may11

My husband has been offered a job and is most liking going to take it in Riyadh. My concern and my priority is my daughter she is 2. I am desperate for some advice and help in order for me to make a decision to follow my husband.

•Do compound have nurseries for children

•If so which are the best ones?

•Does my daughter need to cover up

•Which compound are more children friendly and have more activities for kids

- Is it safe?

Please anyone that has some advice I would really appreciate it.

thanks

Jammy_Dodgers

Most western compounds in Riyadh have nurseries/Kindergarden or daycare.

The best compounds are Arizona, Cordoba, Phoenix, Kingdom.
These have multiple swimming pools, large well equipped villa and facilities such as bowling alleys, cinema's, tennis and squash courts etc.
If your husband is working for a big company, i would suggest he asks them to arrange visits, as individuals can sometimes have problems with availability.

At 2, your daughter will not need to cover up, typically the girls do not cover up until they are in their teens. Either way, in western compounds there is no need to cover and life can be very very good, no different to being in a gated community.

Riyadh is alot safer than a few years ago, however you will still have to adhere to local laws and customs

still.unsure

as above but also add Eid Villas to that list as they've pretty much all of the above and are very (very!) family/orientated

nottmbantam

Yes, ditto the the above, I liked the Arabian Homes compound too.

Most of the compounds tend to offer the same kind of amenities - swimming pools ( though no-one tends to use them on my compound ! ) , shops, restaurants, gyms etc.

Nic1

Ditto all above, and also add Al Hamra to the list - they have a pre-school which is good (I work there) and it is also next to the British school which is very handy if that is your schol of choice and you think you will be around for a while.

Arizona has a pre-school on-site as does Eid, Cordoba, Arabian Homes and Fal. Not sure about others.

N

Jammy_Dodgers

Not been to Al Hamra since before the troubles in 2003 2004.... whats it like now??

Nic1

It's fine - no signs of the bombings. Has security like the rest of the compounds, possibly slightly more than some others. A lot of tenants there have arrived since the bombings but there are some left who were there at the time. I like it - it's greener than Kingdom and nicer to look at. Mixed nationalities, but a fair proportion of Brits cos of the school.

N

still.unsure

is al-hamra the one next to granada mall?

Blue Cat

covering at 2, I think you ought to do a bit of research on Islam before you make your move.

Nic1

Yes, it's next to Granada

N

thecentennial

..watching this thread closely, May11 you're in the same situation as my wife. I have been offered a job in Riyadh, we have a 2 YO girl - and are doing all the things you are. It's really the lack of knowledge which generates uncertainty- we know life will be very different there, but different is not bad - just different! Get to know the religion in more detail, society do's and dont's (heck, I've only scratched the surface) but what you really need (well, what we needed) was to flip the "you only live once" switch..life experience..short term objectives. I'm visiting at the end of the month, to get my feet on the ground, see some compunds, speak to some expat families (ask the employer to arrange these) - I can only imagine this would be invaluable. My guess is if you get a good compound, the kids will have a lot to do - get the daily routine down pat, integrate with the expat families (there will be lots with kids in the "family comounds" I'm sure) and enjoy the positives.

Saying all that...I'll let you know how the visit goes..

may11

thank you very much for all the replies..
thecentennial, i'll be very interested to know how you get on, what industry are you in? my husband hopefully will go out to visit in feb and this company want him to start in April!!

RPC

We have our name down on all the main compounds in Riyadh so you may not necessarily be able to get the compound of your choice. Hopefully you are getting a massive housing allowance. We are scheduled to move into the new phase of Al Yamamah in a few months time (company booked accommodation) so am trying to find out info on that compound myself. Anyone out there with info. I used to live on Najd up to 7 years ago.

My son will be 4 in June so would love to chat with anyone with kids of similar age and just find out general info on the compound. Our visit visas are not yet processed. Husband due out to visit compound in a few days so there is the vaguest possibility that he will come back to me with info on a playschool, school buses, facilities, shopping buses etc...