As promised, I am asking to international travellers and people living and working in a foreign country to share their life stories with me to know why they decided to leave families and friends behind to explore new realities and meet new cultures!

Are you curious about how they managed to adapt and settle in their new countries? Then follow my expat interviews categorised by country! Are you an expat wanting to share your tips and experience with the rest of the world and be a source of inspiration? Then fill in the expat interview form: I would love to hearing from you!

Travelling—it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” Iba Battuta

Let’s meet Sheryll: a nurse in Saudi Arabia

Introduce yourself briefly. Tell us who you are!

Hi, I’m Sheryll from Philippines. I’m 36 years old and currently living in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia for 13 years already. I love travelling, cooking, listening to music, doing creative stuffs and helping people. I  love history and nature. I enjoy travelling and knowing different cultures and I hope to travel again after this pandemic.

Why did you move to your current country?

I moved to Saudi Arabia because I was looking for better opportunities as a nurse. Back in my country, the salary of a nurse is not paid well considering the amount of workload that we have. Also, that time, I was the bread winner of my family back then. So I had to work basically for my family as happens in any other Asian country.

What do you do for a living? How was the job hunting?

I came here in Saudi Arabia 13 years ago through an agency that hires nurses to work in the hospitals. The process from the Philippines was quite easy, since there was a big scarcity of nurses here that time and the agency was handling it.

How is the social life in your city, is it easy to make friends?

I was very young and single at the time I came here. The activities for women were really limited because as you probably know that KSA before was a bit strict about women policies.  So the first 2 months I started making friends at work with my colleagues and a group of friends I met at the airport during my flight coming to Saudi Arabia.

Then, I got introduced to a group of westerners that were also working here and so that’s how I knew the expat community here. It was great! It wasn’t easy to make friends with people of the opposite sex in public because it wasn’t allowed. Although there are places where you can meet new acquaintances like the embassy parties, invitations from friends on private occasions etc.

Why should people move there? Why did you fall in love with this place?

It’s a good place to live. There are no taxes, the cost of living is still low. The country has started to open up. The policy regarding women has changed a lot. Women started to drive since last year. I started to fall in love with this place because I feel more relaxed in all terms. I was able to meet people from different backgrounds. I was able to meet my husband here and build our family. Now I have two lovely daughters and they were both born here in KSA.

What do you want to say to people looking to move there?

If you plan to move here, you should first check the package of the company that will hire you especially regards to the accommodation. 

How is the health system? Is it a safe place to live in?

The health care system here is okay. You can get first class treatment if you have a good insurance, so be sure to have one!

How is the general cost of living, what is the average rent?

The cost of living is still low although it has increased a bit since the country is culturally opening up. The rent of a house depends on where you want to live. If you get a package with your employer which pays for your accommodation, then you can get a nicer place. I am currently living in a compound paid by the company of my husband. A decent private house in the city centre ranges from 20,000 – 40,000 Sar a year. But if you live in a compound, normally it ranges from 70,000-200,000 Sar a year. Here toy can find useful websites that you can use to look for a flat: www.expatriates.com or www.rightcompound.com.

As for transports, Uber and Careem are very popular and normal taxis too which are still cheap due to the low petrol price. Concerning food, it obviously depends on your weekly consumption. In my case, we are a family of 4, and we normally spend 700 Sar per week.

Tell us something you don’t like about where you live and the difficulties you came across when settling in.

At first, when behavioural and cultural policies were stricter especially for women, I was more concerned about my safety as a woman. But now, things are getting better.

What do you want to say to people looking to move there?

If you plan to move here, you should first check the package of the company that will hire you especially regards to the accommodation. 

How is the health system? Is it a safe place to live in?

The health care system here is okay. You can get first class treatment if you have a good insurance, so be sure to have one!

How is the general cost of living, what is the average rent?

The cost of living is still low although it has increased a bit since the country is opening up. The rent of a house depends on where you want to live. If you get a package with your employer which pays for your accommodation, then you can get a nicer place. I am currently living in a compound paid by the company of my husband.

Normally, If you want a decent private house in the city centre, it ranges from 20,000 – 40,000 Sar a year. But if you live in a compound, normally it ranges from 70,000-200,000 Sar a year. Here there are useful websites that you can use to look for a flat: www.expatriates.com or www.rightcompound.com.

As for transports, Uber and Careem are very popular and normal taxis too which are still cheap due to the low petrol price.

Food, depends on your weekly consumption. In my case, we are a family of 4, and we normally spend 700 Sar per week.

Tell us something you don’t like about where you live and the difficulties you came across when settling in.

At first, when policies were stricter especially for women, I was more concerned about my safety. But now, things are getting better.

Tell me an unmissable thing to do in your city over a weekend

You shouldn’t miss to visit the Edge of the World and Diriyah Cultural Heritage.  If you love nature and history, you’ll find it very interesting. Make sure you visit Al Ula, the Saudi Arabia’s version of Petra!

Did you find Sheryll’s experience useful? Then check out the other upcoming expat interviews in other cities!