Originally Posted by Alexa (Post 9111173)

Maria, weird and quirky is putting mildly, lol.
And yes, I from the Western side, do understand that it must be difficult for people like you. I had a friend from Africa, a Muslim lady. She came to Saudi expecting to find nice people that apply Islamic values to daily life...now, her idea was that those values include kindness, gentleness and fairness...well, poor thing , she was devastated by what she found.
Sure, there maybe are people who apply these noble values to daily life over there....maybe they are very private people and don't go out much.
And then the other end of it...I guess oppression breeds overindulgence...
Well, now I really have to say good night :)

Originally Posted by Alexa (Post 9111161)

SNIP
So, there gos that...what is left? House parties, going to the desert and shopping....sound familiar? Just like Saudi without the bother...;)

Originally Posted by Alexa (Post 9111161)

oh yes, the racism here, from ALL sides, is just mind boggling, you are 100% right about that. The reasons, well, there are many, and many different sides to it.
And yes, it is nice to do "every day " things, like going to the cinema and restaurants. BUT.....going to a decent restaurant here is ALWAYS very expensive and a total rip off. Going to the cinema is very annoying most of the time...as there are people who can't shut up, MUST walk around, and constantly be on their mobile. And you can't do anything about it, as they are the "Uebermensch", ya, lol.
I could continue to tell you about how excited we were coming fom Saudi to be able to partake in the local culture, as there are festivals etc over here. Well, we tried once, never again. I am not afraid of people or claustrophobic, but the mob mentality was just too much.
Then there are the bars and clubs...besides being a rip off, you . as a woman (scarce commodity over here), will be continually stared at, touched, and hit on...even if you make very clear that there is no interest,it WILL continue. I actually had to physically push guys away! And I am not saying that in a conceited, smug way, far from it. You can look like a toad ans wear a potato sack, it will still happen.
So, there gos that...what is left? House parties, going to the desert and shopping....sound familiar? Just like Saudi without the bother...;)

Originally Posted by nottmbantam (Post 9112257)

Yes, I can see your reasons for that and can understand. Here in Saudi, we do enjoy a stress free lifestyle, and what I mean by that, is that I get a reasonable salary. Not mega bucks, they are folk here who earn far more than I do, which is fair enough. But, I don't have to worry about the accommodation, it's all paid for , the bills are taken care of, all educations costs are taken care of. Really, all I do is go to work , come home and relax ( yes, shopping etc ) .

Now, I've been offered a post in Qatar, so of course I'm taking a vested interest in this thread , the post I've been offered, offers a different type of package, which means I have to sort everything out myself, eg accommodation, flights, school fees etc, and this seems more common in Qatar. In Saudi, the employers have to work harder to get people there, due to the restrictive lifestyle. I can fully imagine this will bring on it's own stresses in life, but I still feel I need to pursue it and try something different. At the moment, I'm still negotiating the package, so it's far from a done deal.

I'd be happy to stay in Riyadh, well actually, we lived in Jeddah for two years, that would be even better, but if the opportunity for Qatar becomes a reality, then I'd definitely give it a go.

cheers.

Originally Posted by Alexa (Post 9112600)

Well, if you ARE coming to Qatar , let me know if you need any more info on housing, schools, etc. Be happy to help if I can.

Originally Posted by lostinuk (Post 9112625)

Hi i must say this has made it even more difficult to compare or decide. One major point that is swaying me to Riyadh is that the waiting liost for schools in Qatar are excessive, buy in Riyad i belive there is good chance of getting places for my children in the British Internaltion School.

Also the feeling I am getting is that Qatar is hectic and Riyah is easy life - so long as you are not a wild booser and outgoing type?? correct if i have it wrong?

other issue is the accodation in Qtar they are offering a 3 bed apartment or allowance of 15K for accodation. I cannot imagine liveing in 3 bed apartment with 4 children. So would opt for allowance - but the allowance does not seam to be a lot, as i have to pay all bils and furnishings out of it??

thanks all for the info- keep it coming.

Originally Posted by co durham boy (Post 9112630)

15,000 is ample , you can get a 4-bed villa in a decent part of town for that

Originally Posted by lostinuk (Post 9112625)

Hi i must say this has made it even more difficult to compare or decide. One major point that is swaying me to Riyadh is that the waiting liost for schools in Qatar are excessive, buy in Riyad i belive there is good chance of getting places for my children in the British Internaltion School.

Also the feeling I am getting is that Qatar is hectic and Riyah is easy life - so long as you are not a wild booser and outgoing type?? correct if i have it wrong?

other issue is the accodation in Qtar they are offering a 3 bed apartment or allowance of 15K for accodation. I cannot imagine liveing in 3 bed apartment with 4 children. So would opt for allowance - but the allowance does not seam to be a lot, as i have to pay all bils and furnishings out of it??

thanks all for the info- keep it coming.

Originally Posted by lostinuk (Post 9112689)

what about the utility bills for the villag - must be about £1000 per month??

Originally Posted by desertmum (Post 9120038)

Qatar definitely. We were in Saudi for two years and finally moved due to the schooling out there. We have teenagers and the schooling simply wasn't up to scratch. That was a year ago so it may have improved somewhat. Although I understand the British School still doesn't have a head master after the last one left after a term.

There is very little for the teenagers to do off the compounds, there is a high element of alcohol and drug activity among teens on the compounds - so much so that my 11 year old knew who the drug suppliers were they were so open about it.

It's not so bad for the little kids, but once your children are teens and getting into GCSE and A levles there is little in the way of work experience opportunities, community service opportunities etc. all essential nowadays for university applications.

HTH