Job Discussion Forums

fledex · Joined: 05 Jun 2011 Posts: 342

Well said readytotravel. I remember using nearly the exact same words to a colleague in a meeting with our Dean once. If he wasn't ready to live in a society where they behead people for blasphemy, then he should leave. That's why after the adventure of experiencing the dark ages wore off I left, as has bugogliboy. Of course, Scot's admonition to choose your masters with care rings forever true, right bugogliboy?

johnslat · Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 6:15 pm Post subject:

Dear readytotravel,

"I don't think Saudis live in the dark ages."

I agree - I'd say it's more the Middle Ages nowadays, the Middle Ages with computers and smart phones.

But that - to me, anyway - is part of the charm. I really, really, really was NOT being sarcastic in my post about "time travel."

Regards,
John

bulgogiboy · Joined: 23 Feb 2005 Posts: 803

readytotravel · Joined: 16 Nov 2008 Posts: 77

Well, I can cheerfully agree to disagree about the Saudis living in the Dark Ages. It's all relative I suppose. My last job was in Afghanistan. It's interesting to note that those who had or are having a negative experience in KSA exude a sense of smug superiority in this forum, as if to imply there's something amiss with those of us who rather enjoy it here. I get the same sense from some of my disgruntled colleagues, but perhaps I am reading them wrong.

cmp45 · Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 1475 Location: KSA

KSA would certainly be more enjoyable, if there weren't so many restrictions. However, if KSA emulated the west with no restrictions, then the salaries would probably be less than they are now and competition for jobs more fierce. Laughing

There will always be pros and cons to every situation, job, country. A person's ability to focus less on the negatives and more on the positives can help make one's stay in KSA more tolerable. Is your cup half full or half empty? Find some way to make your stay enjoyable. If you believe the country and / or job is so terrible then the simple solution is to just leave. Life is too short to waste your time in a place you are not happy in. I try to avoid the miserable complainers as they just bring me down! Yes, there is plenty to complain about, but at what cost to one's mental health? Complaining tends to become habitual over time. Isn't it better to try and focus on the positive things that bring some joy? If you can't find anything joyful about your stay in KSA then get the frack out!

johnslat · Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2012 1:03 pm Post subject:

Dear readytotravel,

I spent 19 years in Saudi. Liked my job, liked the students, liked (with only a few exceptions) my employers, likes the opportunity to save money and also to travel so cheaply on holidays, and liked, generally speaking, the Saudi people.

I'm still in contact with some Saudis I became friends with during my time there.

I didn't like the "restrictions" on women, I didn't like the way most TCNs were usually treated, I didn't like living in a theocracy.

But even all the things I didn't like were beneficial - they gave me a much better appreciation of how, my country, for all its faults, is, relatively speaking, a very nice place to live.

So, for me, it was "all good." Very Happy

Regards,
John

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

For me, it was 17 years with 4 different employers. Generally speaking it was good. Best job was the last !

fledex · Joined: 05 Jun 2011 Posts: 342

redcard23 · Joined: 15 Feb 2013 Posts: 9

I really like the objective positive theme of this thread, thanks OP.

abayababy · Joined: 26 Dec 2012 Posts: 109

johnslat · Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 7:24 pm Post subject:

Dear abayababym

The times admittedly are a-changing, albeit rather slowly, But I saw ladies beaten by the muttawas and men beaten for not being in a mosque at prayer time in the 80s and 90s in Riyadh. And this happened back in 2002.

"Saudi Arabia's religious police stopped schoolgirls from leaving a blazing building because they were not wearing correct Islamic dress, according to Saudi newspapers.
In a rare criticism of the kingdom's powerful "mutaween" police, the Saudi media has accused them of hindering attempts to save 15 girls who died in the fire on Monday.

About 800 pupils were inside the school in the holy city of Mecca when the tragedy occurred."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/1874471.stm

Regards,
John

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Thinking of education in KSA we should remember King Faisal who introduced girls education against the wishes of the Pious Ones. For tha, and agreeing to the introduction of televison he was assassinated.

fledex · Joined: 05 Jun 2011 Posts: 342

I remember an American teacher being detained for prostitution at the Riyadh airport a couple years ago for having to wait at the airport for her employer to pick her up. The prostitution allegation was based on her not wearing proper attire for Saudi and sitting down in a restaurant (without a women's section) at the airport while she tried to call for her ride. Luckily, she wasn't whipped, I guess. While Jareer can sell approved books, it wasn't that long ago that this very forum was blocked in Saudi. It's true that women are given a chance for public education in KSA, which they didn't have under Taliban rule in Afghanistan; but, Saudi also has a GNP that allows for separate male and female public education.

abayababy · Joined: 26 Dec 2012 Posts: 109

I am not a Saudi apologist, but standing by my statement that equating Saudi today with the Taliban era is not accurate. Not even close.

fledex · Joined: 05 Jun 2011 Posts: 342