November 2014 (prior to
departure from the UK)
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| Jimmy Francis enjoying the sun! |
For anyone
thinking about leaving their home and working abroad, especially in a place so
culturally different like Saudi Arabia, they should be prepared to do a great
deal of homework, deep thinking and soul searching. There will be many valid
reasons for wanting (or not wanting) to go and these will vary from person to
person. Of course, there is the very obvious attraction of working in Saudi in
that salaries and bonuses offered tend to be significantly better than in
the UK (and salary payments here are tax free ) which must be a big factor for
everyone. However, there is a high price to pay for this money in that you will
effectively have to leave your country (and probably family - unless you intend
to relocate them with you) for long periods of time. This might prove to be too
difficult for many people (perhaps in time to come I’ll be in that category,
who knows?) and so due consideration should be given before signing on the
dotted line. I confess at this juncture that the thought of not seeing my wife
and daughters for even the shortest period of time is the most distressing
element of choosing to work abroad. However, sometimes short term pain is worth the long term gain.
From the very point
that you decide to apply for a job in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) whether
it be with a company such as Sadara
like myself or one of the multitude of other large firms operating in the area,
you will be inundated with a level of bureaucracy that I’ll describe as
‘challenging’. I don’t intend to write a detailed description of the whole
recruiting and subsequent on-boarding process as this would require me to write
an essay - and in any case, everyone’s experience will differ, so a definitive guide
would be difficult to write. However, your chosen recruiting agency will keep
you organised as that is where their expertise lies. After your initial
approach to whichever recruiter you decide to go with (for me, it was Fircroft
– I found its agents to be professional and pleasant to deal with), you will go
through the interview process which can happen faster than you think. In my
case this was a telephone / Skype interview with people actually in Saudi.
Later, if you receive an offer of employment and decide to accept (which I
guarantee will require you to spend a lot of time with your nearest and dearest
debating the pros and cons of becoming an ex-pat worker) you will almost
immediately be inundated with paperwork requests that will come thick and fast
- as was the case for me. This will include submitting copies of professional
qualifications, your passport, driving license, birth certificate etc. and will
include lots of detailed, extensive form filling for various agencies. Of note
is the fact that if you wish to take your wife (I write this from the
perspective of a man going to KSA – I’ve not come across any women working
here) you will act as her ‘sponsor’. In this capacity, you must have your
professional qualification (s) independently verified (or ‘attested’) as the Saudi
authorities will not accept your qualification at face value – even when you
present the actual original certificate. This came as a surprise to me but
apparently, it is all to do with the prevention of fraudulent certificates
being submitted. My degree took over three months to be attested (which I understand was not the norm) which caused me
to worry, as without it, my wife would not be able to join me abroad.
You will be
required to be CRB checked and will need to go to have a thorough medical /
blood work / X-ray (I went to Harley Street in London and expenses for this
were reimbursed). Eventually (this is a long story cut very short you
understand), you will receive your Saudi Visa (which is incorporated into your
passport) and you can hand in your notice to your employer and arrange a
departure date. From my
experience, once you have this departure date, the focus of your life sharpens
and everything you do from then will in some way involve the topic of ‘going to
Saudi’. This is likely to dominate your everyday conversations, particularly
with your wife and family.
Your workmates (who not unnaturally are curious
about the whole process of working abroad), will be full of questions. For my
work colleagues at the DOW plant in Jarrow, this had particular resonance in
light of the sad fact that the site where I worked for nearly 18 years is due
for closure late in 2015. Principally, I write this blog for the benefit of my friends at the Jarrow site. I made a promise to send back as much detailed information as I could about the transition from the UK to KSA to allow any prospective ex pats to have the fullest level of information before making a decision either way. I feel that this promise has been kept and I hope the readers agree.
You will have
to arrange many aspects of your life to take account of your absence from home.
Your normal responsibilities will need to be handed over to your spouse which
can be detailed, time-consuming and complex. Without going into too much detail
and perhaps stating the obvious, all of the day-to-day stuff that you normally
do (take a brief moment to think about this) will not get done by dint of the
fact that you will be out of the country for the majority of your contract. You will be told
that you can be in the UK for 90 days or so without incurring tax penalties,
however, although this sounds nice, remember that you will not get 90 days
holiday a year from your employer so by default you can only come home for as
many days as you have holidays. This is something else that you should think
about.
Household /
family jobs that you might do (such as car care, DIY, gardening, banking etc.)
will still need to be done, just not by you. Bear this in mind before deciding
to go away to work to Saudi as this is just one of the unspoken added burdens
on your family that you won’t read about. I strongly suggest that you make as
extensive a ‘to do’ list as possible prior to your departure and include everything
you can think of that needs to be looked at - no matter how inconsequential it
may seem at first. For example, organising your financial matters or perhaps
putting all important documents such as house / car insurance and the likes in
one place so that your spouse will not suffer any undue stress when trying to
access them in the course of administering the family home and attendant
responsibilities. There is no point in creating frustration by not being able
to find any necessary paperwork. My advice is to make things as easy as
possible for you and your family by planning ahead whilst still in the UK as it
will be more complicated to deal with when you are in another country. For
example, a matter that would normally require a simple phone call in the UK
turns into a challenge when you don’t have a Saudi phone, normal roaming charges are high if you use your own mobile and there are no
public telephones. Also, it is worthwhile organising in advance a new offshore
bank account to receive international transfers from Saudi and also, to set up
accounts with the likes of Netflix so you can have entertainment when you are
away. As some internet sites are blocked in KSA, it is essential to set up a
VPN (virtual private network) account prior to departure. This will allow you
to access sites such as iPlayer, Skype etc. without hindrance. I shan’t detail
VPN’s here as you best research it for yourself.
December 2014
- Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia
I have
purposively waited a month before contributing anything further to this
narrative in order to have experienced sufficient time ‘in-country’ to write with at least some credibility.
Flights here were problem free. Business class with Emirates from Newcastle to
Dubai (7.5 hours) then a connecting flight to Dammam (about 1.5 hours). One of
the things that people are constantly asking me about is the arrival and
‘processing’ in Saudi Arabia. I can confirm that for me, this was not nearly as
arduous as I had feared. Yes there is a bit of waiting around in line for
immigration with that kind of nervous anticipation which makes you feel guilty
for no reason, but the whole thing was over in an hour. I arrived in Dammam and
joined the queue for those arriving for the first time. When it was my turn, I
was called forward to be asked a few questions by the Saudi officer wearing his
traditional white Arab Thobe and red
checked headdress. The passport was examined, I had my fingerprints taken
(electronically) and I was then photographed. Later, the officer asked me
exactly where I was from. I said, ‘Newcastle upon Tyne’. He smiled and said,
‘you are from Sunderland, no?’ I then replied that he must follow football to
know about the two cities especially derby matches. He laughed and said ‘yes, I
love the premier league!’ adding, ‘have a nice stay in Saudi Arabia!’ It was a
pleasant surprise to be treated so well and I hope this is my experience every
time I leave and re-enter the kingdom.
One point that should be emphasised
though is that you must be careful to pack your suitcases only with
non-prohibited items (check online before you leave the UK). There were notices
at the airport indicating the severe consequences for attempting to bring in
drugs etc. It is not worth testing this threat. However, for clarity I must
mention a couple of things. Firstly, I was warned about not taking any Marks
and Spencer goods into the country due to it being a Jewish company (and we are
all aware of the difficult relations between the Jewish and Arab people).
However, M&S have stores in KSA including the capital, so this advice was
clearly unfounded! Also, someone mentioned to me not to take video games such
as Call of Duty (presumably as there are violent scenes involving characters
that might be construed as faintly Arabic).. Again, this proved to be unfounded
as you can buy these games in the country and indeed, the latest CoD is
advertised on billboards everywhere. After reclaiming my baggage, it was an
hour by car to the Al Farook
(sometimes written, Al Farouk) housing compound where I arrived just before six
in the morning. It only took a few minutes before I found myself in my
apartment and bed.
It is hard to
describe all the events which happened over the first two weeks as the days
were extremely long and full. I was exhausted for most of the week (don’t laugh
- experience nervous tiredness like it first hand and then see) as there hardly
seemed to be a minute to completely unwind. Although there was no threat as
such, I constantly felt on alert and as a consequence, had real difficulty in
sleeping. I suppose this was because of the strange surroundings, smells, heat,
food etc. which combine to unsettle you to a certain extent. I feel that there
is always low grade stress just bubbling under the surface, like being slightly
on edge but for no particular reason. This affected my sleeping, however it may
manifest in other people in different ways (or indeed not at all if you are
lucky). The accommodation on the compound (a walled housing complex with
security guards) is perfectly acceptable consisting of apartments with a living
room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. The air conditioning works fine and there
is a large fridge/freezer, cooker, microwave, washer/dryer and a large TV.
Basically, most of your needs are covered. However, the kitchen is very sparsely
furnished. For example, I had to go out and buy a kettle, brush pan and an
assortment of utensils such as a vegetable peeler which were necessary if even the
simplest of cooking was to be attempted. There have also been complaints about
mould formation in people’s wardrobes caused by the humid atmosphere, however,
so far I’ve not experienced this.
On the compound, there is a pool and also a
really well equipped gym which is used a lot. It is fair to say that this is the
main entertainment here along with chatting in small groups and watching
Netflix (or something similar on TV). There is a lack of ‘social space’ here
because the country does not have bars, clubs, cinemas and the likes so all of
the things that you take for granted in the UK do not exist in KSA. To be
honest, on a personal level, the novelty started to wear off for me after only
about three weeks as I began to see the compound as a prison where after work,
the inmates retreat back to their cells. Again, this is something unspoken that
you should ponder before deciding if a job in this country is for you. Another
important consideration is that you will not have any direct interaction or generally
see women at all. Your social and work life will by necessity be spent with
men only (unless you do relocate with your wife as some do, but the majority do
not). For people from the west, this is odd to say the least.
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| Al Farook Compound Block |
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| Al Farook Compound - Living Room |
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| Al Farook Compound - Bedroom |
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| Al Farook Compound - Bathroom |
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| Al Farook Compound - Kitchen |
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| Al Farook Compound - Recreation Centre |
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| Al Farook Compound - Gym |
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| Al Farook Compound - Pool |
Despite the
strict laws and customs of Saudi, it is not to say that certain items cannot be
obtained. The primary item I have been asked about is booze. The answer is that
officially, it is strictly outlawed. However, I have heard of a black market in
alcohol in which knowing the right people allows you to obtain what you desire
- at a premium. However, on a personal level, since the penalties are so severe
if the authorities catch you, I have not attempted to buy any drink when in-country. Of course,
there is the possibility of home brewing which goes on, in
private of course. If you really need a drink, there is always the option of a
trip to Bahrain which has much more relaxed laws. A good time can be had by all
as beer is freely available and supposedly, it is a great party destination. I
intend to visit sometime in the future and decide for myself if its reputation
is deserved or not.
All of the
people I’ve met so far have been decent. Largely, they are from the UK and
other parts of Europe and the USA. People are friendly and helpful and I think
this has a lot to do with an ‘all in it together’ mentality which helps people
to bond. I’ve only met a few true Saudi people. However, the one’s I have had
interacted with have been OK. Obviously there is a language barrier which means
that general chit-chat is non-existent. However, I can personally say that the
rewards for attempting to say a few words in Arabic are great. The Saudi man
takes your attempt (no matter how pathetic!) at speaking his language as an
honour and so it is appreciated if you at least say please and thank you. It’s
not rocket science and so I prepared a few words before I left home which has
helped me be on more friendly terms with the locals than would otherwise have
been had I not bothered. I’ve even signed up for Arabic lessons offered by my
employer which I hope will help me pick up a more extensive vocabulary.
The working
week here is Sunday – Thursday, generally 7-4pm. However, you need to be up just after five to be on the bus before six. The journey takes about 40 minutes to the site. Then after breakfast, the day starts at seven, ending at four when you board the bus to come 'home'. On my first day, we were taken to the Sadara
plant to complete a whole raft of paperwork associated with contracts and bank
accounts etc. Later, I and a fellow countryman were introduced to the boss and
our new work colleagues within the department. There are people here from all
over the world including the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Brazil, Malaysia,
UK, Canada and the US. So, it goes without saying that anyone coming to a
project like this will certainly have their horizons broadened. We had lunch in
the site canteen, a massive, noisy place where apparently, they serve two
thousand people a day. It is expected to have to wait in line for twenty minutes
or so before getting to the serving counter. Here, you can have as much food as
you want and people here are not shy. The food is workmanlike – nothing fancy at
all but not unpleasant. It consists of a
‘fish something’ and a ‘meat something’ everyday accompanied with lots of rice.
There is a salad bar and fruit is plentiful. There are large chiller cabinets
packed with all types of fizzy drinks and there are three self-service ice
cream machines. All in all, it’s hard to complain about the provision of food
(even though it rapidly becomes repetitive).
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| Typical work canteen meal - fish and rice. |
Later in the
day, we were taken to a hospital by private car to have a medical in order to
obtain our residency permit – known as the Iqama. The medical took about three
hours and included among other things, a blood test, which I don’t like at the
best of times. That experience was kind of brutal in that people were herded
into a room containing a long line of bloodletting chairs to wait before a male
nurse came in to draw blood. He was a little rough with me so that my arm bled
at the puncture point. The Iqama (assuming all is well with the medical) is
granted supposedly within a few weeks or so. Without it, you cannot have a
proper bank account. At the time of writing, although I’ve received a work payslip,
I cannot access any money whether to spend here or send home as I don’t have a
bank account. As banks rather arrogantly don’t consider themselves a service
here, they have an attitude of an account being a privilege to you. Waits of
several hours to open an account are the norm from what I understand. I'm off to the bank shortly - wish me luck! Additionally, the
Iqama is necessary for you to get an entry/exit visa to leave the KSA to return
home and without it, home leave is not an option - a scary situation really.
Think about it, you need to get (and pay for!) an exit visa just to leave
this country. You cannot just decide to run and jump on a plane on the spur of the moment. Again, bear
this in mind as a consideration before coming out here so that you don’t panic
when they take your passport from you to process your Iqama. It made me feel a little vulnerable as
the passport really is one of the principle documents you can ever own.
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| What Saudi money looks like. |
People have
mentioned that it takes an inordinate amount of time to get anything done at
work and in the country in particular. In my experience, this is not
necessarily the case. It is true that I have waited around more in the last few
weeks than I have probably waited in the UK in months – however, I don’t feel
that this was much to do with incompetence by anyone in particular. In my case,
at work, it is because the whole Sadara project is not only massive but brand new and so people just
don’t know exactly what to do yet. This will become more ordered in time I’m
sure as people in departments such as HR and IT learn fast. Luckily for me,
within a week I was given a laptop and a new monitor, had an ID badge made, received
my medical card (should I need to see a doctor), was measured for uniform
(example shirts and trousers) and also received my safety boots – all in all,
not bad going really. Additionally, we were provided with a driver to take us
for our medical and also to a local bank to cash a Sadara cheque for a sum of
money just to tide us over until a proper bank account could be set up. Also,
on the weekend, a driver and guide came and picked us up to have a tour of the
local surroundings (such as ‘old’ Jubail) which included stopping at two other
housing compounds (married quarters) to see what they looked like, should wives
want to relocate. One of the compounds, ‘Jubail Views’ was excellent, the
other, well best not mention that one as my wife would not be too keen to come
here if she saw it! Think Second World War Nissen huts!
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| View of the desert |
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View of the desert
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| Arabian Gulf |
At the Al
Farook compound, there is a regular shuttle bus which takes residents to a
local market called Tamimi. Here you can buy whatever you need – the shop is
not dissimilar to shops at home like Tesco or Asda for example (although on
maybe a smaller scale). There is lots of fruit and vegetables as well as bakery
products. There is a big meat section where you can buy all sorts, including
Camel steaks, I kid you not! No-one will starve here, even the fussiest eaters.
It goes without saying that pork or anything to do with it is not available
here, so no bacon! When it comes to alcohol, you can’t buy it in any shops at
all as I touched upon earlier. However, there is a vast range of soft drinks
available and also there is lots of what I call ‘pretend beer’. This is
non-alcoholic malt beverage. How you react to it will depend on your normal
drinking habits. If you are a regular pub goer, then you might be in for a hard
time. It is no replacement for the real thing, however, if ice cold, it is a
reasonable facsimile, especially if with food, although you wouldn’t want to
drink more than a couple!
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| Pretend beer, Barrio non-alcoholic beverage |
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| Tamimi Market Shopping |
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| More shopping! |
Below is an
example of the relative cost of supermarket goods here as opposed to the UK.
Bear in mind that there are no doubt better value places to shop and that more
‘local’ brands may be cheaper and just as good (however, I favoured brands known to me):
A word
concerning medication. If you bring prescription drugs into the country, you
best have a doctor’s letter along with a prescription in case your luggage is
checked. Apparently they take a dim view of someone with drugs in their
possession without a doctor’s prescription. Also, I was told not to bring
paracetamol with me as Saudi security could mistake this ordinary painkiller
for the type that is commonly mixed with codeine as you would find at home.
Codeine or any other opiates are really not liked in KSA. Anyway, I didn’t
chance it so brought no painkillers at all. However, when I arrived I was given
a little welcome pack containing among other things a pack of paracetamol! You
can get hold of some medication here
easily though as there are lots of pharmacies in the kingdom. One day, after
suffering from a sore throat which was not getting better, I visited a
pharmacy, told the pharmacist on duty about my symptoms and was given there and
then antibiotics, strong painkillers and a bottle of gargling antiseptic. No
prescription. The whole lot came to 130 SAR (Saudi currency) which is about
£22. I checked the medication via the web later and it looked correct for the
type of ailment. After finishing the course, I’m well with no side effects. However,
after seeing the works doctor about getting a supply of my normal prescription
medicine that I’d have in the UK, he told me bluntly that he could not
prescribe it and that I must go and see a hospital doctor in order to get it.
So, long story short, I was given the royal run-around at a hospital (on two
occasions) with no success. So, I’ve given up on trying to get my tablets here
and have decided to wait and acquire a supply with my GP when I’m next home. It
is just as well that my life does not depend on this medicine as it would be a
bad state of affairs.
For the time
of year here, the weather has been warmish (with a few cold mornings requiring a jumper) and there has been a few days of
rain and a spectacular lightning storm! Since there is no proper drainage built
into the infrastructure, a rainstorm leaves huge puddles everywhere. Often rain
comes through the roof of buildings – indeed, one day I had to move my desk as
the steady stream of water coming through the ceiling showed no sign of
stopping. I talked to the maintenance man sent to look at the water and he said
that since rain was relatively rare in KSA, there was no need to weatherproof
the roofs! So far, I’ve yet to
experience a proper hot day like you would imagine. That will happen later from
May I think. People who I’ve talked to that were in-country a year ago describe
the sun as ‘punishing’. You cannot go out and about or hope to get a tan as the
weather is not like holiday weather in Corfu! In fact, on the work site, they
have very detailed and specific contingency plans for when the sun is at its
worst which includes on-site medical facilities. Not something we needed to
worry a great deal about in the north-east of England!
.JPG) |
| Puddles in Saudi after another rainstorm! |
Rain in the desert
People have
asked me about etiquette when here – especially between men and women. Well,
I’m no expert on this subject at all so I can only briefly describe what I’ve
seen. Essentially, the principle family unit here is the husband and wife with
children and this is something the people in KSA take seriously. There is a
recognised difference between single men and man and wife. So, when out and about,
there are places where lads can go and places reserved for family groups only.
For example, in restaurants, there are separate entrances and seating areas for
the female and male groups – which are clearly marked. Also, there are separate
sections of beaches designated as ‘family’ and ‘men’. I gather it is totally
unacceptable for one group to stray into another group’s area. Because I don’t
fully understand the demarcation lines, I confess this makes me nervous as I
don’t want to cause trouble by accidentally being somewhere I shouldn’t. One
day, walking along the coastline, I chatted briefly to an American fellow (whose wife and child were
not far from him) and asked him what the score was concerning walking in that
area. He indicated that we should be aware that it can cause friction and added
that we should be cautious about making eye contact or even looking at any
Saudi woman as if observed this might well provoke a reaction. So, I simply
treat any black clad, veiled figure as invisible. Basically, if I’m in the
shops I just ignore all women and get on with my business. No eye contact and
no getting within even a few metres - the safest policy I think under the
circumstances. It’s bizarre though as you can see men actively move away from
all women when walking in the shops or the street. It sounds awful, but women
are generally treated as totally unapproachable by any man not related to her to ensure there is not
even the slightest interaction between the sexes. Although not really my place to comment here as a foreigner, I imagine that women must at times feel really
isolated. To not to be able to enjoy even the most rudimentary, innocent non-sexual contact with males other than your husband or male relatives for example strikes me as a little sad. Just an opinion though.
It goes
without saying that religion is central in KSA. Prayers are five times a day
and if the prayer time is due, you best not go shopping or to the bank as they
lock the doors so you just have to wait outside. It is a disruption to the day granted,
however I advise you to simply accept before you arrive that you are only a
guest in the country and as this is their faith, then who are you to argue? Religion is important and I give it the utmost respect. My faith is important to me, I wouldn't want it ridiculed.
In conclusion,
obviously, I'm no real authority but I’ve been in KSA long enough to have experienced a
little of the country, its ways and customs. Thus far, I can confidently say
that I have not personally experienced anything particularly negative or frightening. I
have not felt under threat nor have I encountered hostility from locals or
officials or police. I have not been assaulted for obviously being a westerner
but I am aware that ex pats have indeed been attacked, although I don’t think
such events are frequent. During the first week of December, we were given a
security briefing which basically detailed the heightened alert status that
existed in the country – as a direct consequence of a murder that ISIS had
claimed responsibility for. It involved the knifing to death of an American
woman in a mall in Abu Dhabi. She was targeted for being a westerner. In the
briefing, another attack was mentioned of a Canadian family I think who were attacked a
couple of weeks ago, the father being injured with a knife. The scariest thing
about it was that apparently he was asked before the attack if he was English.
So, we were briefed at work about the ways we might go about living here with
the minimum of risk. Sobering stuff. I think on balance, I’ve more chance of
encountering trouble in a British city on a rowdy Friday night than here in
Jubail, however, the consequences might be more serious. It’s not a nice
feeling that you could be attacked for being an Englishman. So far, (touch
wood), everything has gone reasonably smoothly. That is not to say that this
state of affairs will continue, and that my life here will be uneventful, but
so far so good!
Homesickness
is likely to be the biggest reason for expats to head home than any other
single thing I reckon. Boredom is significant and normal freedoms are curtailed
here. I have heard that in some cases, wives who have joined their husbands
here have rapidly succumbed to a feeling of isolation and dissatisfaction (not surprisingly as
women don’t generally work and cannot drive so feel isolated). To all my
friends and work colleagues in the UK and further afield, I’d say working
abroad in KSA is definitely not as frightening as you might imagine. So far,
working here for me has not been as bad as I had thought. Daily life is not exciting,
interesting or stress free. I do miss my family and I could murder a drink. However, you need not fear for your life as some people imagine.
I can say
without doubt, fear of the unknown is a real problem. It will immobilise you
and stop you from realising your ambitions and unlocking your full potential.
Forgive me if this appears that I’m preaching, but fear makes people from all walks of life stay at
home where they are comfortable rather than taking that big leap into the
unknown. I make no promises that being in the kingdom will suit everyone (it may well not
suit me after the initial excitement of the transition is over to be honest),
however, I’d certainly encourage anyone to give it due consideration. There is
a career, a life and dare I say it, decent money for those that want it
here.
I’ll write
more in time to come. However, in order to appraise this adventure properly,
I’ll wait a while, maybe a few months to be better able to offer a more rounded description and
opinion of my time here in the desert. I hope this report so far is comprehensive enough though!
All the best and good luck!
Jimmy
