It went like this… They were both in a coffee shop several tables apart from one another. It was a “loosely segregated area. He was with a friend. She was also with a friend. He changed his blue tooth id so it said “Looking at You.” Sure enough, she shortly withdrew her mobile, pressed a few buttons and within minutes he received an SMS with her name and her mobile number. They discreetly glanced at one another with brief smiles on their faces. Shortly thereafter she and her friend departed the area.
This is a true story and it happened just the other day in Riyadh. And yes, it was the girl who initiated the exchange with the boy. I learned that this is a very typical mechanism used by Saudi guys and girls to “meet” one another. They will exchange their mobile numbers and the communication starts from there with SMS messages eventually leading to phone calls and email exchanges.
It just serves to illustrate that while segregation may be the tradition in the Kingdom, where there is the will for young men and women to meet, they will find their way.
Filed under: culture, gender, relationships, Saudi Arabia, Saudi culture, Saudi customs, Uncategorized | 17 Comments »
