Here Comes the Saudi Weekend!

The weekend in Saudi is Thursday and Friday...

I was planning to go to Dubai today for an office meeting but I literally couldn't get a flight. Sooo, I booked two nights at this resort in Muscat, Oman (see above) instead. It’s not exactly a Middle Eastern adventure, but I didn’t have much time to plan this week and this should make for a laid back weekend. I’m tentatively planning on Petra, Jordan next weekend…think Indiana Jones…

Coffee shops are all over the place and many of them are western (there’s a Starbucks inside my hotel…no surprise). However, none of them seem to have fruit. If you like chocolate covered muffins you’re all set. If you want an apple, good luck.

This is not a walking city and not just because of the heat. There aren’t any sidewalks in most places.

Everyone smokes here. I guess if you can’t drink, you find another vice…

It has now rained each of the last three days. This is apparently unheard of and there was severe flooding in the city yesterday. Everyone left early from work today (but the westerners) to avoid the late afternoon rain. What’s kind of funny about it is it really hasn’t rained that hard. I obviously didn’t bring an umbrella and haven’t really felt like I’ve needed one.

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

I’ve now spent 2 days working in Saudi and while I can’t write specifically about our project, I do have some general early observations about the Saudi work-life balance. From what I have seen, a typically work day for a Saudi is from ~9:30AM to ~3:30PM. Few women work and since they aren’t allowed to drive, their husbands leave early to help them run errands. Work is interrupted throughout the day for prayer, and holidays and vacations occur quite frequently. Ramadan alone essentially shuts down the country for the better part of a month. Like any place in the world, I am certain the typical work week varies depending on the person and profession. That said, while I don’t mean to make any generalizations, based on my limited experience in Saudi (and in the Middle East more broadly) this isn’t a “work first” culture.

I don’t mean for these perceptions to be critical. It’s simply a different lifestyle than what I as an American have grown accustomed too. This is a part of the world where God and family are truly placed above anything else. It’s an approach to life that many Americans may profess too, but few actually live out. Those are my sociological opinions on the matter.

Economically speaking, it isn’t a lifestyle that is conducive to becoming a significant player in the world economy. In that regard, the country’s ambitions and actions seem to be out of line. There is no real sense of urgency or drive, at least in the work force. This is in stark contrast to other parts of the world. I have some experience working with people in Indian and China and their approach to work – and more broadly speaking, economic progress - is on the opposite end of the spectrum. It’s no wonder they’ve had significant success in recent years.

There is no right or wrong way on this matter. It really comes down to priorities. However, I find it hard to believe a country can maintain this type of work-life culture and ascend to the top of the ranks of world economic powers. I guess only time will tell.

Rain in Riyadh

I’ve been in Riyadh for a day now and I haven’t seen much. I spent most of the day at the hotel trying to get up to speed on stuff for the case before my first visit to the client tomorrow. I have a few early perceptions, but they are no more than that, and many of them will change I imagine.

It rained today, a rare event. Riyadh gets over half its rain in March and April. I guess I caught the tail end of the rainy season.

The city is dirty, but not in the ways I’d describe NYC or Shanghai. It’s dirty because it is covered in sand. In some instances cars are literally coated every inch in a thin layer of sand. They don’t look all that different from a car in Boston after a light snow storm. It’s not just the cars. The streets, the buildings – they all show the impact of being built in the middle of the desert. It’s like living on the beach but with no water (today’s events withstanding) to wash anything away. As a result, nothing looks shinny or new (so far)

I haven’t seen much of the city but it’s quite different from the only other Middle Eastern city I’ve visited, Dubai. This didn’t surprise me in the least, but the variance is drastic. Saudis are notoriously private people and it’s obvious in their architecture. The buildings have few windows and are often surrounded by walls. In fact, if I didn’t know better I’d think the city was littered with strip clubs. The people are polite but reserved. The city is unsurprisingly conservative and formal in terms of dress, though there are many Arabs dressed like westerners (just not women).

Speaking of, I can’t help but ponder the impracticality of traditional dress. I was watching some construction workers (though they were likely not Saudis) laboring in long loose robes and it just seemed unnecessary. That’s definitely the overbearing westerner in me rearing his head. I’m sure it won’t be the last time…

In some parts of the world it’s good to be American while in others, not at all. Here I believe it’s probably somewhere in the middle. Everyone is aware of those in the region who dislike us, but many others here see us as intelligent, progressive, and sophisticated (collectively speaking, I’m sure I’ll make them question that thinking).

One for the Road...

5/1/2010 – 12:30 – Frankfurt, Germany

I’m sitting in the terminal in Frankfurt waiting for my flight to Riyadh. A few thoughts on the trip so far:

Sleeping on planes is impossible, especially when you are tall.

Germany is really green. I should enjoy it. It might be the last time I see landscape like this for a while.

The Frankfurt airport needs to work on its signage…or I need to work on my German. I some how managed to get my passport stamped twice while searching for my gate.

German women look a lot better than they sound.

There’s a group about to board a flight to Lagos living it up in the terminal. I wouldn't really fit in, but I’d like to party with those guys. They seem to know what they’re doing.

I feel like I need to have one last beer for good measure. Plus, I’m in Germany and they know a things or two about beer.

Traveling alone internationally always reminds me of how small one person really is. It’s both humbling and refreshing.

Airports are some of my favorite places. I can’t think of any other spot that brings together a more random sampling of unconnected people. They rarely talk to each other, but for a brief moment in time they share the same airspace.

AT&T’s international data plan is terrible…or I have no clue how to use it. Either way, I’m going to have to post this after the fact.