We live on the coast of South Carolina. I'm so glad for you that your son adjusted well and has made some friends. We have told a few family members and they have not taken the news very well. Specifically, they are worried about the kids and how they will adjust. We have been assigned to Dhahran Camp and I am sure that once we find some activities and playmates they will both be just fine. Are you involved with any activities yourself? How are you adjusting?
You are more than welcome to shoot me an email. Not that I want to tell you anything that I can't say here, but I don't know if everyone feels like reading a conversation between two people. lol. asori04@yahoo.com
We will be moving with our 5 year, 3 year and 8 month old kids. Glad to know that other kids transitioned very quickly into the new environment. Hope to connect with you all in the near future.
My wife is also excited to hear that there is a zumba class in Dhahran!
Zumba, spin class, a running club, yoga, and probably more that I don't know about yet (i've only been here 1 month). We just signed our 5 year old up for zumbatomic, a one-week zumba class for kids.
Also, just wanted to add, the most challenging thing for us with the kids has been food. My 5 year old probably holds the le for the world's pickiest eater, so finding things he likes has been trying at times. We went through maybe 4 different frozen nugget brands before we found one he'd eat. There are tons of American foods, or American style foods, but they do taste a *little* different. But like I said, he came over here picky, so we would have had these issues back home anyways.
revive: how far along are you in the process? My husband was interviewed in April and received our offer in May and will be in Dhahran as well. We will be coming with our 3 yr old and 1 yr old. Good luck with the rest of your hiring process.
o, We are just waiting for our visas, which should come any day now. We will be leaving Houston on Aug 1st. All the best to you, as well, and hope to see you in due time.
Thank you to everyone for your posts, they have been very helpful in reassuring me that we are making the correct decision.
Carolina girl, revive, and just the 4 of us, I was interested in your posts because we have 3 small children under the age of 4. I am happy to see that there will be other Americans there with small children. We lived in Charleston for several years and now live in Houston. I was trying to contact you privately but can't seem to figure it out, sorry! Hopefully we can meet once we all get over there.
o If you are a new user it may take a little while before you can send PM. I would be more than happy to talk to you. We are currently in the Charleston area, small world sometimes! My email is Carolina_girl1882@yahoo.com.
Anyone knows a good Taekwondo academy in Dhahran? My son, 11 years old, is going for his 2nd degree black belt; I want to find a good school for him before his arrival.
Thanks a lot JustMovedDhahran and KSA2012. It's a valuable information you provided for all new comers like me. It helped me visualize the life style in Saudi. I have two kids 10 and 7 and confused whether to make a move from our cozy California home. The money we earn here mostly goes to uncle sam, state tax board, and to the high cost of living.
How about kids extra curricular classes? like tennis, golf, music, other sports training?