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Post by tiba77 on Oct 19, 2011 15:05:18 GMT
Any experience on how's life in Riyadh?
If i understood well, there are no Aramco compounds there... Where do Aramco employees stay? Other kind of compounds or is it possible/practical to have the family based in Dharan or Ras Tanura?
What about the weather there? Since the sea is to far i guess that must make a big difference...
What kind of social occupations/sports are available in the area?
Thanks for your information!
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Post by Mr Barlow on Oct 21, 2011 17:35:27 GMT
All I can tell you is it is a wonderful warm friendly place. You'll never want to leave, it really is a Magical place :roll:
For a more down to earth view best to check out a forum like British Expats where people can post negative as well as positive comments :wink:
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Post by tiba77 on Oct 21, 2011 19:01:19 GMT
Thanks!
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Buster
Senior Member
Posts: 106
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Post by Buster on Oct 22, 2011 20:33:29 GMT
Riyadh is meant to be the most conservative city in Saudi..............but there are numerous compounds, all very busy with quite a lively social scene.
No personal experience but I have spoken to people who were disappointed to leave and go elsewhere in Kingdom.
Good luck
Buster
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Post by tiba77 on Oct 23, 2011 15:05:05 GMT
Thank you Buster!
All the information will help if we come to a point where a decision has to be taken...
I guess for a family with two kids (4 and 10), the mos suitable locations would be Ras Tanura or Dharan.
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Post by Tremblent on Oct 23, 2011 16:54:05 GMT
"I guess for a family with two kids (4 and 10), the mos suitable locations would be Ras Tanura or Dharan."
I am at RT and not at all pleased with the quality of the education/school/teachers here. I haven't seen the professionalism what we have experienced in North America. Of course, I am comparing with my kids previous schools. The standard of RT Aramco school is no where close to my kids previous school. I spoke to few parents here and they are also of the same opinion. But there are parents I spoke with are very happy with the schools here in RT and it all boils down to what you are comparing with.
You might ask why I am continuing here, well, with the present scenario in US it is not worth to send the kids for higher studies in university, instead give them basic education and give them half a million dollars to establish some business. This is just me.
You need to consider the quality of education you would like to provide to your kids incase you have big plans for them.
Good-luck!
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stmayo11
Senior Member
ExPats Community Moderator
Posts: 159
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Post by stmayo11 on Oct 23, 2011 19:09:09 GMT
Negative comments are perfectly welcome here. Search the forum and I'm sure you'll find many comments that do not tow the 'company line' here. Rude, disrespectful, slanderous, culturally/religiously insensitive comments and other inappropriate comments are not permitted here as is stated in the terms of service when you sign up for a username on the forum.
It's obvious Mr. Barlow you regret your decision to relocate to Saudi Arabia. However, you are still welcome to share your experience here with all the Forum contributors/readers.
Please, just play by the rules...
stmayo11
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Post by Julz62 on Oct 24, 2011 4:05:57 GMT
I was a teacher in the States in two different states and several different districts. I can tell you personally the schools in Dhahran are great! Class sizes are small, the teachers are very knowledgeable and my kids personally love it! We are very happy with the schools here!
I can't speak about Riyadh but Dhahran doesn't get near as hot as I imagined. Everyone talks about the 120 days but we only had one this summer. It hits the 115 mark more regularly but most of those days are without humidity so it isn't very bad. (I came from Houston which is HOT!) There was really only one month this year that we didn't want to be outside, August.
Sports and social groups are numerous in Dhahran. They have boy and girl scouts, soccer, basketball, flag football, swimming, dance, art classes, baseball and more. There is a women group, running group, too many to list. If you are into at home they most likely have it here.
The Saudi Scenes website will give a bit of perspective of what the Dhahran camp is like and some of the things to do and see over here.
Best of Luck to you. This place is what you make of it. You can either sit, complain and hate life or choose to love it and be involved. For my family we are enjoying our time here!
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Post by tiba77 on Oct 24, 2011 10:13:38 GMT
Thank you all for your time and information!
Julz62, when you say "dharan schools", are you referring to the schools inside the compound?
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Post by Julz62 on Oct 24, 2011 11:25:51 GMT
Yes I am referring to the schools in the Dhahran compound. Dhahran Hills and Dhahran Middle School.
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Post by Mr Barlow on Oct 24, 2011 15:15:29 GMT
The previous comments I have made that have disappeared from this site were neither disrespectful, rude, slanderous , or insensitive. Nor did they have any religious or cultural significance. My comment related to a direct observation I made everyday and concerns lets say work ethics and how that might affect your work. Indeed Aramco acknowledges it as a problem as I have seen 'global' emails on the issue.
And yes I have significant issues with the way in which Aramco recruit and a number of its employment policies which are an anachronism in the 20th, let alone 21st Century.
Anyway Im a rather happy right now watching with gleeful Schadenfraude as a rather large pile hits the fan....
Popcorn is ready along with those old standby lines - well of course I warned you, yes I did, would you like me to resend the 15 emails I sent regarding this problem
:lol:
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Post by Tremblent on Oct 24, 2011 17:33:38 GMT
I think the people who seek the comments welcome both good and bad because they need to know and make a decision.
I fully agree with Mr Barlow, as a member you contribute what you feel and experience. Rest is left to the people. Everybody has a different way of looking at the things and one may take it as negative comment and other may take the same comment as positive. It is left to the individual to classify which is positive and which is negative.
I personally give more importance to the concerned comments rather than more rosy ones.
I am afraid that many who would like to contribute to this forum may stay away and the people seeking informations are the ones looser.
Bless Everyone!
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Post by Carolina on Oct 31, 2011 12:27:14 GMT
o
Ok dare I chip into this one but as we all know life is what you make it and as I have written in other posts Mr Barlow is extremely unhappy with his job and Saudi Arabia in general yes of course do continue to make comments - observations etc but to be quite honest you keep on stating how you are not enjoying your life here nor your work life so maybe the time has come for you to re-think everything as I have written on numerous posts we too have lived in many other different countries and with other cultures and we simply had to get on with it and have a good and open mind - there was in fact one particular country that all of our lives were put at risk and we were for saved by the French Foreign Legion (and unfortunately some of our colleagues and friends never made it) but we did return and obeyed the curfews - that was our choice but we never had a forum to ask questions or for advice either.
Again Mr Barlow life is far too short to be miserable and unhappy - I certainly hope you find perhaps a new job and country that you will be content with.
This is written with concern and kindess as always
Carolina
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Buster
Senior Member
Posts: 106
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Post by Buster on Oct 31, 2011 14:16:28 GMT
Back to the subject in hand Tiba77 - I visited Riyadh at the weekend and whilst I didn't stay long enough to understand living conditions, I was amazed at the amount of expats around.
The roads can be a little busy at times, and there is quite a bit of construction with new flyovers etc, but I'm sure once you're living there you'll know which times to avoid.
I'm sure it's a shopaholics paradise with some pretty big stores, again with internationally recognised names.
Weather wise, it doesn't suffer from the same humidity as many other (coastal) places here but can be a little hotter in summer and a little cooler in winter. I think sand storms can be a bit more frequent as well but not sure if it would affect you too much in the centre of the city.
Cheers
Buster
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Post by tiba77 on Nov 1, 2011 22:07:24 GMT
Thank you Buster!
Some of my doubts about Riyadh:
- Can you find a compound with comparable global quality (kids school included) to those that Aramco have in other locations?
- Safety - Same level as Dharan or Ras Tanura?
- How cold, how hot and how sandy can it be?
- Life outside the compounds - does it make a big difference from Dharan / Ras Tanura?
- Are there good International High Schools?
- Weekends on Bahrein are out of question... - do you have similar alternatives?
- Expat community - is it comparable to Dharan?
Thank you again for your opinions!
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