Since a few of you have asked about it, I thought I'd share my experiences in Saudi with you.
I'll close with some trivia about the place too.
Enjoy & feel free to ask me stuff....
I'm a Health/Safety/Security/Environment Superintendent on a jointly-owned refinery project for Saudi Aramco & Exxon Mobil. Sounds impressive but I actually just do lots of paperwork & tell people "Hey...stop that!" if they look like they're about to hurt themselves.
Big project...$2.8 billion US with 5300 guys in the construction force; mostly from the Philippines, India, Pakistan & Bangladesh with Egyptians & Syrians tossed in for good measure.
Most management -including me- are Americans, Brits, South Africans and Australians.
Here's a link about the plant & immediate vicinity; including Yanbu (where we Western Expatriates live):
http://www.samref.com.sa/About-Samref/About-Yanbu.aspx
Once completed early next year it will produce 400 barrels of clean (low sulfur) diesel & gas per day & will be kept in-country. (Not exported)
(Yes...gas is cheap here. 60 cents/gallon or so. Nowhere close to the 12 cents it costs in Venezuela, but still kinda fun to fill up my company-provided Chevy Tahoe for less than $20 again...) Driving is like DeathRace 2000. With the occasional camels blocking traffic. Sometimes makin' sweet camel love in the middle of the road. You get used to it...
Very dry & very warm here already; typically in the upper 90's during the day. (The winter hits a bone-chilling 75!) This is only March. By next month and through November it will be 120 degrees easily.
Most Saudis are pretty cool, but you really don't encounter them much. They seldom work unless they own the business. They import their labor to do things they don't want to.
Security is very tight; both at the plant & at our villas on the Red Sea. (Armed to the teeth Saudi National Guard) The biggest adjustment I had to make was the 2 distinct entrances in restaurants; one for men, one for women & families. Same thing in the checkout lines at the grocery store; which actually carries quite a bit of American products. (Just no booze or pork products, obviously.)
We are free to fly to Dubai, Bahrain, or Abu Dhabi for a $50 coach ticket & drink all we want but that's kinda hard since we work 6 days/week...
And now...some general trivia...
My name written in Arabic is: بنيامين توماس كولير (read, of course, right to left)
Saudi Arabia -the country- has only existed since the 1930's.
It is the 14th largest country on earth.
It was established from uniting hundreds of warring tribes by the House of Saud; still in power today.
The abaya -the head-to-toe covering women wear in public- is NOT based on Sharia (Islamic) law, but tribal custom. It started off as a way to literally hide tribal women from other tribes; who sought to kidnap them as wives.
The keffiyeh (or the headdress) worn by Arabian menfolk comes in several colors; solid white or red/white patterns the most popular. The colors themselves mean nothing; it's a fashion thing. It does NOT denote royalty, working class, terrorist, etc.
There are 5 "calls to prayer" daily. All shops must close. Those that don't are fined. They literally close & lock the doors so if you're inside shopping, you just take your time & continue. Non-Muslims don't have to pray of course...
Women cannot drive or have drivers licenses.
Women are not allowed in public without a male family member escorting them.
Arabic men's names can be EXTREMELY long. Unlike our first, middle, last names format, theirs looks like this: given name, father's name,.grandfather's name, great grandfather's name, & so on. It includes the word "ibn" meaning "son of___" between each name.
Tourist visas are rarely -if ever- granted. (And why would you WANT to anyway?) Only pilgrims to Mecca (the annual Haj), work visas, & business visas are currently granted to non-diplomats.
The City of Jeddah (where we fly out of for our trips home) is said to hold the tomb of Eve. (Yes. THAT Eve.)
All of you are familiar with at least ONE Arabic word: Sahara. (means desert, of course. So...yeah...you've been saying, "The Desert desert" for all these years...)
Thanks to oil revenue, all citizens enjoy free healthcare, free public schools, and there is no income tax.
It spends 25% of it's annual budget on education.
It has NO natural lakes or rivers, but several ocean beaches.
75 % of it's population is younger than 35 years old.
50 % of government employees are women.
Female government employees are given 2 years paid maternal leave.
King Khaled Airport in the capital city of Riyadh is the world's largest.
21% of it's population are expats. (like me)
Well...THAT was fun....
Feel free to ask any specific questions if you'd like. I kinda enjoy sharing my experiences with folks. (Must be the heat...)
I'll close with some trivia about the place too.
Enjoy & feel free to ask me stuff....
I'm a Health/Safety/Security/Environment Superintendent on a jointly-owned refinery project for Saudi Aramco & Exxon Mobil. Sounds impressive but I actually just do lots of paperwork & tell people "Hey...stop that!" if they look like they're about to hurt themselves.
Big project...$2.8 billion US with 5300 guys in the construction force; mostly from the Philippines, India, Pakistan & Bangladesh with Egyptians & Syrians tossed in for good measure.
Most management -including me- are Americans, Brits, South Africans and Australians.
Here's a link about the plant & immediate vicinity; including Yanbu (where we Western Expatriates live):
http://www.samref.com.sa/About-Samref/About-Yanbu.aspx
Once completed early next year it will produce 400 barrels of clean (low sulfur) diesel & gas per day & will be kept in-country. (Not exported)
(Yes...gas is cheap here. 60 cents/gallon or so. Nowhere close to the 12 cents it costs in Venezuela, but still kinda fun to fill up my company-provided Chevy Tahoe for less than $20 again...) Driving is like DeathRace 2000. With the occasional camels blocking traffic. Sometimes makin' sweet camel love in the middle of the road. You get used to it...
Very dry & very warm here already; typically in the upper 90's during the day. (The winter hits a bone-chilling 75!) This is only March. By next month and through November it will be 120 degrees easily.
Most Saudis are pretty cool, but you really don't encounter them much. They seldom work unless they own the business. They import their labor to do things they don't want to.
Security is very tight; both at the plant & at our villas on the Red Sea. (Armed to the teeth Saudi National Guard) The biggest adjustment I had to make was the 2 distinct entrances in restaurants; one for men, one for women & families. Same thing in the checkout lines at the grocery store; which actually carries quite a bit of American products. (Just no booze or pork products, obviously.)
We are free to fly to Dubai, Bahrain, or Abu Dhabi for a $50 coach ticket & drink all we want but that's kinda hard since we work 6 days/week...
And now...some general trivia...
My name written in Arabic is: بنيامين توماس كولير (read, of course, right to left)
Saudi Arabia -the country- has only existed since the 1930's.
It is the 14th largest country on earth.
It was established from uniting hundreds of warring tribes by the House of Saud; still in power today.
The abaya -the head-to-toe covering women wear in public- is NOT based on Sharia (Islamic) law, but tribal custom. It started off as a way to literally hide tribal women from other tribes; who sought to kidnap them as wives.
The keffiyeh (or the headdress) worn by Arabian menfolk comes in several colors; solid white or red/white patterns the most popular. The colors themselves mean nothing; it's a fashion thing. It does NOT denote royalty, working class, terrorist, etc.
There are 5 "calls to prayer" daily. All shops must close. Those that don't are fined. They literally close & lock the doors so if you're inside shopping, you just take your time & continue. Non-Muslims don't have to pray of course...
Women cannot drive or have drivers licenses.
Women are not allowed in public without a male family member escorting them.
Arabic men's names can be EXTREMELY long. Unlike our first, middle, last names format, theirs looks like this: given name, father's name,.grandfather's name, great grandfather's name, & so on. It includes the word "ibn" meaning "son of___" between each name.
Tourist visas are rarely -if ever- granted. (And why would you WANT to anyway?) Only pilgrims to Mecca (the annual Haj), work visas, & business visas are currently granted to non-diplomats.
The City of Jeddah (where we fly out of for our trips home) is said to hold the tomb of Eve. (Yes. THAT Eve.)
All of you are familiar with at least ONE Arabic word: Sahara. (means desert, of course. So...yeah...you've been saying, "The Desert desert" for all these years...)
Thanks to oil revenue, all citizens enjoy free healthcare, free public schools, and there is no income tax.
It spends 25% of it's annual budget on education.
It has NO natural lakes or rivers, but several ocean beaches.
75 % of it's population is younger than 35 years old.
50 % of government employees are women.
Female government employees are given 2 years paid maternal leave.
King Khaled Airport in the capital city of Riyadh is the world's largest.
21% of it's population are expats. (like me)
Well...THAT was fun....
Feel free to ask any specific questions if you'd like. I kinda enjoy sharing my experiences with folks. (Must be the heat...)