Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

12 October 2024

3-minute read

South African born Yumnah Sarang Qirawan emigrated to Riyadh 3 years ago to take up a teaching position in the capital city of Saudi Arabia. She left her home country along with her husband and young son in order to access opportunities for a better life, specifically with regards to Islam and safety. While it is not easy to migrate to Riyadh due to the high cost of living, with some research a person could find their niche in Riyadh, says Yumnah, although it is certainly much easier if a person attains a job in a professional field.

There are certain challenges with living in Riyadh, a country with a completely different language and climate to that of South Africa. The weather is extremely hot and Arabic is the spoken language, a language that one will have to learn if one moves to the country, as English is rarely spoken in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The difference with regard to cuisine is the lack of spiciness in Arab food, but there are a variety of dishes a person can become accustomed to.

Performing umrah from Riyadh is accessible and definitely easier than going from South Africa, although it is quite expensive, especially around holiday periods. It takes approximately 8 hours by road to reach Makkah, passing through desert, and Yumnah says it is an amazing experience and nothing like she’s ever experienced when travelling from South Africa. If one doesn’t want to go by road, there is the option of flying to Jeddah and taking the train to either Makkah or Madinah.

Bringing up children in the Kingdom is also a challenge as the schooling system in Riyadh is very different to that of South Africa. Schools teach in the Arabic medium and are not geared towards teaching through play. Riyadh follows the American and British curriculum. As far as teaching goes, Yumnah says that, “whatever you’ve learnt is South Africa, leave it in South Africa,” as whatever you’ve learnt in terms of education will have to be relearnt. The teaching is much more intensive in Riyadh and the laws and rights of students over teachers is very different to that of South Africa. Teachers coming in to Riyadh would also have to be much nicer to their students than they would back home.

Yumnah feels that the only reason she would consider moving back to South Africa is for family. However, she says that returning home will be a huge transition as they have already acclimatized to life in Riyadh, a city which she loves.

Listen to the full interview on the Weekend Breakfast Program with Ml Muhammad Kara and Ml Ibrahim Daya.