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Culture and conversation question

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I knew a Saudi man studying here in the US, and I recently found out he took his life. I wonder if my husband and I could have done more for him, but although I could see he needed friends, we were just so confused about how we were supposed relate to him. Maybe people here can help me understand how much of this was just due to his own personality, and how much was part of Saudi culture? I feel like I failed him.

He was very emotional. He was very happy or very sad but always “very”. He would say things like “you are my dearest friend” when we barely knew each other. He was a very sweet person, but when he talked, he would go on and on, sometimes very upset, but never asked how we were doing- it was never a balanced conversation with the back and forth rhythm I was used to. So I wasn’t sure how to respond. He didn’t seem to want suggestions about possible solutions, or to bond over similar difficult experiences. Finally we would just sit and listen and nod, but felt that we were missing something, culturally. That there was something else we were expected to do, but we had no idea what. Thanks for your help trying to understand what happened! -Alice

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