shiva

Out of genuine interest did you do any research before the job was accepted?

OleJanx

I think the OP is pissed off because she's just realised that they've drawn the short straw when it comes to postings in the Middle East.

ninlyna

ok folks,

you win.

I'd like to thank you all for your answers. If this is what this forum is all about, i.e. being rude and sarcastic to people asking for genuine advice then this is not the place for me. I'm totally open to negative remarks, neither me or my husband have taken the decision lightely to move there. However, we are moving there, kids and all. Your so-called advice has been utterly unhelpful, but I'm happy if you all managed to vent your deep dislike for the place where me and my family are heading. I will be looking elsewhere for real information, perhaps from families (yes, those whose wifes and kids actually did go with them...).

If this is what BritishExpats.com is all about, mocking and venting angrily to new people who do not have any prior experience with living in the middle east, then I don't want to be part of it. You all may have experience from living there, which is fine, but it doesn't give you right to be patronising the rude to someone who hasn't. Many of your comments have been simply stupid, and I won't be reading them anymore, so if you have anything else to say to me, I wouldn't waste your time...oh wait! That seems to be a favourite hobby for a lot of you. Well enjoy slagging me off then, meanwhile I'm going to head off and live my life and make the most of it...and tell you what, I'll make up my own mind, and the next time someone asks about life (real life) in Yanbu, I'll be sure to help them out.
Thanks.

ninlyna

oh and obejan,
Yes, I'm fully aware that we have drawn the short stick....thats exactly why I'm asking for help.

mentalist

Here is some genuine and sincere advice. For your own sake and for the sake of your children, please make sure that you have a Plan B readily to hand so you can fly home to the UK at short notice. Your husband will be able to cope on his own as it's a male-centric society. We do not criticise a place for no reason.

OleJanx

Obejan?? This apparently translates to "Shape and beauty"! This, I assure you is not something anyone has ever said to me before, even out of context, so thank you!

Stealth Otter

I thought I was being helpful with my positive comments about the airport - we've started flying to Jeddah via Yanbu from Riyadh because it is a far more pleasant experience than the direct Saudi flights to Jeddah which have started to sap my will to live.

Stealth Otter

...maybe I should have started a separate 'my favourite Saudi airport' thread and kept this one pure...

OleJanx

It seems from the OP's responses that she wasn't trying to help herself very much. I Googled " Social life in Yanbu" and got no end of leads and infomation. It wasn't all that difficult...

(OP: Try this; http://americanbedu.com/2009/02/13/h...-saudi-arabia/
Not recent but should help. )

Brains1983

Ninlyna, don't listen to the rest of the people on here. They are all grumpy and sarcastic. Ref Yanbu, it's got a nice airport and the diving is great. It's also a shithole.

Hope that helps.

Ethos83

Denial isn't a river in Africa.

There's quite a few O&G and construction fellows on this board and they've been all over the Middle East/Gulf and know the ins and outs of all the major construction sites, cities and compounds. Are some of them blunt? Yes. People working in these industries in the ME learn to be blunt, very, very quickly.

"But I don't appreciate being mocked and told I'll want to leave within a few months...or that my children will need gasmasks...or that it would have been better if we lived in Jeddah and commuted on a plane (!!!!!!) to work every day... This is someones life...my family and I are really moving there and its a huge deal!"

Did you and your husband do a thorough research before commiting to the job? Or did you only see the $$$ and signed the contract right away? Then now you're asking the questions?

In a way Dubai and Abu Dhabi do an injustice to the rest of the Gulf. People come to Dubai on a holiday and think, hey, this ain't so bad, I could do the mid east. Sun, sand and tax free! Let's get the wifey and sprogs on the next plane out there. Dubai isn't without its difficulties but it's not complicated to move to the UAE and the infrastructure and schools and shopping serve the expats well. Life is easy in Dubai.

But the rest of the Gulf, especially Saudi and Kuwait, are entirely different beings altogether. When you make the decision to move to the backwaters of Saudi Arabia, you're making the decision to live a very simple life with little amenities, limited shopping, surrounded by a hostile population and limited opportunities for women. You will be far away from family and friends, your internet and TV will be heavily censored and your 'connections' restricted.

For some people, all they need is their immediate family and friendship with another family and they're set. Perhaps that describes you and you'll be fine. Other people need more.

Tillybean

Grrrr...getting very frustrated with the OP now. Because you dont get the response you want, ie, it's an amazing place and we are all so jealous that you are moving there, then you get fiesty.

As I mentioned, and I was trying to be nice so didnt comment too much, but do a bloody google search. It's easy enough and there was a myriad of information, current, about what it's like, people with families etc. Do a more specific search say "schools" plus Yambambu, then you get very specific answers.

For any move you need to do your own research - whether online, by visiting the area, meeting others who have done that route etc. Did you think about asking your husbands new employers to put you in touch with families in a similar position? We offer a "buddy" type system here where you can reach out to like-positioned people and get a better sense of what is real and isnt. Any HR department worth their salt can put you in touch with someone, guide you on schools, housing locations etc.

Sorry that we have failed to live up to your expectations, but I think if you took a moment, you would realise that we have all been constructive in our comments - negative and positive - but you just dont want to hear.

Anyway, good luck, enjoy the airport and the diving and once you are settled, perhaps you might like to do a sticky for the bored giving us all (and potential new people) the highs and lows of Yambu.

zamboooka

lol..jeez.. u sound pissed!?

Tillybean

Nah, not really Zam. Just found the OP a tad rude for my liking and a little insulting of our members (oh er missus) who were trying to help. A lot of the bored go out of their way to try and help, offer suggestions, give advice/counsel people and it's not great when a newbie gets the huff with everyone and flounces! LOL.

Oh, and it's Thursday, I am tired, it's still a bit hot, I need a beer and I am still in the office 25 minutes after I should have been at home!! LOL.

northbadawi

How to describe the "shithole" in the positive note (copypasted from internations.org)

Re: Moving to Yanbu

don't worry about anything. Whether or not you're in a compound, you're fine. Saudi Arabia, in general, is pretty much safe. I hear that Yanbu is a slightly more educated and open-minded than Jeddah. If you have some friends in Jeddah, you should arrange going there for a weekend if you can stay with them. It's only 4 hours by car.
While in Rome, do as the Romans do. This fits perfectly with Saudi, just try to fit in with the culture, especially with the dress codes. If your husband wears a thob, and you wear an abaya like the locals do, no one would ever consider you're not from around, worst case, they'd think you guys are from Syria or Lebanon!
There are kindergartens and day care centers in Jeddah, so I'm pretty sure there are some in Yanbu too. But you should just try to make friends with the neighbors and you won't worry about your kids. People here tend to take care of each other, I was born and raised here, so I know what I mean. It's pretty normal for kids to go and come and visit each other, so your daughters will make friends really quickly, and considering how young they are, they'll pick up the language pretty quick, and end up fluent too!
This is all I could think of at the moment. Sadly I don't know anyone in Yanbu to get you good reliable information. But I'm sure you'll figure out things easily.

On a final note, Arabs are hospitibal by nature, so they'll most likely go to you and try to be friends with in your first or second day. You'll get your neighbors' kids knocking on your door and giving you a plate saying "My mom asked me to give you this", if not the whole family coming to visit. Oh, and if you do get a plate, please make something and don't return it empty, because if this is what the locals do here.