Originally Posted by
mutt
Have you ever lived in Saudi? They have had some amazing changes over the last 7 years.
I spend on and off around 4 weeks a row in KSA, and thatīs in Jeddah (not bloody Riyadh), and as much as there are some very positive changes to lifestyle with the increasing higher standards of restaurants and accommodation choices, it remains an opaque totalitarian regime without any human face or touch to it. It will not take long for most average humans (including pilots ;-) ) to feel like a slave, just like the other "immigrants" that the country enslaves. Most normal minds will loong home or at least away from this sandy ****hole within the first 12 months of duty. Money, and if rotational contract, will only last for "that" long. Iīve been coming and going (minus 2+ covid years) here for half a decade, so perhaps not even that long, but I can truly say this is not an enjoyable place to be - and I am NOT even considering if I had to move my family to this place - there is NO way in hell I would EVER consider that! Itīs really hard to find something positive to say about being in the KSA (other than the fact that of course thereīs many nice Saudi nationals and people as well) and you need to realize that youīre basically selling you soul to the devil and your time spend within the Kingdom is simply a "write off" - a time in your life that youīve lost (and will never get back!). The other positive I can say is that, in my view, any experience in life is just that - an experience - and having experienced "living" in the KSA and seen what itīs like is of course something you can bring back with you and share with your friends and family.
But to stay here (in The KSA) permanently or on something like 2:1 (20/10) rotation - Iīd rather fly for Ryanair or Wizzair (and I truly wouldnīt want to touch that!) - itīs THAT bad, and I beg anyone with the slightest consideration of coming here to take a fresh realistic view on what this place really is! It is NOT the UAE - it is NOT Dubai or even Doha - by a far stretch not!
Consider yourself warned.