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Linguist
Joined: 22 Feb 2006
Posts: 202
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ah_yes
Joined: 11 May 2011
Posts: 10
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 Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 12:28 am Post subject: |
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| The title of that article, 'Meet The Saudis' was inappropriate, I read the article and I didn't meet any Saudis, or do we meet them in the continuation. The article should have been titled 'Meet The Expat Moaners'. |
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clyde
Joined: 13 Jul 2005
Posts: 52
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| Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 7:42 am Post subject: |
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| I enjoyed this article because it is quite indicative of my overall experience here. I worked in Korea for 6 years before coming here to Saudi, and it was much harder to exist there. The locals were for the most very rude and unwilling to lower themselves to try whatever English they had. Saudis are very friendly and gracious towards foreigners even though they can no longer negotiate daily life in their own language. To get gas in this country you need some Hindi or Bengali, and to shop you need some English. Many Saudi people have gone out of their way to be helpful. A few weeks ago, after a little car wreck, a nice man stopped and towed my car out of the ditch. He was not able to understand the heartfelt thanks that I gave him, so he just hugged me and drove away with a kindly smile. In Korea people won't even hold an elevator for me. The checkpoints are no big deal, they can even be fun. I pass one everyday on my way to and from work. The security guy shouts "WAYN" at me and I calmly wave my hand in front of his face and say "these are not the droids that you are looking for, move along". We both have a little gigggle and go about our days. Saudi is also the only country in the world that takes family issues seriously. Many of my co-workers have children and they receive free babysitting, education and plane tickets. It really and truly isn't all bad here. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 9:22 am Post subject: |
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| Clyde is right. I received lots of help from complete strangers in my time in KSA. People actually practice what they preach in terms of helping the stranger etc. |
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bulgogiboy
Joined: 23 Feb 2005
Posts: 803
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| Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 8:08 pm Post subject: |
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| scot47 wrote: |
| Clyde is right. I received lots of help from complete strangers in my time in KSA. People actually practice what they preach in terms of helping the stranger etc. |
Maybe for you, as a white, western, English-speaking stranger. They treat most of the service workers and labourers from the Indian subcontinent, and Nepal, Ethiopia, etc as 3rd-class citizens and pretty-much slaves/indentured servants. They don't practice what they preach. Why do you think so many nannies/maids run away from their Saudi employers? Because of the excellent working conditions, kindness and compassion they experience on a daily basis?
A previous poster said Saudis are more polite than Koreans. In some ways this is true, as Saudis generally don't get in your face in public or invade your personal space like many Koreans, especially young Koreans, do. However, Saudis are also, for the most part, supremely arrogant. I lost count of the number of times I would be standing in a queue and one would walk in front of me, expecting to be served first, apparently oblivious to my existence. With Saudis it is always, "ME first! I am SAUDI", in any aspect of day-to-day life in the country. This comes as no surprise, as the whole society is brainwashed into thinking that their austere and, frankly, psychotic interpretation of Islam is the only true path, and anyone else not on this path is destined for hell. You are fundamentally-flawed in their eyes, and you'll never be considered equal to them. Never. You may want to get to know Saudis better, but did it ever occur to you that they don't want to know you??
Saudi is one of the worst countries in the world. The only cool Saudis I've met have been the ones who have left Saudi, and moved abroad, to escape the barbarism and backward thinking which pervades their twisted society.
Last edited by bulgogiboy on Mon May 28, 2012 8:27 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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bulgogiboy
Joined: 23 Feb 2005
Posts: 803
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| Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 8:12 pm Post subject: |
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| clyde wrote: |
| I enjoyed this article because it is quite indicative of my overall experience here. I worked in Korea for 6 years before coming here to Saudi, and it was much harder to exist there. The locals were for the most very rude and unwilling to lower themselves to try whatever English they had. Saudis are very friendly and gracious towards foreigners even though they can no longer negotiate daily life in their own language. To get gas in this country you need some Hindi or Bengali, and to shop you need some English. Many Saudi people have gone out of their way to be helpful. A few weeks ago, after a little car wreck, a nice man stopped and towed my car out of the ditch. He was not able to understand the heartfelt thanks that I gave him, so he just hugged me and drove away with a kindly smile. In Korea people won't even hold an elevator for me. The checkpoints are no big deal, they can even be fun. I pass one everyday on my way to and from work. The security guy shouts "WAYN" at me and I calmly wave my hand in front of his face and say "these are not the droids that you are looking for, move along". We both have a little gigggle and go about our days. Saudi is also the only country in the world that takes family issues seriously. Many of my co-workers have children and they receive free babysitting, education and plane tickets. It really and truly isn't all bad here. |
You mean like if a fully-grown woman is found to have had consensual sex with a man, before marriage, she can face the possibility of being beaten to death with rocks? Yes, I suppose they do take family issues pretty seriously!  |
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PeterParvo
Joined: 18 Dec 2011
Posts: 103
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 12:17 am Post subject: |
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| clyde wrote: |
| Saudi is also the only country in the world that takes family issues seriously... It really and truly isn't all bad here. |
I can't even comment on this one. Is anybody else's jaw on the floor? |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 12:53 am Post subject: |
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The only country? Maybe. But then, there's the Mafia  . They take Family issues very seriously, too.
Regards,
John |
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