Young Irish male moving to Riyadh!!

I think a mistake that is commonly made is that people hear the word 'compound' and equate it with freedom.  Let me advise you--not all compounds are Western!!

My compound is (an approximation, of course ) roughly 90% Filipino.  Such lovely friendly people, but because there are so few westerners here, the mutawa have managed to get their collective feet in the door and two actually live in the compound!  I haven't been here long but I am told by old-timers that it wasn't this way ten (or even five) years ago.

The problem is, I think (and I hope I can generate some discussion here), that the Filipinos are generally passive and not about to rock the boat and get sent home.  I really think that if the compound had had more westerners, the mutaween wouldn't have gotten such a foothold (they manage to kabosh anything fun like group bingo in the cafeteria or dance lessons that I hear are common in many other compounds).

I am very interested in what others have to say

Dear Alliecat

Can you make any suggestions on where there is good accommodation?

Thanks

Hi Danny,

We actually discussed this in the thread "What is your idea of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia?"

Scroll down about half way--I posted a list I'd acquired of many (but not all) compounds in Riyadh.  It's a beginning for you, anyway. 

The way I understand it from CAF, however, you need to be able to visit compounds and connect personally with the rental managers in order to have a chance at a rental (there tends to be long waiting lists but who knows? You might get lucky!).

All compounds in Riyadh have waiting lists that are longer than 6 months...

Alliecat, it is not the amount of who living in the compound it is about managed by whom.

for example, many of the well known compounds will not allow saudies into the compound let alone the PVPV. if the compound management is passive, then it ends up like the way you described, them living in there with the rest of you.

I think if the compound mangement were more serious and/or gave a wooden nickel, this wouldn't have been the case.

what doya think?

Salman

Well, it's the compound of a government hospital so when the Westerners pulled up stakes after the 2004 bombings, I guess there was little resistance to change.

that figures... lol

Ali _Baba wrote:

I would really appreciate it if people who are currently living there that are aged 25-30 or who are single could fill me in on how they are finding living there and whether they would advise a person to come live in Riyadh?

Cheers!!

Don't you love the arrogance of youth?  They forget that people past their age have already experienced their age.  They think that only people their current age can relate to them, their problems, their horniness, their angst.

One thing youth generally hasn't learned, though, is that someone's advice about...say, being single and moving to Riyadh would be entirely dependent on the person giving the advice and may not be relevant to the person requesting the advice at all.

Yo, OP!  If you can handle the loneliness, are a self-dependent (different from independent), enjoy your own company, like living in a society of rules, then come on down.

If you're looking for lots of fresh females, keg parties and sloppy drunk weekends, then KSA is probably not for you, except as a rehab location.

Well said Mr Stretch. Loved the sarcasm.