Tami

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 03 January 2013 - 06:50

Hi there. We lived in Riyadh from 2000-2004 and until the bombings started in 2003, I loved it. Living the last year in fear of when and where the next bomb would be going off and having the national guard with rifles ride on the school bus with my kids was no fun though, so we left. Having been away for over 8 years now, my info may be a bit outdated, but the larger compounds were always very nice, with a small grocery shop, restaurant(s), pools, game rooms for the kids, etc. I know that the military-related ones also had very nice bars and regular "nights out." In Riyadh, you really won't find many expats living among the local folks, both by choice and generally also by necessity. There are single family homes available in the DQ (Diplomatic Quarter) if you want that sort of thing, but being on the compound gave me the freedom that I think I would have missed if we lived outside the gates. I could drive our SUV down to the shop or pool area and got a kick out of watching the gardeners eyes get big when I dared to do it! To be honest, I miss Riyadh and would go back for a visit or even an extended stay now that it's relatively safe again. By the way, if you are looking at compound life, I'd try to get into Al Hamra, Kingdom City or Arizona. We lived on Villas Rosas Al Waha, but I've heard that it was opened up to the Arab community when so many of the expats were told to leave in '04. Good Luck with the move.

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Tami

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 31 August 2011 - 16:45

Hi Sheila! I would take a close look at what the other ladies are saying. We moved to Dubai thinking that it would be a great experience for our kids (we had already lived in Riyadh for several years), but found that the American school our children went to was in NO way able to deal with a child who didn't fit their perfect mold. Our son has never been diagnosed, but we have had counselors tell us that it is possible he is on the spectrum. He is extremely intelligent and never forgets any little bit of information he reads, hears or sees. He asks A LOT of questions. The school in Dubai (ASD) just couldn't deal with him. He went from getting all A's here in the states to C's & D's at ASD. The teachers would not work with him and even went so far as to limit the number of questions he could ask in a class period. They literally made him sign a "contract" without our knowledge or consent! He was depressed and miserable. He was 11 years old! Needless to say, we pulled the kids out, came back to the US and put them back in public school here and he was back to his regular happy self and back to all A's. It is unfortunate, but true, that only "perfect" people seem to be accepted in Dubai. It is a huge decision for your family and I don't want to be a total wet blanket, but please look into all the details of life in Dubai and think long and hard about moving your family over. My DH still lives and works in DXB and "commutes" home to Pennsylvania every 6 weeks or so. It isn't easy or the ideal lifestyle, but it is what we decided was the best answer for us and our children! Good Luck! <em>edited by Tami on 31/08/2011</em>

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