Dobbie, Dobbie, Doooo.... Ya man!

On Dave's ESL Café on October 18, 2005 Garfield said:
One Jamaican working for a large US contractor was found in the centre of Taif smoking and selling pot. His defense statement in court was great! "I am Jamaican, smoking pot is my birthright!'. The second was an Aussie who worked for a helicopter company. A gang of us used to go scuba diving at a beach to the north of Jeddah. We used to take our 'supplies' down, bury the unused supplies and mark the spot for retrieval next time. No point in bringing them back and risk getting stopped at the police check point. The police got wise and used to probe the beach and sometimes found the cache. The Aussie was arrested on Monday morning in Taif, the police had found his cache - he had put his name and address on it!

Its like a episode of world's dumbest criminals! It takes all kinds!

While this didn’t occur in Riyadh it is a strange story and thus I can justify including it here!

Fear of Driving!

On Dave's ESL Café on August 8, 2005 Paul in Saudi said:
He met a guy who would not get in any vehicle unless he was wearing a bicycle helmet. Really the guy was very rational explaining how studies show that such helmets would reduce injuries by seventy-seven percent.

Having said this, I personally know of a an ex-provost of a popular Riyadh university that had the same habit.  Same guy? Or just coincidence?

Well knowing the way that people drive here I can hardly say that I blame him!

In the Confidence of a Dead Dog....

On Dave's ESL Café on July 24, 2005 Veiled Sentiments said:
I worked with a fellow whose beloved jebel dog died and he buried it out in the desert. For the next couple of years, he went out and dug it up regularly to 'talk' to it.

I know of a colleague whose cat died.  He was very upset to say the least.  Anyway, he took the dead animal out to the wadi (a wadi is a valley) behind his house to bury it.  He went to check on the grave the next day and much to his horror the grave had been dug up!  He was sooooo upset.  Expats and animals are a real big topic of discussion.  I know of several expats who have taken it upon themselves to recue all the animals in the Kingdom. 

On Dave's ESL Café on July 25, 2005 Scott47 said:
There was a guy working for Saudi Arabian Airlines. He felt sorry for the feral cats on the compound and in the Souk opposite. He used to rescue them, give them medical treatment, feed them up and ship them back to Arizona. This over a period of MANY years!

I personally know one lady who rescues and adopts all the compound cats in her area.  As of a couple of years ago she was sharing her house with18 cats. She has heaters and airconditioning units installed in her very large yard and has a wing of her house dedicated just for them.  I feel sorry for the poor maids that have to clean their itter boxes.  But bless her heart.....

Murder at SDT!

Has anyone heard about a murder at SDT Saudi Development & Training Company (SDT), a BAE SYSTEMS Joint Venture in Riyadh? Rumor has it that an American went ballistic and killed one of his colleagues in a drunken rage. He was then arrested and is now in a Saudi jail. It seems that a teacher did a runner to Bahrain and when they entered his apartment they found the dead body of a colleague there.

The consensus was that he had been killed and that that alcohol was involved. The teacher in question was arrested in Bahrain and brought back to KSA. Both parties were from the US and had been friends

A nameless colleague sent me this link:
British teacher Andrew Cannon faces beheading for friend's death in Saudi Arabia
www.dailymail.co.uk
Formal charges could soon be laid against Andrew Cannon, 41, for the death of 57-year-old Robert Colman following a fight during an illegal drinking session.

500 Club

This was taken from a blog on the Saudi Arabia page of Dave's ESL Cafe on September 11, 2005. It was posted by a blogger known only to us as Bebsi. He writes:
Which of us aspire to membership of the 500 Club? Members must swear an oath of tightfistedness and promise to live on less than 500 Saudi Riyals a month. (15 Riyals = US$4.00)

Living frugally is easy. Just follow our simple steps here, which will allow you to not only have a frugal and therefore financially rewarding life, but to continue this prudence and thrift into the afterlife also:

Items like toilet paper are very expensive, and can be easily acquired free in the workplace or other peoples' houses. Not only are they free this way, but you can make some money when finally leaving KSA by selling accumulated stocks at the Massalamah sale.

-Similarly, bottled water is a way of saving money. Bring a load of plastic water bottles wherever you go, and fill up from those fountains. Some may be inconvenienced by having to wait in the queue behind you, but forget about them, they are just waiting to get a tiny drink. It helps to tell them to go away. You save them a lot of time this way, as by the time you fill all your bottles, there won't be enough water left for them anyway. There are fountains elsewhere, let them go there instead.

-Holidays are a serious expense. Why go on them? If you are living in KSA and you have X number of weeks' vacation, use them to stay in the Kingdom. If for example you live in an out-of-the-way place and feel you need a vacation, you could be wrong! You could explore the desert, find your own favorite spot and return there again and again. Not too far though, as you might have to spend money on sundries like transport.

--Speaking of transport, it appears that many expats purchase vehicles, and others rent. They are costly, as is taking taxis. Forget about running a car or taking expensive cabs; walk to the supermarket and to work. By not having a vehicle, you will find that you are tempted to venture out a lot less. Ditto with taxis: by following an anti-taxi policy, your desire to remain at home will increase.

--Some may balk at the thought of walking distances in extreme heat. However, do not let this deter you. Discomfort will be experienced at first, but then you will get used to it. In any event, you're not in Saudi for comfort; you are here TO SAVE MONEY!! Remember your goal.

--If you DO wish to go somewhere some distance away, you can always seek a favor. Some will frown on this and refer to it as "bumming rides", but that's their opinion. Most people, even if they are not excessively keen on carrying you in their car, will acquiesce out of politeness and a desire to not cause acrimony, perhaps. . A few of them, of a materialistic bent, may insist on "petrol money". Refuse to pay, turn their materialism back on them, and make them feel guilty. If they still insist, and refuse to provide travel in their vehicle, forget about them. Such people are of very little practical use anyway, so you don't need them!

--For entertainment, I would suggest finding another group of like-minded west-pats. They will help you to while away, at no cost, many happy hours discussing the misery of life in Saudi, and generally criticizing everything possible about the Saudis. Like you, they will not have wasted time roaming about exploring the country, wasting money on nebulous concepts such as "fun", "enjoyment' or "happiness". Many of them indeed, will have been in the Kingdom for over twenty years, and will have lots of stories to tell about life behind closed compound doors, and indeed, lots of advice on how to save money. These are people who understand the really important things in life.

--If you have the choice, sharing accommodation can be a really useful pay to avoid spending money. If you are lucky enough to find yourself with generous individuals, who do not mind sharing their food with you, count your blessings. They will also not mind taking responsibility for boring, mundane chores, such as providing the house/apartment with cleaning materials, and common-kitchen staples such as tea, coffee, milk etc.

--While some object to taking these responsibilities seriously, and through their parsimoniousness, expect YOU to pay out also, just dismiss them. The technique of shaking your head in a combination of surprise and resigned sadness will make them feel guilty and realise their fault. You can also get revenge...and save some money too...by helping yourself to their fridge stores. Biscuits, cheese, drinks...just help yourself. Those petty-minded whiners deserve it.

Why???

Can someone tell me why EFL teachers in Saudi are such an odd group? Are they odd before they come or is it Saudi that does it to them?  I sometimes think it is the place.  Teachers here tend to be isolated; away from family, friends, and everything they know and love.  Then of course there is culture shock which tends to magnify traits that exist in all of us i.e. the evil that lurks within. 

I know of one teacher that was convinced that someone was coming into her apartment when she was not at home and eating her chocolate and using her computer. She was seriously thinking of having surveillance equipment installed.  I heard that this same person thought that a former colleague was casting spells of witchcraft on her.  She said that the woman in the next cubicle was from Jamaica and she could hear her in her office mumbling spells.  I'm not sure how she knew they were spells, but this is what she said. Now, I have known this lady myself or about eight years and have heard her talk about some of these things so I can honestly say that this is true.  Please don’t misunderstand my intention; she is a lovely person, but just a bit off. 

The question remains, why?  How can perfectly good teachers be so…….?

The Teachers of Riyadh

During my many years of teaching in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia I have met a multitude of wonderful, intelligent, eccentric, and some what odd individuals who make up the world of TESOL.  I dedicate this blog to all of the Teachers of Riyadh who through their hard work and sacrifices have brought English to Arabia.  This is their place to tell their stories, their hopes, their dreams, and hopefully a place where they can relay some of the odd and strange stories they have encountered as one of the Teachers of Riyadh!