Korean Job Discussion Forums

[desultude]

[desultude]

I tried to click on to this thread, after I got a message that there had been a reply, and I got a Dave's message saying the thread did not not exist.

The topic or post you requested does not exist

Am I getting censored even before I get to the mid east?

Well, the thread is still here, so no worries. But I think it may have been "trimmed".

A funny conversation with my sister today- She was totally cool when I told her that I was going to Saudi Arabia, but when I told her that I was driving into New Orleans today, she freaked out and told me it was way too dangerous!!!!

I went, it wasn't dangerous, just heartbreaking. It looks like Katrina hit a month ago.

[Tiger Beer]

[desultude]

It is hard to get a sense of the demographics when just passing through. I saw a lot of anglos and blacks working, as well as Latinos. The Bush administration pushed through an "emergency" exception to the prevailing wage laws, so I imagine some of the jobs would only appeal to poor immigrants. Up until quite recently Florida has been begging for constrution workers. I would imagine there would be real demand for skilled workers, and the unskilled workers would be paid poorly. I would be surprised if a skilled white guy couldn't make a good living there.

I am sure the demographics are changing in terms of the black population. Their housing was destroyed, and no one seems in a hurry to fix that. After the storm the old guard in New Orleans were making blueprints for a much more sanitized, upscale New Orleans. Read "white".

There was a lot of work going on, but it still looked like Katrina happened last month. It was pretty eerie. In St. Bernard Parish, there were rows of empty working class houses with the occasional FEMA trailer. Two years later!

In this picture there is a proud fountain, with a hunk of carpeting and busted light. Behind it is the slab for the former house, and behind it the ubiquitous trailer. There was mile after mile of this along the Gulf coast water front.

[desultude]

Well, I am week one into my adventure in the magic Kingdom.

Mostly things are great- including a spectacular villa. It makes up for my days in the storage box at Kiemyung.

Most everyone here is mature and has a lot of teaching experience in the Middle East. I think the "no alcohol, no dating" aspect of the Kingdom sorts out the party animals. But Bahrain is only an hour away, so those of us who like a bit of alcohol and entertainment can go there on weekends.

The separation of men and women is pretty absolute. I am in Al Kobar, which is supposed to be the liberal part of Saudi Arabia, and abayas are still necessary. I ventured into the men's parking lot yesterday to get a ride home with a male colleague (women are not allowed to drive here) and I seem to have caused quite a stir. Security came running, and a lot of men were watching from the entrance of the building, from behind the windows.

Three men faculty members were being escorted by me into the women's campus, and a few Saudi women were caught by surprise and screamed and threw their scarves over their faces and ran. The men are really not supposed to see women.

You may not take a picture of a woman, or speak her name in public.

So, it is an adventure and a really interesting experience. And very sandy.

[Alyallen]

Damn, D!

You probably have far more guts than I ever will! I am somewhat curious to go there. I could probably wear the whole head to toe covering and no one would know I wasn't Arab or White....That would be interesting...

Best of luck and keep us posted!

[desultude]