Job Discussion Forums

Sheikh Abdullah · Joined: 07 Mar 2009 Posts: 54 Location: California, USA

It is not a bull horn, it is the Islamic call to prayer and it's done by a human being. It would be nice if you could show some sensitivity about MY culture/religion. Before you even think about coming to the Middle East or Saudi, please research more about it. You don't need to dream about Burger King or McDonald's because there are plenty of American fast food chains out there. Hope this helps.

Best of luck,

Abdullah

johnslat · Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 2:46 am Post subject:

Dear tillymd,

"HAVE NOT READ HARDLY ANYTHING ABOUT STUDENTS, LESSONS, STUDENT INTEREST, ETC."

And yet, there have been plenty of threads about such subjects - but have you learned how to use the Search function yet? Or, if you have any questions about such topics, why not ask them?

The Sheik is right about sensitivity - if you plan on going to the Kingdom, I hope you will have enough good sense to keep any thoughts such as referring to the prayer call as a "bullhorn" to yourself. Are you sure you're suited for living in the Kingdom - not everyone can adjust.
Regards,
John

tillymd · Joined: 07 Apr 2009 Posts: 114

Sorry about the bullhorn comment. In Morocco prayer was announced by what souded to me like it was coming from a speaker on the roof. No insult intended.

Pardon my inexperience and ignorance.

Thanks, Tillymd

AirHorn · Joined: 16 Jan 2009 Posts: 20

unfortunately, "Friends" can be seen in Riyadh as can "The Dukes of Hazzard" complete with arabic subtitles....I feel embarrassed everytime I turn the TV on. As for the rest of the OP, I'm going to assume that while insensitive was "tongue in cheek". I have not experienced censure of any kind since I have been here...on the other hand I haven't looked to do anything that would prompt the need for censure.
As the posters before me have stated KSA is not for everyone. But your perception seems to be that this is a destitute poverty stricken country...you would be closer to the mark if you thought of it as Dallas, Texas.

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

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

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

I was speaking for myself SJ and I would say that the smallest flat I had in the Gulf (of the 8 ) was over 700 sf - even the two of them that were only one bedrooms. Perhaps I was just lucky... and like all of Tilly's questions depends on your employer I'd expect.

But, I can't think of a circumstance where I would consider 600 sf "roomy" unless perhaps in NYC. Laughing

VS

rio darro · Joined: 04 Dec 2008 Posts: 28

Happy, enthusiastic teachers? If your experience is at all like mine and you value your mental heatlh, you'll find it a real good idea to generally avoid the majority of your co-workers. Negativism is pervasive and can be infectious. Among your fellow teachers, the closest you're likely to see to "happy" and "enthusiastic" will be on your shared vocabulary sheets. Obviously there's abundant fodder for the notorious Western whine canon in KSA, but don't let anyone point it at you! As you well know, you're off to a very different reality, both culturally and institutionally. If you've attentively read the signs on the door before arriving, you won't wander around like some dazed buffoon who can't understand why their job in Saudi isn't as perfect as the crappy-paying one they voluntarily left behind in Borneo when they signed on the dotted line for the "big" bucks. Personally, and rather unexpectedly, I've found the general attitude shown to my employer and host culture by fellow teachers to be the most reprehensible aspect of my entire "Saudi experience." I hate being around them.

Students? In my case, if it weren't for the fact that the majority of mine are some of the sweetest little souls I've ever met, I don't think I'd be able to stay. I don't like it here. Outwardly, I'm one-hundred-percent respectful of this culture. Inwardly, I suffer from the relative absence of things I've come to define as fundamental for a meaningful life (by my standards, naturally.) The name of the game is to create reasonable facsimiles. And I don't know that the easy accessibility to Westen fast food chains and sit-com reruns should figure high on your list of criterion. That said, the classroom is exceedingly likely to be the only place to have real contact with people in a society that places a veil not only over its women, but over other parts of its essence as well. The opportunity to teach exposes, to a degree, some publicly-hidden societal characteristics that are, indeed, beautiful. Generally as inaccesible to the eye of foreigners as are the hidden curves below the veils, this beauty belies initial impressions. To think the beauty (in all its subjectivity) doesn't exist because it's not easily apparent to the naked eye is quite erroneous.

Academically, they're hands down the worst I've encountered on three continents. Perfect and angelic little devils at times. They run on one cylinder in the best of moments. Most of their starter coils fried in HS and by now the whole wiring harness needs replacing. There are great ones too, of course. The rest, if you park them on a hill in first gear, you may, on a good day, get a compression start. In any case, you'll laugh a lot with them and experience some real interpersonal/intercultural magic. Real teaching happens, of course. But it's no piece of cake. In my opinion Saudi kids are incredibly wonderful specimens of the youthful human spirit, with all the naivety, joy, and confounded behavior that such supposes. With a little initial prodding, their spirit will infect your own and you will wind up becoming very attached to them.

When class is over, however, its back to the desert. Here one must seek other oases; these entirely subjective and internally generated.

I wish you all the luck in the world. RD.

PS: Yes, as in Morocco you will hear daily an electromechanical transducer which converts a human voice into an electrical signal and then into an amplified sound that has ancient and sacred connotations for the people. Shocked

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

Americans have bizarre ideas about how big a house should be.

In the UK at present the size of the median new house is 750 sq feet. That is a family house.

Now UK houses are notoriously pokey even by European standards, but certainly 1,000 sq feet would be considered more than enough for a family house in most parts of the world. It was also in America until the trend for MacMansions took off.

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

gungediana · Joined: 06 Apr 2009 Posts: 82

we're a fiercely proud little nation over here in Britain, and we like to think that we're just as good as America........................

but the fact is that Americans generally seem to enjoy a higher standard of living than we do in Britain, and a lot of Americans seem to be loaded!

I've never really lived in a large apartment before, so I'm not bothered if I get a pokey little place when I pitch ip in the ME finally Very Happy

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

johnslat · Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 12:56 am Post subject:

I'm not a fan of McMansions (but I'm chagrined to learn that out new 1400 square foot, three bedroom, two bathroom home is below blue-collar standards.)
However I do think every man's home should be his White Castle (and I like their burgers better, too)

http://www.whitecastle.com/_pages/Locate.asp

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

Do you have something against blue-collar people John? Laughing

After all, teachers tend to get paid less than the skilled blue collar jobs. (teachers usually have smaller families too...)

gungediana... you are right and the US has been fortunate. There is just a lot more land mass to be shared by fewer people. As I said, it is like the even more affluent Gulf with its small population.

But.. we all know size doesn't matter... right?

VS