Saudi Arabia

Yesterday, I took an online English lesson after work as usual, and the teacher, who is from Saudi Arabia, told me about his country including famous food, his hometown, and religion. He sent me several photos, and the cities in Saudi Arabia were more advanced than I expected; there were a lot of skyscrapers with spectacular views. All the food looked scrumptious; kabsa is a rice dish with chicken, a blend of spices, and berries on top. Deserts like pistachio cakes or date cookies looked also finger-licking good. His explanation really made me want to visit Saudi Arabia. But at the same time, some worries about safety popped up, and I asked, ‘The country next to Saudi Arabia is Iraq, right? so don’t you feel scared about that? Because, I’m not very familiar with Iraq, but there have been wars in Iraq,  and that might spill over into your country like bomb attacks from the sky.’ His answer made me feel relieved; Saudi Arabia is the safest country with strict security measures, and the number of tourists visiting every year is high.

He also told me about religious practices like cloths or prohibited actions; smoking and drinking alcohol are illegal. I was curious about what will happen if someone drinks alcohol in public. He explained that on the second offense, they have to pay a fine and end up in jail. I was like, 'Oh, jail… coz it's illegal, isn't it.' Anyway, it's always interesting to learn cultural differences.

Btw,  during the last 30 seconds, he told me, 'your English is much better than a student I spoke with in a previous lesson, who currently lives in Australia!' It made me so happy!

Have a wonderful day.

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The word 'war' unexpectedly appeared in today's journal.
Today, August 6th, marks the day atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. It's a solemn reminder, and I pray for peace.

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[ New Words ]
・on second offence
・religious practices
・spill over into~ : something in one area or situation has an effect on another area or situation.