Ask the Expat in Saudi Arabia

[Paul in Saudi]

The funny thing is, I do not think my life is all that interesting. I retired from the US Army and bounced around a bit, sold cars, worked for GE, I really did not like being a civilian.

But I do like to teach. So almost 18 years ago I was looking for an "Instructor" position in the classified ads (remember those?) and the next entry was "International." I was in Saudi Arabia teaching English to basic-training sailors in two weeks.

I was not exactly sure what a noun was. I learned on the the job. Now I am a grammar god. My spelling and handwriting has improved too. I have save a lot of money, I got married again this time to my childhood sweetheart, and bought a house in Philly.

But to other people, my life seems pretty odd. Maybe even adventurous. My brother calls me the black sheep of the family. I suppose he may be right.

So, fire away. Remember the time zone difference. It is 17.00 here. I will answer for the next few hours and again tomorrow.

 

[Aleksey_aka_al]

How many tourists from Christian countries are there? Women among them? Are there any restrictions or recommendations on how such tourists should behave or what to wear?

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

How's the food?

 

[Agent327]

Expat from what country?

 

[really]

Do you strive to consume locally produced goods? (food, goods or whatever)
Are there any home comforts you couldn't do without?

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Expat from what country?

I retired from the US Army and bounced around a bit, sold cars, worked for GE,

I got married again this time to my childhood sweetheart, and bought a house in Philly.

Paints a clear picture, I think.

 

[Paul in Saudi]

Well, let's see.

There is no tourism in Saudi Arabia except the annual Pilgrimage. The Kingdom requires an entry and an exit visa, just like the Soviets did. It is tough to get in, tough to get out and there is nothing much for a tourist to see.

I live on a Western compound. I just came from dinner. The choices in the dining room this evening were roast turkey, pepper steak or crunchy fish. I had the pepper steak with potatoes and a fruit salad. We cannot cook in our cabins (shipping containers) due tot he fire danger.

Later there will be a second dinner for the Muslim amongst us, it is Ramadan after all.

As I said I am a boring person. I have no real interest in Saudi culture, buildings, language or food. I do go to the occasional wedding and do the traditional "goat grab." But having done it a dozen times, I am more likely to go to McDonald's if I am on the road at dinner time. I call in Pizza Hut once a week.

I bought a slew of Persian carpets a dozen years ago. But really there are no local products. Besides one day I will get on the plane come home with two suitcases, just as I arrived. It is sort of liberating.

Products I bring from the US? Nyquil and Old Bay Seasoning for seafood, that is about it. I do miss large American tomatoes and sweet corn in the summer.

 

[amadeus]

How much drinking is done on the compounds?

Are there foreign food stores? If so, how's the selection? I can find most American foods here in Japan save for fresh deli meats.

Wish I could get a decent kebab in this city, though! The one stall that has them in the game/anime district only has chicken which I think is made out of leather and recycled razor blades.

 

[warpus]

What sort of access do you have to bacon?

 

[Paul in Saudi]

I do not drink. When I was younger I would have a little wine. There is a liter of red someone made and gave me as a gift in the fridge. It has been there for years. Alcohol is illegal, but people are clever.

We have a Safeway here with most Western things. They have holiday Hershey kisses out for Ramadan. That is to say they have Christmas candy out for Ramadan. We cannot get all those manufactured bakery products, Twinkles and so on here. I miss them sometimes.

When I go home, I usually have a list of things to buy (clothes, shoes) and of things to eat (pork generally and breakfast at a diner).

No pork at all. No bacon.

 

[Gucumatz]

I have heard similar stories of Americans who decided one day to teach English and doing well in relatively growing/affluent nations like China before. How did you decide you wanted to teach English - especially considering you weren't even sure what a noun was before?

Did you stay with that position for a long time? Were your students arduous learners and did they ever question your credentials as an English teacher? I find the idea fascinating personally. How is the weather - I assume dry and hot pretty much every day, but what about when it rains - how is the reaction to that kind of weather where you live?

 

[Paul in Saudi]

Well years ago, you could get a starter job in Saudi with no credentials at all. I learned by doing, and I got pretty good at it. Years later I got my CELTA, which is required for this job, a real capstone position for my career.

I did five years in Dammam. Then I did eight years in Jeddah. I spent a year in Qatar with Qatar Petroleum. Now I am in my sixth year here in Dammam again. As you get older, the years accelerate.

We mostly have good weather. Summer is harsh and lasts about three months. The rest of the year is mild. We have a modest rainy season in the winter most years. Our street do not have drains and so the sewage trucks are drafted in to such the water off the streets. They dump it in the sea, which seems shameful.

When it rains, we often walk outside to enjoy it. I never go driving because that is what the Saudis do, and the roads are very dangerous.

(Of course the roads are always dangerous.)

 

[Lillefix]

What can the West learn from the Saudis?
What is better in Saudi Arabia than back home(Or is it just the salary that keep you there?)? I've heard that the Arabs know a thing or two about coffee for example.

 

[Paul in Saudi]

No, the Saudi take boiled green coffee. Gruesome stuff.

Saudis have strong families, although the restrictions on marriage are heartbreaking to see. They are more relaxed than Americans. (Of course most people seem more relaxed than Americans.) They take life slow and easy. Americans seem so fast to me now.

They would never think of moving to another city for work. They generally want to live as their fathers lived. Maybe that is good, maybe it is bad, perhaps it is a bit of both.

 

[warpus]

No pork at all. No bacon.

Dear.. god...

Would it be illegal to mail you a pork care package? You must be in pain.

 

[Paul in Saudi]

The Saudis do have world-class breakfasts. Warm flatbread rushed from the bakery served with olive oil, refried beans and other good stuff. Bring your own coffee however.

Bread is very cheap here, I suspect it is subsidized.

Not to worry, I can manage without pork very well. The dining room offers hot dogs for breakfast. Oh the humanity!

 

[amadeus]

http://saudiscenes.blogspot.jp/2011/09/tamimi-safeway.html

Wow! The foreign import shops here are really no bigger than your average gas station/7-Eleven back in the U.S.

 

[NovaKart]

I have a similar job in Iraqi Kurdistan. One thing that I would worry about working in the gulf is that the students would be really rich and entitled. Is it like that or does teaching sailors and professionals make it different from say, university students?

Do people there tend to know a lot about other countries? In Kurdistan lots of people were refugees so they do but I wondered if Saudi was more insulated. I know they do have lots of foreign workers. I heard they even have Kenny Rogers there.

 

[NovaKart]

Dear.. god...

Would it be illegal to mail you a pork care package? You must be in pain.

I honestly don't miss pork either. I like it but there are so many other things I could eat.

 

[Paul in Saudi]

Ho no! We have huge stores. We have CarreFlour, the French supermarket. I think the Hyper Panda is local. (Just like a regular panda, but much faster.) We have the Giant electronics store. All that stuff.

My students know nothing of the non-Islamic world. I used to live in Panama. None of them in all these years ever heard of it.

Saudis are not rich. The GDP here is about the same as Greece and the distribution is skewed all to hell. There are beggars here, lots of old cars, plenty of crappy concrete houses. If you want rich, go to Qatar. My students there were making more money than me!