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scot47

Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343
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Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 10:47 am Post subject: |
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| All the Russian - and Eastern European - wives I have met here hate it. With a vengeance. |
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veiledsentiments

Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA
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Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 2:47 pm Post subject: |
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To be honest, most of the non-working wives that I've ever met hated living in Saudi... and that includes both Westerners and other Arabs.
VS |
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scot47

Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:57 am Post subject: |
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| In the EFL game in KSA it is now unusual to meet anyone who is married to someone from the "West". Most wives seem to be from SE Asia or E Europe. |
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Mia Xanthi

Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 955 Location: why is my heart still in the Middle East while the rest of me isn't?
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Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2010 12:38 am Post subject: |
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| I might still be able to sell her on the "spa" thing, though |
As with everything else in KSA, there might be a drawback to the the "spa thing". Lovely spas are available at high-end hotels, but at very high-end prices. A Saud-American friend of mine would not go there, though, and insisted on going to the Ritz-Carlton in Bahrain. When I asked her why she would go for such a long trip for similar facilities, she said that the rumour was that Saudis with wasta have secret cameras discreetly placed in all the Saudi spas, so that the men could spy on Saudi women while they were there in all their unclothed glory.
Even though I didn't necessarily believe it, it took away all my interest in ever going back to a spa in KSA. |
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Cleopatra

Joined: 28 Jun 2003 Posts: 3657 Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 6:35 pm Post subject: |
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| the rumour was that Saudis with wasta have secret cameras discreetly placed in all the Saudi spas, so that the men could spy on Saudi women while they were there in all their unclothed glory |
I've heard this same type of nonsense about women's banks and even the women's shopping centre in Riyadh: some women refuse to remove their veils (even though they're supposed to) in these places because they think 'hidden cameras' are placed allowing men to lust over their bare faces! This despite the fact that other Saudi women walk around these places every day in tight clothes and full make-up. Even if there are 'hidden cameras' (which I very much doubt) I don't think anyone's going to be lusing over the woman with her veil flipped up.
A lot of Saudi women are terribly precious and pretentious, it has to be said. They will got to Dubai, Paris or London to buy the very same thing they could buy down the road in Riyadh or Jeddah, and often pay a lot more for it. I used to know a young lady who bought a big Hewlett Packard printer in Paris and had it shipped all the way back to Riyadh. A printer! When I said she could get exactly the same thing for less money in Jarir, she just shrugged. |
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johnslat

Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 13859 Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 6:52 pm Post subject: |
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Dear Cleopatra,
Ah, but then, were she to casually mention that the printer was "imported from Paris," she'd have to lie.
Regards,
John |
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cmp45

Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 1475 Location: KSA
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Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 7:24 pm Post subject: |
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| A printer from Paris! Wow it must be hard for her to dangle round her neck. |
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johnslat

Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 13859 Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 7:49 pm Post subject: |
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Dear cmp45,
Snobbery can be hard work.
Regards,
John |
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veiledsentiments

Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA
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Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 10:24 pm Post subject: |
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| johnslat wrote: |
Snobbery can be hard work. |
And pricey!!
VS |
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trapezius

Joined: 13 Aug 2006 Posts: 1670 Location: Land of Culture of Death & Destruction
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 3:22 am Post subject: |
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| In light of the new information, we all know why she went to Paris to buy a printer. Had she gone to a local bookstore/computing supplies store, Saudi men would be lusting over her uncovered face through the cameras (which do exist in such stores)... and no, she couldn't have any of that! |
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havinganicetime
Joined: 19 Jul 2009 Posts: 14
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 1:36 pm Post subject: |
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| This has gone off track. The question was regarding how much you can save. I can't see that there is much in Saudi Arabia to spend money on unless you spend every weekend in Bahrain. What percentage of your salary goes toward food? That would seem to be the main expense. Maybe some people who have been there for awhile could be specific about this. |
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veiledsentiments

Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 3:18 pm Post subject: |
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| havinganicetime wrote: |
| This has gone off track. The question was regarding how much you can save. |
Off track? I'm just shocked!! Actually the original question was answered on page one. Now you have added a new question, but that is OK. What percentage of salary one would spend on food would depend on how you eat. If you want all imported processed food, you can spend a high percentage. I found in other Gulf countries that I spent just a bit more on food than I did in the US. YMMV...
VS
Last edited by veiledsentiments on Mon Jun 21, 2010 3:20 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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scot47

Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 3:19 pm Post subject: |
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"I can't see that there is much in Saudi Arabia to spend money on."
I could happily spend my ntire salary on
computer stuff
electronic gear
cars
books
dvd's
holidays
floozies from the "Afrika Korps"
there is LOTS to spend your money in Saudi
Have you seen what it costs for a gallon of Sidiki ? |
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