Job Discussion Forums

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

The workshop was interesting, not so much for the content, but the for the characters on display who attended. After teaching in Taiwan and Korea for the last few years, and always being reminded that I am an "old teacher' and lucky to be there, it was curious to come to a country ,where many/most of the teachers appeared to be in their mid 50's to early 60's.

It will be interesting to see how this group of mavericks get along, when the real classroom training starts next week.

Bad scratches on my back from the wild cats I habitually feed at night on the compound, required medical attention at the clinic and the Government Hospital.

In the end a course of antibiotics for one week and check ups from the nurses at the clinic were sufficient to control the potential problem. Rabies treatment was not recommended, as the disease is not endemic in this area.

However, one should be careful with the cats here.

There may be some waiting time, but with a book and newspaper, it is not a major problem.

Ghost

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

Do a search for rabies on google, and you will get divergent opinions. There can be side effects, and you should know your medical history including hematology profile.

Many teachers at this school and others have the option of getting private health insurance, but if you are in general good health, the coverage is pretty good with the general coverage.

But the decision of the Government hospital overrides the recommendation of the clinic doctor, and that is not a problem, as the Government Hospital has more resources to look at the full picture. The Government doctor even gave me his cell phone number which was very helpful.

Ghost

Cleopatra · Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 8:44 am Post subject:

So a teacher newly arrived in Saudi Arabia - during Ramadhan - experiences a few minor problems?

Big deal. Get over it.

BTW, I have had quite a bit of experience with the healthcare system in KSA, not just one visit to a hospital for cat scratches. I have generally found them to be reasonably efficient and competent.

007

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

How on god's green earth did you manage to get scratches to your back?

I occasionally feed the stray cats round my building, but have never been scratched; makes me wonder what you were doing when they scratched you? Did you try to pet them? handle them?

Live and learn I guess....

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

sheikh radlinrol · Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 1222 Location: Spain

Ghost
In my final months in Saudi I started feeding stray cats on our compound, even buying cat food from the compound supermarket and I once took one to the vet to have an abscess removed from its leg. The word seemed to get around among the feline residents and I used to find four or five waiting for breakfast when I got up and the same gang waiting for lunch when I got home. They aren't very grateful creatures and one used to hiss at me and tried to scratch me once. Be warned.
SR

007 · Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 1:06 pm Post subject: Re: re

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Feeding 14 cats ?? How long have you been in Saudi Arabia ?

Never Ceased To Be Amazed · Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 2:45 pm Post subject:

Welcome to the Magic Kingdom, ghost. Yeah, that first post was a real head-scratcher...why would someone have to visit the hospital for bad scratches on his bike and why would ferel cats scratch his bike! Ohhh, it was your back!

Finally, I agree highly with 007. Jes' wait until you have an experience like I had by being told by my HR guy that my passport had been "mislaid" when I went to retreive it, only to note on my exit the bundle of passports under one of his desk legs (yes, one was mine Evil or Very Mad

) which, of course, he used to level his wobbly desk...or the same guy that I caught soon after taking a Bedu-style dump behind the bushes near our HQ's main entrance. ISYN! I paced it off... the "indoor" dumper was 40 feet closer than the one he chose!

Enjoy...there's a LOT more to come Exclamation

NCTBA

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Ghost... get the rabies shots. And if you plan to keep feeding the ferals (which many of us do) get the rabies vaccine that the vets now take. Actually getting the 3 shots for treatment may do it.

This is not a disease to take any chances with.

VS

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

He's only been here a week and he's already feeding 14 cats! Jeez, when I get back after Ramadan I'll probably find the place taken over by hordes of feral cats.

I've just done a Google Search on 'predators for cats' but the suggested mountain lions, coyotes, feral dogs or bobcats have their own disadvantages, so it looks like borrowing the students' shotguns. I would try poisoning the cat food but I'd probably end up killing a dozen members of the 300 club, and the prospect of having to cover their classes doesn't please me in the least.

With regard to the hospitals it's probably because it's Ramadan. But discussions as to whether rabies and tetanus shots are needed after animal scratches are common amongst doctors anywhere.

As for faxes have fun! What I don't understand is why you had to send a fax anyway. They're old technology. Next time you want to send a fax abroad get a $10 net-to-phone card, or pay over the web, and send the fax using that. If you want to send a domestic fax, then use your scanner and when you have your phone line letting you phone outside the campus, use the fax facility on your PC. And the last resource is to go into Khobar and use the fax machine at one of the Communication Centers/

Sheikh N Bake · Joined: 26 Apr 2007 Posts: 1307 Location: Dis ting of ours

Come on, Stephen, faxes still have their uses in the modern world. I had to fax a list of medical ingredients to my General Practictioner doctor in the States. The docs at this clinic don't take emails, possibly because they'd be continuously inundated with hypocondriacs' medical questions which they wouldn't have time to answer or they wouldn't make any money actually seeing patients. Besides, my doc is a beautiful young Vietnamese woman--her male patients would be emailing her with flirt messages day and night. Since I have a fax machine sitting on my desk, it's a lot easier just to stick the paper in the machine and send it rather than the convoluted procedure you have just outlined. I had my own fax machine/phone in Saudi in the early '90s. That was the best way to go.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

NCTBA
That passport story is an urban myth. I first heard it in 1971. Why pretend that it happened to you ?

Never Ceased To Be Amazed · Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 5:59 pm Post subject:

I have never and will not ever lie on this board. It happened to me in 1995 and as well as the behind-the-bush dumping event by the same person when decent toilet facilities were even closer.

Sometimes, it may seem, in the myriad experiences that people have had in the Magic Kingdom, some may, after a while become true. I'm surprised and disappointed that you would have accused me of such an act.

I NEVER heard of such an act before I experienced it.

NCTBA