Hello…..I got here August 2nd last year so now I’m on the “down-hill” side of my 2 year contract to work in Saudi Arabia. I won’t say it’s gone fast but at times it surprises me that it’s already been a full year. On the 2nd I was standing in the 9th floor elevator lobby of the office looking out the extremely dirty windows at the dusty, dirty view of Khobar and Dammam thinking about my first day in Kingdom. I can remember back to that day and the trepidation I felt with being in a totally new place, new culture, new job and away from all the everyday stuff I took for granted. This year on the 2nd as I looked out the window I was also thinking, crap…..I have to do the commute back across the causeway in a few hours to get “home”. It’s over 100 degrees here and the humidity is so high when you leave the building it’s like walking into a hot wet blanket!
Yes, I’m now used to the work, the weather, the culture (for better or worse…..usually worse) and the commute. Although in thinking back over the past year I’ve had to admit to myself that I came with a lot of fears and preconceptions that, fortunately, have not proved out. True this is not the most wonderful place to work or live but it’s not what the world media makes it out to be. I have met some truly wonderful people and consider many my friends. Sure there are the radicals just like we have radicals and zealots at home but overall this past year has been a good one.
I’m now working on some interesting and challenging projects at the office which makes the days go much faster and holds my interest. I’ve found several Saudis that I have high hopes for and will be working a lot over the next 12 months with trying to train and mentor. There is a LOT of healthcare work in the Kingdom and in the Middle East in general so for someone that is good and wants to try something new give it a shot. One of the individuals is Hind, a 25 year old Saudi lady with a drive and passion for architecture that is refreshing. She has been working with me on 2 of the projects and has proven to have a lot of ability and talent. Another individual is Tareq; a great person, lots of talent, dedicated, very intelligent. However, Tareq is heading to the US for a year of advanced training so I don’t get to work with him this next year.  We do plan to get together in LA on one of my trips home.  There are others in the office with similar talent and initiative that I’ll focus on now.  I’ve said before that the true goal of my time here is to “work myself out of a job”!

Here is a photo of most of the people in the Buildings Group this past Thursday during a meeting to recognize 2 projects and the great job the teams have done.

All hands meeting at the office for the Buildings Group.

I now have 51 weeks left to go!!

My next post will be about my Eid vacation trip to Jordan…..Lots of pictures!