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Post by justthe4ofus on May 7, 2013 16:44:53 GMT
We arrived last Wednesday night. We read and read all of the posts before we came and asked lots of questions. We brought/packed/shipped everything that was suggested, and I already know will have a use for everything I purchased.
Also, Hadia suggested to scan all of your paperwork onto a thumb drive because when you get over here, some department may not have some paperwork they need from houston. At the last minute, before we left, I went to the UPS store and had them scan all documents we filled out for aramco, and a copy of our passports, birth certificates, drivers license, etc. I also brought one hard copy with me. Thank goodness. My husband went to the payroll department at work today and made sure everything was ok with his direct deposit. THey didn't have one bit of information. Thankfully I scanned it and had a hard copy!!
I also got my son's TB test done back home and had a copy of the results. He won't need it for K4 (according to the assistant pricipal), but she said it will be good for the new school year when he starts kindergarten. We had to go get blood drawn today and I would not have felt like going back with two kids just to have it read.At home all I had to do was call the office and tell them it was fine.
Pay attention to these posts y'all!! They know what they're talking about.
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Post by Carolina-girl on May 7, 2013 18:39:31 GMT
Good to know about scanning the documents! We have not received an offer yet, but hope we will be getting one soon. I hope you continue to write posts now that you are in KSA.
How was your entry process to KSA with your child(ren)? If we do get the opportunity to come to KSA I think that is one part of the trip I worry about. Also if you don't mind sharing what airline your family flew as well.
Thanks
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Post by Hadia on May 7, 2013 19:20:51 GMT
Glad to hear a bit of my advice has been useful. When we arrived, we discovered that somewhere between Houston and Dhahran, a whole lot of info and forms we'd meticulously filled out mysteriously evaporated and never ended up where they needed to be. We're talking medical, school, payroll--the biggies. Because we had everything scanned and much of it in hard copy, we were able to cobble together the missing pieces. Always rely on yourself as the keeper of files and detail, not your relocation advisor or others somewhere in the chain. Ultimately, it's you who has to deal with the fallout after you arrive.
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revive
Senior Member
Posts: 180
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Post by revive on May 7, 2013 21:02:23 GMT
Congrats on making it to Dhahran! I wish you all the best with the upcoming job/school/life transition!
We are anxiously waiting for our turn.
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Post by Daisyflower on May 8, 2013 13:32:13 GMT
My husband accepted an offer with Aramco a while back and now we are waiting on the visa. We have both been reading a lot on the forum and it has really helped us with making so many decisions. Just wanted to thank all of you that post, especially Hadia, your posts are always so useful.
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Post by Hadia on May 9, 2013 11:47:57 GMT
Thanks, Daisy. That's so nice to hear. Congratulations on your big move! You must be so excited.
To be honest, we had a rough time with our arrival. We were Ramadan 2011 arrivals, and none of the pieces seemed to fall into place for us: before, during or after landing in KSA. While this forum was somewhat helpful in sweeping general terms, there were many gaps in real time useful info. How I wish there had been time line comparisons for us when we were first going through the contingency clearing phase! We were so worried about what was "normal" and what might be a flag in the wrong direction. The forum is so much more robust with info now, and a lot more contributors. I'm sure the old timers here must appreciate having some other voices chime in, especially if it's been a while since they themselves landed as new arrivals. Laws, rules, policies, and life on the ground in real day-to-day terms...these all change regularly and sometimes in what might feel like a haphazard fashion. Having more ears to the ground willing to share useful detail with others helps clarify a lot of it, or at least give you a hint on what direction you need to take for a given issue.
I strongly encoue new hires to please continue posting after you arrive and settle in. Every bit of useful detail you offer here might really help another person or family. That's why I keep contributing. If I can help another family understand a process, or offer guidance on the stressful task of packing a home and children for the unknown, I like to do that. Gdspeed, everyone.
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revive
Senior Member
Posts: 180
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Post by revive on May 9, 2013 15:03:26 GMT
Hi Hadia,
Thanks for your sharing your experiences with us newbies.
Our ETA in the kingdom is also during the ramadhan (1 week before Eid). Do you think this is good or bad? I was thinking the Eid break will lend us extra time to adjust & get settled, although on the other hand it may delay our iqama.
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Post by justthe4ofus on May 11, 2013 21:49:08 GMT
Oh man. Entry into KSA. We flew Lufthansa, which was amazing. I have a 5 year old and 5 month old. One flight me and the baby were in front of my husband and son. The other flight we were across the aisle. The flight attendants were wonderful, they kept making sure I was ok with the baby. At one point I was nursing her when they brought dinner. The flight attendant cut my meat for me!
Anyways, we arrived in dammam at 10pm. We got to the immigration line and there had to be about 600 people already in the lines. My baby was ok because I was wearing her in a carrier but my 5 year old was exhausted. And I was burning up. We moved about 2 inches in one hour. No lines were moving. Baby was getting hungry. I'm Muslim and I cover my hair, but I nurse her in public with A cover whenever I need to. But in this huge room full of 90% men, I was uncomfortable. Eventually I just had to, so I walked towards the back and just stood back there and nursed her. A Saudi man, an immigration employee motioned for me to come sit in a chair. I was very thankful for that.
My husband called the person meeting us and told him we would probably be awhile. The aramco liaison came inside and got us and took us to the front. We would have been standing there for a good 3 hours if he hadn't have done that. Then we had to go to the aramco office inside the airport. That took about 30 minutes. I think we got to our house about 1:30 or 2am. Everyone was extremely nice and helpful.
Oh, and we went to the Lufthansa business class lounge in Frankfurt. That was so nice for the kids, especially my 5 year old. They had places to stretch out, snacks, finger foods, a shower if you wanted.
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Post by gbhatia on May 12, 2013 15:24:23 GMT
I would echo what justthe4ofus wrote. We flew KLM and our experience was wonderful as well. We had a similar experience with immigration. Stood line for a little bit and when the immigration officer saw my 8 year old daughter exhausted, they opened up a new line and called us to the front. We were through immigration in 20 minutes which surprised even the Aramco rep who hadn't even opened up the lounge when we got through.
Re airlines, I think the fact that the initial journey is on business class helps as most airlines take care of the business traveler very well...
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Post by justthe4ofus on May 12, 2013 16:22:54 GMT
Oh yes, I think all of our moods would have been totally different on arrival if we had to make that long flight in coach the whole way. That extra leg room makes a huge difference, especially when traveling with children. But it also spoiled us too and probably ruined us for future trips.  |
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