TheTrailingSpouse

My husband has just been offered a job working for BAE Systems and we are deciding whether or not to take it. Main concerns are me being able to accompany him. He initially has to sign a contract accepting to go over unaccompanied and then apply for me to join him.

Does anyone on here live on Sara Garden Village compound or know someone who does? Could they give me a list of pros and cons to life out there?

sicklyman

Don't live there but have been there a few times. It's compact and secure but out of town in the middle of nowhere quite a taxi ride from anything. It has a lot of leisure facilities including Olympic-sized swimming pool, bowling alley and more bars than you could ever possibly imagine (not all of it homebrew either). The housing is your standard fairly large two storey villa. Most villas back onto a landscaped area with a small pool in each area and then a larger community pool where the main restaurant/leisure complex is.

It all seemed a bit drab to me though. I could put you in touch with someone who I know there (another wife) if you PM me your contact details.

TheTrailingSpouse

Thanks for that sicklyman. I've been to Saudi before as my dad worked there when I was younger and "drab" is a description I would use for all the compounds we lived on in Riyadh and Jeddah ha ha. If there's a pool and bars and a gym then I'm happy days to be honest but it would be great to speak to someone who actually lives there to get their opinion of how its isolated nature impacts day to day. >and it would be great if she could contact me to give me some advice. Thanks!

P.s. which compound do you live on and what is better about it? Just the location? And are you a member of HHH or any running clubs?

TheTrailingSpouse

I can't give my email address here and I can't PM you so I don't know how I can give you my contact details

TheTrailingSpouse

Scrap that sicklyman. I've been able to PM you. Thanks again!

Anyone else got any advice re Dhahran/BAE/Sara compound?

Pollyana

Just wanted to say glad the pm workedin the end

Oh - and welcome to BE

Tockalosh

Nice warning out there just now from the US embassy regarding a hit on western compound in the eastern province. Not to put a dampener on it :-)

TheTrailingSpouse

That does put rather a large dampener on it. Oh dear.

Tockalosh

Wear yor Ron hill union jack shorts and you will be fine. Threat is actually against compounds housing yanks

TheTrailingSpouse

I don't think Brits will be exempt. We've done a fair amount of p****ng off Arab nations ourselves over the last few years eh. Might mean we the the job down to be honest. Not worth the risk. � ����

TheTrailingSpouse

Turn the job down that should have read and the symbol wasn't anything dodgy. It was just a sad face emoticon.

Millhouse

those warnings are issued regularly on a repeat basis. It's the middle east.

Tockalosh

Well first off I wouldn't turn the job down however baas Milly, whilst general warnings against western interests are routine and have been for yonks, when was the last one specifically against compounds housing yanks ?? Me thinks a while. Doing my regular visit to the eastern province next week so busy searching the net for 4XL Ron hill union jack shorts but they stopped making them !!!!! Why you you stop making the thing that made the company especially in my hour of need ?

Tockalosh

And there are far fewer dodgy extreme Muslims in saudi plotting to kill infidels than there probably are in Preston and Blackburn. Only beloved Lythym is safe from the bad people

TheTrailingSpouse

I think we need to get more information before coming to a decision. I'd feel a lot more secure if we were going to the UAE but I think Saudi deserves a little more caution and thought. We can get the "official" line from the gov.uk website and get reassurances from HR personnel who will be safely tucked up in their beds at night back in England while we're out on some compound in Saudi. None of this information will be particularly useful upon which to base a decision.

What I need is advice from those who are out in the eastern province (and so thanks for your input Tockalosh). Anyone else who has visited or preferably lives in the area or specifically on Sara got any advice?

Thank you.