Abqaia

Nisha,

First it is Abqaiq or Buqaiq, a small town in the eastern province. Aramco compound here is a medium size compound consisted of about 300+ houses. There are people of many nationalities including UK, US, Canada, Asia and other European countries. The compound has many facilities including school, hospital, a small shopping mall, tennis courts, badminton courts, gyms, swimming pools, squash courts, cricket field, basketball court, football fields, horse riding club and a small cinema etc. People are friendly and there is no problem socializing. There are also many social events throughout the year. There are also two Aramco controlled beaches at 40 minutes drive from the camp. The nearest metropolitan cities are Dammam and Khober both at about 1 hour drive. People normally go to these cities to do shopping as well as visit restaurants and fast food chains (almost all are there).  Although there is a conservative dress code enforced outside the camp, there is no major restriction inside the camp.
Hope this will relieve some of your anxiety in moving to a new place and you can write me at [email protected] if you are looking for some specific information.

Ok I may recommend you to see this video about Abqaia Compound on youtube :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5IzWV_Di6E

That it may give you good view ..

In general finding friends in Saudi Arabia for expats not so easy and fast to have ! but I'm sure in Compounds you may have some but not the same as your home land !

If you were living out of Compounds I'd say it is really time boring and will suffer searching for someone to talk even..


But It is nice you have to start looking for a friends from now on until you arrive and then discover the beautiful Saudi Arabia

Hi

Thank you so much for the information given. It's so useful and helpful. It's made me feel more confident too. I hear people also travel quiet allot too to get out and explore the new outing countries.

How are the schools on the compound? Is it hard to find a nanny? Which nationality of nannies are good and how much should one be paying for one a month? Are there many things for adults to learn like a sport, cooking classes or learning a new language.

When does it start to get hot? So sorry for all the questions but better I learn now then later.

Are there any other forums I can join or expat groups? Thanks in advance :-)