Entertainment

Again, a little different topic. There are lots of things to do but they are difficult to get to and access. One of the big issues is driving. Obviously, I cannot drive, now mind you it's not that it is against the law, it's not. Any woman may drive as long as her husband gives his permission. Therein lies the stumbling block. I do not want to drive here. There are virtually no rules to the road. Traffic laws are mere suggestions, generally ignored. There are very few traffic lights , seriously, I live in a city of 3 million people and I don't think I've seen half a dozen lights in this place. Traffic police are routinely ignored. The level of testosterone evident on the public thoroughfares would just blow you away. People drive on sidewalks, routinely cut through parking lots (seriously, I have seen people cut through an ATM machine lane to beat traffic), and create an "extra" lane to get someplace a second or two faster. WOW!

Now even if you are a guy, as an expat, you have to be gainfully employed and have a work iqama. You then get a letter that enables you to get a license which if you are from the US or UK is kind of a pass. Get a lot of stuff stamped, pay your money, take an eye exam and you're done. No license, no insurance and you have to have Saudi insurance. So now you get to drive.

Now the next hurdle is what to drive. There is no used car market like we know it. You have to go way out of town up to the mountains and it's more like an auction; remember buying and selling here is always negotiation no matter what the item or where you are buying it. People sort of auction cars on the side of the road. Don't think auto auction like where you are. People use car loans to get cash flow. You get a loan to buy a car then sell the car immediately so you have cash. You still owe the loan, but you now have cash money. It's quite different. Most of the car dealers we have here are the same ones as you have there but the models are all different. They look the same in some cases and in others, the car is one you would not recognize. All the big US dealers are here: Chevys are everywhere and clearly dominate the US brands here. Car prices are cheaper than the US, but not by a lot. You cannot buy a car here and ship it back because they don't meet any of our environmental standards. And since gas mileage is not an issue here, people routinely buy big SUVs. Now there are many types of cars here we don't see where you are, mostly from India and China. So for an expat, you have to pay cash for a new car or simply lease one. Once you have a car, you can do things.

Don't get me wrong, taxis are cheap and plentiful and ubiquitous. But there is nothing like your own vehicle. Once you can travel then you can explore and find things. I hear there are golf courses here, I have yet to see one. There are tons of water parks and amusement parks. Obviously there are beaches, but all of them are private and the cost is about $25 US to get on. That is per person, every time you go. Bowling seems to be kind of big. Live theatre and music is available. Parties at the embassies happen with a fair amount of frequency. We're going to a big black tie affair this week as a matter of fact. It's just a nice break from the routine and sort of like being transported to the west for just a little while. I've heard that the expat population where we live is more than half the population, so it is kind of amazing that more western entertainment is not available. There is not a movie theatre in sight, no miniature golf, nothing like that. You have to learn to make your own fun. You have to be social, you have to make the effort to meet lots of people and you have to go the extra mile to maintain relationships. We are working quite hard to cultivate friendships outside of work so we have some diversity in our lives. What's the point of living overseas if you only hang out with people like you??