SAUDI studying abroad face certain obstacles during their sojourn in a foreign country but most of them patiently complete their studies and return home with the degree they used to dream about. Language is often seen as the first and most enduring obstacle with many students moving to pursue their degrees in the West, having to learn English before they leave as well as take additional courses on top of their coursework. A lesser known problem confronts those students, however, who move to Canada and certain European countries where French is the official language. According to a report released recently by the Ministry of Higher Education in the Kingdom, as many as 26,500 Saudis are currently studying in 36 foreign universities. That figure includes 21,793 men and a significant 4,690 women. Saudi Gazette spoke to Alaa Jabur, a female student currently living in Paris, and she calls language the most significant barrier, particularly in efforts to assimilate. “I went to France with my husband who is pursuing a degree in medicine there; we spent six months studying French in order to communicate with the locals, and it was very difficult for me because French people refuse to speak to you in English even if they know how to,” she explained. It becomes slightly easier for the student if that French-speaking country is Canada. “Language in Montréal is not really a problem because most people speak English as well as French,” said Wid Kattan, a medical student living in Montréal. “But they do appreciate it when you make an effort to communicate in French.” Food is the second oft-mentioned obstacle most students face, particularly in light of whether the food is Halal or not. Studying in a city as cosmopolitan as London is useful in such cases, as the large - and diverse - Muslim community means that there are plenty of opportunities to find Halal food. Moreover, being such a diverse city in general, it is also often easy to find traditional, Saudi food. “We don't face any problems in finding Halal food in London or indeed, around the United Kingdom, as there is a Halal food shop almost every area,” remarked a Saudi student, Fahad Toonsi. “My only worry is that when I visit a local restaurant, I have to ensure that my food does not contain any lard (meat by-product) or alcohol.” The provision of Halal food has been gaining speed in the past few decades, and it is now difficult to find one particular common study destination for Saudi students, where it is not possible to find Halal food. “My son is two years old and therefore goes to a nursery where they serve meals during the day,” said Kattan. “They respect us as Muslims and provide special (Halal) food for us, and we can find Halal butchers at a 10-minute drive.” Another problem these students face is in getting used to using public transport as well as driving in a foreign country. “The whole concept of getting around by public transport, from the view of a Saudi woman who is used to being driven around by a private driver and therefore has no sense of direction, is based on common sense,” remarked Kattan. “But it turns out that reading a map isn't that much of a mystery. I just never knew I could until I had to!” She adds, however, that driving is another world altogether. “It is quite stressful because I am actually trying to learn two things simultaneously: controlling the car, and learning the basic rules of the roads in Quebec,” she explained. “But I'm getting better. My instructor cheered me on my last lesson saying ‘see, now you can stay in your own lane!'” Noura Mansouri studies in London and she claims to have experienced no trouble at all driving in London, although she points out that London's excellent public transport system means that it is “better than having your own car.” “The main difficulty I have faced living abroad, has been the need to become financially responsible and independent,” Mansouri stated. “As well as being strong while facing problems, sometimes you need a shoulder to come back home to cry on, but when you are abroad, you need to face all this alone.” Azza Al-Mehdar also spoke to the Saudi Gazette and related her experience of studying and living abroad. She has lived in the United States for 13 years - where she had three of her children - while her husband was studying. They lived in three different states during their sojourn and she relates that it was something that was almost impossible to adjust to in the beginning but then gradually got easier and easier. “When I look back at those days, I realize how my personality changed and I gained the independence to take my children to school and buy groceries in a supermarket myself,” she explained. “To me, driving wasn't an obstacle since I learned quite easily and had a car to myself to drive anywhere I liked.” Al-Mehdar also enrolled herself in a language center for a-year-and-a-half to learn English and she confesses that though she wasn't fluent in the language, she could get by. One of the issues most students face that takes a more serious dimension is paying through university. Most students go abroad on scholarships or their parents fund them, but more often that not, they end up seeking part time work to pay for extra living expenses. Mowaffig Sami is one such former student, who was pursuing a degree at the University of Central Florida in the United States and spoke to the Saudi Gazette about working part time, despite being funded almost entirely by his family who used to send him a monthly stipend that would pay his bills. “I lived in Orlando and because it was very expensive to live in, I used to work in the Saudi Millennium Village as a representative of Saudi Arabia at the Epcot Center, Disney World,” he remarked, adding that the extra money both helped him and made him independent.
