivers. If you are polite towards others, most of the time they will be polite towards you. But it does tend to vary from state to state, city to city. Milwaukee is overall a friendly city, lots of courtesy….but just an hour away in Chicago….whole different story! Anytime we go there we are so desperate to come home after a day or two and it’s usually because of the crazy drivers.
Miriam Mac – Oh yes, I have also driven them around as well. Actually my BIL and I tend to share driving.
And yes, we certainly have had Tex-Mex several times.
Coolred – please feel free to contact me via email (admin@americanbedu.com). I’d be delighted to chat with your kids as well as yourself in Texas!
Now I’m only being a messenger here but I have found the statements from my BIL to be refreshing and enjoyable. He continues to remark on the openness, friendliness and freedoms of America. I like how he and my husband got into a discussion as well on the cleanliness of public toilets in the States as compared to Saudi (don’t get me started on THAT one, just read this earlier post: http://americanbedu.com/2008/02/03/the-rich-dont-use-public-toilets/
Now I’m not saying there are not terrible public toilets in America but not as consistently as in Saudi Arabia.
I hope we get opportunities to show my family other areas of Texas as well as other States and cities while here but can’t say for sure at this point.
You mean you dont miss traffic signs being nothing more than a suggestion? You dont miss the sidewalk as an optional extra lane when in need?
The West isnt immune from this type of stuff, anyone who has driven in Paris will agree with me. But I personally HATED driving in the Middle East.
The best place to drive I have found in my travels, is Germany. Almost as a rule everyone follows the rules and traffic signs seem to be almost a commandment written by God.
I rarely saw any accidents, except those on sections of the autobahn that were pretty bad, but all in all, Germany is an ideal place to drive.
So I am not the only one scared of the roads in the Middle East—I thought I was just a priss.( My state does not even allow mobile phone use while driving)
I do not about Saudi but in Kuwait and UAE cars do have sort of warning sound installed in the cars if speed limit is honored.
Many times though, all I hear is “beep, beep, beep,…” indicating that my driver is going to fast.
Hop eit improves over there…..:)
Yes, Jacee, cars bought in KSA are also equipped with the speeding indicator tone too! We brought our car over from the States so do not have that tone which can be both good and bad if you know what I mean!
With exceptions (eg. New York City, commuter lanes around Detroit) I find US drivers very courteous, including to pedestrians. When I was in Palo Alto, I turned and stood at the curb thinking about whether I wanted to cross or not and 5 lanes of one-way traffic stopped immediately way far away from the cross walk. I felt obliged to cross then, they were so good about it!
Good point…I’ve had to remind my BIL when driving that pedestrians usually do have the right-of-way here (unlike Saudi).
Yes, it is in stark contrast to the Italian “honk and go”, the Hong Kong “we need population control anyway”, or Moroccan “I have the biggest car, and so the right of way” and what seems like the GCC “me first”!
GCC is my body may be smaller than your car…but my sheer audacity to just step out without looking both ways first automatically annoints me with divine right to cross without fear of harm…so deal with it…or something like that.
popular saying here is …”does your father own the road?”…meaning…do you think you can just drive, walk, stand without thinking about the consequences….far as I can see EVERYBODIES father apparently owns the road…sigh
Coolred–LOL, you reminded me that the pedestrian attitude in Morocco is: I would not be so undignified, nor so lacking in faith in Allah as to look before crossing, or while crossing, nor to bother crossing at a cross walk, corner, or where there are signals.
Although I can sometimes pass for Moroccan, my cover is blown when I apply all of Elmer the Safety Elephant’s rules for pedestrians, and–oh the shame, the horror–panic and sprint the rest of the way across the street!
I’m going to assume that people who complain about driving conditions in the US or for that matter anywhere else on this planet have never driven in india.
Indian traffic conditions are chaotic, the drivers reckless. You will not believe the crazy things other drivers are capable of until you’ve driven there. People overtake on blind corners. They swerve blindly in traffic. They come off side roads at full speed and join the traffic flow without even looking. They stop on a whim in the middle of the road. You are taught to expect anything, at any time.
I used to drive a flimsy scooter for 7 yrs ( stupidity of youth) and then i moved from there, and have never ever been able to drive there again, i can’t even sit up front without shreiking in horror.
In India you have to be on the lookout for cars, trucks, tuk tuks, water buffalos, motorcyclists, skooters, pedestrians, bicyclists, elephants, cows….did I leave anything out Radha? (I lived in New Delhi for two years!)
It has gotten so bad here in Saudi, that they even have a huge article in the newspapers today. My husband and I also saw them making movies this morning to help ‘shock and awe’ drivers into better behavior. A death every 90 mins. and an injury every 25. I really think a lot of the problems come from children that are too young to have a license and shouldn’t be on the roads at all. Parents here still don’t take the law seriously enough.
Miriam, if you could copy the link into a comment that would be great.
While driving in Saudi Arabia is certainly a stressful experience, driving in the US is not exactly Utopia for drivers. Anyone who drove in California, especially the LA area can attest to the many road rages, flipping people off, cutting in front of you. I once had an 18 wheeler chasing me down the Pomona Freeway at high speed, and flashing his high beams for no apparent reason.
While motorist seem to be angels in Texas, there are certainly not the same in California.
Chiara…Ive done the sprint thing many times…not fun for me…and I would venture to guess not a pretty sight for those unfortunate enough to witness my ungainly “sprint”…lol….but the important thing being…I made it across lol
Mmmm…one of the most pronounced differences I notice when traveling between the US and the KSA is on the roads. My dad just flew in from Jeddah to visit us in Chicago, and as always, he can’t stop commenting on the differences when behind the wheel.
I for one would probably NOT drive in the KSA even if females were permitted…’stressful’ doesn’t quite cover it…I’d describe it more as ‘terrifying.’
-theHalfBreed
http://beliefcan.blogspot.com
Thanks for all the ongoing and interesting comments!
I firmly believe that overall, the driving is worse in Saudi than in the USA regardless of what US location one is in.
and like halfbreed, even if I had the choice to drive in KSA I’m not sure if I would want to do so…it’s not only the stress of driving but parking spaces are also so limited there too which also builds a case for the convenience of a safe driver.
Yes, driving in India sometimes borders on the insane, but on the positive side, your instinct is as sharp as can be, because you gotta expect anything in your way from any direction
Carol, you missed out the buses ( govt owned & pvt). They are the monstrosities that scare me , though I have lived all my life in India ( almost) .
What gets my goat here in KSA is apparent lack of commonsense of some people whilst parking their ‘trucks’ or fuel guzzlers or whatever you may call it., double,triple parking…
Coolred–as a sprinter, I have adopted an attitude of justifiable self-preservation, although I do notice family members pretend not to know me and continue on at a dignified death defying pace.
I once was in a team meeting about a psychotic Iranian, whom the nurses had taken for walks in the neighbourhood to assess her functioning. They thought it was low because she crossed without looking. I managed to persuade them that that part at least was cultural.