Job Discussion Forums

[cmp45]

When I returned from holidays at the end of August, I discovered that someone had stolen my internet satellite dish from the roof of my apartment building. Yes, we even have (useless) security guys at the front entrance to our building...makes me wonder if it wasn't an inside job!

Also just this morning around 9:30am, I was walking to work and a taxi slowly cruised up beside me and some young punk on the passenger side of the taxi reached out the window and tried to grab my bag off my shoulder. Luckily I manged to wrestle my shoulder bag away from him after which I shouted profanities after them as they sped away!

I have been living in KSA for almost 9 years and have never experienced this sort of petty crime.
I have read many stories of such incidences, but never thought it would happen to me...so...do take care, I know I will be more cautious from now on.

[PeterBar]

Walking to work at 09.30 - were you late ?

Check the roof - you should find a satelite dish with my name writ large on the back. Just drag the cable across the roof and down to your window - and it's yours for free;

[007]

[desert_traveller]

well initially i was also in total awe of the law enforcement system oh my god will they really chop off the hands of thieves? but then i could see a bit more clearly and thought it was only a matter of time for people looking for alternative means to make ends meet to discover that beyond the harsh threats and fake crime statistics there is a totally hopeless, useless, uninterested, demotivated and corrupt police and law enforcement structure - a paradise for criminals

well at that time i also thought there was neither alcoholism nor adultery in the ksa and that everyone went to the mosque 5 times a day no miss

poor naive innocent me

[johnslat]

When my motorcycle was stolen in Jeddah in 1982 (chained in a locked-up courtyard), and I told my students about it, they expressed their symapthy and told me:

" Oh, Mr. John - foreigners stole it."

To which I replied:

"Oh, like me, you mean.

Regards,
John

[cmp45]

Riyadh is like any large city anywhere; there will always be that undesirable criminal element within society. I supose there are many reasons for this...like anywhere....why should 'we' assume it will be any different just because 'we' are living in an Islamic country. I know I used to think that it was, but that notion has changed quite quickly....people are people no matter where one lives...some are good honest people and some are not.

However, I always thought I was somehow immune to it or was being cautious, I now realize that it has more to do with being in the wrong place at the wrong time or in other instances such as having private property stolen from home, it is dependant on the protective measure taken...suppose one needs to try to burglar proof ones' home in some way...even that may not work 100% of the time...

....if your not constantly awake , aware and present to what's going on around you...then you can and do become a potential target on the street, either that or stay home...are we safe at home either...OMG have I become another paranoid foreigner now?

I am sick of city life...time for a change me thinks....any rural area that is not a haven for rednecks is appealing...any place where people live at least 1 km apart is best...

I will eventually get over my angst...in the mean time just ranting

[Cleopatra]

Sorry to hear about the theft.

I think many expats in KSA (other than those who are paranoid about everything) let their guard down rather too much here. I can probably include myself in that group. It's very probably true that petty crime levels are much lower in Riyadh than they are in comparably sized cities elsewhere, but crime is by no means nonexistent here, as some of us like to believe. I would be far less concerned about leaving the front door of my apartment unlocked in Riyadh than I would be in my home town, but even so, it would be foolish not to take normal precautions here. Many people do not.

[johnslat]

Well, riding a motorcycle in the Kingdom (even more than most other places) is probably asking to be maimed or killed anyway.
After the initial anger wore off (rather quickly), I consoled myself by thinking that it was Allah's way of telling me that my presence in the afterlife was not immediately required.

[cmp45]

Well John, that is certainly one way to look at your unfortunate situation...also it is wise to let go of the anger one experiences after such unfortunate situations...otherwise the petty criminals will have stolen more than just material things; they will have stolen your peace of mind as well...best never let that happen by letting go of the anger and frustration as quickly as possible!

[007]

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

cmp45: Best get thyself to a nunnery, er...um...a compound! After one year of "living on the economy", I moved to a job that put me on a compound. Not like Johnslat's, but another kind. You could say that after my first visit at the Eid, I developed "Compound interest"

If the country-side is for you, I would suggest applying to Raytheon for one of the old SALTS positions that I once held. They teach non-coms up in Taif...at least they did when I took my walk a few years back. Country living and compound life...sounds just like the elixir for you!

NCTBA

P.s.- SR, you're right that Johnslat's name is not just that, but if you add 4 letters, you'd be spot on...regards, John.

[cmp45]

[scot47]

Don't know about Riyadh but Dhahran/Khobar/Dammam is a lot safer than most places in Her Majesty's Realms !

[MixtecaMike]

[scot47]

Sunny Jubail by the Sea where every toxin known to the Petrochemical Industry wafts on the breeze !