First of all, congratulations on taking one of the hardest decisions in your life. My best tip I can give you to be able to survive in Saudi is the following: come with the thought in mind that you are only coming here to make money and gain some excellent experience. If you can do that, then the rest is bonus. Now to answer some of your questions.

1. There are many single men and women in their 20's and 30's here. There is a large community of foreigners who congregate on a regular basis. Best thing to do is register with your embassy when you get here, they will be able to lead you in the right direction. As for the compounds, prepare to spend at least SR35,000 for a decent one. One bedrooms range from SR30,000 to SR65,000 per year and many compounds want the rent paid in advance. Some will take full year, others may be willing to take 6 month.

2. I am not going to answer this question as I never know who reads these...let's just say you should not worry, but be careful.

3- Depending on the book. IF you bring the Bible, they will confiscate it. If you bring a math book then they won't. Just don't bring any unnecessary items with you. When passing customs, they tend to check first timers more than people who have lived there for a long time. So if you want to bring in anything, wait until the next time. If you bring movies, they will sit with you and watch them....

4- I personally don't know of teams, but have heard of people getting together to play. Or you can just befriend some Saudis here and play with them. Many are avid soccer players. Furthermore I am sure your embassy will know.

That's it. I wish you the best of luck.

-Mark

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00abuse

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I'm on the other side of Saudi, but would add the following regarding books, CDs and the like:

For starters, we pre-screened all books, CDs and DVDs which we felt might catch the eye of customs and the Ministry of Information. We brought with us about 500 books and all arrived. We brought over 1,000 CDs and lost only about 40 (with little rhyme or reason, so it seemed to us). And we brought about 150 DVDs and lost about 30 (mostly the newest titles which are not yet available here locally; you can draw your own conclusion).

My advise is to bring CDs and DVDs in your luggage; yes, they will be screened but your odds are better at the airport than at the port with your surface shipment.

I'd also concur with the other comments on your alcohol and football questions. Enjoy your assignment in Jeddah.

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00abuse

thanks a lot for the advice, it is much appreciated!!! I hope to be moving out soon, but it has been delayed because of the current iraq situation.

Thanks again!!

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00abuse

I lived/worked for 5 years in Saudi Arabia. 3 1/2 years in Taif, and the last 20 months in Jeddah.

The most important part of having a successful and rewarding posting in Saudi Arabia is the contract negotiations. I am hoping your company is providing you with adequate housing at their expense, a company car, pays your membership in one or more of the "private clubs" that are there in the shadows.

I found the very best places to meet other expats was at one of the two bowling alleys that have "mixed league" bowling leagues (mixed meaning men and women), the International Mall and the old gold souk, the beaches on the far south and north of the city, the American and British Embassys and the compounds of foreign countries working there.

My favorite hangout was the large Thai Restaurant there. Great food (not cheap but oh so good), and a great meeting place.

The second most important part of a posting there is where you will spend your R&R and Home Leave time. My suggestion for ANY young single man is to spend your vacations in Pattaya Beach Thailand. Do NOT waste them going back to your home country, as you have all the rest of your life to visit friends and family there.

If you have further questions you may bc me at kenandlat@sbcglobal.net

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00abuse

Dear Radchet,

First of all will you be living on a compound or
elsewhere? Our employer,the National Guard Hospital,
have a number of activities that you can participate
in, that are posted monthly. If you will be living in
a compound there's lots of people to meet, and I have
developed a number of friends. Just need to be a bit
patient and give people a chance to know you. There
are a number of clubs available in the region. The
Historical society, that gives lectures once a month
and has a number of outtings to various historic sites
and you can camp out. There are buses that take you to
the Red Sea resorts where for a small amount you can
spend the day on the beach, rent equipment to snorkel
or scuba dive or take lessons to learn to scuba. The
Red Sea is considered one of the most beautiful areas
to dive in. I am 54 years old and had never snorkeled
and I was so fascinated by the variety of colored fish
and the coral that I am now taking scuba lessons.
When you first arrive if you don't have a computer
there are a number of internet cafes. One for women
that I initially used, that was very cheap and very
nice, 10 SR an hour. So I could just grab a bus uptown
and get on the net until I bought a computer from
someone who was leaving for a very reasonable price.
People are basically very nice, I have only had a
few encounters where someone obviously didn't care for
me being american, but as long as I covered my head
and wasn't abrasive I had no problems. Now, will
comfortably grab a cab and hustle off wherever I want
to go, all alone, without any major problems.
I have learned alot in Jeddah, I have learned much
from being with other nationalities, I have seem
myself and my country as others see us which has a
perspective I hitherto was unaware of. I have learned
to accept the fact that my way isn't the only way or
necessarily the best way. I would like to think that I
have become a better person, from my experience here,
and although it initially was difficult, I stuck with
it and am glad that I did.

Sincerely,
Mary b

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00abuse

The law here prohibits possession or imbibing of alcholol and they are very serious about it. The locals can get 100 lashes and 2 years in jail for intoxication or possession. I have heard of two guys in Riyadh who were supplying people, and these expats are doing a long prision term. So your choice.
I have brought in books and they go through them. Pictures of women not adequately covered, per Saudi Standards may be confiscated. There are bookstores here, the Jarir chain has many english authors. Several books are banned in the Kingdom, Robert Lacey's "The Kingdom" and Mark Blum's " Gold of Exodus". I have never had any of my books taken but I was careful of what I brought.
The law over here is that unmarried males and females may not be in each other's company. Jeddah is a bit more liberal than Riyadh but one of our nurses was uptown with two male friends and they were all arrested. Her sponsor had to vouch for her after she was kept in a soliitary confinement for several hours.
Some people rent the little cabanna's on the Red Sea and meet friends there. I am sure that wherever you are going to work you can visit with other expatriates as to how they handle the situatoin.

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00abuse

As far as CD's and VHS, you can bring them in, but some may be confiscated. A few friends have had some confiscated that they later bought uptown at one of the video places.
Mamy people just burn copies for others, as there isn't really any plagerism laws here as you would find back home. Or at least it's a bit looser. People trade there movies back and forth and the same with books.

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00abuse