The driving force of your expatriation in Saudi Arabia

Absolutely very happy.. I am here for last 26 years . As long as ur abide to the policies.. nonissue
This is the place where you can meet your objective which is obviously better prospects.. savings are very good comparatively any area

yes....financial stability, less expenses, cheap commodities subsidize by govt. very SAFE and quite placem

Currently living in saudi arabia since 2009 and happy....many oppurtunites of relocation to other gulf countries like UAE and Qatar came but rejected.
Keep youself to limited to work and home, this is best country for saving and peaceful life.
Never saw a roadside fight or any kind protest which disrupt normal life.
no strikes no curfews.
no water shortages.
no power cuts

My first opportunity was brought to by a company in the USA that performs many projects in the Middle East.
Worley Parsons I had performed many projects in the USA for including Vendor Surveillance of equipment heading to other countries.
I had been in contact with the Quality Manager for Worley Parsons USA out of Texas. A project came up internally for Worley Parsons Arabia that was looking to bring on a Quality Coordinator for a major project for Sipchem in Jubail. The Quality in the USA put my name in the office of the Arabia branch.
I was contacted and interviewed in my car in the USA as I was driving. I had to pull over and interviewed on the side of a highway with the Management in Saudi Arabia.
The next thing I knew is that I had to send my passport to Texas a 3rd Party for out of country personnel for Worley Parsons. In 2 weeks I had the visa approval and I was on a plane heading to Bahrain.
This was my 1st time outside the USA, with the exception of a ship cruise.
I flew into Bahrain and was supposed to be picked up by a driver. However there was no one there. I had arrived at 1:30 AM. I started making calls to numbers I had with no contact. I finally looking on one of the emails I had during the process of leaving the USA. I found 1 number and the gentleman answered. I explained that I had arrived and there was no one at the airport to meet me. He took my number and had me standby. He called after sometime and advised that someone had dropped the ball. He told me a few names of Hotels that Worley Parsons used for their staff flying in. He said get a room and don’t worry you will be reimbursed for all you have spent.
I did this and later in the morning a driver came to the Hotel and picked me up and took me across the Causeway and to the Worley office.
My first experience on a out of country project.
Since that time I have done many out of country projects, more in Saudi Arabia as I’m on one now there and Morocco, Thailand, South Korea and I continue to enjoy the out of country experience.
I enjoy working somewhere else and meeting new friends from other countries all over the world.

I would say it has been a pleasant journey so far. Working and staying away from home is not always backed by sound reasoning. Of course better living opportunity drives you to opt out of your present life or situation  which often appears to be less promising. However, the way you choose for the future is one step that enables and shows you further opportunities. When you see your children grow in a right direction and in a better environment without compromising your own cultural bindings, that’s what provide you with a pleasant feeling. Saudi Arabia is a wonderful land. This is my second home !!

Hello everyone,

I want to thank each of you for taking the time to share your personal experience as an expatriate in Saudi Arabia. 
Cheers,

Cheryl
Expat.com team