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helenl
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Posts: 1202
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 Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 7:41 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks Cleopatra - I have to admit, I was basing my post on a friend's trip from her accomodation to the airport - she wasn't able to get a taxi (for whatever reason) and a male work colleague drove (with her hidden under a blanket in the back seat) her near the airport (he refused to drop her at the door) so that she could get a taxi the rest of the way. Perhaps it had more to do with being alone in a car with an man she wasn't married to? In any event, it was 4 or 5 years ago. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 8:40 am Post subject: |
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| a male work colleague drove (with her hidden under a blanket in the back seat) her near the airport (he refused to drop her at the door) so that she could get a taxi the rest of the way. |
This story sounds odd to me, even by Saudi standards. It is true that unrelated men and women are not supposed to be in a car together, although cars are very rarely checked. But yes, your friend and her colleague would have been taking a small but potentially serious risk by driving somewhere together. However, the blanket thing seems bizarre - even supposing that your friend is so tiny that she could effectively be 'hidden' by a blanket in a car seat. Not to mention the fact that a human form under a blanket would be far more likely to arouse suspicion than the sight of two foreigners driving together - it would simply be assumed that they were married. Also, the road to the airport is a long, busy motorway where it would be very difficult to get a taxi, much less discretely drop off a hitherto blanket-ed woman with all of her luggage.
Plus, leaving an 'unescorted' woman alone at the side of the road with all her bags, desperately seeking a taxi, would be far more likely to get the attention of the police than simply being in a car together. |
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helenl
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Posts: 1202
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| Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 9:03 am Post subject: |
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| OK Thanks - I'll chalk it up to being one of the tall tales that people like to tell. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 12:22 pm Post subject: |
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| It's worth pointing out that not a few Saudi vets like to 'embellish' tales of their time here. They like to make out that life in KSA is akin to something out of one of those Orientalist trash films, when in reality it's mostly a rather dull suburban existence. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 4:06 pm Post subject: |
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| "Dull" ? Or just peaceful ? Except for the attacks by crazed mujahideen of course. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 4:40 pm Post subject: |
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Well, dullness is in the mind of the beholder, I suppose.
But you are right: personally I do not find life here boring, but then a lifestyle which might seem dull to others - reading lots of books, using the internet, planning holidays - is perfectly enjoyable for me. |
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skullydude06
Joined: 04 Feb 2007
Posts: 30
Location: ATLANTA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 7:07 pm Post subject: MishMumkin |
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Skullydude, perhaps you can share some other information that might affect whether or not you can live and work in certain countries. For example, is you wife going to work out of the house? How old are your kids? If your wife isn't working, will she be willing to home school them?
Well my wife and I both plan on teaching. She has a B.A. Journalism and TEfl from University. We both would like to make a double income and send the kids to school. My daughter is 6years and my son is 5years and my other son is 2years old. We would like to apply together in Saudi if possible. |
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moonshine
Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Posts: 60
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| Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 1:27 pm Post subject: Re: MishMumkin |
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| skullydude06 wrote: |
Skullydude, perhaps you can share some other information that might affect whether or not you can live and work in certain countries. For example, is you wife going to work out of the house? How old are your kids? If your wife isn't working, will she be willing to home school them?
Well my wife and I both plan on teaching. She has a B.A. Journalism and TEfl from University. We both would like to make a double income and send the kids to school. My daughter is 6years and my son is 5years and my other son is 2years old. We would like to apply together in Saudi if possible. |
if you've not traveled to the ME before I'd suggest Jordan first. It's pretty foreigner-friendly and definitely family friendly and the women are treated very well there. I haven't taught there but did spend some time there and met some teachers, toured some schools, etc. English is spoken widely and everyone studies it. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 2:29 pm Post subject: |
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I agree that Jordan is very nice, but there are very few jobs there. There are plenty of excellent Jordanian English teachers, so we aren't much needed.  I believe that AMIDEAST may have a branch there, but it wouldn't support a family.
VS |
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