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allovertheplace
Joined: 02 Aug 2009
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 Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 6:36 pm Post subject: |
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The money is great but very few folks are talking about the points I made. Lack of releases. How does it impact you?
Again, I dont need to go crazy but still...
Also, in Abu Dhabi I hear you can only really drink in hotels etc. Can you meet women, have fun etc. Or is it solitary time in the sun- both of which can be cool. I also hear great things about Abu Dhabi as per sports and activities, but can you do it up and still save? |
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redaxe
Joined: 01 Dec 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 6:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Sergio Stefanuto wrote: |
Is it worth going to the ME? There's only one way to find out. For me, absolutely worth it. Not having come sooner is probably my biggest regret in life
The only things I hate about Saudi are:
1. Child drivers
2. Not being able to get off with Saudi girls, who are the most attractive in the ME and possibly the world
But if one overlooks that, I'm very contented and have just re-signed my contract |
I heard that Saudi women are rapidly becoming obese because they're eating modern, high-calorie diets but are still cloistered and unable to get much exercise. Confirm/deny? |
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Sergio Stefanuto
Joined: 14 May 2009
Location: UK
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| Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 7:28 pm Post subject: |
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Allovertheplace,
If you are referring to alcohol, it is the norm for expats to make homemade alcohol and party with abandon on their compounds
Redaxe,
There are indeed some very big Arabs, but mostly men, I find. |
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interestedinhanguk
Joined: 23 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 7:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Sergio Stefanuto wrote: |
1. Child drivers
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I thought you were joking, but then I googled it. |
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JeffersonDarcy2010
Joined: 05 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 10:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Sergio Stefanuto wrote: |
Is it worth going to the ME? There's only one way to find out. For me, absolutely worth it. Not having come sooner is probably my biggest regret in life
The only things I hate about Saudi are:
1. Child drivers
2. Not being able to get off with Saudi girls, who are the most attractive in the ME and possibly the world
But if one overlooks that, I'm very contented and have just re-signed my contract |
After some time in Saudi any woman would seem the most attractive - even a black abaya ghost! |
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cdninkorea
Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 6:24 am Post subject: |
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I'm thinking of a move to the Middle East as well, but I don't know where. What place allows the best compromise between lifestyle and savings (my idea of 'lifestyle' does not require drinking and partying)?
Also, as a married guy, is there anything my wife (Korean, great but not fluent English. School teacher) could do? If it's just me working we'd probably save less compared to both of us working in Korea. |
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Sergio Stefanuto
Joined: 14 May 2009
Location: UK
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| Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 12:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Cdninkorea wrote: |
| I'm thinking of a move to the Middle East as well, but I don't know where. What place allows the best compromise between lifestyle and savings (my idea of 'lifestyle' does not require drinking and partying)? |
I've really no idea, I'm afraid. All I know is that Saudi has by far the most jobs.
| CDNinKorea wrote: |
| Also, as a married guy, is there anything my wife (Korean, great but not fluent English. School teacher) could do? If it's just me working we'd probably save less compared to both of us working in Korea. |
I suspect she may be able to teach English, because some of my colleagues are non-NETs (Syrian and Sudanese mostly), albeit for a much lesser salary. |
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Junior
Joined: 18 Nov 2005
Location: the eye
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| Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 6:07 pm Post subject: |
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| hakwonner wrote: |
| Work there for a couple of years and you can save enough money to start a small business or buy property. In other words, it's life changing money. |
In contrast to korea which is just OK moneywise.
Problem here is that your savings plan is always disrupted by some unpredicatable K-factor. There is no continuity. Either your hagwon closes, you don't get re-signed, you have to do a runner, you lose classes, you have to wait for documents, your boss makes your job intolerable, you have to transfer jobs, etc etc all regularly turns your world upside down and leaves you spending your back up. Its all too shifting and transitory. Korea is a hotplate, and they keep making you hop.
Perhaps Saudi offers a more stable routine where you are raking it in and suffer no interruptions .. you basically just go into autopilot and wake up a few years later with a fortune. |
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brento1138
Joined: 17 Nov 2004
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| Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:01 pm Post subject: |
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I think for me, personally, I wouldn't live in the middle east. It's too authoritarian and religious. Hearing "Allah this, Allah that" would depress me, and my view of the human race might diminish. I'm an atheist skeptic and living amongst such hard-core religious people would make me feel horrible, as speaking up about my beliefs vs. theirs would lead me into lots of trouble... At least Koreans will hear you out about their belief of fan-death, even if they don't accept your belief that it's not exactly proven scientific fact that such fans chop up air molecules and lead to your death.
I don't think most Muslims would like to hear how their religion, amongst all others, is simply a control mechanism created by higher powers... and that Allah is just as real as the Easter Bunny... Yeah, I don't think I want to live in a place where critical thinking and disbelief in Middle Age myths gets an AK-47 pointed in your face.
I'm sure there are many people out there who would say "it's their culture, let them be" but I simply could not tolerate keeping my mouth shut. You know, and that's cool and fine, and I wish I could be like the people who would just shut up and work and not care about the locals. But I'd feel just horrible... so yeah. For me, for those reasons, it's an absolute NO. Middle East = travel only, for me... |
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hondaicivic
Joined: 01 Jul 2010
Location: Daegu, South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:27 pm Post subject: |
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| brento1138 wrote: |
I think for me, personally, I wouldn't live in the middle east. It's too authoritarian and religious. Hearing "Allah this, Allah that" would depress me, and my view of the human race might diminish. I'm an atheist skeptic and living amongst such hard-core religious people would make me feel horrible, as speaking up about my beliefs vs. theirs would lead me into lots of trouble... At least Koreans will hear you out about their belief of fan-death, even if they don't accept your belief that it's not exactly proven scientific fact that such fans chop up air molecules and lead to your death.
I don't think most Muslims would like to hear how their religion, amongst all others, is simply a control mechanism created by higher powers... and that Allah is just as real as the Easter Bunny... Yeah, I don't think I want to live in a place where critical thinking and disbelief in Middle Age myths gets an AK-47 pointed in your face.
I'm sure there are many people out there who would say "it's their culture, let them be" but I simply could not tolerate keeping my mouth shut. You know, and that's cool and fine, and I wish I could be like the people who would just shut up and work and not care about the locals. But I'd feel just horrible... so yeah. For me, for those reasons, it's an absolute NO. Middle East = travel only, for me... |
I've said it before and I will say it again, those f****** can do whatever the hell they want to do in their little magical kingdom. Just don't EVER bring that crap to my country. That's all I'm going to say. |
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Sergio Stefanuto
Joined: 14 May 2009
Location: UK
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| Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:09 pm Post subject: |
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| brento1138 wrote: |
I think for me, personally, I wouldn't live in the middle east. It's too authoritarian and religious. Hearing "Allah this, Allah that" would depress me, and my view of the human race might diminish. I'm an atheist skeptic and living amongst such hard-core religious people would make me feel horrible, as speaking up about my beliefs vs. theirs would lead me into lots of trouble... At least Koreans will hear you out about their belief of fan-death, even if they don't accept your belief that it's not exactly proven scientific fact that such fans chop up air molecules and lead to your death.
I don't think most Muslims would like to hear how their religion, amongst all others, is simply a control mechanism created by higher powers... and that Allah is just as real as the Easter Bunny... Yeah, I don't think I want to live in a place where critical thinking and disbelief in Middle Age myths gets an AK-47 pointed in your face.
I'm sure there are many people out there who would say "it's their culture, let them be" but I simply could not tolerate keeping my mouth shut. You know, and that's cool and fine, and I wish I could be like the people who would just shut up and work and not care about the locals. But I'd feel just horrible... so yeah. For me, for those reasons, it's an absolute NO. Middle East = travel only, for me... |
There's very little of any of that. Saudis and the millions of other Muslims of other nationalities here are perfectly sensible, decent and peaceful people |
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Sergio Stefanuto
Joined: 14 May 2009
Location: UK
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| Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 2:55 am Post subject: |
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| interestedinhanguk wrote: |
| Sergio Stefanuto wrote: |
1. Child drivers
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I thought you were joking, but then I googled it. |
Taken about an hour ago, one mile from my house:
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/2812/img00049201102021309.jpg
Whether it was a child driver I don't know, but probably. Trashed cars at the side of the road are a very common sight. |
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