Kingdom’s Dead Days

Call to move Kingdom’s official weekend to Friday and Saturday gaining pace. – Arab News

”…currently Saudi Arabia is disconnected from the rest of the world for four days… We have Thursday and Friday as our weekend and the world has Saturday and Sunday off. This is harming our international trade. By changing the weekend, we will reduce the number of dead days to three.”

Flight plans in China require around 6 days for approval, which completely hinders one of the main draws of private flying: flexibility. On trips here pilots get a print-out of the flight plan around 2 hours before the scheduled time of departure, sometimes even less I think. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are comparatively way the fuck wide-open.

I have a vague idea of (eventually) garnering a business aviation career in China. That the amount of time it takes for sufficient deregulation in region will correlate neatly with the time it takes for appropriate experience here in the Middle East. On occasion I come across chipper articles and essays online about the ‘untapped potential’ of China. And I agree – it’s there. The question is: how many years will it really take for that tight knot of airspace control to actually loosen up?

I say ‘vague’ because I have no clue on what direction to go. I’ll finish my IATA diploma in October, but so far is hasn’t helped me discover what I’d like to do after flying. Airport or FBO facility management? Aircraft brokerage? Something to do with ground ops?! That’s the downside to being a flight attendant (even if it is corporate) – it doesn’t lead anywhere.

I’d really like to go to SIBAS (Shanghai Int’l Business Aviation Show) in late March. I’d like to do some kind of entry-level work or maybe even an internship at the new (opened Mar 2010) FBO in Hongqiao (is there an age cut-off point for internships anyway.. like at what point is it just silly?). And now, if we’re getting all into ideals, I’d like to pull it together and work on getting to an intermediate level of spoken Mandarin. I still cringe, thinking how many years I spent in China and had no interest whatsoever in learning the language – I instinctively ducked it. Only now, when I was there earlier this month did I feel like I had a genuine interest in it, in understanding the characters and being able to form non-silly sentences. 🙂

Stuffed Toys? Don’t Even.

Customs Regulations for KSA. Such items can be confiscated, or withheld until they have been sufficiently censored. Personally I don’t mind any of it – I actually can’t wait to go to a toystore, a supermarket, and see what’s missing from shelves! The cargo company that was meant to collect my packed boxes didn’t show up this afternoon, and probably it’s just as well.

PROHIBITED ITEMS

• Alcohol-containing items, flavoring extracts, cooking wines, wine making kits, books on manufacturing of such drinks or any foods with alcohol, etc.
• Narcotics
• All kinds of medicines
• Medicine MUST be accompanied by doctor’s prescription and is to be for personal use only
• Radio transmitter/communication equipment (including walkie-talkies, short-wave, VHF, marine, police band equipment, etc.)
• Binoculars or telescopic equipment
• All types of statues
• Objects of human or animal form (statues, figurines, carvings, etc.)
• Games of chance (chess, dice, backgammon, etc.)
• All weapons and firearms (real or ornamental), including guns, ammunition, fireworks, spears and other edged weapons, etc. (owner subject to investigation, fines, and/or imprisonment)
• Pornographic material and literature including fashion magazines with people wearing undergarments or swimsuits
• Politically sensitive material
• All foodstuff
• Stuffed animals
• Articles contrary to Muslim or Saudi Arabian beliefs or morality will not be allowed into the country
• Christmas trees/decorations or any other items (BIBLES) associated with religions other than the Muslim faith
• Military uniforms or equipment of any kind
• Other miscellaneous items (blueprints and designs, artificial pearls, etc.)
• *ALL PRINTED MATTER, BOOKS, PICTURES, RECORDS, FILMS, TAPES, SLIDES, MOVIES, VIDEOS, COMPACT DISCS, COMPUTER SOFTWARE AND DISKETTES, ETC. ARE SUBJECT TO CENSORSHIP AND CONFISCATION (MUST BE PACKED SEPARATELY FOR EASY ACCESS AND CLEARLY MARKED ON THE INVENTORY)
• Such items will be removed from all incoming shipments at the time of Customs clearance and sent to the Ministry of Information for review
• Once censorship has been completed, a separate delivery will be made at an additional charge to the customer
• Cartons containing these articles should be clearly labeled as to contents and must not be mixed with other items
• Any restricted or prohibited items in shipment will cause delays, may be subject to confiscation and may cause possible fines or penalties to customer’s account.

King Fahd Int’l

The world’s largest airport, by area, in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Screenshots from Google Sightseeing.

Goldfish Bowl

So these are pictures I found online of the compound I’ll be living in. It looks awfully lovely; I think the lady who took them must have manipulated the contrast on them. Because it sure doesn’t look like the desert!

Dammam

Dammam and surrounds

It’s the desert. It’s summer. It’s Ramadan.

At last, the actual job offer I’ve been waiting for came in. I need a few more bits of information regarding the accommodation and then I’ll be able to go forward. As you can probably tell, this is all I’m really thinking about right now.

I’ve been weighing the pro’s and con’s (making a list, checking it twice) – just as I did for Riyadh.

The geographical locations didn’t quite ‘click’ – how close it is for example, to Bahrain (only a 40 min drive), and to the UAE. Of course I’ve done DMM trips, flight time is only 50 mins-ish (ultra-short haul). Bahrain is a skip over the bridge, and it’s my understanding taxis are able to venture back and forth. It’s smaller Riyadh, but it’s situated on the east coast, so at least there’s a corniche and well, water.

The argument for staying and for going actually sits about equal. It’s more of a matter of deciding which ‘pro’ points mean more to me. The package is much better (120 days paid annual leave vs. 30 days unpaid, hellloooo!) , it’s a foot into the private aviation door, it’s a change – a shake-up – which I seem to find necessary every few years. The possibility of longer layovers, probably mostly in Europe, is uber enticing. No more of this 24 hour crap.

It might be a silly reason, but one of the major drawbacks could possibly be convenience. I have my own place here, drycleaning, small free-delivery grocery stores, a salon, supermarket, printer etc are all right on my doorstep. Over there it’s probably awkward or a hassle to even shop for food. The compound could be crappy, I really wouldn’t know until I got there and saw it for myself. Another big sacrifice: losing my ID tickets. That sucks.

The main thing, is that despite that I enjoy when I’m at now, there’s a good chance that in 2 years it’d still be the same. I get the impression it might take that long for me to be promoted to Pearl, and then what? Then you have to go back to Coral as a CS! Dang. It’s like any ambition I had is dissipating. KSA and any possible opportunities are kind of intriguing. It’s what you make of it, right?

And finally, there’s that small panicked voice that’s asking all sorts of uncomfortable questions: What the hell are you doing even considering this? You’re 23 – you’re meant to be having the best time of your life, it’s all going to be over before you know it, don’t you realize that?

Honestly, what the fuck are you doing??

Compound

After my interview just 3 days ago, I found out I have passed and got the job!

Now it’s up to me to decide whether to go or not. It’s strange, but I think I’m slightly put off by how relatively easy and quick it was! Guess it’s the comparison to my last (nasty and stressful) interview at EK. Yesterday I was talking to a friend like I already had the job all wrapped up – that’s just the feeling I got (but I was right). The whole process will move slowly though (actual relocation would be 8-10 weeks away) and I’m very relieved to have time to think. There are many, many things to consider! Essentially though, it whittles down to a willingness to go from the UAE to KSA, and from commercial to private. I wish I had someone to talk this through with. E has been an enormous help, answering my hundreds of questions. Everyone here has reacted really negatively, but I don’t want to be talked out of it.

The more information I get the more at ease I am with the idea. The bothersome thing is that I’m happy and comfortable ‘enough’ here, so like always I have blinking paranoia about regretting a resignation. I adore commercial aviation.. but private is so intriguing! The VVIP experience is a major draw. It’s a very difficult niche industry to get into, normally you need buckets of experience – this would be a shortcut. I’m trying to scrawl out a pro’s and con’s list but it’s an impossible task, every point has two sides!

I used to feel such contempt for people living somewhere for the sole purpose of work. But this is exactly what I’d be doing, what I have already been doing for years.

The interviews were over two days. Saturday around 15 girls showed up; I came on the second day along with only 4 other girls – another Australian, one French girl, one South African and one Romanian. More showed up but they were sent away.. wrong passports. This is why I was so interested in the ranking of entries for nationalities into countries without a visa. Because they only seem to be taking European, Australian, South African etc.  But South Africa is ranked comparatively low..? Maybe it’s a native-speaker thing..

I was the very last for the panel interview, and think all that worked in my favour. I hung out with the two girls from EK and went to the airport with them, as our flights home to the UAE has the same departure time. Their reasons for wanting the position were pretty different to mine though, apart from seeing it as an opportunity to get a ‘foot in the door’ for private flying. They wanted the month off to go home, and had a ‘been there, done that’ attitude to the whole Dubai party scene,and the quiet of Riyadh would be bearable. As for me, I’m going in with the hope that I would spend minimum time at base, have incredible long and varied layovers and an entire month off three times a year doing something equally incredible. Yesterday E told me two of the girls there left for a 2-month trip to LA. What a trip! My longest ever layover has been a little over 3 days.

The major differences (in comparison to my lifestyle now). I would be based in Saudi Arabia. It’s worth looking at an overview of the Kingdom’s local laws. Basic pay is twice what I have now, with the possibility of serious money from long international trips, and onboard tips. I would lose my staff travel tickets (major blow). Instead of 30 days annual leave I’d have 90 days (in a 3-month-on, 1-month-off pattern)..!! It’s perpetual standby, 24/7, whereas now I have one standby day per month, if that. Instead of a colleague pool of thousands and thousands, it would be a few dozen. I’d be with the same girls going to work.

I’d be in a compound, sharing an apartment with 1-2 other girls, rather than here, where basically I have my own place because my flatmate lives with her boyfriend.  I wouldn’t be able to go drinking or clubbing, ever. Maybe some social activities within the expat compounds and some bootleg alcohol, but that’s about it. I would be legally required to wear an abaya in public. I wouldn’t speak or socialize with any guy ever outside the compound, with the exception cab drivers.There’s a pool,squash, tennis, restaurant, grocery store etc within the compound. Women go out in public to.. shop. That’s about all they can do.

There are lots of other little things too! To have my Saudi visa processed I need to go back to Australia and apply there! Apparently it’s a megaload of paperwork and takes quite some time. A lot of it will come down to luck or chance as well. It’s not set in stone where I would definitely be based, or what types I would be operating on. But I understand that: in airlines it’s all about operational requirements.

Private Calling

So, while I’m still waiting to hear back about the private flying job from back in March, I got a few replies about another one yesterday, and am expecting a call this Tuesday. This is based is Riyadh. I would have never even considered it before, but now I’m reassessing everything… Thinking ‘why not??’. Despite that it’s way too early (don’t even have an interview invitation yet) I am really excited by the possibility of it! The company in charge of recruitment is based in Dublin, seemingly credible and professional – and I read on PPRuNe that the airline is a decent outfit to work for.

The interviews are going to be held in either Dubai or Bahrain. Either one is not a problem at all, but it falls over days I’m working – boo. I would like to be able to say that I’ve lived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I still can’t drive, so the no-women-driving rule doesn’t bother me. I would have to wear a full burqa as well, but it’s acceptable foreign women have their face uncovered. And to be honest, I’m pretty used to them now. Know they are causing quite the moral kerfuffle in Europe, but it’s no big deal for me. 🙂

I figure once I get into corporate flying it will be easier to navigate to jobs based in more preferable cities. It would be something completely different to what I’m doing now. It’s 3 months ‘on’ and one month ‘off’, so essentially I will have 90 days a year to go troll around. Like, permanent standby, which might just drive me mad, or be the rare thing that other people couldn’t bear but that I revel in. The pay would be around twice what I’m making now – there’s even a layover allowance for being home at base! Score.

One Gulf Currency

The push for a single currency for the Gulf states is back in the headlines. I say ‘again’ after this BBC article circa 2002, which caps off with the “..aim to achieve monetary union by 2005 and launch a single currency by 2010”.

It’s so interesting to read about!

The UAE is miffed the monetary headquarters is set to be be in Riyadh (rather than Abu Dhabi), and subsequently dropped out, leaving four Arab states – Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar (Oman has also dropped out). In spite of this, the Emirates are expected to rejoin at a later stage by some way of a compromise – maybe by keeping a senior position at the central bank reserved for an Emirati, or by dividing responsibilities between the UAE and KSA.

It’s strange to remember Australia is a monarchy when compared to other constitutional federal monarchies: Canada, Malaysia.. and the UAE. Oh. The absolute monarchies still in place in the world today: Brunei, Oman, Qatar, Swaziland, Vatican City.. and Saudi Arabia. I’m on auto-pilot, rallying for Abu Dhabi any day, but from a government standpoint Riyadh would still be an adequate representative of the states involved. Monarchies seem so quaint and historical, and yet they are completely relevant to me, today. In theory, at least. I wonder when we will drop the Queen and what the circumstances will be? I say ‘when’ and not ‘if’ under the notion that nothing lasts forever. Maybe she will drop us (but I doubt it) 🙂

The planned unified currency is supposed to be modeled on the success of the Euro. The difference though, is that the countries of the EU are relative equals with balanced representation. Saudi Arabia is the largest Arab state and a monetary union for the aforementioned nations would be dominated by it, like a grizzly bear and some deer, with that caught-in-the-headlights look.

The risk is that other countries will feel like satellites. Monetary policy will inevitably be set for Riyadh’s needs.

The Telegraph also says the Euro was created for political rather than economic reasons – to chain Germany to Europe. Say whaaat!