Posted on 05/07/2020 12:39:38 PM PDT by higgmeister
did you work for the oil company?
My husband was the main employee--a mechanical engineer. The King had SOLD all the petroleum and natural gas rights to the American oil companies in th 1920's. But, by 1980 the King BOUGHT BACK those petroleum and natural gas rights. Hah, he probably took the money out of his "chump change" pocket.
The King owned the petroleum so the wealthy and powerful families wouldn't fight over it. The King made 1 1/2 BILLION DOLLARS every day and a half. I sure can't imagine that wealth.
He STILL donates a HUGE chunk of change to poorer countries, whether they are Muslim or Christian. He gives nothing to India as they aren't "People of the Book," the Bible.
I was there because American men WOULDN'T go there to work/live without the wife.
So, to keep us idle American women out of trouble the company made a concerted effort to employ us. So, I worked for Najmah Recreation.
There was ABOUT four hours of work for me to do PER WEEK, but it was a job and it did keep me out of trouble.
There was a Ras Tanura Women's Group. I was NEVER, EVER a joiner of "women's groups," UGH, but since it was the ONLY GAME IN TOWN I joined and I joined with a SMILE. I KNEW that I didn't want to be President or Vice-president but I wanted to be involved. So I was:
1. secretary
2. treasurer
3. membership chair
4. newsletter publisher
That still wasn't enough so I joined the slow-pitch softball team and worked with the Returning Students.
The Saudis didn't was ANY American teenagers living there...which was VERY WISE of them.
All American children had to live outside of the Kingdom at 14 years of age. They were permitted to visit only. They came summers and Christmas. Our little department had to find something for them to do.
The WORST problem was the teenage American girls. They were TOLD, in no uncertain terms, on what to wear and how to dress but THEY were the biggest PAINS IN THE ASS. They wore revealing clothes, bikinis (instead of one-piece bathing suits), skirts too short, blouses too see-through and so on. The KNEW that their fathers could LOSE THEIR JOB but ... who can tell a teenage girl what to do!!
They were warned and if they continued their fathers lost their job. They resented ANY kind of discipline.
The young male teenagers all got jobs with the company.
I never wanted to know what fathers lost their jobs. It was TOO STUPID to think about.
But, during the summers we and they were kept busy.
We always came home (USA) for Christmas. I sure didn't want to spend our Lord's birthday over there!
We planned on staying there only two years since we made enough to buy a home here but we stayed FIVE years there because the travel was incredible. We bought the home here after two years there, on a repat vacation home, and had it paid off in NINE YEARS! No 30-year mortgage.
We went to Egypt twice (They like Americans!), all over Europe, Kenya (!!), India, Singapore and China. We went to other places but I forget now where they were. It was a long time ago.
The air fare from Singapore to Australia was WAY too expensive even for us "ARAMCONS."
It was a wonderful, tremendous experience. We came into the country at Los Angeles. My FIRST action, as we walked to the main airport, was to get down on my hands and knees and KISS the linoleum at LAX! I was SO glad to be HOME for good.
We had two huge CARTS of stuff and the LAX Customs just WAVED us in! :o)
So, when I hear these FReepers BELLYACHING about WHATEVER in this country, I always invite them to LEAVE the USA and go live in ANY of the second and third world sewers of the world...and see how they like it.
.
Now, arncha glad you asked me? :o)
I had a friend whose brother was a petroleum engineer for ARAMCO in the 70’s.
That brother made a PILE of money! We were there in the 80's.
A neighbor down the street's husband was a geologist for the country. He was one of the folks who let the petroleum companies know of the IMMENSE wealth in the K.S.A.
My driver’s test was many moons ago, but what got most of the folks who flunked that I knew was either hitting the curb while parallel parking or doing the California coast at a stop sign.
I have no idea how uniform standards are state to state, but I do know I wouldn’t want someone who didn’t have to pass a road test driving in mine.
Why not just let them keep their learners permits until they can take the road test?
Yes, he did. I graduated college in 1979, a couple of years before I graduated, they moved from Saudi to Alaska when they were doing the Alaskan Pipeline.
Well, Saudi Arabia got to 117° HOT. The company gave us TWO enormous A.C. units and one time I wanted to see if I could get the inside of the house down to 60°--and I did. I immediately stopped because it was environmentally wrong.
We were 100 yards from the Persian/Arabia Gulf and it did get that hot WITH 95% humidity. Four miles in from the Gulf the humidity dropped to 4%.
and Alaska get to -50° COLD in Alaska.
He must have a constitution of IRON.
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