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Living & Working in Saudi Arabia

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Surviving Summer & Ramadan in Saudi

July 19th 2010 15:59

It has been a while since I last wrote. To be truthful the reason is that I went through one of my regular "I hate this place" phases. It can be a great place to work and live (sort of) but it can really really get to you. Whereas in most countries simple tasks like paying a bill or opening up a bank account are considered commonplace, here they are designed to test your patience and ability to stay sane.

If like me you are one of the unfortunate ones who is not leaving the Kingdom for Summer/Ramadan vacation then we have a major challenge on our hands.

The place is quiet for the 2-4 weeks leading up to Ramadan because people are either physically or mentally on vacation. During Ramadan they are simply too "out of it" to be effective during the 50C summer hell.

So no-one wants to meet you, talk to you, respond to your emails, etc, etc.

The trick is to find things to do outside of work that will stimulate your mind and body.

You can go to a shopping mall. You can go out for a meal (that is if you can tolerate the traffic which is mind boggling given everyone comes out of their houses at night), you can go to the gym at the compound, or you have have a BBQ with friend (assuming you can tolerate the 45C evening temperatures).

So enjoy my friends. Let me know how you go.

ed

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The most difficult thing about living in saudi Arabia

June 2nd 2010 09:33

Every country has its challenges for expats.

In Saudi the greatest challenge is the lack of interesting things to do outside of work.

If you are based in Riyadh there is so little to do outside of work other than visit the malls. Your time is spent working & sleeping.

In Jeddah (on the West Coast) & Dammam/Al Khobar (East Coast) you have the sea where you can fish, walk by, take photos of, or simply sit by and wonder what prompted you to move to Saudi in the 1st place.

So what do I recommend?

go to as many Embassy parties /events as possible

get cable tv

listen to music

renew your love of reading

surf the net

take up photography

start a blog

get to know your neighbours

join expat clubs of ANY sort (just to meet people)

Most important is to mentally set yourself an arbitrary date in the future at which time you will decide whether or not to extend your stay or move to a more "normal" location. I set increments of 2 years. This is important because it means that mentally I am more committed if I know that I have "allowed" myself the opportunity to review my saudi expat status at a defined future point in time.

This country is not an easy one in which expats can live and work. Do not fall into the work & sleep only trap. Try everything you can to meet people. Take up hobbies. And set yourself an exit strategy.

With all this in place you might make it without the need to pop any Xanax.

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If you want to be successful in business in Saudi Arabia

June 2nd 2010 09:30

This is a short post. The title of the post is a bit presumptuous because there is no ONE thing that will ensure you business success in Saudi. But this is as close to #1 as you can get.

In any business discussion Saudis want to be able to see your face and watch your eyes. They are far better at body language than we will ever be. More importantly business is based on trust and trust is developed over time and in face to face situations.

Use emails to confirm meetings and send documents.

If you are not in the country use the phone. This is not as good as face to face but a Saudi will understand and allow for the fact that it is the next best thing. BUT ensure that you visit regularly because eventually they want to deal with a person not a voice.

The more face time you can have the more trust you can develop. Also more face time enable you to learn and hear and be told things that would never reveal themselves in an email or phone call.

In Saudi a business deal is the result of a business relationship. And this relationship is the result of many face to face meetings, dinners, talks over coffee and tea.

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The hardest thing about living in Saudi Arabia

May 2nd 2010 09:01

The driving!!

These guys are nuts. 100km/hr plus down the main street of Riyadh, 3 lanes converted in real-time to 6, left hand u-turns when from the far right hand side of the road, maintaining a steady 1cm between their front bumper and your rear one at any speed...you name it and it happens here

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Dealing with people...or, how to get things done!

April 27th 2010 03:36

I had to go to Saudi Airlines cargo at Riyadh airport this morning to pick up boxes of stuff my wife had sent from the Philippines before moving here and the experience reminded me of the skills one needs to employ to get things done in Saudi Arabia.

First of all, Saudi is very, very, very beurocratic. There is lots and lots of paperwork to be filled out, signed, passed from one person to another, authenticated, checked, generally moved about. And lots and lots of people are often involved in the simplest of tasks

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Safety

April 26th 2010 02:21

Life in the Middle East for us expats is based on the premise that things can change in a heartbeat.

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Selling in Saudi Arabia

April 20th 2010 08:11

The question is: what is the secret?

The answer is: TIME

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Interacting with women in business

April 18th 2010 04:23

Saudi Arabia is a conservative society.

However it is changing. Even in the 5 years I have spent here I have seen women play a greater and more influential role in the business world. No it is not what we are used to in the West, but it IS changing

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Practicalities to do with time management

April 12th 2010 07:08

If you discount summer, school, and religious holidays one is only really left with 7-8 months of practical "doing business" time in Saudi Arabia. So it is important to check the Internet and, on your BIG annual wall calendar, block out the non (or less) productive times.

As always there are exceptions. The biggest of these is that during the heat of summer, and during Eid and Ramadan breaks, if the people you want to see are in town then they will more often than not be able to accomodate you during late evening/night, from 2100 to even 0100 the next morning. This is especially true during the fasting month of Ramadan. During Ramadan Saudis do not eat or drink from sunup to sunset so even if they are around it would be unwise of us to expect them to be as productive as ourselves who are not undergoing such physical and mental rigors

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Doing business in Saudi Arabia

April 8th 2010 05:39

This is such a big topic that I am going to cover this over a lot of posts.

Business in Saudi Arabia is personal. What i mean by that is personal, face to face contact and interface counts for everything. It counts for even more when conducted in a social environment, out of the office

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July 2010

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