norsk

It sounds like you've already made up your mind about moving onto a small island where the inhabitants regularly make problems, so I'm not sure why you're asking for our opinions. I remember vividly how it is with the first posting in the gulf. It is so easy to be blinded by the thoughts of how much money you are going to make/save.

Let me put it like this, how much are your kids worth to you in terms of $$$ (as you put it)? Based on this (if you are cold hearted enough to actually put a figure on their lives) you can do a simple cost benefit analysis. It just isn't worth it in my opinion unless you are desperate for work, and I mean eating the mattress for dinner kind of desperate...

Like Bartowel said everything seems okay until you're here and realise how small the place is and how difficult it would be to get the hell out of dodge if things proper kicked off. The guys posting from Bahrain are not kidding. There really are gas cylinders being blown up, oil being put on the roads and tear gas blowing through compounds...

HayleyJaffrey

Hhhhmmm!

Firstly, I haven't made up my mind - haven't actually signed the contract yet - hence my sensible approach in reaching out to the members of this forum to gain some learned opinions and views before I do.

Secondly, your suggestion at me coldheartedly putting a price on my kids head is really offensive!! Why did you feel it necessary to do that?!

I don't think that I suggested that anyone was "kidding" about the situation.

Norsk, all I wanted was to get a BALANCED opinion from different people on where to live!! I did get some really helpful advice and info from others.

Thanks for your input

norsk

Well your post said that you had landed a job and due to arrive in feb/mar. That kind of implies you have already signed and more or less ready to board the plane for Bahrain. Maybe my English is getting a bit shaky and that's why I misunderstood..

My reason for being "coldhearted" was the overall tone in your post. You said you were concerned about your family's safety (should damn well hope so), but still you were on your way to a country which is very much in trouble because they were going to pay you the big bucks. I'm sorry, but I'm not being offensive, merely reacting to the content in your post. If you read some of the other posts about Bahrain you will see that I left earlier in the year because I was not happy to continue risking my family's safety. No amount of money was worth it to me!

Bye now!

HayleyJaffrey

Yes, I think that your shaky understanding explains alot!

Thanks tho, you gave me a laugh!!

norsk

Wow. You will fit in perfectly in the Middle East. Never admit a mistake as it apparently shows weakness...

Good luck with your move! I'm sure you'll be fine.

Ronnie Biggs

Wow, you must be a great audience for crap standups - there's nothing much funny in what Norsk is saying...

In the past, the general concensus was that as a long as you avoided the troublespots and lived outside of the villages then you were ok and life could carry on as normal. The problem is, the safe areas are getting smaller and the teargas that hangs in the air seems to be getting thicker. To give you an idea, we moved across to a "safe area" in June. In a short space of time things have deteriorated to the point that I now classify a good night as one where there's no teargas in the compound. I don't even count the unexplained explosions in the near distance, the helicopters overhead or the noisy protests that I lie in bed listening to, that's all completely run of the mill now.

If you need to come here then I do get it, just be smart and move to Amwaj or Riffa Views. It won't completely insulate you from all of this but it's a very good start.

Millhouse

Because when you move to a war-zone that is exactly what you are doing whether you realize it or not. Sometimes you have to be told it.

HayleyJaffrey

Ronnie - thank you - that was a helpful and honest response without any judgement or inappropriate vitriol. I am really grateful to you for that.

The coldhearted-esque responses from the others sent me into angry tailspin - I resisted the overwhelming urge to launch into a super-defensive and agressive response because I realised that it would likely deteriorate into a pointless war of words. My thinking is that Norsk and his pal are not necessarily p*ssed at me, but rather at their situation. I guess I was an easy target. Not exactly mature but understandable.

Thanks again - much appreciated
H

Bartowel

Hey Hayley,

Not sure if I am the "pal" of Norsk you refer to - I hope not - but I tried to give my opinion, which is all we can give through these forums. As I say, I am not sure if I am a target of your thinking in terms of being "pissed off" at our own situations and are therefore lashing out at others, but I can wholeheartedly assure you that I am not. I am a 'vet' of the Gulf, with nearly a decade living here (not to mention nearly 15 years visiting the region for professional reasons), and knew the risks I took moving to Bahrain (this is a volatile region and has been for a long long time). But, as folks here have said, it is getting worse, and getting worse at a worryingly rapid rate. Ronnie is spot on when he says the 'calm' areas (Green Zone we call it) are becoming more rare. It is no exaggeration to state we hear protests, experience roadblocks (legal and illegal), endure the waft of teargas, shout above the sound of constant hovering by helicopters and try to ignore the loud and often very close, explosions (which could be gas bottles, stun grenades, molotov cocktails etc... depending on where you are and who has control of the situation, the police or rioters), on a daily basis. Bahrainis are an unsettled and disenfranchised bunch, on the whole. And while they are pleasant, friendly and keen to forge relationships (I work in a predominantly Bahraini setting), they are also angry, disaffected and there is an uneasiness about them and their lives (both Sunni and Shia factions have grievences to settle). Just the other night the BBC aired the latest of the Doha Debates focusing on the situation in Bahrain, which was an interesting window onto many of the issues on the island. These are decades old rivalries and bitterness - they will not be solved overnight or by the publishing of the BICI report. It will take time... And buoyed by world and regional events, this place is set to escalate before it will begin to heal.

I am re-evaluating my position here precisely because I can see what is going on and live it on a daily basis. Did I make a mistake moving here? No, as at the time things were on the up.... But now I have to be realistic. I have a wife and two young children. Despite the salary (which is good, but comparable to what I was making in the US), the lifestyle just isn't what it used to be. Worrying about the kids getting caught in traffic in a demonstration is pretty stressful - and it happens several times a week. Even if you live in Amwaj or Riffa, you will need to be moving about the island in and and through some of the more lively areas. It really is a gamble at the moment. I am just not sure I would want to be here with kids when it escalates to even greater degrees of uncertainty.

Ultimately we all make our own decisions based on a variety of factors... And the aim of these forums is to solicit opinion and possibly even advice... But people in these arenas tend to be honest, sometimes to the point of being blunt and/rude... But, if one does not want to hear an answer that may contradict one's own views, then do not ask strangers for advice!

Bottom line... If I were making the decision at this point in time, and I had employment elsewhere so did not have to move to Bahrain, I would not. I would sit tight, stay safe and see what happens over the next 12 months or so. My opinion - no judgement included

I am sure you will strive to do what is best for you and your family - I wish you every success I whatever you decide - Merry Christmas

Millhouse

what does tear gas smell like?

norsk

I'm definitely not pissed at you nor am I disappointed at my situation (I moved on to dubai and have a great job in a growing company), but I do despair at how some people are simply unwilling to listen to the advice they are given due to massive dollar signs blocking their view. You do play the victim role quite well though (not the first time either from looking at your previous posts)...

Anyhow. Your choice. I'm certainly not going to stop you, and you can definitely trust RB (who is one of my pals by the way)....

flares

A 'situation', as you put it, that you appear to be nonchelantly heading into.

My two penneth would be to listen to the other posters.

My guy in Bahrain is of the opinion that things are improving - they clearly aren't. He's an old fool.

HayleyJaffrey

Hey Bartowel - no Chum, you are definately NOT the "pal" I was referring to! Grateful to you for your help and advice.

Merry Xmas to you and yours
xx

OriginalSunshine

Hayley, as a complete outsider I see no offence intended in the original post, and yes the question is blunt - but not cold-hearted. An example; I was offered US$2million to work for four years in the Delta in Nigeria, with my family. Would I expose my family to malaria, my infants to anti-malarials, and all of us live with the fear of death or dismemberment? No. Not for that money, not for any money. Similarly, offered a job in Iraq (Basra) without family. Would I want to leave my family behind without me? No. Not for any money. Do YOU want to live in a situation where you fear your children would be teargassed, you shot at by accident, a riot kicking off in the street between you & your children? Is the money worth it?

HayleyJaffrey

Thanks - I've PM'd you.