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caliph
Joined: 05 Jun 2006
Posts: 218
Location: Iceland
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 Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 10:00 pm Post subject: |
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These activities took place in the early 80s, pre-Saudi-ization. Don't know how it is now.
Part of the reason things were so wild was that English teachers were just a very small part of the organizations I worked for. Most were aircraft oriented technicians (retired military) and were use to a wilder lifestyle than ESLers. You know, class B wives, fistfights regularly, wives fighting over unpaid gambling debts, forklifting your car onto the roof, etc.
Last time I was there was '93, worked for the PCA, had good times then too. Post Gulf War I, there was plenty of military surplus pork available everywhere. |
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Bebsi
Joined: 07 Feb 2005
Posts: 958
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 10:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Post Gulf War I, there was plenty of military surplus pork available everywhere. |
Why is it that so many posters in this forum measure the tolerability of Saudi Arabia only in terms of the availablility of pork and booze? There is more to life than those commodities, IMO. 
That being said, a helluva lot later than 93, I was partying on down, boogeying on up and shaking it all out in KSA. Was never into the drugs scene, but booze and girls, no probs!!
Jeez caliph, did you know something I didn't? I'm almost feeling envious here 
There are indeed a number of unpleasant aspects to Saudi, but the most horrible one of all is the expats who moan constantly about the place, but still remain "in hell" for twenty years plus.
"Ee, lad, I've been 'ere twenty seven years and I've made me millions, but Ah'd advise ye to get out of Saudi Arabia as soon as possible, tis nowt but a shithole, lad, no-one in their right mind ud stay here. I'm plannin' on bein' 'ere til ah'm ninety seven, mesel."
This was pretty much the lecture I got from one gentleman in Dhahran (not untypical by any means), telling me what a waste of my life it would be to stay there another single second.
Yeah, sure, OK.... |
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caliph
Joined: 05 Jun 2006
Posts: 218
Location: Iceland
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 10:56 pm Post subject: |
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Pork and booze are attractive becuase they are the forbidden fruit that you "can't have".
That's all. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2006 4:50 am Post subject: |
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My pet hate is the coterie of colleagues whose main topic at the dinner table is the exchange rate.
Or the shifting alliances as they discuss which group of 3 will get the free limo from Gulf Air. (This airline will provide free ground transportation to the airport if 3 PX are on the same flight.This represents a saving of a week's expenditure for some of the 300 Club.) |
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Van Norden
Joined: 23 Oct 2004
Posts: 409
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| Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 4:46 pm Post subject: |
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I didn't know Gulf Air offered this. I suppose you've gotta live in the east??
It's better for gays in Saudi. Imagine if they substituted the ban on mixed-sex congregation with an equally idiotic ban on same-sex congregation! Saudi would become a nicer place for straights and a worse place for gays. Nothing sinister or prurient or salacious or homophobic intended here (if that's the complaint.) |
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Queen of Sheba
Joined: 07 May 2006
Posts: 397
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| Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 5:30 pm Post subject: |
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| That maybe the case. I just see that the sexual preference in KSA referred to a lot on this forum, by other users as well, and I can't grasp what the big deal is. There are gay people and straight people everywhere in the world and it only affects their lifestyle, not anyone else's - so to each his or her own. |
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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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| Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 7:59 am Post subject: |
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More exclusive than the 500 club? |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 6:46 pm Post subject: |
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Only a few qualify for the 300 Club. They are the happy few who live on 300 Saudi Riyals a month or 10 Riyals a day. Not easy. In comparison, living on 500 Saudi Riyals a month is easy.
They must consider me a profligate for spending 2000 in a month. And I consider that I live frugally ! |
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blindjackdog
Joined: 04 Feb 2004
Posts: 17
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| Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 9:25 am Post subject: |
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| Public beheadings? Truly? God, that sounds fantastic. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 10:15 am Post subject: |
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| Public executions are free of course. You don't get that in Kansas any more ! |
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Queen of Sheba
Joined: 07 May 2006
Posts: 397
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| Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 9:05 pm Post subject: |
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| scot47 wrote: |
Only a few qualify for the 300 Club. They are the happy few who live on 300 Saudi Riyals a month or 10 Riyals a day. Not easy. In comparison, living on 500 Saudi Riyals a month is easy.
They must consider me a profligate for spending 2000 in a month. And I consider that I live frugally ! |
How is that possible and even if it is, isnt that a really bad way to live your life in KSA...an already harsh environment to survive in? |
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The_Prodiigy
Joined: 01 Apr 2006
Posts: 252
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| Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 4:56 am Post subject: |
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Bebsi said
There are indeed a number of unpleasant aspects to Saudi, but the most horrible one of all is the expats who moan constantly about the place, but still remain "in hell" for twenty years plus.
There are better places than Saudi to work in TEFL.
Beer, freedoms one takes for granted elsewhere and cinemas but a few disparate examples.
Working in The Desert, you encounter large numbers of good people dismayed with their lot (whatever their original motivations might have been), which becomes stiffling.
People happily assimilated into living in KSA are far in the minority. |
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The_Prodiigy
Joined: 01 Apr 2006
Posts: 252
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| Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 5:02 am Post subject: |
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| blindjackdog wrote: |
| Public beheadings? Truly? God, that sounds fantastic. |
Officially : Ministry of Justice Plateau for Public Chastisement.
Riyadh expat vernacular, "Chop-Chop Square". |
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Queen of Sheba
Joined: 07 May 2006
Posts: 397
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| Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:35 pm Post subject: |
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| The_Prodiigy wrote: |
Bebsi said
There are indeed a number of unpleasant aspects to Saudi, but the most horrible one of all is the expats who moan constantly about the place, but still remain "in hell" for twenty years plus.
There are better places than Saudi to work in TEFL.
Beer, freedoms one takes for granted elsewhere and cinemas but a few disparate examples.
Working in The Desert, you encounter large numbers of good people dismayed with their lot (whatever their original motivations might have been), which becomes stiffling.
People happily assimilated into living in KSA are far in the minority. |
Ah, the whiner without a cause. What is wrong with you? You are not even in Saudi and have admitted to as much, yet you still revel in complaining. So why not go and drink that beer, go to a movie and do all those things you always impress in this forum that we cant do in Saudi, instead of harassing us?
I know you have nothing logical to say and thus you won�t respond. We will just expect more irrational and out of place comments about Saudi saying things people already know and have read in your posts over and over again. |
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Van Norden
Joined: 23 Oct 2004
Posts: 409
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| Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 4:19 pm Post subject: |
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| You really want the prodster to go away QOS? Surely the more voices here the better. |
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