Why are there so many lurkers in this forum?

Salman Omrani wrote:

do you mean to say that the Bedou's never married into the Al Saud house? hmmm? lol.

No

king Abdullah's mom is Bedouin. that's why he has that Bedouin's goatee!

Lol! I love your frankness DS.

I rest my case

be back later, oh and DS, were still waiting on your detailed reply

Salman

I'd like to have my Kabsa served in front of me now, please. I am hungry...

Salman Omrani wrote:

Lol! I love your frankness DS.

I rest my case

be back later, oh and DS, were still waiting on your detailed reply

Salman

best way to solve the problem is to face it!

I got distracted... speaking of details! can you help me where did we stopped at?

Kabsa! but don't drink laban after that! Laban after Kabsa is to be considered as WMD... go figure...

If ya already forgot then it's alright, no need to dig old graves, lol.

so who's interested in going back to my Expat club?

Allie, sorry for advertising here


Salman

I'll get back to the old posts and reply to them soon.

Desert Storm wrote:

Salman Omrani wrote:

Lol!

Kabsa! but don't drink laban after that! Laban after Kabsa is to be considered as WMD... go figure...

is that WMD a typo?
should it read WIND?

is that WMD a typo?
should it read WIND?

umm.. why? does kapsa make one .. ummm.. expell .. gaseous .. odors (ie. 'break wind') ???

And Salman, no advertising your thread on my thread!!!!

lol, awright Allie, *eeek* cats are scary

Musicman, you got me quoted in something I didn't say, lol.


Salman

Ha! You made me register and reply, simply because I was so tickled with your post.  (I had only intended to be a lurker when I Googled the site.) 

So, why was I lurking?  My husband recently asked me whether I would be okay with his pursuing a job opportunity in KSA.  We are both American (he's a brand-new American...just got his citizenship a few months ago, and is originally Egyptian.  Anyway, we had been debating moving to Cairo (we lived there for several years) or to Dubai for family reasons and to help him with his career.  So, to make a short story long, I told him that I was open to the idea, but I wanted to do a bit of research on the whole American-living-in-Saudi thing before we went any further with the process.

Sooo...hi!  How's Saudi Arabia?

Hey Jezzi,

Welcome aboard!  You made my day saying you were tickled with my thread (Salman, eat your heart out lol).

There's been lots written on this subject.  KSA is difficult for western women but, that said, the right compound can make life immeasurably better!! 

Please, browse around the site and if you have specific questions, any one of us would be happy to reply!!

hehehe it doesn't taste good allie, im getting sick, ROFL!

Jezzi,

It's nice to see you step up an talk like that, like Alliecat said, were here to help. sorta.. lol!


Salman

Salman, thats what you can do if you know a wee bit of html coding... heh heh.. no offence man, it was a silly goof up. The commen ts on WMD and WIND are mine, mine, mine.... I cut the cherry tree, I did.

Alliecat wrote:

my colleagues at work now are two Filipinos and Indian national (my manger)

Desert Storm,

Well that explains it.  I have noticed that privilege due to the color of one's skin is alive and well in KSA.

I wouldn't really agree that the privileges are due to the skin color, rather, it is due to who you know, also, you is your connection. I know Sudanese guy became Saudi and is doing well business because he works for a royal family prince! (he has connection)   

As I mentioned, the problem is that there is no clear judicial system, yea it is claimed that we are going by the Shariah (Islamic law) but in certain areas it do not apply.

One example, taking interest (called Reba in Arabic), is extremely forbidden in Islamic law, but all banks deal with it.

what I hate about Saudi is that you will find some conflicts in the ideas and the life style and maybe some social hypocrisy.     

Most Saudis belong to tribes and those who do not could be consider as a second class. even in marriage, if you do not belong to a tribe is tough to marry to one who does.

Alliecat wrote:

Now, maybe this preferential treatment had to do with being a woman--but I think more probably color of skin/passport.  I could be wrong. Am I?

Yeah, your passport play a good role here, American passport is powerful so you inherit the treatment based upon that (governmental wise)

Alliecat wrote:

So ... in conclusion (yes, I'm finally ending) ... is this attitude toward/treatment of minorities RIGHT or JUST?  Hell, no. But are Saudi's the only national group guilty of this? Again, hell, no.

fully agree!

Alliecat wrote:

Oops. I'm NOT ending! Because I do want to mention discrimination based on one's sex.  My western MALE colleagues are treated better than I am--it seems when they want something, they get it whereby the women are put on a 'list,' where we are #3,432.

yeah, specially Bedouins treat women as incapable and are for pleasure. Fortunately, I can see a sign of hope!
   
finally,

I need you to understand the following:

1. Saudi Arabia is one of third world countries now called developing countries.

2. Comparing Saudi to western countries is unfair comparison due to many factors.

3. Saudis to a recent decades were poor and all the sudden they became rich, it is a cultural shock I guess. My dad is almost 80 yrs old, and he used to work in India as a labor worker! he talks a lot about the old days where they had much respect to foreign people more than now because they dealt with them a lot.

Absolutely spot on DS.
Culture is one of the primary reasons for the many acts, events, and intrigues that we get knotted into in these parts of the globe.

There is a kind of religio-cultural mix that has evolved through time from the pre-Isdlamic era to date, which can cause quite a lot of difficulty and unpleasentness to many expats living and working here.

The key is to try and comprehend it and manage it using basic common sense... Thats what I have done, so far. Lets hope it works well for my final phase, too?

musicman wrote:

Salman, thats what you can do if you know a wee bit of html coding... heh heh.. no offence man, it was a silly goof up. The commen ts on WMD and WIND are mine, mine, mine.... I cut the cherry tree, I did.

It looks like that starting lobbying here

Never lobbied, never won!

musicman wrote:

Salman, thats what you can do if you know a wee bit of html coding... heh heh.. no offence man, it was a silly goof up. The commen ts on WMD and WIND are mine, mine, mine.... I cut the cherry tree, I did.

Heheheh

I know what ya mean Musicman, no worries, although there shouldn't be any worries in the first place.


Thanks

very good, boys...

keep adding to my thread!

muahahahaaaa

Alliecat wrote:

Welcome aboard!  You made my day saying you were tickled with my thread (Salman, eat your heart out lol).

ROFL!  Oops, I guess I've opened up a kettle of worms. I should have said "your post" rather than "your thread".  That's what I get for posting after a couple of glasses of wine (which I suppose I will kiss goodbye in KSA, huh? Oh, well). 

HEY.. no mention of wine in this forum!

That's like waving a ... pork chop .. in front of a starving person lol

Alliecat wrote:

HEY.. no mention of wine in this forum!

That's like waving a ... pork chop .. in front of a starving person lol

Bahrain is a few steps away

Just for the record, I managed to obtain my Medical Insurance from MEDGULF, Thank God, and that too after having to HipHop my way through all the 1001 rules that would have prevented me from getting it.

Canadian Embassy has still not received my grand daughters passport from wherever they do their processing. Today is Monday. Got just 2 days left before the Govt shuts down for Eid until Dec 5. My Iqama expires on Dec 5.

This is gonna be one sleepless Eid Holiday for me, I guess? Wish me luck guys.

Is the puddy tat still interested in that Java Cafe offer?

musicman wrote:

Just for the record, I managed to obtain my Medical Insurance from MEDGULF, Thank God, and that too after having to HipHop my way through all the 1001 rules that would have prevented me from getting it.

Canadian Embassy has still not received my grand daughters passport from wherever they do their processing. Today is Monday. Got just 2 days left before the Govt shuts down for Eid until Dec 5. My Iqama expires on Dec 5.

This is gonna be one sleepless Eid Holiday for me, I guess? Wish me luck guys.

Is the puddy tat still interested in that Java Cafe offer?

two years ago, I was thinking of doing my masters in Australia so I applied to some university over there and got all my papers ready...

Visa time!... I sent my documents over to the embassy in Dubai... so I kept calling them... and their answer would be "Under Active Process!"

>
>
>
>



>

4 months later, I called them just for the heck of it....

the answer was

Under Active Process!

almost 2 years of active process!

so I told them

guys I don't wanna do any masters forget about it

"Active Progress" translated into the Queen's English means "Its sitting the Bin"....

Okay, I have not seen this thread for a week or so, and so instead of just lurking and looking, I am going to add my 5cents (or should that be hallas) worth.

Wow, some REALLY intersting posts here, and like Alliecat, I have only been here just under 4months. But in this time I have seen, and possibly experienced the way expats are treated here. Working in a hospital environment has probably given me a unique opportunity at times to gain some insight into the relations and interactions of Saudi and non-Saudis.

We often have housemaids come to 'sit' with patients, and I must say, it is a sorrowful, sad way they are disrespected and treated due to their race. Also, how Saudis interact with staff of differeing nationalities is very interesting to observe, and all sorts of factors, not necessarily race, com into play.But, all the same, there have been numerous occasions where I have been party to 'second-class treatment' by Saudi men and women. But I believe that complaining possibly has no real value, particularly here, and especially as I have a poor grasp of the language. i just accept that this is the culture here, and it's possibly not my place.


So, ccontinue these discussions, for they are very informative and interesting.

This is where I may have some difficulty.  Disrespecting others is not something I am comfortable with - at all!  Its just not necessary - by anyone, regardless of the place/race, etc.  How on earth do you hold your your thoughts to yourself?    I guess one needs to lead by example and maybe it will get through to those around you.  It will definately be hard for me to to hold back if I have to witness or be subjected to any of that nonsense.

Phew, We finally managd to get my G/Daughters old passport from the Canadian Embassy this afternoon. And that too after they had told us that it was sent to Canada. Liar, liar pants on fire...

I shall choose not to elaborate on the hassle I had with the lady who responded to my tel call this morning at the Embassy. She sure got a piece of my mind.... I hope she sleeps well tonight?

And the new passport has still not come to Riyadh yet. Mind you we applied on Sep 29 2009. Its Nov 17 today..... Who cares for time, anyways? This is KSA, they would probably tell me..

heh heh

Lifes like that in the desert. It was meant for the Bedouins and not three piece suited gentlemen...

Caf,

Here's how I've come to terms with all this (and some of you may laugh and call me a dreamer or naive, but so be it!):  I model good behavior! 

Here's an example:  I go into the bank, where the CSR is taking care of some Filipinas.  But he brushes them aside when he sees me and tells me to come sit down so he can take care of me.  I, however, inform him that there's a que and I'll happily wait my turn (which I then do!).

I have been with Saudi colleagues and when I see the guy who cleans our floor (months ago I asked him his name) .. I'll say to him, 'Hi Elvin! How are you today?'  His face lights up and he replies that he is fine.

When I am walking to work in the morning, passing the Sri Lankan grounds workers, I look them in the eye as I pass and say, 'Good morning.' 

When I see somebody who has done something 'special' .. for example, one of very low level African couriers on occasion will wear a tie .. I'll always stop and tell him how great he looks today and how much I like his tie.

Now .. let me say upfront, I tend to be a friendly, talkative person so this behavior isn't out of character for me
(ie. it's not phony). But it is clearly out of character for this place and I like that I have shown respect to people who get very little and hope that I have brightened their day. 

And, I like to think that maybe, just maybe, this respect and courtesy will rub off on a few Saudis.  If we all modeled this behavior, we'd affect even more!

Now are we going to change KSA overnight?  No.  But I am convinced this is a more productive way than telling off or lecturing a Saudi cause, trust me, that won't accomplish a thing (and the LAST thing you want is to be labeled or blackballed here hehe).

Alliecat

Well said!  Thanks, I certainly agree with how you handle things and will probably do the same.  I'm pretty friendly myself and enjoy getting to know everyone around me, regardless of their status, title, job, race, culture, etc.  Being kind, considerate and interested in others isn't hard.  I just hate to see anyone take advantage of another, so witnessing it and not saying anything may be a challenge.  Promise you'll come visit me in jail!   
We may not change the country over night, but leading by example and making a positive difference is important!

*noding in agreement*

can lions nod?

musicman wrote:

Phew, We finally managd to get my G/Daughters old passport from the Canadian Embassy this afternoon. And that too after they had told us that it was sent to Canada. Liar, liar pants on fire...

I shall choose not to elaborate on the hassle I had with the lady who responded to my tel call this morning at the Embassy. She sure got a piece of my mind.... I hope she sleeps well tonight?

And the new passport has still not come to Riyadh yet. Mind you we applied on Sep 29 2009. Its Nov 17 today..... Who cares for time, anyways? This is KSA, they would probably tell me..

heh heh

Lifes like that in the desert. It was meant for the Bedouins and not three piece suited gentlemen...

Congrats!

Thank you DS. I still have to do my Lambada with the Passport Office to have the Iqama renewed and todays the frist day of Dhul Hijjah, Mabrook!, too. Wish me more n more luck in the weeks to come, please.

Salman, will you please teach me how to node? And, BTW, Lions dont nod, they just sleep when they are not chasing meat or the lion lady, I guess?

Allie, Salman said "noding"....? You missed his beat...

well at least he didn't say 'noodling.'  I think that means something bad LOL

Noodling huh? Is that Chinese?
If so, I will have it stir fried, please, with lots of shrimp.

musicman wrote:

Thank you DS. I still have to do my Lambada with the Passport Office to have the Iqama renewed and todays the frist day of Dhul Hijjah, Mabrook!, too. Wish me more n more luck in the weeks to come, please.

Salman, will you please teach me how to node? And, BTW, Lions dont nod, they just sleep when they are not chasing meat or the lion lady, I guess?

Allie, Salman said "noding"....? You missed his beat...

You will alright Bro... just chill and enjoy the weather these days... I am considering camping after Eid...

to stay away from the technologies in the desert

Thanks DS. We close for the Eid holidfays on Tuesday through the whole of next week. Will certainly enjoy the rest and relaxation weith the family, especially now that the weather hasd cooled off so much and its nice and pleasant outside.

Thanks again!

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