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  1. #101
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    Quote Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton
    ^^Paris. 1952-1956
    jesus, interesting years the 50s in France

  2. #102
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    ^Not quite so much if you're from 3-7 years old. Now Tunisia when the French Foreign Legion paras swept in and I was about 12, that was interesting.

  3. #103
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    Quote Originally Posted by Butterfly
    jesus, interesting years the 50s in France
    I thought Jesus was born in Jerusalum in the 50's.

  4. #104
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    Quote Originally Posted by Loy Toy View Post
    My only experience with Saudi Arabia is I had two drinking buddies who were working there and I was helping them out with their home build in Pattaya.

    One of the blokes sent me an e-mail saying that the risks were starting to out weigh the benefits and they were both coming back to LOS in 2 weeks for good.

    The next thing I see is a News report that one of the lads had his head cut off with a kitchen knife.

    Nice place.................
    You're being totally ridiculous. The crime rate in Saudi Arabia is practically zero. The only crimes are those done by foreigners and those are extremely rare. Both the USA and the UK have more crime, per capita, in one day than Saudi Arabia has in one year. In that you heard about this specific crime, if indeed it actually happened, means that it is so rare and shocking that it gets into the news. My wife and I could walk alone anywhere in the Kingdom at 3 AM and feel 100% safe. And, I'm not talking about the ARAMCO compound. I'm talking about Arab cities like Al-Khobar and Dammam. Can't say that for any place in the western world.

  5. #105
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    Quote Originally Posted by DrAndy View Post
    I have worked in many places and liked all of them, except Saudi

    I worked for Aramco in their prison block X building; the job was tedious, the Saudis tedious, life was tedious and my mind was just full of tedium

    the only people that stayed there for years were desperate for money or just fuking tedious themselves

    I walked from a year contract after 6 months, even though the cash was good

    I only have one life and that must include enjoying my work and workplace
    Give it up, my friend. There were thousands of employees, of many different nationalities, that stayed working for ARAMCO and for other companies in Saudi Arabia for years. I know many people who retired from Aramco after 20 years. Many of our Thai and Filipino friends had been working there before my wife and I got there and they were still there after we left 10 years later. I never met anyone, with the exception of a few continuously disgruntled employees, who hated the place or who even disliked the place so much that they were constantly bickering. There was plenty to do in the Kingdom depending on what your preferences were. No, there were no bars or prostitutes to frequent. The Arabs and some of the third country nationals took some getting used to. You did not have the abject freedom that you have in the west. Outside of that you pretty much could do as you pleased and life was not that much different than at home. Aramco and most other companies paid exceptional salaries and gave exceptional benefits. Most third country nationals could make up to 4 times the salary they could make at home and that was if they had a job at home. We Americans only made double the salary we could have made in the states. However, our living conditions were better. Although, the living conditions for some third country nationals were a hell of a lot better than what they were living in at home. Just remember, working in Saudi Arabia for only 6 months, or anywhere for that matter, does not make anyone an expert on that country.

  6. #106
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    Apart from visiting a couple of offices, I've never worked in the ME. According to local expats though-
    Riyadh is a dump. Avoid like the plague.
    Dhahran has a solitary saving grace, known as Bahrain.
    Jeddah- definitely the pick of the bunch.
    Most Saudi expats wished they were in Dubai though.
    But the moneys good, and you get to drive a big gas guzzler.
    Some kind of substitute for a life, I guess. JW black is $200 a bottle.
    Last edited by sabang; 27-11-2011 at 06:13 AM.

  7. #107
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    Florida: Just out of interest, what years were you there? Sounds like '70's - '80's?

  8. #108
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    Quote Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton View Post
    Florida: Just out of interest, what years were you there? Sounds like '70's - '80's?
    I was there from 1979 through 1989. Worked in Iran for 3 years until just before the Shah fell in 1979. My son was born in Dhahran hospital.

  9. #109
    On a walkabout Loy Toy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Floridathunderstorm View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Loy Toy View Post
    My only experience with Saudi Arabia is I had two drinking buddies who were working there and I was helping them out with their home build in Pattaya.

    One of the blokes sent me an e-mail saying that the risks were starting to out weigh the benefits and they were both coming back to LOS in 2 weeks for good.

    The next thing I see is a News report that one of the lads had his head cut off with a kitchen knife.

    Nice place.................
    You're being totally ridiculous. The crime rate in Saudi Arabia is practically zero. The only crimes are those done by foreigners and those are extremely rare. Both the USA and the UK have more crime, per capita, in one day than Saudi Arabia has in one year. In that you heard about this specific crime, if indeed it actually happened, means that it is so rare and shocking that it gets into the news. My wife and I could walk alone anywhere in the Kingdom at 3 AM and feel 100% safe. And, I'm not talking about the ARAMCO compound. I'm talking about Arab cities like Al-Khobar and Dammam. Can't say that for any place in the western world.
    As per the Opening post question I am responding with an honest answer numb-nuts.

    How is that being totally ridiculous?

  10. #110
    On a walkabout Loy Toy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Floridathunderstorm
    The crime rate in Saudi Arabia is practically zero.
    Exactly what I thought and confirmed by this expert along with what a number of friends have told me about the place.


    Foreign affairs ministries of different countries state that there is a low rate of crime in Saudi Arabia.[1][2][3] However criminology researcher Dr. Ali Wardak in the book Transnational and Comparative Criminology suggested ranking societies on the basis of official crime rates is problematic. He argued it is possible in Saudi Arabia that several criminal complaints are resolved outside formal judicial institutions and as a consequence remain undocumented by the police.[4]


    Now who is being ridiculous and totally blinkered?

  11. #111
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    ^^^We were there at the same time then; I was there '86-'88. Kind of the beginning of the end for the Aramcon community. Most Americans were gone - replaced by Brits who were cheaper. I went to the annual Aramco fair one year - white faces organizing and running all of the booths; a wide variety of Southwest Asians and assorted Arabs wandering about. I lived downtown, and very rarely went onto the Aramco compound - actually about three times I think. Just my opinion, but it seemed a very strange life - Americans holding secret religious services in their kitchens, hiding in their garages to make moonshine, shopping at the 'pork store', living with a virtual total loss of freedom - all in search of the almighty dollar. Not slamming you or your choices, just seems to me that life is too short to live like that.

  12. #112
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    Is there anybody there NOW with an uptodate opinion...????

  13. #113
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton
    Americans holding secret religious services in their kitchens, hiding in their garages to make moonshine, shopping at the 'pork store', living with a virtual total loss of freedom - all in search of the almighty dollar.
    Living in the gated community - for their own protection.

  14. #114
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    Thumbs down

    Quote Originally Posted by Loy Toy View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Floridathunderstorm View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Loy Toy View Post
    My only experience with Saudi Arabia is I had two drinking buddies who were working there and I was helping them out with their home build in Pattaya.

    One of the blokes sent me an e-mail saying that the risks were starting to out weigh the benefits and they were both coming back to LOS in 2 weeks for good.

    The next thing I see is a News report that one of the lads had his head cut off with a kitchen knife.

    Nice place.................
    Your "nice place" quote was

    You're being totally ridiculous. The crime rate in Saudi Arabia is practically zero. The only crimes are those done by foreigners and those are extremely rare. Both the USA and the UK have more crime, per capita, in one day than Saudi Arabia has in one year. In that you heard about this specific crime, if indeed it actually happened, means that it is so rare and shocking that it gets into the news. My wife and I could walk alone anywhere in the Kingdom at 3 AM and feel 100% safe. And, I'm not talking about the ARAMCO compound. I'm talking about Arab cities like Al-Khobar and Dammam. Can't say that for any place in the western world.
    As per the Opening post question I am responding with an honest answer numb-nuts.

    How is that being totally ridiculous?
    Your "nice place" is pretty sarcastic and very condescending. One could say the same about the UK or Australia, wherever you're from. Except you would have to say "nice place" thousands of times when referring to heinous crimes in those two countries. And one of your friends saying that the risks outweigh the benefits is their opinion only. I don't know what risks they are referring to? One incident does not make a risk equation.

    Also, calling people names simply shows what class you have, which is no class.

  15. #115
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    Talking

    Quote Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton View Post
    ^^^We were there at the same time then; I was there '86-'88. Kind of the beginning of the end for the Aramcon community. Most Americans were gone - replaced by Brits who were cheaper. I went to the annual Aramco fair one year - white faces organizing and running all of the booths; a wide variety of Southwest Asians and assorted Arabs wandering about. I lived downtown, and very rarely went onto the Aramco compound - actually about three times I think. Just my opinion, but it seemed a very strange life - Americans holding secret religious services in their kitchens, hiding in their garages to make moonshine, shopping at the 'pork store', living with a virtual total loss of freedom - all in search of the almighty dollar. Not slamming you or your choices, just seems to me that life is too short to live like that.
    Saudi Aramco Residential Camp in Dhahran - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    saudi aramco compound - Google Search

    Yeah, live is too short to live like this.............

  16. #116
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    ^Ok, I give up. Your links don't tell me or show me anything I didn't already know or hadn't already seen for myself. You obviously were thrilled to be living in a suburban prison. Some people are like that. As it is obviously a very fond memory for you, I will leave you to it. Most of the Aramcons I met were very much like small town Americans from the mid-West - religious, boring, lacking in initiative or life experience, happy living in a gilded cage, and with very little interest in anything that took place outside of their Aramco safe zone. Like you, living on the gated Aramco compound will remain for the rest of their lives as their great overseas experience.

  17. #117
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    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton
    Americans holding secret religious services in their kitchens, hiding in their garages to make moonshine, shopping at the 'pork store', living with a virtual total loss of freedom - all in search of the almighty dollar.
    Living in the gated community - for their own protection.
    That is a decision of the Saudi Government and not the decision of Americans living in Daharan. The government doesn't want people entering the compound who are not authorized to be there. It's not because there is any inherent danger.

    And, if holding religious meetings in one's kitchen, "hiding" in one's garage to make "moonshine, and Oh, perish the thought, shopping in the pork store, is total loss of freedom in some people's eyes, then you have a totally different definition of freedom than I do. I'll clue you in. Total loss of freedom is when you are a POW, or live in North Korea, Cuba, or Burma. ARAMCO is paying very good money for you to put up with minor inconveniences. If you don't like those minor inconveniences then don't go. It's that simple.

  18. #118
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    Quote Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton View Post
    ^Ok, I give up. Your links don't tell me or show me anything I didn't already know or hadn't already seen for myself. You obviously were thrilled to be living in a suburban prison. Some people are like that. As it is obviously a very fond memory for you, I will leave you to it. Most of the Aramcons I met were very much like small town Americans from the mid-West - religious, boring, lacking in initiative or life experience, happy living in a gilded cage, and with very little interest in anything that took place outside of their Aramco safe zone. Like you, living on the gated Aramco compound will remain for the rest of their lives as their great overseas experience.
    No my friend, you are so so wrong. Most Aramcons were highly educated and very articulate people. Most of them were world travelers and had experiences that most people could only dream about. They invested wisely and returned to the US to live comfortably the rest of their lives. I have no idea where you have gotten your hair brained information from. You just sound bitter and disgruntled. I don't think you spent very much time on the Aramco compound nor did you have many acquaintances there. This all might be your opinion. But, it surely is not factual in any way. Don't mislead the people on this forum, please.

  19. #119
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  20. #120
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    ^just read the plot from the link - cheers will have a look.

  21. #121
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    ^^^You are correct. As I posted earlier, I think I went onto the Aramco compound about three times in two years. I did not know that many Aramcons, as I found them to be boring, dull people with little to offer. As far as being highly educated, I don't doubt that many had educational qualifications for the jobs they were hired to do. As far as world travelers with experiences the rest of us could only dream of, I have lived abroad for 40 years, in a wide range of countries, and doubt that living in an oil camp or two rivals that. I am not bitter and disgruntled; nor am I misleading anyone on this forum. If you read the entire thread, you are in a minority of one. Yes, I hated Saudi Arabia. Yes, I found Aramcons, as another poster already mentioned, very tedious people. And of course it is my opinion; just like your opinion of the heaven on earth inside the gates of the Aramco compound is yours.

  22. #122
    On a walkabout Loy Toy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Floridathunderstorm
    Your "nice place" is pretty sarcastic and very condescending.
    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh
    Living in the gated community - for their own protection.
    Not to mention the fact I have an e-mail from a friend who stated "the financial benefits are being outwighed by the personal risks" and within two weeks the other friend had his head hacked off which the mongrel assassins made a video of and put on the internet.
    Quote Originally Posted by Floridathunderstorm
    Also, calling people names simply shows what class you have, which is no class.
    Quote Originally Posted by Floridathunderstorm
    You're being totally ridiculous.
    Your the one being totally ridiculous numbnuts.

  23. #123
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  24. #124
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    Saudi- No thanks

    Had the lack of foresight to accept a single status short term contract job in Saudi 4 years ago.

    Colleagues included some balanced individuals who just got on with filling the time as best they could but others were well past the definition of odd.

    Jubail Industrial City. I won't go into details but post apocayliptic about sums it up.

    A weekend visa trip to Bahrain made me see the light and a little of what I was missing. Life!!

    And life and access to it seemed too precious to exchange for a large salary cheque so I bailed out and am glad I did so.

    The fact I had no medi coverage, worked long hours 7-6pm, lived in shared accommodation with 2 other guys and no transport provided by the employer all helped in my decision to quit.

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