Compounds

Compound 1

Up to yet I have had two experiences of compounds and if I am honest have not been overly impressed. 
Compounds are a little like Fort Knox well the first one is.....We drive down a deserted desert type road which is edged with high barbed wire fences and the a few military looking men parading around.  From the outside it looks like an army barracks.
We enter through two security checkpoints and then into a small room where our names have been put on a list.  You cannot just enter these places at your own free will.  You have to know someone that lives inside.  We hand over our passport (copy of, in our case), iqama or any documentation you my have if you don't have any of the former and then you are in.
The compound we are visiting today (Fahl) is very close to the airport and from what I have been led to believe is that it houses around 800 people, mainly in 1 or 2 bedroomed apartments and most of them from the Lebanon working in and around Riyadh.  Sometimes the cost of living in the compound is paid for by the employer and cost can vary depending on what the compound has to offer.  We were told that a new compound that had just been built were offering 1 bedroom chalets for around 60,000 riyals (£16,000) per year.
So my first impression once we are inside is that it is pretty much like self catering in Majorca on a big scale.  We are taken on a tour......there are two pools, neither which looks very clean and around them there are lots of people, drinking, smoking cigarettes and shisha and also there are lots of children running round.  There a mini market, restaurant, a library, a small gym and much much more.  It's nothing like the spa which feels very 5* compared to this but I am grateful for the tour and the swim in the not so clean pool.  We are told that some compounds are better than others and that they normally come to life on a Thursday and Friday when they have parties and events for the residents and anyone that can get added to the list.  I am not blown away by the compound to be honest, in fact I was a little disappointed I was just expecting something more but it has made me feel grateful for my accommodation at the spa even if we do have to go with out water for a while.  Two of the girls who live at the spa rave about the compounds and the parties they have here but I still like the quietness of our own little compound where there are only 8 of us and not 800.

Compound 2

My second experience of a compound is an invite to a birthday party.  Valentina's friend, Miguel from Portugal works as an architect for a construction company and it is one of his colleagues 57th birthday.  So as much as I would rather stay home I say that I will go as Valentina wants to go but she doesn't want to go alone and I don't blame her to be honest.  Miguel collects us at 9.35pm and we head over to the compound.  I am expecting it to be the same as last time but I am wrong, it is very different.  We pull up on a side street that looks just like walls with a few metal doors on.  There appears to be nothing here then I notice an Indian man sat in a little booth.  Anyway this is the compound, un-noticeable from the street and once inside, very small.  This compound houses around 40 people, Filipino men and women and also men from the UK.  There is a pool and a bar area with a few rooms off, a social area with a pool table and table tennis and a small gym with a few machines and free weights in.  It all looks very dirty and uninviting to be honest.  We are introduced to James, 57, from Scotland, who is marrying a Filipino that lives in the compound pretty soon after his birthday party who is 24 years of age.....I am not sure whether to say lucky boy or dirty old man!!  He asks if we would like food....."Errr, no thank you" I eye up 5 whole bar b qued fish that are sat on the side of the bar area and a container with rice in.  I am not sure how long this food has been sat there but I don't fancy risking an upset stomach.  Drinks....home made red/white wine (being as alcohol is illegal in this country, however, it can be brought from the embassy's...not sure how that works and everyone makes their own) and Sadiki, not sure what that is but Miguel has advised us to stay well clear of it , he said it was like poison for the kidneys.  I opt for a diet pepsi and Valentina, water!!!  better to be on the safe side.
We are introduced to a few other people, Simon, 44 from Liverpool who looks like he has been through the mill, Derek from Dublin who only knows the word F**K!, the Project Manager from Chesire (his name escapes me) and a few others who I can't remember.  I get the feeling we won't be staying long as we can tell Miguel is feeling uncomfortable for bringing us and the men are like flies around the brown stuff!  They are very drunk and smoking cigarettes like they are going out of fashion.  Anyway, we continue smiling and holding our breath to avoid inhaling all Lambert and Camel!!!!! and the smell of the very potent home made wine and sense that Miguel is now trying to work out our quick exit plan.  Within 5 minutes Miguel tells Jim that we have somewhere else to go.  We thank them all very much, smile politely and just nod when they invite us to next week's birthday party......Compound 2......0 out of 10!!!
Compound 3 (and the final one if it is shit) is yet another party but in a compound that houses British Medical Staff.  Watch this space!

Eventful Part 1

The weeks here always seem so eventful.  Its only Sunday and already a lot has happened.  I am saying it's only Sunday but remember the week here begins on a Saturday.  It would be really nice to have a week where everything goes smoothly.
Saturday morning 11am I ask to see the boss.  Valentina has asked to come with me as she also has questions she needs to ask.  We are told to go to the office.....it feels like going to see the head teacher.  Anyway, I begin about my Iqama and how I would prefer not to have one till I return in September, then I burst into tears?????  I apologise and tell her I have had a bad week, physically it was draining and emotionally I felt like I needed to be home with Steven after what happened to poor Simba.  The hardness in her eyes suddenly disappears, she grabs a tissue and tells me not to be upset.  She wants us all to be happy and says we should always talk to her if we need anything. So it's decided that she is going to see if she can extend my visit visa and then get me another one to return in September.  She explains that there has been a lot of changes in the laws recently and that the Iqama was our guarantee that we could return to the country.  I told her I was prepared to take the risk so now we have to sit back and wait until she has checked out that it is possible.  She also spoke about buying our return tickets for September.  She wants this all in place by the end of the week so that 1. She secures a good price and 2.  She knows who is coming back in September.  So £634 will be deducted from my July Salary and returned to me In September when I come back.  To me however, this is not a guarantee that you will come back as £634 is a small price to pay for freedom.  But, today I plan to come back even more so after another upset again with Steven (on my part I hasten to add)  he will be oblivious to what he has done......well, actually he won't as I sent him a lengthy email to tell him.  When will we as women understand the concept of them thinking differently and only processing one thing at a time?  Well, I have upset him by being insensitive and that's all I am going to say on the matter.  There is no need for me to air all my dirty laundry in public as Steven is a private person and wouldn't like it and also he cannot tell his side of the story as it is my blog.  I am guessing that this could be another case of the hormonal massacre so every scrat of being reasonable goes out the window!!!!  I am thinking of naming my blog from "How a conversation can change your life" to "How hormones can ruin your life"
Also Today, the stereo breaks and we are already juggling the ones we do have that work around.  May Ann and I decide to make it our mission to go and find an electrical store that can supply us with what we need.  We arrive at the Mall where we have been advised to go only to be told the shops are closed until 4pm (this bloody country is a nightmare!)  we decide to check out where the store is anyway so when we return we will know where we are going.  On the way to said store, we find another electrical store that is open.  We get prices etc for what we need and then call Dindo to come and collect us.  We buy him coffee and doughnuts for his trouble and he drives us back to the spa.  I always feel a sense of nostalgia when I am in his car as he plays all the tunes that remind me of my late teens.  I close my eyes and think of home in the 80s as May Ann and I sing along to Hello by Lionel Ritchie.
7pm the same evening May Ann and I are on our way back to the electronics store.  We have 45 minutes before prayer time (I have downloaded the prayer time app, this sends me a reminder when one is due) so we need to be quick or all the stores will have their shutters down for 30 minutes.  This time our driver is Amed from the Yemen.  I have not seen him before.  He seems nice, that is until he opens his door at the traffic lights and spits!!!! I've noticed a few Saudi's doing this, not spitting but opening car doors and throwing out food, cigarettes etc.  There obviously isn't a £60 fine for dropping litter in this city!!!  Also another thing I have  noticed is there are no stray dogs on the streets.  Rookia told us that people who have dogs keep them at home (I suppose it's too hot to walk them) and she also said that there was a Korean company that picked up dogs that didn't appear to have an owner to eat them or sell them to be eaten!!! I am not sure if this is true.  Anyway, side-tracked again.  We get our price for the stereo system, head mic etc from the Indian shop keeper called Sebastian (I am sure that's not his real name!) and head back to work.  It's been a long day.  May Ann and I are tired.  9pm finish, qhalas, finish and then bed....Night Night x

Generosity

My bad few days ended with me being asked to provide photos and copies of my qualifications for the company so that they could start the Iqama proceedings (the residency card)  but to be honest, as I have said before I am not sure that I want one.  The company deducts 3000 riyals (£520) from your salary for this.  This is their assurance that you will not just get it and then go and work for someone else or not come back after the holiday in August.  The only main benefit for me having one is the health insurance you get with it.  As you can gather from my bad week number 2  I have all on thinking I will make it to August let alone return till March 2014.  So I have decided I am going to see the boss on Saturday (Saudi Monday) to explain that I would like her to wait till I return in September to proceed but preferably I would like her to just keep extending my visit visa as this can be done 3 times which would cover my whole year here and only cost 400 riyals (£70) This makes much more sense to me.  However the Iqama gives the employer a tighter grip on you because they are your sponsor whilst you are in the country, which means you can't work for anyone else while you are under their sponsorship and when your contract ends they can just cut it up so that you are no longer allowed to be a resident unless of course someone else sponsors you.  Anyway, I will keep you posted on how the meeting goes.
Friday morning......May Anne texts me at 8am to say she is going to get us coffee and croissants and to meet her by the pool so we can talk over the things that had happened this week.  I love this girl, she keeps me on track and makes me see reason when I feel like giving in.  Three hours later and I am back on track and ready to finish this one year even if it kills me.
Today we have also been invited out by one of the clients who comes to the gym.  We have all bee given a piece of paper with the name and address of the restaurant on where we are to meet her at 2pm.  The restaurant is Armenian and the food is very similar to Lebanese.... stuffed eggplant, tabboulah, hummus, kebab, lamb, chicken, pitta bread, bread stuffed with cheese and meat.  Fortunately for us she orders conservatively, she said even though she is Saudi she doesn't like to see food go to waste!!!! which is good as we struggle to eat what she has ordered.  She told us that the waiter suggested she order two of everything but thank goodness she didn't take his advice.
The kindness of the ladies from the gym has been overwhelming to be honest.  They hate the thought that people who come to their country leave with a bad impression of them.  They know they are given bad press but they tell us that people think all Muslims are terrorists and bad people and this is not true.  Saudi Arabia is a very rich country as I have said before.  Rookia tells us that almost half of Saudi Arabia are royals and royalty are paid salaries from the government.  She tells us how they keep on re-marrying in order to keep on reproducing and so the royal family just keeps on growing and growing.  Rookia herself is not a royal but her family has a good family name and so of course are wealthy due to the hand outs of money from the King over 40 years ago.  Apparently he gave heads of tribes money and they were to invest it wisely and this is what helps to keep the rest of the tribe in a lifestyle only some of us could dream of.  She tells us about how she had an arranged marriage when she was 16 to her brother in laws brother (they are mostly inter-bred in this country) They have to marry within the tribe or to a certain family name as I have mentioned before.  She explains how her husband was 10 years older than her....OMG!!! 16 and 26 just doesn't seem right.  She goes on to tell us that there was 15 years between her mother and her father and when they married her mother hadn't even had a period.  Women here are big on their menstrual cycle.  I know I am side tracking a little but it fits in nicely here.  When a girl reaches puberty this is when she starts to wear the abaya (so obviously now friends and family will know that she has started her periods)  When women are having a period they have to paint their nails to let everyone know they are not to be touched with a barge pole.  To be honest the ladies at the gym can't wait to tell you they are having a period!!!! Its usually in their introduction...."Hi, my name is...I'm on my period", or "Hey, we've not seen you for a while" Answer, "No, I was on my period"......halas!!!
Anyway, back to Rookia.  She only stayed married for one year.  She decided it wasn't for her so she spoke to her father and he told her to come home and then he told Rookia's husband that he needed to give his daughter a divorce.  This country has a high divorce rate. It is much easier for a man to divorce his wife than the other way around.  She never remarried.  I am guessing that she is in her late 60s.  Rookia decided to throw herself into study after her divorce and has qualifications in hairdressing, beauty, secretarial and pretty much anything else she could enrol on.  Her father said he was sure she was just trying to collect as many certificates as possible.  She then decided to go to London to take a degree in English, after 2 years she moved to America where she studied for a further 2 years and then did her Masters.  Her stories are truly wonderful, we are mesmerised by her journey.  Working 23 years in a leading Saudi hospital managing Administration.  She explains how her team were all women (mainly foreign) as Saudi men will not work for a manager that is a woman!!!! I could write so much about this lady.  She is the one who should be writing the blog, I could have listened to her all night.
One final thing she told us was that she lived with her brother and in their home they had 2 maids, one Filipino aged 37 and very quiet and a Sri Lankan girl aged 23 and very cocky.  She paid them......wait for it.....1500 riyals (£260) per month to the Filipino and 700 riyals (£121) per month to the Sri Lankan girl.  They live in the house and so get accommodation and food but still they work long hours and have to be on call all the time.  There are lots of stories about how badly these people are treated....locked in their rooms, only allowed to eat the food that was cooked the day before.  If they are that cheap though maybe I could take a few home with me.  It is the government of their own countries however that set  the wages they are to be paid to ensure they are not paid any less..... a bit like minimum wage I guess.
So unfortunately our afternoon ended.  Rookia also invited us to stay in the house they had in Jeddah as she said it was very big and had rooms for all the instructors to be able to stay.  We thank her for this but unfortunately for us it won't happen as we don't get enough time off to travel anywhere.  We also remind Rookia and each other not to tell anyone about our lunch out.  We are not allowed to socialise with the clients or accept gifts from them.  If we are found out our salaries are deducted and the gift is taken from us!!!!! most of the clients bring us food and biscuits and chocolates but no one has to know.  Anyway let's not let that spoil a truly memorable afternoon.

Bad Week Number 2

This is only short but I felt I needed to write it.  I have been doing so well over the past few weeks.  Everything has felt right.  I was enjoying my job, I was happy in the environment, the clients were really kind (well, most of them) I was enjoying exploring the restaurants and the shopping malls in Riyadh.  I had found a decent cappuccino only one minute walk from the spa.  I felt like I was going to enjoy my year.  Then......Tuesday I had 6 classes back to back and went home feeling exhausted.  I eat, I sleep and don't wake till 9.45am ( my shift today is 11am to 9pm).  This amount of sleep is unusual for me so I know I must have been tired.
I check into work hoping that I will have an easy morning but halas (enough, in Arabic)!!!!! I already have clients booked into my first 3 classes.  I am not sure I can do this, I feel physically exhausted but I pull myself together and with the encouragement from the girls and little pep talk to myself, I decide just to get on with it.  I make it to lunch, I eat, rest and then at 4pm I go back to work.  I have clients booked into my last 4 classes!!! No rest!!  13 classes in two days????? I am not superhuman.  No one can do this in day in day out!!!! Usually we get a few gaps during the day and it is manageable but there has been no let up during the last two days.
I check my phone at 7pm and notice a text from Steven asking me to call him.  Something has happened, he never asks me to call him.  I know he has been ill recently but I know it wouldn't be that.  I quickly go back to the apartment where we have wifi.  I have 10 minutes before my next class starts.  I feel this can't wait till I finish at 9pm.
He sounds very quiet when he answers the phone.  What has happened?  What is wrong?  He tells me he can't talk for long as the dog warden is there and that two stray dogs had come onto the garden and attacked one of our cats and literally thrown it around like a rag doll.  He had cleared the dogs off, picked up the cat and run round to the vets that is on the next street to our house.  The cat had died......I didn't get time to speak to him any longer.  I feel sick to the pit of my stomach.  What am I doing here?  Why am I not at home with him, with my girls, my parents, my friends, the life I already have in Mansfield.  I cry so much.  I have to go back to work.  I say I will call him later and put on a brave face and continue with my last two classes.
After work I text the girls and ask if they have spoken to Steven and could they check he was ok.  He loved that cat, even though he was a stray and I continuously told him off in the beginning for feeding it and letting it in the house.  I know he felt like Simba was his little sidekick and his back up against all the girls that were in the house.  He was his company while I wasn't there.  He worried all the time about him.  If it was too cold for him to be outside at night, If he would be ok if he was late home from work and couldn't feed him.  I knew that he would be very very upset.  I text him when I finished work but from his reply I knew he didn't want to talk.  I feel so bad right now.  I should be at home!!!!

Girls' Nights Out

Before Mysti left it was her birthday and also May Anne's so we decided to have a girls' night out.  We brought the girls gifts, cards and ordered cakes from the bakery.  I have yet to experience being away from home on my birthday but I guess it's one of those times when you like to have your family and friends around you but now miles from home we are Mysti and May Anne's family and friends all rolled into one.
Work for us all finishes at 8pm on Thursday (this is the Saudi Saturday), so a quick shower, change and taxi ride and we are at TGI Fridays.  There are two entrances, the main one at the front for SINGLES (this doesn't mean anyone that is not in a relationship) It is for men only. This entrance is always the main one and based at the front of the building.  The second entrance is the Family Section (for women and families)it is at the side if you are lucky and the back if you are not!!  The family section usually consists of a waiting area and then lots of screened areas or separate booths with either a curtain on the entrance or shutters that can be closed once you are inside.  Once inside the screened area, you can if you wish, take off your abaya.  I chose not to tonight as I have taken to wearing only underwear under mine.  I brought one that is like a dress that goes over the head with no fastenings as it is too hot to wear clothing underneath and why dirty two sets of clothes?
So, we are seated, we order and are generally having a nice time.  A family in one of the screened areas starts singing Happy Birthday to whoever.  We wait for them to finish and decide to do the same for Mysti and May.  The curtain is suddenly flung open and a man, who we later find out to be the manager asks us to stop!!!  He said he is afraid the  Mutawwa will hear us and come in..... The Mutawwa are basically the religious police and are officially known as the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.  You can usually spot them as unlike the Saudis they wear a shorter robe and usually look a little unkempt.  They always have an ordinary policemen in tow and they tend to spend a lot of time going through restaurants and malls giving people a hard time.  I have already had the pleasure of meeting them just once when I was in the shopping mall minding my own business.  He asked me not once but twice to cover my hair!!!! I smiled and did as he asked "If only he knew that my hair was the least of his worries as yes, you guessed it I was only wearing the underwear underneath and in my eyes this was more of an arrestable offence than showing my hair.  I have also been into shops where they actually colour boxes in black marker pen so you can't see women's legs, arms or chest.....I don't mean showing her boobs, I mean when the box is showing a women wearing say a v neck t shirt, they colour in the arms and the v neck bit in black pen.  I saw some cycling shorts in a box and they had coloured in the legs so you couldn't actually tell what the woman on the box was wearing.  I have also bought hand wash soap from the supermarket and the name on it has been coloured in using the black marker, so goodness know what the name of the soap was......maybe titillating hand wash!!!!
Anyway, we carry on our enjoyable evening and at the end the manager comes over to us to apologise for sounding rude and along with his apology he gives us a free dessert and discount, so all was good!

Saudi Style
The following night we are invited out by an instructor that comes into the gym to teach a few mornings a week.  She is a great girl who gives us regular history and language lessons.  I have learnt many phrases, how to count to 10. the first few letter of the alphabet and a decent swear word should ever I need one!!!  She collects us on Friday at 4.30pm.  Now, Saudis don't use taxis, they are classed as poor if they don't have a driver (Hanan's family have several drivers as she has a few sisters).  They also have a cook, a maid and nanny, even though they are all over 20 but this is the norm here, all Saudis have them.  They are very lazy when it comes to doing things to be honest, only 5% of women work as they are meant to be kept by their fathers and then their husbands when they get married.  Hanan choses to work as she get very bored being at home but she is frowned upon by many as she is breaking the mould by doing this.  She also has the choice whether she wants to marry the man her family chose for her, she can say no and keep saying no if she so wishes but she cannot marry anyone that is not a Muslim, is not Saudi and he must have a certain family name and be in the same tribe as her.  It appears that things have relaxed a little with the marriage thing of the past few years but it does depend on your family and if they are strict.  I will talk about wealth and marriage and other traditions in another blog but for now let's get back to the Saudi food.  We arrive at the restaurant and Hanan tells us to leave everything to her and just to relax.  She orders literally everything on the menu, baby camel, jareesh, okra, chicken capsa, yoghurt dishes, milk and rice dishes, several deserts and Arabian coffee.  The Saudis eat so much food and it is so heavy but also very tasty.  To stay traditional we all sit on what looks like Aladdin's magic carpet in a little room which is meant to be like the old style Saudi mud and straw built houses and eat and till we can't eat anymore.  The restaurant kindly pack everything up we didn't manage to eat (this is more than half of what was ordered) and we leave feeling very full and thankful for Hanan taking good care of us.

Water Part 2

I am sorry it has took so long to get to Part 2....but the water saga seemed to go on for ever and I fear that it is not truly over.
Things went from bad to worse with regard to the water situation.  Thursday night no water, Friday, day off, no water!!!!  Mysti was so upset that she emailed Hanan (the boss) asking her to do something about it as this had been going on way too long and she also emailed The Princess (owner of the spa) telling her everything, not just the water but everything that had been going on.  Bet you are wondering how Mysti got a direct line to the Princess.  Well, initially before coming to Yibreen she had a Skype interview with her and kept the contact information.  Anyway, emails sent and before you could say Hocus Pocus!!!! 2 workmen arrive to fix the water.  In the meantime the 2 Filipino girls who live in the apartment that currently has no water are outside with a bowl and the hose pipe (connected to our water supply) washing their clothes....this feels more like a third world country than one of the richest countries in the world.  A few hours later and the water is back on but for how long?
Saturday morning, Mysti is called in to Hanan's office and World War III breaks out!! to cut a long story short Mysti is given an ultimatum, either resign or get on with it and keep her mouth shut.  She is given till the end of the day to decide.  No more than an hour later, Mysti is called back into Hanan's office and is presented with a copy of her contract which Hanan asks her to sign?  Her reason for this is that she says the one that Mysti signed over the internet is not clear and she needs another copy for her records?  why has she waited 5 weeks to get her to do this and why today of all days when she has been given an ultimatum?  Of course Mysti refused to sign so Hanan fired her!!!!!!  One important point here.  If Mysti had re-signed the contract then Hanan would have probably kept pushing until Mysti quit, then all costs for flights, exit visas etc would have been Mysti's responsibility but now that Hanan had fired her, the costs had to be paid by the company.  All this because there is no water??? well not entirely.  On the same day a girl was leaving after working her 4 weeks notice and was due to leave for the airport.  With only one hour till the arrival of her taxi, Hanan was still holding her passport and her month's salary.  I have come to understand that this is how this woman works (control freak)  Mysti had said to Hanan that if she tried to pull that trick with her then she would be contacting the American Embassy.....For Hanan, this must have been the final push she needed to send Mysti home.
Mysti's flight was booked, her salary paid and so now all she had to do was to wait till 4am on Tuesday morning for the driver to take her to the airport.  But it was not quite over.  At 4am she goes out to the gate and explains to the security guard that she is leaving for the airport and the driver was collecting and could he open the gate.  He refused, saying he had had no instructions from the boss that this was going to happen.  Mysti showed him her passport and said it was all booked for today.  She explained she was not trying to escape and this had all been arranged.  He made her wait while he tried to contact Hanan, but of course there was no answer as it was 4am.  The driver who is still on the other side of the gate explains to the security guard that this had all been arranged with him and Hanan the previous day.  The security guard opens the gate and Mysti is free!!!!!
After a further four days of no water, we now have water tanks on the roof and the water is on and has been on for a good 3 days.  Around the apartments looks like Beruit!!! There is definitely no Health and Safety Executive out here.  They decide to cut down all the trees around the apartment as I am sure they thought the trees were drinking all the water so hence there are trees, rubble and tools everywhere.
I am now going to draw a line under this story and show you that there are good things and good people in Riyadh and that it is not all doom and gloom.
Mysti has arrived home safely and is busy planning her return to the country but hopefully (en shala) with a different company so that she can finish what she started.

Water Part 1

I bet you are thinking "Water Part 1" that's a strange title?  Well it has been an eventful week so I felt the need to break it into two.  The week started with me being given my work ID number for the clocking on and off machine.  I was surprised at this to be honest, as we live on the spa grounds (we are only 20 paces away, literally, from the spa reception) it's not like we can go anywhere and if we didn't show up everyone would know as there would be no one there teaching the classes.  Anyway, I am called by Maria to meet her by the clocking in machine and after scanning my hand and giving me a demo, I am good to go!  I have to clock in in the morning and off in the evening.  One girl here is already playing the system though so it is not fool proof! She often clocks in, checks if anyone has booked onto her class and if not she pops back to the apartment to eat breakfast.  The same in the evening, if she is going out she often sneaks off early, gets ready and then clocks off after.  I did notice a sign above the machine saying that if you took a day off you would need a medical note and if this was not produced they would deduct 2 days pay!!! 2 DAYS!  Let me just tell you about going to the Dr here and the cost.  Currently I, and a few other girls, do not have medical insurance.   As part of our contract we should receive it after 3 months (it has taken 2 of the girls 7 months to get their medical insurance) so for me to visit the Dr to get the said certificate would cost me 200 riyals (1 days pay) and then the cost of the certificate.  Might as well just have the day off sick and let them deduct the 2 days pay!  Two of the girls have had to visit the Dr and the spa have not refunded the cost of it.  One girl spent 200 riyals (£35) to see the Dr and then 400 riyals for the prescription (600 riyals, 3 days pay)  I believe you can get antibiotics over the counter so fingers crossed I don't need to go the Dr before I get my medical insurance.  As I said previously, I have had a very bad cough, cold and earache but a visit to the chemist, 6 riyals on throat lozengers and olive in my ear seemed to do the trick.
This week, we have also had a problem with the water supply in the other apartment.  A bit of information here.  Riyadh is supplied with desalinated water pumped from the Persian gulf over a distance of 467km.  Given the substantial oil wealth, water is provided almost free.  Despite improvements, service quality remains poor and water pressure is often inadequate.  This however, didn't appear to be the problem and the reason why the girl's in the other apartment weren't getting water.  Now I am no plumber but previously being married to one for a good few years led me to believe that the problem was with the pump.  So let me put you in the picture.  Sunday night, Mysti goes to get in the shower and there is no water.  She goes back into the spa to inform Maria (the boss's side kick) that there is no water.  She is told to take a shower in the spa and that she will get one of the cleaners to look at it.  We have become aware that whenever there is a problem, whatever it is they send a cleaner (African women with no plumbing experience)  I called about the air con leaking the other day so they sent a cleaner with a bucket and a towel.  Hence the air con is still leaking!!!  So the cleaning lady goes to said water meter with her bucket and her towel, shakes her head (surprisingly) and leaves.
Monday morning the girls in apartment 2 still have no water and so are unable to flush toilets, do washing etc.  Mysti goes back to Maria, tells her they still have no water and that this is not good enough!  Maria informs Mysti that she will get workmen in to fix it.  We later find out that the workmen are Dindo (the spa driver) and two of his Filipino friends.  These men appear to be a bit like the cleaning ladies without the bucket and the towel.  They take the water pump / meter to pieces and then put it back together.  Mysti at this point is not happy.  We hear her shouting at Dindo to leave the water pump and go and get someone who knows what they are doing to fix it.  You needed to be here to appreciate this story as it was more like a carry on film!  The workmen inform Maria, that apartment 2 use too much water and then leave!!!  I was very interested to understand how they came to that conclusion when the girls were at work 10 hours a day and the water used for cooking and drinking was bought from the supermarket.  So the water is still not fixed.  It was established they there was a button outside that when pressed resets the water pump and it comes back on for a short time (Lily, one of the beauticians informed them of this).
For the next few days the girls go from water on to water off and are all now experts in water regulation and pressing the pump button.
Let's move forward to Tuesday evening.  Mysti has been out to a Jazz Night (I''ll talk about nights out later) she starts to clean her teeth and the water goes off so she goes outside and presses the button....still no water!  Her patience has now worn so thin that she decides tomorrow she is going to see the boss to ask her what she plans on doing about the problem.....One thing has become apparent  here and that is things get done when people feel like it (paying wages.....no rush there, you get it when you get it) and no one in the spa has plumbing on their CV.  There is no wonder why employees don't stay very long.  We have also had issues with our internet routers.  They keep taking them from the apartments, goodness knows what for but we don't get them back till we ask!!! Maybe they are testing us to see how far they can push us before we snap.  You can imagine how frustrating this can be as the internet for us all is very important to keep us in touch with our loved ones, family and friends........To be continued

SIM......ple

So my bad week is over, it ended with a sore throat, cough and cold from hell, a period and generally feeling like I'd been trampled on by a herd of elephants.  Please remind me though in approximately 4 to 5 weeks when I start to be irritable, making mountains out of molehills and feeling like no one loves me that my hormones are clapping their hands and doing a merry dance!!!! At 45 you would think that I would recognise the signs and that I am not the same person that I am for the other 20 days of the month, an alien of some kind invades my body, uses it for a home for a few days (a bit like a squatter) and literally ransacks it!!
Anyway, I've been here 6 weeks now (time is flying by) and have not yet managed to get a Saudi Sim card to enable me to make calls or text people who are in Saudi (colleagues, the drivers, taxis, the spa).  As you know, mobile phone companies charge an extortionate amount to use a phone abroad....£1.50 per minutes to call and 50p to send a text and we won't go into the data bit.  So I needed a sim card and that was that.  You would have thought two things. 1. my employer would have kindly got one ready for me on my arrival and on it put all the contacts I might need in an emergency (joke) 2. If my employer had not bought me one, I would just pop along to the nearest phone shop and buy one (even bigger joke!!) Wrong.... this is Saudi Arabia remember, I am a women, I am a foreigner and I have no Iqama (residency card, we spoke about this earlier).  It seems I stood about as much change of getting one as I did running down Riyadh main street naked and not causing an accident.
Let's go back 3 weeks.  I've mentioned a few times that I really need a sim card just for emergencies after all I am a woman in a Muslim country and in this country if you get in the front seat of a taxi alongside a Saudi driver, whether you are a man or a women it means you are up for sex (note to self.....always get in the back and make sure the driver is an Indian, unless you are feeling a little fruity!!)
So, this is the LAW, no breaking it if you want a sim card (unless you know a Saudi and then they just walk into the nearest phone shop, show their Iqama and get one for you!)
This is what actually happens....firstly you get an official letter from you sponsor.  In mine and Mysti's case the Princess who owns the spa who is probably a very busy women, looking after her children and doing what princesses do, who has little time to be bothered writing a letter "To whom it may concern" to say "Just give them a bloody sim card!!"
Secondly you get your passport and your visa, (I did mention that mine had been confiscated in a previous blog) a copy will suffice.  Thirdly you find a store that serves women.....you can't just turn up at any and fourthly you arrange with the spa to get the driver to take you during you lunch break.  So off we set, Dindo (Filipino Driver), Mysti and myself to STC Main Branch Store.  It's 3.15pm and prayer time when we arrive so of course all shutters are down, doors are closed and all the salesmen are on their knees facing East (we could only see bottoms and feet when we looked through the window).  Dindo had told us that there was a separate entrance for women so we went to look for it only to find a note on the door saying they no longer served women at the store and to try one of the four branches listed below. Lessons learnt here, DO NOT attempt to get anything during prayer time! Lesson 2 Saudi Arabia is a Man's World, don't expect to get anything if you are a women. Lesson 3, Dindo thinks anything further than 10 minutes drive is a very long way!  No time to try another store as our lunch time was almost over so we head back to work with no sim card.  The only consolation is Dindo was banging out all the old 80's tunes and I sat reminiscing and singing at the top of my voice.
After 6 classes, I fitness meeting, 1 failed attempt at STC we decide to try again this time we take with us the Spa Receptionist (Mona) who is heading in our direction on her way home.  We arrive at the store, the same one we went to at lunch that doesn't serve women but I think they thought we were making it up or hadn't read the notice right so decided to check the information we were giving was correct.  Mona, with Mysti and I in tow walk to the entrance only to be met by a man literally blocking the door to stop any women going in..... he was even unwilling to answer Mona's question of "Please can you tell us which store will allow women in" so back in the car we get and head back home as it is too late to go to another store.  We decide to have one final attempt in the morning to go to the STC store at Exit 5.  I swear if I don't get one this time I am giving in.
I reluctantly get up early the next morning so that we can go to Exit 5 before work.  Your free time is so important as you work so many hours and 6 days a week so taking an hour out of my sleep time better be worth it.  Exit 5 is approximately 10 minutes away (a very long way, according to Dindo).  We enter the store, the man on Reception asks us for our ID, letter and pretty much any other bit of paper they might need to get a sim card.  He points us in the direction of two salesman, not one of them with a smile on their face.  Saudi's hate work!!! He processes my application and then asks for 25 riyals, I give him 30 and he kindly (well not kindly really, because he still hasn't smiled) informs me that he can't give me any change as he has none!!! What the!!! anyway, 5 riyals is the last of my worries......At last I have a sim card!!!
Lessons learned this week....1.  I do have patience. 2. Sometimes you have to follow the rules 3. If you are a women living in Saudi, you a second class citizen and a prisoner 4. A sim card is like gold dust! 5. Appreciate the small things in life,