JEDDAH: As the National Day of Saudi Arabia approaches, the people of the Kingdom gear up in green to celebrate it. As excited as Saudi nationals are, expats living in the country also play their part in celebrating National Day. Arab News made contact with some expats in Saudi Arabia to hear an outsider’s view on the transforming country. A 66-year-old Yemeni expat living here for half a century, Salman has seen changes occur in front of his very eyes, “All the changes are moving toward a better Kingdom, for the perfect effect we will need to wait 10 or 15 more years.” He added: “Saudi Arabia is a country rich in resources. All its resources mixed with modern methods can really take the country somewhere.” Sarmad Hassan from Pakistan, who has lived in the Kingdom for 9 years, says, “The major changes that had a positive impact were cinemas opening and women driving, as these are things the community has been waiting for a long time. “I had expected the changes for some time now because they were required to make a better country in the long run. “Change is always good, it is usually hard to accept changes when they first happen but with time everything will get back to normal. To carry out the KSA’s ambitious welfare and development projects, changes which would add value to the economy are required.” Amin-Al-Mrstani, a Syrian expat living in Saudi Arabia for 33 years, commented: “I never thought that the changes would happen, but they did happen and most of them are good. “The further changes that I would like are to stop the shops closing during prayer time and better maintenance of the main roads and cities, which needs more attention.” Other than that, I personally enjoy the music events, cinemas and ladies driving the most.” Salman Latif, a Pakistani for whom Saudi Arabia is a second home and who was born and brought up in the kingdom, commented: “I never really thought Saudi Arabia would become this flexible and change so much in favor of women. Personally, I am looking forward to more events here.” Willy de Guzman, 65, from Philippines, says: “I have been here for 27 years, I hope the economy becomes better. In my opinion if that problem is tackled the Saudis have the best security so better things can be expected from the future of Saudi economy.” In conclusion, it is safe to say that the expats living in Saudi Arabia are keen to see where the current unfolding of events is going to lead and are rooting for the best for the nation and themselves.