Post by eshan on Dec 29, 2013 16:38:37 GMT
This board has been such a great resource for me in easing my transition to Aramco so I figure its my turn to contribute with my experience. I moved recently from Washington DC on single status.
1) The plane ride on KLM was relatively uneventful except for a 2 hr delay before take off in the DC to Amsterdam leg of the trip. Had to do with a wing leaking fuel, enough of an amount that fire trucks showed up. But to their credit KLM kept us well informed on what was going on. I had plenty of connection time in Amsterdam so it did not impact me much. I also did pre-book in advance to check in two additional bags and I found that useful.
2) Immigration lines at Dammam airport were crawling at a snail's pace until they opened up a line for business visas and moved many Aramcoans to that line. That helped and once it was done my luggage was waiting so overall from exit of the plane to exit out of customs took 2 hrs. Not bad considering the queues I saw.
3) This is where I messed up a bit and a word of caution for future travelers. Because of the large influx of recent arrivals some depts were unable to send Aramco reps to meet folks outside customs. Turned out the guy who met me was a private cab driver hired by my dept and he quickly grabbed me and put me and my luggage into the cab rather than taking me first to the Aramco office. Big mistake on my part but I thought protocols had changed and he seemed insistent. The end impact of this is that I spent the bulk of my day today getting my temporary ID processed in Dhahran. Good news, it can be done if things get screwed up for some reason. Plus I got to see a bit of Dhahran and its facilities on the first work day so not bad.
4) Another important development to report for new bachelor/single arrivals. We are now being housed in dorm style lodgings in Ras Tanura. No idea on when we may be moving out. This was a last minute development. I actually like the set up. Think Extended Stay for those who are familiar. Nice thing is there is a TV in the room, not to mention all the other goodies Aramco provides to get you started, and the location is ideal. 5 min from the bus stop, commissary and about 10 min from the cafeteria, beach, theatre etc. Only issue with the current housing is what I am going to do with the stuff sent via 2 E-boxes. Problem for another day I suppose.
Tomorrow is new employee orientation and I am hoping to explore more of the RT camp and outskirts via bus this weekend. All in all I am pleased and looking forward to this new adventure. BTW, the STC store in Dhahran is a boon. Hit that up on your first work day if you can to get your internet and cell phones activated. Happy I did that.
If anyone has questions feel free to PM me. Now time to grab a quick bite to eat and off to bed. Need to get used to early bed times to catch that 5:40 AM bus. Commute is not bad, 1 hr one way. I had a longer one in DC.
1) The plane ride on KLM was relatively uneventful except for a 2 hr delay before take off in the DC to Amsterdam leg of the trip. Had to do with a wing leaking fuel, enough of an amount that fire trucks showed up. But to their credit KLM kept us well informed on what was going on. I had plenty of connection time in Amsterdam so it did not impact me much. I also did pre-book in advance to check in two additional bags and I found that useful.
2) Immigration lines at Dammam airport were crawling at a snail's pace until they opened up a line for business visas and moved many Aramcoans to that line. That helped and once it was done my luggage was waiting so overall from exit of the plane to exit out of customs took 2 hrs. Not bad considering the queues I saw.
3) This is where I messed up a bit and a word of caution for future travelers. Because of the large influx of recent arrivals some depts were unable to send Aramco reps to meet folks outside customs. Turned out the guy who met me was a private cab driver hired by my dept and he quickly grabbed me and put me and my luggage into the cab rather than taking me first to the Aramco office. Big mistake on my part but I thought protocols had changed and he seemed insistent. The end impact of this is that I spent the bulk of my day today getting my temporary ID processed in Dhahran. Good news, it can be done if things get screwed up for some reason. Plus I got to see a bit of Dhahran and its facilities on the first work day so not bad.
4) Another important development to report for new bachelor/single arrivals. We are now being housed in dorm style lodgings in Ras Tanura. No idea on when we may be moving out. This was a last minute development. I actually like the set up. Think Extended Stay for those who are familiar. Nice thing is there is a TV in the room, not to mention all the other goodies Aramco provides to get you started, and the location is ideal. 5 min from the bus stop, commissary and about 10 min from the cafeteria, beach, theatre etc. Only issue with the current housing is what I am going to do with the stuff sent via 2 E-boxes. Problem for another day I suppose.
Tomorrow is new employee orientation and I am hoping to explore more of the RT camp and outskirts via bus this weekend. All in all I am pleased and looking forward to this new adventure. BTW, the STC store in Dhahran is a boon. Hit that up on your first work day if you can to get your internet and cell phones activated. Happy I did that.
If anyone has questions feel free to PM me. Now time to grab a quick bite to eat and off to bed. Need to get used to early bed times to catch that 5:40 AM bus. Commute is not bad, 1 hr one way. I had a longer one in DC.
