Post by Metermaid2013 on Apr 14, 2013 3:58:25 GMT
My husband and I had our orientation last week and wanted to share our lovely experience:
Aramco sent a shuttle to pick up a group of us from the hotel, including another US couple and a gentleman from Canada. I'll note that my husband got his medical package the night before, but the hotel didn't have the envelope for the others; also, it sounded like the Canadian employees have to fast before their test, but the the US passport holders don't, which caused a slight issue for the Canadian in our group who didn't receive his package and instructions.
We took the 7:30 am bus -- there's also one at 6:30 am -- and arrived at the Houston offices by 8:00am and were signed in. We deposited our luggage in the room where we would be spending most of the day and met 3 wonderful ladies (Jennifer, Rachel, and Vicky) who would be our guides to the day's presentation. Prior to our introduction to life with Aramco, we had our medical exams done: MD exam and blood drawn for the men and only blood drawn for the wives. The employees went for a chest x-ray at about 1:30.
Before the presentation started we introduced ourselves around the room and met other people who were just as enthusiastic about a new adventure as we were. As a testament to how small this world is, there were TWO Aramco Brats in our group of 6 employees and spouses (my husband and the wife of another applicant) and she knew (or knew of) my husband's sister!!! (For those who don't know, an Aramco Brat is the kid of an Aramco employee.) It was also nice to know all of the attendees had children who would be moving to KSA and who were around the same age.
The presentation was fast, as the former Aramcons had so much to share! The three ladies had just returned to the States after a 11-16 year stint in KSA. Two of them returned because their husbands retired and the third returned to be close to her adult children. (The two retirees would have stayed longer if able!)
The presentation started and because all the attendees were going to live in Dhahran, the ladies focused the talk on that compound. They discussed the different housing available and clarified that the house you are first assigned to, as a family, would be the house you would live in for AT LEAST 2 years. After two years, you could apply for other available housing using points based on your GC and months of service, although the ladies made it very clear that you would only get the same sort of starter home with two years' of points. Because housing applicants can include people currently living in Dhahran AND other camps (including those Aramcons who commute to Dhahran from RT, ABQ, etc.), the bidding is very compeive. Thus, one would most likely live in the first house for many years (two of the presenters moved after 4-5 years; I think the third stayed in her original house the entire time).
Here are a few other bullet points discussed (note that we focused on family housing, so those of you in bachelor housing may have different experiences):
The main event I wanted to hear about was schooling for the kids:
The women could not stress enough about what a wonderful experience your kids will have. The class sizes are typically limited to 20 kids max. There are 1-2 teacher aides, in addition to the teacher, and many volunteer moms. Your children could be among 50 nationalities attending DHA K-4 (preschool), Kindergarten - 5th grade (elementary), and 6th - 9th (middle) which are all on camp. K-5 is in the Dhahran Hills school, and both 6-9 and K4 are in the school off 3rd street in the main camp. 10th - 12th grade is high school which is either on camp or just outside camp.
The measure of academic progress has Reading, Language, and Math listed in 92+% across the board for all kids grade 3-9th grades. For the 6-9 group, the scores were ridiculous (96-99%, with math running at 98-99% -- percentile, meaning there's not much room for improvement!); with the 150 or so schools participating in this system, that means that the kids are getting an education that puts them in the top of the top.
There would be many school field trips: locally in KSA for the young kids and internationally for the older kids.
The kids have so many activities to participate in: Band, Choir, sports (soccer, softball, baseball, tennis, swimming, etc), Scouts (boy scouts and girls scouts), in addition to any self-directed groups not mentioned.
The presenters reiterated the comments found throughout the forum, here, that it felt like the US from decades ago, in that they were very comfortable allowing their kids to go to friends' houses or to play without the constant, direct supervision with which we have grown accustomed today. (I'll admit to being a bit of a helecopter mom, as we live in a gated community, but the kids play out front only when we're out there with them. So the idea of allowing them more freedom -- in part, owing to the background checks and limited access of the camp -- is pretty exciting. I'm sure they'll like the idea, when we finally get around to telling them that we're leaving the country.)
And, of course, we spent some time near the end of the day listening to the various travel opportunities the presenters had taken. Nepal (and many other countries in Asia), Europe (too many countries to list), Egypt, Iran, and so forth were casually tossed out there for our consideration.
At the end of the day, one of the newer ASC employees, who lived extensively in Saudi and whose brother is still there, came in to share some photos of fishing and diving in the Red Sea, as well as many images of privately owned (not by Aramco folks) exotic cats (e.g., lions).
Everyone was extremely friendly and supportive, and we met additional people during the hosted lunch at the in-house cafeteria (the food was quite nice).
At the end of the day, my husband and I met with our relocation coordinator and recruiter, to cover a few items. We were asked if we had our passports, because the intention was to submit for our visas within a week; we hadn't brought them, but simply fedex'ed them down to ASC the next day. I might recommend, however, that you ask your relo advisor whether you should bring your passports to the orientation; note that we were somewhat advanced in the process when we scheduled the orientation (e.g., we received medical clearance within a couple of days of orientation), so your passports may not yet be needed.
We had a driver back from ASC to Hobby (the airport) that got us there well within time (I think we got there about 90 minutes early). Other attendees left after us; it all depends on the flight schedule.
Of course, if someone wants to correct me (because I misheard, or misstated, or some other "mis-" word), please feel free. We had a great time, and came back so much more excited about the opportunity than before we left...and we were already excited. We really look forward to seeing everyone from our orientation in Dhahran!
Fun times ahead. (And yet the patience knob must still be left at "11.") The presenters stressed that we must be patient, flexible, and open-minded.
MeterMaid
Aramco sent a shuttle to pick up a group of us from the hotel, including another US couple and a gentleman from Canada. I'll note that my husband got his medical package the night before, but the hotel didn't have the envelope for the others; also, it sounded like the Canadian employees have to fast before their test, but the the US passport holders don't, which caused a slight issue for the Canadian in our group who didn't receive his package and instructions.
We took the 7:30 am bus -- there's also one at 6:30 am -- and arrived at the Houston offices by 8:00am and were signed in. We deposited our luggage in the room where we would be spending most of the day and met 3 wonderful ladies (Jennifer, Rachel, and Vicky) who would be our guides to the day's presentation. Prior to our introduction to life with Aramco, we had our medical exams done: MD exam and blood drawn for the men and only blood drawn for the wives. The employees went for a chest x-ray at about 1:30.
Before the presentation started we introduced ourselves around the room and met other people who were just as enthusiastic about a new adventure as we were. As a testament to how small this world is, there were TWO Aramco Brats in our group of 6 employees and spouses (my husband and the wife of another applicant) and she knew (or knew of) my husband's sister!!! (For those who don't know, an Aramco Brat is the kid of an Aramco employee.) It was also nice to know all of the attendees had children who would be moving to KSA and who were around the same age.
The presentation was fast, as the former Aramcons had so much to share! The three ladies had just returned to the States after a 11-16 year stint in KSA. Two of them returned because their husbands retired and the third returned to be close to her adult children. (The two retirees would have stayed longer if able!)
The presentation started and because all the attendees were going to live in Dhahran, the ladies focused the talk on that compound. They discussed the different housing available and clarified that the house you are first assigned to, as a family, would be the house you would live in for AT LEAST 2 years. After two years, you could apply for other available housing using points based on your GC and months of service, although the ladies made it very clear that you would only get the same sort of starter home with two years' of points. Because housing applicants can include people currently living in Dhahran AND other camps (including those Aramcons who commute to Dhahran from RT, ABQ, etc.), the bidding is very compeive. Thus, one would most likely live in the first house for many years (two of the presenters moved after 4-5 years; I think the third stayed in her original house the entire time).
Here are a few other bullet points discussed (note that we focused on family housing, so those of you in bachelor housing may have different experiences):
- * Bring your 110V appliances (including ceiling fans and gae door openers).
- * Bring your dual voltage hair dryer, tv, etc.
- * Washer and dryer (clothes) are available for rental. However, if you bring your own, you will be (financially) responsible for any repairs. You may find that you only have to pay for parts, but Maintenance may provide labor.
- * Bring garden hoses (2) and extra fittings for those hoses as the raw water breaks down the fittings quickly.
- * Bring a refrigerator with you as it is difficult to rent a second one, although many houses have room for a second fridge in the kitchen.
- * Toilet paper. If your tush requires 3-ply, you most likely will not find it in KSA or it's way more expensive. We were told to bring it with us on the plane.
- * Shower heads that are filtered can be found in the US, but not typically in KSA.
- * Use Skype or facetime to video conference with family.
- * Get VONAGE to use for your non-local calls (i.e., for calls back home, or from home). It uses a local number (e.g., in the US) for your family to call to enable family and friends to call, but remind them of the time change!
- * Any conversions done to the house (for example, many gaes are converted to a play room or Man Cave) must be restored to their original conditions upon departure.
- * ITEMS THAT ARE PROHIBITED IN KSA (or can be confiscated): anything that contains alcohol (vanilla extract included), nutmeg, games of chance, p0rnography, cordless phones, walkie talkies, multiple religious items. (There were a few more, but I couldn't write fast enough.) On the other hand, we were told that everyone has cordless phones, and that they are available locally, so ...
- * AN ITEM THAT IS DISCOUED OR IS AT RISK FOR DAMAGE: Photo Albums!!! (Since women's arms and legs may not be exposed, customs or the Arm & Leg Police may black out your precious photos!!!)
- * E-boxes (could hold 360-400 lbs.), dish barrel boxes (for bringing with you on your flight over to KSA), and hand-carrying valuables (original documents, elry, etc.) were also discussed, but can be found in greater discussion throughout this forum.
The main event I wanted to hear about was schooling for the kids:
The women could not stress enough about what a wonderful experience your kids will have. The class sizes are typically limited to 20 kids max. There are 1-2 teacher aides, in addition to the teacher, and many volunteer moms. Your children could be among 50 nationalities attending DHA K-4 (preschool), Kindergarten - 5th grade (elementary), and 6th - 9th (middle) which are all on camp. K-5 is in the Dhahran Hills school, and both 6-9 and K4 are in the school off 3rd street in the main camp. 10th - 12th grade is high school which is either on camp or just outside camp.
The measure of academic progress has Reading, Language, and Math listed in 92+% across the board for all kids grade 3-9th grades. For the 6-9 group, the scores were ridiculous (96-99%, with math running at 98-99% -- percentile, meaning there's not much room for improvement!); with the 150 or so schools participating in this system, that means that the kids are getting an education that puts them in the top of the top.
There would be many school field trips: locally in KSA for the young kids and internationally for the older kids.
The kids have so many activities to participate in: Band, Choir, sports (soccer, softball, baseball, tennis, swimming, etc), Scouts (boy scouts and girls scouts), in addition to any self-directed groups not mentioned.
The presenters reiterated the comments found throughout the forum, here, that it felt like the US from decades ago, in that they were very comfortable allowing their kids to go to friends' houses or to play without the constant, direct supervision with which we have grown accustomed today. (I'll admit to being a bit of a helecopter mom, as we live in a gated community, but the kids play out front only when we're out there with them. So the idea of allowing them more freedom -- in part, owing to the background checks and limited access of the camp -- is pretty exciting. I'm sure they'll like the idea, when we finally get around to telling them that we're leaving the country.)
And, of course, we spent some time near the end of the day listening to the various travel opportunities the presenters had taken. Nepal (and many other countries in Asia), Europe (too many countries to list), Egypt, Iran, and so forth were casually tossed out there for our consideration.
At the end of the day, one of the newer ASC employees, who lived extensively in Saudi and whose brother is still there, came in to share some photos of fishing and diving in the Red Sea, as well as many images of privately owned (not by Aramco folks) exotic cats (e.g., lions).
Everyone was extremely friendly and supportive, and we met additional people during the hosted lunch at the in-house cafeteria (the food was quite nice).
At the end of the day, my husband and I met with our relocation coordinator and recruiter, to cover a few items. We were asked if we had our passports, because the intention was to submit for our visas within a week; we hadn't brought them, but simply fedex'ed them down to ASC the next day. I might recommend, however, that you ask your relo advisor whether you should bring your passports to the orientation; note that we were somewhat advanced in the process when we scheduled the orientation (e.g., we received medical clearance within a couple of days of orientation), so your passports may not yet be needed.
We had a driver back from ASC to Hobby (the airport) that got us there well within time (I think we got there about 90 minutes early). Other attendees left after us; it all depends on the flight schedule.
Of course, if someone wants to correct me (because I misheard, or misstated, or some other "mis-" word), please feel free. We had a great time, and came back so much more excited about the opportunity than before we left...and we were already excited. We really look forward to seeing everyone from our orientation in Dhahran!
Fun times ahead. (And yet the patience knob must still be left at "11.") The presenters stressed that we must be patient, flexible, and open-minded.
MeterMaid
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