Off to Saudi

This post is just a recap of my first week in Saudi and the trip to here.

It started off with a two month process. When I first took the job here, I was debating between Kazakhstan and here. I did some research on the Kazakh company and decided to come to Saudi. I was originally supposed to leave on September 25th. Well that didn't happen. It keep getting delayed. I waited and waited for a departure date. I was tired of not working and not having an income. 2 months later, I am told that I would leave on the weekend.

They booked me a ticket out of Chicago and I tell them that it is a no go. Chicago is too far of a drive for me to take, when I could leave out of Minneapolis. So they told me that they were going to try and change my ticket. This is on a Wednesday. Thursday, I hear nothing, Friday, I hear nothing, Saturday morning about 9:30 in the morning I receive a call saying my flight is Sunday at 10:20 in the morning. Nothing like 25 hours notice, before flying halfway across the world.
Laurel and I headed down to Josh's house that night so it would be easier to catch my flight and to see my bro before I took off for a year.

We get to the airport and I am having a hell of a time, just checking in. I was flying on Delta to D.C. and Saudi Arabian Airlines to Jeddah. First of all, I had 2 tickets booked in my name, which was causing part of the problems, and Delta couldn't bring up my Saudi ticket, thus making it difficult to transfer my bags over to the Saudi airplane. So the lady made some calls and i waited and waited and waited. About 45 min. later, I get called back up to the counter and it is done. I check my bags and head off to security and say my goodbyes to Laurel . This was probably my most difficult leave. I have left the States, or other places I have lived many times over the past couple of years. It is always emotional, but not too bad. This one hit harder.

Anyway I get through security and stop by a store and buy a new Packer hat. I forgot my other cap at Josh's house and I wasn't about to head to a sunny sunny country without a cap. I put the cap on my head and head off to my gate, to arrive just in time for boarding and fly to D.C.
Flowing a 4 hour layover in which I watched football, I jumped on my plane to Saudi and fell asleep. Waking periodically and falling right back asleep. I was awoken an hour before landing and told to eat my food as we were landing soon. I look around in my sleepy haze and realize that I missed breakfast. Most everyone had already eaten and been cleaned up. I ate my food and read my book till landing.

Upon landing I was to call Wassel, the dude that was picking me up. I give him a call and proceed to look for him. He was supposed to be at the gate with a sign with my name on it. He wasn't. So I told him what I was wearing so he could also look for me. I wonder around looking for him and not finding him, after about 10 minutes of wondering around, he comes up to me with a sign that has my name on it, that he pulled out of his pocket.

I am delivered to my apartment and left alone. I am thirsty and hungry. I don't know if I should go out and find something to eat and drink, because I was told that someone would be coming to my door later. So 4 1/2 hours later, I get a knock on my door. There's a meeting. Finally something is happening. I wish I would have known it was going to take so long. Anyway the meeting goes on and I find out that I won't be teaching for a little while, till at least the 5th of December. And that is about all that is accomplished at the meeting.

Since I have gotten here, I still don't know when I will start teaching, or much of anything. I have gotten to know some of the other teachers who will be working for I.G.I.T. I've wondered around, been out to eat a couple of places and done a whole lot of nothing. That is about all that has happened in my first week in Saudi. Oh and on my second night here, we had a rain storm. From what I hear, the first in almost 2 years. The rain caused floods in part of the city and the road to Mecca flooded destroying many cars and killing over 1oo people.

My first impressions of Saudi Arabia so far aren't bad. It is dirtier than I expected. There is more plant life; a surprising amount of trees. Most are palm trees, but also trees with a thick waxy leaves. Everything is the same color. Most of the buildings are a light sandy color, so everything blends in. Signs with bad English abound, but then again, I haven't been to a none English speaking country where it hasn't. Everything get done it it's own time. Food is hella cheap and the people are friendly.