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cmp45
Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 1475
Location: KSA
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 Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 2:14 pm Post subject: |
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| johnslat wrote: |
Dear cmp45,
You seem unusually contentious - I mentioned that current events could affect how Westerners are treated in Saudi, but you (more or less) denied it.
I gave you a couple of examples from my personal experience, but you made it sound as though I was saying that "life is terrible there."
Hey, I was there for nineteen years - if I thought life was "terrible" there, then I must be the world's biggest masochist.
I think, though, that you weren't being realistic when you wrote this:
"I am not so sure that any negative current events directly translated into any real open hostilities on the street against westerners." Regards,
John |
Yes you are right. I retract that statement.
If it seemed like I was down playing your experience or trivializing it in anyway, I openly apologize. that was not my intent. I was merely trying to impress upon the newbies that when times are distressing due to political situations more often than not the situation may not be as out of control as one may think it to be, things tend to get magnified in our minds due to the media attention way more than what is the reality on the street. Yes during these horrific events, it's best to use your common sense. Not be in denial, but also not to freak out either.
I know when one has become the target of another's negative stupidity or rage, it is a horrible feeling, all the more so in a foreign country where one is singled out because of being a minority and /or due to the actions of a person's home country government. So yes, this may not make one feel secure in a foreign country and if things begin to escalate and spiral out of control where violence breaks out on the streets....then it very well mean it's time for an exit plan. However, Saudi Arabia has maintained order and civility, while all around it; violence and mayhem. I can understand how someone faraway might think the whole Gulf region is at war due to the media.
So far life is quite"normal" and peaceful in KSA compared to some of the countries around it...but as the saying goes...knock on wood!
People that feel frightened or feel they can not handle uncertainty in the region, should just stay away. |
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cmp45
Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 1475
Location: KSA
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| Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 6:15 pm Post subject: |
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Posh...I still stand by what I say even if it seems odd to you...or you like to bend and twist what I say...for those that have a level head about the overall political situation within the region there are those ME countries that are still safe and less problematic in terms of adjusting to ME life; far less strict in terms of lifestyle than KSA. Especially for those that are new to the Middle East, I would not recommend KSA as a first experience into the region.
I see you deleted your snide comment...hmmm ? |
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JerkyBoy
Joined: 12 Jan 2012
Posts: 485
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| Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 8:42 pm Post subject: |
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| cmp45 wrote: |
| Especially for those that are new to the Middle East, I would not recommend KSA as a first experience into the region. |
I've been in Cairo - does that qualify me? |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 8:55 pm Post subject: |
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Dear JerkyBoy,
No, but Detroit, MI or St. Louis, MO would  .
Regards,
John |
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JerkyBoy
Joined: 12 Jan 2012
Posts: 485
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| Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 9:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Well, I was born in Banbury - Gary Glitter's hometown - so I'm not phased by anything. |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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JerkyBoy
Joined: 12 Jan 2012
Posts: 485
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| Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 9:31 pm Post subject: |
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Spelling 's not my forte.  |
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strangerthanparadise
Joined: 12 Aug 2011
Posts: 35
Location: uk
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| Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 1:43 am Post subject: |
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| so, what is your forte, jerkyboy? so far you have babbled a lot and said nothing... |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 3:12 am Post subject: |
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Dear strangerthanparadise,
I suspect ay least one of his fortes is trying to prepare for the unknown, which, while admirable, is, I'd say, doomed since the unknown in this case (Saudi) is also the unknowable.
Regards,
John |
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JerkyBoy
Joined: 12 Jan 2012
Posts: 485
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| Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 2:15 pm Post subject: |
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| I am expecting my fair share of culture shock. |
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JerkyBoy
Joined: 12 Jan 2012
Posts: 485
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| Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 2:15 pm Post subject: |
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| strangerthanparadise wrote: |
| so, what is your forte, jerkyboy? so far you have babbled a lot and said nothing... |
Why teaching of course  |
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bulgogiboy
Joined: 23 Feb 2005
Posts: 803
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| Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Sheikennotstirred wrote: |
I don't find life terrible here at all. But then I am single, white, and male, all advantages, and I have my own car. I get paid on time, not top end of the pay scale by Saudi standards but it's enough not to have to worry about money at all while I am here. I eat out all the time, get away to Bahrain, Qatar or the UAE when I need a break, I take 2-3 good vacations (Asia and Europe mostly) a year, and still save a sizeable portion, more than friends back in the States who, on paper, "earn" twice as much as I do.
Then again, I don't have major family ties back home, and I have a job that works us reasonable hours (15-20 contact hours a week max, often less, good breaks) and an employer who pays us on time and (by the standards of the region) doesn't take us for a ride. Take any of these out of the equation and life could be very different. |
The people with the real advantage in Saudi are male, rich and Saudi (doesn't matter if they are married or single). They're the ones who can spend their weekends in western Europe, away from the nightmarish oppression of KSA, drinking vintage wine and enjoying the fleeting pleasures of libertarian sin. 
Seriously, life in Saudi is to be tolerated, at best, rather than enjoyed. If you can tolerate living in Saudi for a year, good on you. |
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bulgogiboy
Joined: 23 Feb 2005
Posts: 803
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| Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 6:48 pm Post subject: |
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| JerkyBoy wrote: |
| You come here at your own peril. If you wish to be spat at in the street and pelted with stones, be my guest. |
In defence of the Saudis: The area I was in (south-western KSA) saw no hostility whatsover from the locals towards me or my 50+ colleagues. In many ways I liked the Saudis' attitude towards whiteys a lot more than the Koreans. Nobody got in my face, irritating me by trying to practice their English, nobody stared at me like guppyfish at feeding time, and nobody shouted "how are you?" in a mocking tone, to show off to their friends. People gave you your own space and hardly even batted an eyelid when you walked past. This was in an area with a limited number of whiteys, as well.
I've actually heard of Jerkyboy's 'experience' happening in Jubail, from other teachers, but never experienced it myself. |
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cmp45
Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 1475
Location: KSA
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| Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 1:58 am Post subject: |
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| bulgogiboy wrote: |
| Sheikennotstirred wrote: |
I don't find life terrible here at all. But then I am single, white, and male, all advantages, and I have my own car. I get paid on time, not top end of the pay scale by Saudi standards but it's enough not to have to worry about money at all while I am here. I eat out all the time, get away to Bahrain, Qatar or the UAE when I need a break, I take 2-3 good vacations (Asia and Europe mostly) a year, and still save a sizeable portion, more than friends back in the States who, on paper, "earn" twice as much as I do.
Then again, I don't have major family ties back home, and I have a job that works us reasonable hours (15-20 contact hours a week max, often less, good breaks) and an employer who pays us on time and (by the standards of the region) doesn't take us for a ride. Take any of these out of the equation and life could be very different. |
The people with the real advantage in Saudi are male, rich and Saudi (doesn't matter if they are married or single). They're the ones who can spend their weekends in western Europe, away from the nightmarish oppression of KSA, drinking vintage wine and enjoying the fleeting pleasures of libertarian sin.
Seriously, life in Saudi is to be tolerated, at best, rather than enjoyed. If you can tolerate living in Saudi for a year, good on you. |
...and the middle class Saudis escape to Bahrain or UAE  |
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posh
Joined: 22 Oct 2010
Posts: 430
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| Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:40 am Post subject: |
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| cmp45 wrote: |
| I see you deleted your snide comment...hmmm ? |
In what way is 'LOL" a snide comment?
I've no idea why it was deleted but it wasn't by me. |
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