Initially, my contract was only for six months. However, I extended that to one full year. There were several reasons:
My family was here couple of weeks in summer, but heat was a big problem. In autumn and winter things have been better.
Nixu (my company) has seven people in the Kingdom: Project leader Jari and workers Marko (hawk), Mikko (dogo), Peku, Kiravuo, Hessu and I (Riku). Jari and me also have our families here.
You can get larger version of the pictures just by clicking small picture.
Riyadh is in the middle of the desert, so climate is veeeery dry. That is fortunate since the weather is also hot. In summer, daylight temperatures climb up to 50-60 °C and sun shines directly from zenith. In wintertime, we enjoy colder climate, now (2.11) we have daytime temperature 30 degrees and night temperature sometimes falls below 20 degrees (brrr 8-). All degrees are Celsius.
You will notice that winter has come when you don't need to run your cars air conditioning in NIGHTTIME.
In half years time, it has rained just once, at that time about 109 droplets. I have been told that it really rains in wintertime.
Saudi Arabia is closed country. Normally you can get visa for business, or if you happen to be Muslim, for pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj). If you are working here and married as well, your family can join you.
I'm here with work visa, so I need to have residence permit (Iqama) and local driving license.
First names are used almost exclusively. E.g. in bank I'm mr. Riku (or mr. Rico or mr. Riko or ...). Spelling is usually not very accurate. Since all official documents are in Arabic, and translitteration between Arabic and Latin character set is ambiguous, the final results can be funny. E.g Mikko Rantanen became Mirko Randonel.
Residence and work permit, Iqama
Driving license.
Saudi Arabia is Muslim country. Weekend is Thursday and Friday.
All things must be timed considering Muslim prayer times. In prayer (Salah) time, everything is closed, 1/2 hours a time. Prayer times depend on sunset and sunrise, so they vary couple a minutes daily. You will notice prayer if you are on urban area. Every block (and bigger office) has its own mosque. In prayer time, Muslims are invited to prayer, either by calling from minaret, or in offices, using PA system. Muslims have five prayers per day (before sunrise, midday, afternoon, sunset and night).
When you are in Rome, do like Romans do. You should dress yourself decently.
Muslim calendar is Lunar, which means that year is about 11 days shorter than Western one. Year zero was the year when Muhammed moved from Makkah to Medinah in year 622 G (Gregorian). According this calendar year is now 1420 H (Hirsa).
Some things, like alcohol and pork are strictly forbidden. Drug trafficker can receive death sentence.
The holy month Ramadan means that between sunrise and sunset it is not advisable to drink, smoke nor eat in car nor in public places.
Women are not allowed to drive a car in Saudi Arabia.
Traffic is awful. Common stunt is to turn from rightmost lane to LEFT. Lanes and traffic signs have little effect. Signal lights are rarely used. Speed limits are usually not observed. I have been told that traffic is even worse on Egypt 8-)
Normal streets are 6-8 lanes wide.
Local highway.
On major roads, you can find even English signs, but ..
.. most signs look like this. Sometimes it is somewhat difficult to find your destination 8-)
Our customer is King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, aka KACST, which is Government institute. Normal working hours are 8am - 4pm.
To put long story short, we built one Internet to the Kingdom. We have operating responsibility for two more years, and we also do technology transfer so that local staff can take over.
Almost all local (Saudi) men dress in same kind of costume: white robe and red-and white (1 out of 50: white) scarf. Women dress in black, usually including black scarf which covers face. Expatriates usually dress according their own customs, taking local environment into account.
In KACST, there are only men working. In general, women can work on selected professions only (housemaid, hairdresser, nurse, ...).
Despite of Jari, all Nixu personnel is working on Network Operations Center, or NOC. NOC services are available 24/7.
KACST. NOC is located on lefthand building, downstairs.
My work station in NOC.
From NOC. In pictures Hessu (guess who 8-) and our Saudi colleagues Wael and Hamad (who are also working at NOC).
We live in compound, which hosts mainly expatriates. Nixu has 4 villas.
Compound seen from Diriah.
Compound has basic services available: shop, restaurant, gym, sauna (!) and pool.
Janne is in compound preschool, attended by aussie Brenda. He can already speak some English words.
Lauri stays home with Kaisa. Once a week there is mums and tots gathering.
Sometimes we have BBQ: chicken, beef, lamb, camel ...
Kiravuo at BBQ.
There are quite a few shops and shopping malls within 20 or so minutes from compound.
We were on Finnish embassy autumn party, and now we are waiting for Finnish national day celebrations.
Finnish ladies community arranges coffee mornings couple a times a month, Kaisa has been attending sometimes. In Saudi Arabia, there are total 295 Finns (according our embassy).
One day we visited old city center, there are (among other things) Musmak Fortress and bazaar.
Musmak Fortress.
Walking in old city center with Kiravuo.
Local tourist attractions.
Old Diriah is conveniently next to our compound.
Local vice, water pipe (Hubbly-Bubbly). Pictured our colleague Khalil, Kiravuo and Mikko.
Smoking water pipe
Riyadh, 2 November 1999 G
rikuw@nixu.fi