Cairo: Rena, a Filipino, a long-time resident of Riyadh, and her friend Jenelle, a newcomer to Saudi Arabia, stress coexistence and cultural openness in the kingdom as part of recent sweeping changes.
Rena has been living in Saudi Arabia, home to a large expatriate community, since the 1990s. She recalls how the kingdom has since changed.
"I have watched closely how Saudi society has developed and become more open and diverse over the years" she was quoted by the Saudi news portal Sabq as saying.
She recalled that at the beginning of her life in Saudi Arabia, chances for cultural integration were limited. "But now, I live in a different atmosphere where I enjoy the company of my Saudi friends, especially Noura, who takes us on tours to explore Riyadh restaurants and cafes," she said. Rena has coined a term to denote her identity.
“When people ask me where I am from, I answer that I am a ‘Saudino’, a combination of Saudi Arabia and the Philippines. I grew up here, and I consider Saudi Arabia my home in every sense of the word," she said.
For her part, Jenelle, is surprised at the difference between what she expected before her arrival in the kingdom and what she has since seen. Her expectations were based on the experience of her father, who had lived in Saudi Arabia for more than 20 years.
On arrival, she was impressed by the modern atmosphere and wide openness. "With Rena, I came to know new tourist places and areas in Saudi Arabia such as AlUla, Abha, and Taif which I had always heard about," she was quoted as saying.
There are around 725,000 Filipinos living in Saudi Arabia, according to official figures announced last year.
