Things seem to be settling into some form of normalcy now. I've been out for dinner with my Saudi co-workers a few times and it is quite an experience! You sit on a large carpet and they, put down a small piece of plastic then bring the food on a large tray they just put on the plastic. From this large tray of rice and meat, you simply use your hands to eat - but there is a technique to make sure you get most of the food into your mouth. This was (fortunately) shown to me. The meat was usually chicken, lamb, or camel; beef is all imported here so it tends to be more expensive. The camel meat is quite good!
Yesterday I finally got a bicycle! Now I have some transportation to get around camp, however, I am in terrible condition and small hills are brutal - but I will correct that problem with time! I also got a second bike for spare parts since it was inexpensive (meaning unsafe to ride but had some good parts on it). The main bike will be good transportation ... and next week, if all goes well, I will also be the proud owner of a 50cc Honda scooter for getting around the camp! I just need to figure out if I need to license or insure it, but that is an issue for another day ;-) It should cost me a total of $2 in gas per month to commute and run any errands around the camp.
Work is going well and I'm slowly getting a better perspective on the scope of work expected of me here in the Kingdom. It will be interesting for sure, but there is a lot of safety training first; Saudi Aramco has a very strong safety culture.
More interesting news is that my dishwasher is broken so they are replacing it in a couple of days and they are moving my shower head up so that it can accommodate someone over 5' tall comfortably. The showing moving has, unfortunately, conflicted with my opportunity for shisha again so it will be a missed social opportunity to get this resolved ... :-(
Yesterday I finally got a bicycle! Now I have some transportation to get around camp, however, I am in terrible condition and small hills are brutal - but I will correct that problem with time! I also got a second bike for spare parts since it was inexpensive (meaning unsafe to ride but had some good parts on it). The main bike will be good transportation ... and next week, if all goes well, I will also be the proud owner of a 50cc Honda scooter for getting around the camp! I just need to figure out if I need to license or insure it, but that is an issue for another day ;-) It should cost me a total of $2 in gas per month to commute and run any errands around the camp.
Work is going well and I'm slowly getting a better perspective on the scope of work expected of me here in the Kingdom. It will be interesting for sure, but there is a lot of safety training first; Saudi Aramco has a very strong safety culture.
More interesting news is that my dishwasher is broken so they are replacing it in a couple of days and they are moving my shower head up so that it can accommodate someone over 5' tall comfortably. The showing moving has, unfortunately, conflicted with my opportunity for shisha again so it will be a missed social opportunity to get this resolved ... :-(
Oooo...I've done quite a few strange meats, but camel isn't one of them. Good for you!
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