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Post by houston5 on Oct 19, 2013 6:17:14 GMT
I understand this forum is for those people who would like answers to many of their questions about moving to KSA. It is a big decision and a major change to ones family. However for those of you who are responding to others concerns about living on Rakah vs. Dhahran please remember there are many of us who are already living here (none of whom thought they were going to be living on Rakah) and we are trying to make the best of it! Which is not hard! There are a lot of positives about living here vs Dhahran! I feel like several posts have been very negative and stating that those who get "lucky" to live on Dhahran is just unproductive and very discouing to those families already here or those who are moving. Please remember that many people who are here read your posts and reminding us that you get to have lunch with your wife and kids everyday is just "rubbing it in". Please just answer the questions and leave your personal opinions out of it UNLESS you are actually living on Rakah. You have no idea what daily life is like. My family has now been here about 6 weeks on the new Rakah compound and for the most part we are very happy here. We have had a few issues with getting a taxi or not having a bus to go where we need, but you can rent a car or buy one in as little as 90 days. We have 3 small children, (4,2, and 7 months) and just like when you move to any new city, town, neighborhood you make it what you want it to be. Sorry for the rant it just gets hard to stay positive when some people seem determined to point out all the negatives!
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Post by Aramcomom on Oct 19, 2013 6:29:03 GMT
Thanks for your wonderfully refreshing post.
I, too, have kids aged 4 and under. It seems there's a lot of them in that age in Rakah! I'm very happy my kids will have other kids their age to play with!
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Post by llfarms on Oct 19, 2013 13:55:16 GMT
I too am beginning to tire of the negative post from others who dont even live here. Life with Aramco is what you make out of it. I really can't complain about being here. We have the city so close.
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Post by Pookilook on Oct 20, 2013 6:17:26 GMT
Nice to hear from you and that you are happy in Rakkah! For us, who are still in the process of deciding to accept the offer from Aramco, it would be nice to hear more about life in Rakkah!
Honestly, I was disappointed when I heard that we would need to live in Rakkah vs DHR. Mainly because I have already done my research on DHR and Rakkah was totally unexpected. Rakkah looks very nice, the houses are brand new, I see the positive side of living in a brand new compound, but I worry about my 4 and 6 year old commuting for and hour (x2) every day. I realize that there are a lot of families in the same situation and that certainly calms my nerves but I still have a lot of questions...
Do some moms commute with their kids to the elementary school? Otherwise do the moms commute to DHR during the day for some of the activities there? Do they mostly stay home in Rakkah? What activities or groups are already up and running in Rakkah?
Please give us more positive feedback, anything... I have searched this forum but there's very little directly from the residents at Rakkah.
Thanks!
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Post by vpainter on Oct 20, 2013 12:18:19 GMT
Thank you!!!!! Houston5.
Pookilook,
Mom's can ride with their kids to school if that is what makes you comfortable.
ARAMCO buses have never had a major accident in its entire history and very few fender benders in all those years.
You can go to DHA at any time day, evening or night - bus, taxi, private driver.
Rakkah is the Local Dhahran Compound and can enjoy all DHA has to offer.
Life is what you make it in any compound! Get out, get involved!
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Post by UmmRiyam on Oct 20, 2013 14:38:03 GMT
The commute from Rakkah to Dhahran is only about 30 minutes by bus, not an hour each way...so 1 hour a day. really, it's no different than the millions of children around the world who ride a school bus to school. I have never been to Rakkah, but I have seen the location on the map, and it's very convenient for shopping, right on corniche Rd. there's Tamimi and Lulu very close...big parks....tons of restaurants...very nice location, in my opinion. Khobar really isn't that big of a city.
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Post by houston5 on Oct 23, 2013 3:28:03 GMT
Pookilook- Everyone probably does different things here during the day. Some are very active and some people prefer to stay to themselves. But basically it is really up to each individual to get out there and meet up with others. There seems to be a lot of younger children, especially in the age e of 4-12 so I think your kids would have plenty of friends to keep them busy. I am not the best person to comment on the bus and school situation, but I do know you can ride the bus with your kids and/or there are, I think, 2 or 3 buses over to the schools during the day so that you could go have lunch with your child or volunteer in the classroom.
There is a pool here, bowling alley, tennis courts, gym, two larger playgrounds, soccer field, basketball court, etc. Because the community is new there are not many formal groups but we are trying to get things started. I know there are people interested in getting a tennis group started, I am trying to get a group together for running, there is already someone doing pickle ball and aerobics classes. They have a soccer group going for kids (mostly in the age range of 7-12) and I have seen some of the men trying to get a soccer group started as well. Some other things that have started or are starting very soon are aerobic classes, zumba for children, dance classes, Barre class for women, book clubs, and we have just started story time for smaller children this past week. If you have a talent or any ideas the community is very open to almost anything. It is a small compound but I like that b/c you do know almost all your neighbors, the kids have a little more freedom to run around since they cant go far, ha! Like I said before the biggest issue for us has been the transportation, but once we can get our own car that will not be a problem anymore, and someone to watch the kids if you need to do something. So far tho I have always been able to find a neighbor/ friend to help me with the kids if I need it. People are always willing to lend a hand here, it really is great to know you have support from everyone else who lives here. We do have a little mini mart stocked by Lulu market. They do a good job of having a good variety of things for cooking/eating. The major grocery stores are not far away about a 15minute drive so that is not bad. We do only have one of the smaller restaurants open, kind of like a snack bar, but I actually don't mind that. There are a lot of restaurants and malls close by and it almost forces you to experience your surroundings which I personally think is a good thing.
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Post by waywood on Oct 25, 2013 7:21:55 GMT
We are one of the few (it would appear) to have said yes to relocating from RT to Rakkah. We have been trying to do so for some time, but have never been on the 'right' list. Our entire familly commutes daily to Dhahran so this is a sensible move. Yes, we are losing the beach, the wonderful wide open green spaces and a fabulous community, but life is what you make it. We are excited to be moving closer to Khobar, to be able to finally go out to dinner as a family (never ever done that in the 3 years we have been here), to be closer to Bahrain, to have good shops and supermarkets local to us. Reducing commuting time by half has to be a bonus, especially on that Jubail highway. It takes a good 70 minutes these days each way due to an increase in the volume of traffic. We have no doubt that we will make Rakkah a home and will certainly be availing ourselves of the activities and facilities in DH now that they are far more accessible. We like small community living, where 'everyone knows your name'. The huge plus for the children will be that they can finally say yes to school friends' birthday party invites and have play dates. Approach everything with a positive atude and you will rarely be disappointed.
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Post by Pama on Oct 29, 2013 16:43:05 GMT
First of all, a BIG thank you to all those providing details on Rakah community. We are waiting for our visas and hope to arrive by the end of the year. Any information adds to my comfort. Long commute to school is still a huge concern for us and I do hope elementary and middle school busses are separated soon to cut down on commute time. Any news/update on that so far?
Some additional questions:
1. What’s the procedure for starting an interest group? We’d be much interested in a Tae Kwon Do/Martial Arts group for kids. My 10 year old is a black belt and we’d like him to keep up with his skills.
2. Also, does anyone know of the nearest Toastmasters club that women from Ar-Rakah can easily commute to?
3. Is there any stoe space (such as under the stairs) where suitcases etc can be conveniently stored?
4. I read somewhere in this forum that there’s an Aramco furniture warehouse. Is it possible to get a new queen size bed to replace the two twin beds in one of the bedrooms?
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Post by vpainter on Oct 30, 2013 5:46:14 GMT
1). There are Martial Arts groups (different kinds) in DHA. As Rakkah grows, one can be started there by going to Recreation and filling out paperwork and getting signatures. There is a list of many of the self interest groups in DHA under Living in ARAMCO Communities: Living in DHA.
2). There is a Toastmasters group also in DHA.
3). There is a small amount of stoe in the A/C room, don't remember under the stairs stoe. Hopefully a current resident will answer.
4). The furniture warehouse phone number will be on the phone list that will be in your home upon arrival. Call them when you arrive. If a bed is available, cannot guarantee it will be brand new, but if there is a queen bed available, they may change out the twin beds.
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Post by Pama on Nov 5, 2013 16:12:41 GMT
vpainter, thank you for answering my questions in detail. I'm still hoping a Rakkah resident would let me know if there's any separate stoe space provided anywhere (such as under the stairs). We'd like to use the utility room as our home office!
Also, is it true that the elementary and secondary school busses would be separated by the end of this year? That way, I believe the kids can leave at 7:00am as opposed to 6:30am. Any information would be appreciated.
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revive
Senior Member
Posts: 180
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Post by revive on Nov 6, 2013 10:17:05 GMT
There is a space (a little nook) besides the stairs which you can use to store luggages or boxes and then cover with a decorative screen. Another idea is each bedroom has a walk-in closet. If you have a bedroom that is not being used, you could certainly use the closet space as additional stoe. Obviously you could also use the bedroom as an office. Another idea, there is a bathroom next to the 2nd floor study that we actually never use. You could use this as a stoe too and then just lock it so nobody can use the bathroom (the other 2 bathrooms on the 2nd floor are more than enough!)
The school buses are already separated and leave at 6.45am.
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Post by Pama on Nov 7, 2013 15:45:43 GMT
revive, thanks a lot for providing all the details. Like I said earlier, any information adds to our comfort level and helps us prepare mentally for this transition!
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Post by xjonesy on Nov 8, 2013 20:41:28 GMT
Can anyone talk about how many people are already there living in Rakkah? How full is the compound already - 50% full?
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revive
Senior Member
Posts: 180
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Post by revive on Nov 11, 2013 8:49:16 GMT
We currently have almost 100, which is roughly 20% of the full capacity of ~500.
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