Wednesday, 31 March 2010
The hardest thing about living in Saudi Arabia
The driving!!
These guys are nuts. 100km/hr plus down the main street of Riyadh, 3 lanes converted in real-time to 6, left hand u-turns when from the far right hand side of the road, maintaining a steady 1cm between their front bumper and your rear one at any speed...you name it and it happens here.
It is also officially the most dangerous country in the world to drive. There are 17 road related fatalaties per day (who knows how many are injured).
So, what to do?
Never relax whilst driving. Treat driving like a chess game...plan 6 moves in advance. Always try to anticipate what the drivers around you are capable of possibly doing, and try to imagine the craziest things you can (eventually they WILL happen). Look everywhere. Never, ever try to use your mobile whilst driving. never try to change radio stations. Do nothing that can in any shape, way, or form distract you from your driving. Pray. Keep your anger in check. Breath deeply. Pray.
Good luck out there! :-)
These guys are nuts. 100km/hr plus down the main street of Riyadh, 3 lanes converted in real-time to 6, left hand u-turns when from the far right hand side of the road, maintaining a steady 1cm between their front bumper and your rear one at any speed...you name it and it happens here.
It is also officially the most dangerous country in the world to drive. There are 17 road related fatalaties per day (who knows how many are injured).
So, what to do?
Never relax whilst driving. Treat driving like a chess game...plan 6 moves in advance. Always try to anticipate what the drivers around you are capable of possibly doing, and try to imagine the craziest things you can (eventually they WILL happen). Look everywhere. Never, ever try to use your mobile whilst driving. never try to change radio stations. Do nothing that can in any shape, way, or form distract you from your driving. Pray. Keep your anger in check. Breath deeply. Pray.
Good luck out there! :-)
Dealing with people...or, how to get things done
I had to go to Saudi Airlines cargo at Riyadh airport this morning to pick up boxes of stuff my wife had sent from the Philippines before moving here and the experience reminded me of the skills one needs to employ to get things done in Saudi Arabia.
First of all, Saudi is very, very, very beurocratic. There is lots and lots of paperwork to be filled out, signed, passed from one person to another, authenticated, checked, generally moved about. And lots and lots of people are often involved in the simplest of tasks.
So patience is most definitely a virtue.
My advice: be patient, look lost, say thank you to everyone, seek help, ask for advice, look helpless, say thank you to everyone. Knowing some basic Arabic goes a VERY long way.
Saudis are incredibly hospitable, friendly and helpful. Things can and will get done, perhaps longer than you would initially like, as long as you do not get upset but accept that you are a visitor and with the right attitude will be seen as one and helped accordingly.
Be patient. Be friendly, Ask for help. Say thank you. And things do get done.
First of all, Saudi is very, very, very beurocratic. There is lots and lots of paperwork to be filled out, signed, passed from one person to another, authenticated, checked, generally moved about. And lots and lots of people are often involved in the simplest of tasks.
So patience is most definitely a virtue.
My advice: be patient, look lost, say thank you to everyone, seek help, ask for advice, look helpless, say thank you to everyone. Knowing some basic Arabic goes a VERY long way.
Saudis are incredibly hospitable, friendly and helpful. Things can and will get done, perhaps longer than you would initially like, as long as you do not get upset but accept that you are a visitor and with the right attitude will be seen as one and helped accordingly.
Be patient. Be friendly, Ask for help. Say thank you. And things do get done.
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Safety
Life in the Middle East for us expats is based on the premise that things can change in a heartbeat.
Having said that the Saudi authorities have done an awesome job in putting a lid on the terrorist threat over the past 4 years. It would be safe to say that, for now, the average expatriate in Saudi faces a greater threat from crime in his home country than from terrorist attacks within the Kingdom.
As far as "normal" crime is concerned the Kingdom has to be one of the safest places in the world. As long as one does not go wandering down dark, narrow streets in the middle of the night the chances of being mugged or robbed are negligible. Murder, rape, and other major crimes are rare, not tolerated by the authorities, and punished severely.
When I first arrived I was startled and alarmed at the severity with which the Saudi authorities dealt with crime. I know that this registers fairly early on with most expats arriving in the Kingdom. However, there are two important points I would like to make about this: 1) we are visitors and it is not up to us to judge; and 2) as disturbing it may be for us to hear about the manner and harshness with which perpetrators of crime are dealt with, it may well be that these methods contribute positively to the creation of a relatively crime free environment.
The Kingdom offers levels of safety that many of us are unused to. The authorities are working hard to create a safe environment for their people and us visitors. Nothing is ever set in concrete but as far as safety, crime and terrorism, is concerned, the Saudi authorities have created an environment that is far from the image created by the external media.
Having said that the Saudi authorities have done an awesome job in putting a lid on the terrorist threat over the past 4 years. It would be safe to say that, for now, the average expatriate in Saudi faces a greater threat from crime in his home country than from terrorist attacks within the Kingdom.
As far as "normal" crime is concerned the Kingdom has to be one of the safest places in the world. As long as one does not go wandering down dark, narrow streets in the middle of the night the chances of being mugged or robbed are negligible. Murder, rape, and other major crimes are rare, not tolerated by the authorities, and punished severely.
When I first arrived I was startled and alarmed at the severity with which the Saudi authorities dealt with crime. I know that this registers fairly early on with most expats arriving in the Kingdom. However, there are two important points I would like to make about this: 1) we are visitors and it is not up to us to judge; and 2) as disturbing it may be for us to hear about the manner and harshness with which perpetrators of crime are dealt with, it may well be that these methods contribute positively to the creation of a relatively crime free environment.
The Kingdom offers levels of safety that many of us are unused to. The authorities are working hard to create a safe environment for their people and us visitors. Nothing is ever set in concrete but as far as safety, crime and terrorism, is concerned, the Saudi authorities have created an environment that is far from the image created by the external media.
Selling in Saudi Arabia
The question is: what is the secret?
The answer is: TIME!
Business takes time in Saudi. Nothing happens quickly. Decisions take a long time to make.
Is there a shortcut? NO!
The biggest challenge for us Westerners is identifying the decision makers, even the influential recommenders. Often the people that matter are buried deep in the infrastructure and their titles give us no indication of the important role they may play in the business decisions that affect us. Their influence could be a simple word in the ear of a key person to either "go" or "no go" with our proposal. We may never be able to identify or be able to meet them.
Doing business in Saudi is complex and time consuming.
If there is a "trick", it is to talk to as many people in a company as possible regardless of their titles and whether or not you think they may or may not play any role in the particular business you are conducting with their company. The more people you interact with the more you learn about who is who in the company as well as how things work. You may still get it wrong but you certainly minimize you chances of failure by extending your network within the company as much as possible.
Finally, in general and for cultural reasons alien to Westerners, recommendations are not passed up but rather, decisions are passed down.
Be patient. Talk to everyone. Ask lots and lots of questions. Be patient. Regardless of whether you do everything right you may still fail. Be patient!!
The answer is: TIME!
Business takes time in Saudi. Nothing happens quickly. Decisions take a long time to make.
Is there a shortcut? NO!
The biggest challenge for us Westerners is identifying the decision makers, even the influential recommenders. Often the people that matter are buried deep in the infrastructure and their titles give us no indication of the important role they may play in the business decisions that affect us. Their influence could be a simple word in the ear of a key person to either "go" or "no go" with our proposal. We may never be able to identify or be able to meet them.
Doing business in Saudi is complex and time consuming.
If there is a "trick", it is to talk to as many people in a company as possible regardless of their titles and whether or not you think they may or may not play any role in the particular business you are conducting with their company. The more people you interact with the more you learn about who is who in the company as well as how things work. You may still get it wrong but you certainly minimize you chances of failure by extending your network within the company as much as possible.
Finally, in general and for cultural reasons alien to Westerners, recommendations are not passed up but rather, decisions are passed down.
Be patient. Talk to everyone. Ask lots and lots of questions. Be patient. Regardless of whether you do everything right you may still fail. Be patient!!
Saturday, 20 March 2010
Interacting with Women in Business
Saudi Arabia is a conservative society.
However it is changing. Even in the 5 years I have spent here I have seen women play a greater and more influential role in the business world. No it is not what we are used to in the West, but it IS changing.
Unsurprisingly the situation is different in different parts of the country. Jeddah in the Western Region and Dammam, Dhahran, and Al Khobar in the Eastern Region would be considered more progressive than Riyadh in the Central Region. The areas outside of these major cities are still quite conservative.
Some do's and do not's:
However it is changing. Even in the 5 years I have spent here I have seen women play a greater and more influential role in the business world. No it is not what we are used to in the West, but it IS changing.
Unsurprisingly the situation is different in different parts of the country. Jeddah in the Western Region and Dammam, Dhahran, and Al Khobar in the Eastern Region would be considered more progressive than Riyadh in the Central Region. The areas outside of these major cities are still quite conservative.
Some do's and do not's:
- Do not meet a woman for a business meeting in a private environment
- In Jeddah, Dammam, Al Khobar, and Dhahran it is ok to meet a woman for a meeting outside the office as long as it is in a public location
- In Riyadh it is preferable that you meet your woman business contact in an office environment
- Only shake hands if the woman offers to do so first
- It is wise not to invite a woman for a business dinner or lunch
Thursday, 18 March 2010
Practicalities to do with time management
If you discount summer, school, and religious holidays one is only really left with 7-8 months of practical "doing business" time in Saudi Arabia. So it is important to check the Internet and, on your BIG annual wall calendar, block out the non (or less) productive times.
As always there are exceptions. The biggest of these is that during the heat of summer, and during Eid and Ramadan breaks, if the people you want to see are in town then they will more often than not be able to accomodate you during late evening/night, from 2100 to even 0100 the next morning. This is especially true during the fasting month of Ramadan. During Ramadan Saudis do not eat or drink from sunup to sunset so even if they are around it would be unwise of us to expect them to be as productive as ourselves who are not undergoing such physical and mental rigors.
If your contact cannot see you in Saudi it is usually either because he is away, or is on vacation and in town but wants to spend time with his family during the day (Saudis are very family oriented), or is simply tired because he is fasting.
So plan your time well or be prepared to meet during the night.
Finally, more business will get done over a meal in a social environement than in an office so factor this into the above.
As always there are exceptions. The biggest of these is that during the heat of summer, and during Eid and Ramadan breaks, if the people you want to see are in town then they will more often than not be able to accomodate you during late evening/night, from 2100 to even 0100 the next morning. This is especially true during the fasting month of Ramadan. During Ramadan Saudis do not eat or drink from sunup to sunset so even if they are around it would be unwise of us to expect them to be as productive as ourselves who are not undergoing such physical and mental rigors.
If your contact cannot see you in Saudi it is usually either because he is away, or is on vacation and in town but wants to spend time with his family during the day (Saudis are very family oriented), or is simply tired because he is fasting.
So plan your time well or be prepared to meet during the night.
Finally, more business will get done over a meal in a social environement than in an office so factor this into the above.
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Doing business in Saudi Arabia
This is such a big topic that I am going to cover this over a lot of posts.
Business in Saudi Arabia is personal. What i mean by that is personal, face to face contact and interface counts for everything. It counts for even more when conducted in a social environment, out of the office.
Yes emails are used. Yes phone calls are made (better). But in order to do business and make money here requires trust.
Saudis take time to evaluate and get to know the people they plan to work with. There are no shortcuts. Coming to Saudi and expecting to "do a deal this trip" rarely happens - time is everything.
Business is based on trust. A Saudi's word is his bond and he will only give it once he knows and trusts you.
Saudis find it difficult to say NO. They will find all sorts of "nice" ways to avoid such a direct "confrontational" position. We Westerners are used to this and in fact expect it. We want to know where we stand. Tell me yes or no and I can move on or stay. Well, it is not so clear cut here.
The successful Westerners in Saudi take time to get to know the people they want to work with and they learn to read between the lines. rarely is there a straightforward "yes" or "no".
Finally, because Saudis find it difficlut to say no and inherently want to be respectful to everyone, do not get upset if you find your host accepting phone calls during your visit or even allowing people to come in to the room to have a discussion about something that has absolutely nothing to do with you.
At first this may be frustrating but on the other hand it is interesting and allows us to hone our skills at reading people rather than being dependant on words alone.
Even we Westerners acknowledge that actions speak louder than words.
Business in Saudi Arabia is personal. What i mean by that is personal, face to face contact and interface counts for everything. It counts for even more when conducted in a social environment, out of the office.
Yes emails are used. Yes phone calls are made (better). But in order to do business and make money here requires trust.
Saudis take time to evaluate and get to know the people they plan to work with. There are no shortcuts. Coming to Saudi and expecting to "do a deal this trip" rarely happens - time is everything.
Business is based on trust. A Saudi's word is his bond and he will only give it once he knows and trusts you.
Saudis find it difficult to say NO. They will find all sorts of "nice" ways to avoid such a direct "confrontational" position. We Westerners are used to this and in fact expect it. We want to know where we stand. Tell me yes or no and I can move on or stay. Well, it is not so clear cut here.
The successful Westerners in Saudi take time to get to know the people they want to work with and they learn to read between the lines. rarely is there a straightforward "yes" or "no".
Finally, because Saudis find it difficlut to say no and inherently want to be respectful to everyone, do not get upset if you find your host accepting phone calls during your visit or even allowing people to come in to the room to have a discussion about something that has absolutely nothing to do with you.
At first this may be frustrating but on the other hand it is interesting and allows us to hone our skills at reading people rather than being dependant on words alone.
Even we Westerners acknowledge that actions speak louder than words.
Monday, 15 March 2010
Happiness - Living in Saudi Arabia
This particular article doesn't at first seem to fit exactly into the main theme of my Blog but actually it is a natural fit and should have been written a long time ago.
Unless we've given up on life we all strive for some form of happiness. Unfortunately for the great majority of us happiness is staring us in the face and we do not know it is there.
I moved to Saudi Arabia 5 years ago. For nearly 3 years I moaned and groaned about what a lousy place it was - I mean there was nothing to do, nowhere to go, and you always ran the risk of being shot by a terrorist, right?
How stupid I was!!! I wasted 3 years of my life!
I was finally prompted to write this article because to this day I still have close friends of mine who think I have crossed over to the "dark side" because I tell them I like living here.
The people are warm, generous, understanding, gracious, and incredibly hospitable.
The food is excellent. It is an amazingly safe place to live. Except for 3 months in summer the weather is great. The schools are very good. The quality of health care is better than I have experienced anywhere in the world. And finally the cost of living is very low. Oh, and we pay no taxes:-)
So there I was, staring happiness in the face for 3 years and I did not know it was there to be savored and enjoyed - all I had to do was open up my heart and mind and look.
The challenge for all of us in this century is that whilst there is no lack of choice available to us we continue to want for peace and contentment. We do not lack for choice unfortunately, we lack for vision.
Unless we've given up on life we all strive for some form of happiness. Unfortunately for the great majority of us happiness is staring us in the face and we do not know it is there.
I moved to Saudi Arabia 5 years ago. For nearly 3 years I moaned and groaned about what a lousy place it was - I mean there was nothing to do, nowhere to go, and you always ran the risk of being shot by a terrorist, right?
How stupid I was!!! I wasted 3 years of my life!
I was finally prompted to write this article because to this day I still have close friends of mine who think I have crossed over to the "dark side" because I tell them I like living here.
The people are warm, generous, understanding, gracious, and incredibly hospitable.
The food is excellent. It is an amazingly safe place to live. Except for 3 months in summer the weather is great. The schools are very good. The quality of health care is better than I have experienced anywhere in the world. And finally the cost of living is very low. Oh, and we pay no taxes:-)
So there I was, staring happiness in the face for 3 years and I did not know it was there to be savored and enjoyed - all I had to do was open up my heart and mind and look.
The challenge for all of us in this century is that whilst there is no lack of choice available to us we continue to want for peace and contentment. We do not lack for choice unfortunately, we lack for vision.
My personal thoughts on the people of Saudi
Let me start by saying that these thoughts are based on my 5 years of living, travelling, and working here in Saudi Arabia.
Almost without exception I have found Saudi people to be warm, friendly, engaging, curious, hospitable, understanding and accepting of other cultures.
This is a very conservative country. It is changing slowly (history will judge if it is for better or worse). The conservatism of the country underlies a lot of the interaction that takes place between individuals.
It is also important to point out that Saudi only "really" started interacting with what we would call the "real" outside world 60 years ago when oil was discovered. This is an important point because they have only had 60 years to adapt to and interact with the modus operandi, norms, and cultures of other countries.
Almost without exception everyone from middle management level and above speaks relatively good to excellent English. I have found that Saudi women usually have a better command of English than the men.
They are not terrorists!! Unfortunately a very small handful of crazies has given an entire country a bad name.
The people place children on a pedestal and so it is very safe for women and children to walk around anywhere, anytime, and be left alone.
They are a night time people, something I have never fully adapted to. I think it is because the weather is so harsh here that social interaction really gets into full swing at night time when it is cooler. It is one of those rare countries where traffic gets worse as the night goes on. In fact many people only consider having dinner at 9pm, 10pm, 11pm, or even later.
Saudis love to go out and eat. They also love to entertain their international friends. The only proviso is that women will more often than not be present at these outings. We may not be used to such arrangements but it is their country and we choose freely to live there, so is seems fair that we do so under their terms.
Their driving is dreadful. I am sorry but it is true. More peole die on the roads here than anywhere else in the world. Something for the authorities to fix asap!!!
In other posts I will discuss doing business in Saudi, making contacts, what to do and not do socially and in business, the role of women in social and business contexts, as well as how we expats live and amuse ourselves.
It is easy to judge a country and its people via the media. It is wiser to meet them and judge for yourself.
Almost without exception I have found Saudi people to be warm, friendly, engaging, curious, hospitable, understanding and accepting of other cultures.
This is a very conservative country. It is changing slowly (history will judge if it is for better or worse). The conservatism of the country underlies a lot of the interaction that takes place between individuals.
It is also important to point out that Saudi only "really" started interacting with what we would call the "real" outside world 60 years ago when oil was discovered. This is an important point because they have only had 60 years to adapt to and interact with the modus operandi, norms, and cultures of other countries.
Almost without exception everyone from middle management level and above speaks relatively good to excellent English. I have found that Saudi women usually have a better command of English than the men.
They are not terrorists!! Unfortunately a very small handful of crazies has given an entire country a bad name.
The people place children on a pedestal and so it is very safe for women and children to walk around anywhere, anytime, and be left alone.
They are a night time people, something I have never fully adapted to. I think it is because the weather is so harsh here that social interaction really gets into full swing at night time when it is cooler. It is one of those rare countries where traffic gets worse as the night goes on. In fact many people only consider having dinner at 9pm, 10pm, 11pm, or even later.
Saudis love to go out and eat. They also love to entertain their international friends. The only proviso is that women will more often than not be present at these outings. We may not be used to such arrangements but it is their country and we choose freely to live there, so is seems fair that we do so under their terms.
Their driving is dreadful. I am sorry but it is true. More peole die on the roads here than anywhere else in the world. Something for the authorities to fix asap!!!
In other posts I will discuss doing business in Saudi, making contacts, what to do and not do socially and in business, the role of women in social and business contexts, as well as how we expats live and amuse ourselves.
It is easy to judge a country and its people via the media. It is wiser to meet them and judge for yourself.
The purpose of this Blog
Saudi Arabia is, to all intents and purposes, unknown to Westerners.
I have lived and worked here for 5 years and my goal is to help people who are considering working here or simply want to know more about the country.
Write and ask me whatever you feel you would like to know about living and working in saudi Arabia and i will endeavor to answer you as quickly and succinctly as possible.
I can also share with you my photos of the country. These are available for both personal and business purposes.
I hope I can be of help and look forward to hearing from all of you around the world.
I have lived and worked here for 5 years and my goal is to help people who are considering working here or simply want to know more about the country.
Write and ask me whatever you feel you would like to know about living and working in saudi Arabia and i will endeavor to answer you as quickly and succinctly as possible.
I can also share with you my photos of the country. These are available for both personal and business purposes.
I hope I can be of help and look forward to hearing from all of you around the world.
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