Saudi Arabia, An Oasis for us Losers!

[ladislav]

( written by me in 2008)
That's right. Losers by society's standards. So, if you have no place to go and nobody wants you, come on over to Saudi Arabia- you will be in good company. What's more, you will rediscover your dignity as well as save some cash.

How so? OK, I'll give you an example. Let's say you are a glamorous young man aged 20-35, handsome and popular with women. You are a party animal , exercise freak , are quite good-looking and given to flirting with the opposite sex. Or, you are an up-and- coming young executive set on succeeding in the corporate world. Saudi Arabia should be the farthest thing from your mind. Do not come here! You would be nuts if you did.

Now, if you are a balding, paunchy, middle -aged loser, past his physical prime, and with a life full of disappointments in every area, including romantic and financial, with a divorce or two behind you, who is feeling that the world has largely past him by, come on over- you are going to love it!

By coming here, many things will be working in your favor: you will be one of the few Westerners in a country filled with Third World laborers on low salaries. Your wages will be higher than those of these workers, and most Saudis for that matter. Also, because there is no sales or import tax, everything here is cheap. You can rent a good car for some $400 a month, including insurance. That is , if your company will not give you a car. You can take taxis for next to nothing, if you do not want to drive. Food of all kinds is plentiful and everything else is Chinese-made and dirth cheap. You get SR ( Saudi Riyals ) 3.75 to the dollar. Within the local Indo-Pakistani laborers' economy ( these are the people that provide work force for the Kingdom) one Riyal has an almost the same buying power here as one dollar in the US, or one pound in the UK. If you shop where such drudges shop, which is almost everywhere, you will be able to live the same lifestyle as you would if you had a salary of $10,000-$12,000 a month back home. I mean it.

Tired of seeing the younger generation pushing you out of your job? No more. All people here have individual contracts and jobs assigned to them. Westerners here rarely compete against each other, but are supportive and helpful to one another for the most part. In a place like Saudi, a guy that would cut your throat back home will most often than not become your best friend.

The economy is based on oil revenues, not taxes or credit. Money is rarely a problem. As one of my co-workers used to exclaim with his toothless smile-" Let the petro dollars flow!" And they do flow. You will stop losing your sleep thinking of how you are going to pay your next month's rent. Housing and utilities are usually provided and paid for by employers. Work is easy- no one is worried as much about getting fired for under-performing or not going the extra mile. You can look forward to an enjoyable and rather easy day at work.

Worried about your retirement? I guess you should be as you are not contributing to Social Security here, but, instead, every month at least two thousand dollars is deposited into your bank account back home. After three years, it's a lot of money- buy a house, rent it out, and you can retire somewhere nice.

Fed up with watching all those attractive young couples back home making out in the parks and walking lovey-dovey down the street while you are putting Rogaine on your bald pate and wondering where all those years have gone? No more! There are no such couples here, only married ones, and the wife is covered in black robes, head-to-toe. They are not holding hands or anything like that. Most of the time you do not see women, period, so, that eliminates any feelings of jealousy, inadequacy and forlornness on your part. Everywhere you look, you see male workers from the Indian Subcontinent and the Philippines. How do you fare compared to them socially and economically? Not badly, I must tell you.

You can now dress any way you want, shine your bald spot unto the world and feel just great! You are no longer keenly aware of the fact that women do not pay attention to you anymore- there are no women to pay attention to anybody in Saudi Arabia. You are among millions of lonely middle-aged men here most of whom are happy to be making their $300-400 a month and sending it back home to Bangladesh. Except that now you are seven to ten times richer than they are. A truly enviable position to be in.

As a Westerner ( “Khawaja“- that is how they will call you, my Gringo friend) you are seen as being high-class even by the Saudis, let alone the Third World nationals working here. When you walk into stores, people smile at you and say "Salaam Aleykum". They know that you have power and money- at least they think you do and that is how they perceive your status here-you are a rich ambassador of the West.

When your (paid!) vacations come rolling around, and these are usually at least twice as long as what you get back home, you head for exotic destinations where a man's age does not matter as far as women are concerned. A fat, bald, ageing Western "loser" is a highly desirable boyfriend, husband ( and customer) in many S. E. Asian or E. European countries. Once you hit those famed night spots in Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta or even Kiev, no one will see you as a loser anymore. Not there , anyways.

As soon as you learn to compartmentalize your international life and see Saudi as a place to work, while other countries as places to have fun and romance, you will have finally understood the formula to success- assign duties to countries and do not wait for countries to assign duties to you. That's what it's all about. Each place should be appreciated for what it's worth- not more, not less.

So, if you feel like a loser back home, and you have let happiness slip away from you; if you feel like you got beaten in the rat race, come on over to Saudi Arabia. You will be able to put your vanquished history behind and start your life afresh among the golden dunes of the Magic Kingdom. Just watch out for those terrorists- grow a mustache and tell them you are from Bosnia if they ask your nationality).

[Dragon]

This is hilarious and sad at the same time. Although to be honest, it is a good lifestyle for someone who never plans to get married.

[Jester]

( written by me in 2008)
That's right. Losers by society's standards. So, if you have no place to go and nobody wants you, come on over to Saudi Arabia- you will be in good company. What's more, you will rediscover your dignity as well as save some cash.....
....if you feel like you got beaten in the rat race, come on over to Saudi Arabia. You will be able to put your vanquished history behind and start your life afresh among the golden dunes of the Magic Kingdom......

Ladisav,
Thanks for posting this. Where did I read it before, was it on your blog? Inspiring then, and inspiring now.
Food for thought.
--Jester

[momopi]

Disclaimer: I am not a financial adviser. You should do your due diligence and seek professional advice with your finances.

* If you're a legal resident of the US and work abroad, you can still qualify for US mortgages from select banks. Chinatrust bank in California and NY accepts foreign income and foreign credit history for mortgage loans. Back in 2010 they required 30% down payment, which is lower than other banks with similar loans. I'm uncertain about their requirements today, but if you're working abroad and want to take advantage of current low RE prices and interest rates in the US, it can be done. If you're not contributing to SS, then maybe you can look into buying rental properties for your own retirement.

* Rental income do not count against social security benefits (see: http://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/handbook/han ... -1213.html) but we don't know if laws will change in the future.

* If you're deciding between taking early retirement vs. later for full SS benefits, do a cost benefit analysis. I actually screwed up with my mother's SS benefit application. She could have started collecting decent money at age 64, but we opted to wait until she is 66 for full benefits. But afterwards I did some calculations this year and found out that the difference was fairly small, and the break-even point is ~18 years between collecting early for 2 years vs. increased amount for full retirement age. Fortunately we caught it this year and was able to put the application in at age 65 (along with medicare), so we only missed out on a year's worth of money instead of two. Still, this reduced the break-even point to 9 years, which made it less appealing in financial terms.


p.s. for those who dreams of being slum lords, look in Sacramento area for RE investments.

[Rocky Top]

* If you're deciding between taking early retirement vs. later for full SS benefits, do a cost benefit analysis. I actually screwed up with my mother's SS benefit application. She could have started collecting decent money at age 64, but we opted to wait until she is 66 for full benefits. But afterwards I did some calculations this year and found out that the difference was fairly small, and the break-even point is ~18 years between collecting early for 2 years vs. increased amount for full retirement age. Fortunately we caught it this year and was able to put the application in at age 65 (along with medicare), so we only missed out on a year's worth of money instead of two. Still, this reduced the break-even point to 9 years, which made it less appealing in financial terms.


p.s. for those who dreams of being slum lords, look in Sacramento area for RE investments.

I had to do the same thing with my mom last year at about this time. She had the option of taking partial benefits at 62 or full benefits at 65. I crunched the numbers and found out that her break even point for each decision would have been at age 75 (in other words, 13 years for partial benefits at 62 vs 10 years on full benefits at 65).

[Rocky Top]

* If you're deciding between taking early retirement vs. later for full SS benefits, do a cost benefit analysis. I actually screwed up with my mother's SS benefit application. She could have started collecting decent money at age 64, but we opted to wait until she is 66 for full benefits. But afterwards I did some calculations this year and found out that the difference was fairly small, and the break-even point is ~18 years between collecting early for 2 years vs. increased amount for full retirement age. Fortunately we caught it this year and was able to put the application in at age 65 (along with medicare), so we only missed out on a year's worth of money instead of two. Still, this reduced the break-even point to 9 years, which made it less appealing in financial terms.


p.s. for those who dreams of being slum lords, look in Sacramento area for RE investments.

I had to do the same thing with my mom last year at about this time. She had the option of taking partial benefits at 62 or full benefits at 65. I crunched the numbers and found out that her break even point for each decision would have been at age 75 (in other words, 13 years for partial benefits at 62 vs 10 years on full benefits at 65).

[OneLove21]

I know I'm late (just registered), but this was hilarious indeed. Does it hurt to say this as a young American woman...who also considers herself a loser (social life wise) yet 'somewhat' successful in terms of travel experience and education lol...?

When your (paid!) vacations come rolling around, and these are usually at least twice as long as what you get back home, you head for exotic destinations where a man's age does not matter as far as women are concerned. A fat, bald, ageing Western "loser" is a highly desirable boyfriend, husband ( and customer) in many S. E. Asian or E. European countries. Once you hit those famed night spots in Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta or even Kiev, no one will see you as a loser anymore. Not there , anyways.

I've read about this another source too...

[Mercury]

Are you kidding me!? Saudi Arabia is actually worse than the USA for single men. In Saudi Arabia, you will go to prison for mingling with anyone of the opposite gender. It's even illegal for married couples to take a single man out for dinner in Saudi Arabia! And they don't care if it's 120 degrees outside, they will arrest you for wearing shorts and short sleeves, anything other than a long, flowing black cloak; they don't care if that cloak gets all the way up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit in the sun.

Stay out of Saudi Arabia.

[IraqVet2003]

Are you kidding me!? Saudi Arabia is actually worse than the USA for single men. In Saudi Arabia, you will go to prison for mingling with anyone of the opposite gender. It's even illegal for married couples to take a single man out for dinner in Saudi Arabia! And they don't care if it's 120 degrees outside, they will arrest you for wearing shorts and short sleeves, anything other than a long, flowing black cloak; they don't care if that cloak gets all the way up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit in the sun.

Stay out of Saudi Arabia.

Hey Mercury, I agree with 100%!!! LOL!!!! I believe the only possible oasis for single foreign/western men in the Middle East or Persian Gulf region is in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. But even in Dubai there are certain restrictions such as in no PDA (public display of affection) is allowed. Otherwise, I would recommend foreign single men go to Tel Aviv, Israel (particularly if you're Jewish).

[Mercury]

Are you kidding me!? Saudi Arabia is actually worse than the USA for single men. In Saudi Arabia, you will go to prison for mingling with anyone of the opposite gender. It's even illegal for married couples to take a single man out for dinner in Saudi Arabia! And they don't care if it's 120 degrees outside, they will arrest you for wearing shorts and short sleeves, anything other than a long, flowing black cloak; they don't care if that cloak gets all the way up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit in the sun.

Stay out of Saudi Arabia.

Hey Mercury, I agree with 100%!!! LOL!!!! I believe the only possible oasis for single foreign/western men in the Middle East or Persian Gulf region is in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. But even in Dubai there are certain restrictions such as in no PDA (public display of affection) is allowed. Otherwise, I would recommend foreign single men go to Tel Aviv, Israel (particularly if you're Jewish).

Better yet, just stay out of the entire Middle East. It's nothing but laws that make no sense, nearly the entire Middle East is at war and is a hotbed for terrorist attacks, people get executed for worshipping any gods other than "Allah" whoever this Allah is, and whom I really don't care who Allah is.

[ladislav]

Saudi Arabia is strictly for adults. And those who know the rules and the laws. Just live a modest life and nothing will happen.

[yick]

Are you kidding me!? Saudi Arabia is actually worse than the USA for single men. In Saudi Arabia, you will go to prison for mingling with anyone of the opposite gender. It's even illegal for married couples to take a single man out for dinner in Saudi Arabia! And they don't care if it's 120 degrees outside, they will arrest you for wearing shorts and short sleeves, anything other than a long, flowing black cloak; they don't care if that cloak gets all the way up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit in the sun.

Stay out of Saudi Arabia.

Hey Mercury, I agree with 100%!!! LOL!!!! I believe the only possible oasis for single foreign/western men in the Middle East or Persian Gulf region is in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. But even in Dubai there are certain restrictions such as in no PDA (public display of affection) is allowed. Otherwise, I would recommend foreign single men go to Tel Aviv, Israel (particularly if you're Jewish).

Better yet, just stay out of the entire Middle East. It's nothing but laws that make no sense, nearly the entire Middle East is at war and is a hotbed for terrorist attacks, people get executed for worshipping any gods other than "Allah" whoever this Allah is, and whom I really don't care who Allah is.

If you have never been there, don't say stuff about regions you know nothing about it.

It wouldn't be a place I would ever return to - but there were good things about Saudi Arabia - the food choices were great, it was SAFE, it had a vibrant night time culture and it was pretty prosperous. I personally liked the weather - plenty of people do not.

Kuwait, the UAE, Oman - they're nice places.

No, it isn't a place for women - but it happened a few times when the walking sheets would giggle and give me a 'hi' when they walked past me.

The place is obviously changing and it will be a lot different in thirty years to what it is now.

But I know people who have lived out there for years, they love it - they would never ever work in China like I am doing now.

Most of these men are gay and middle aged and white of course - they spend a whole career out there - they're not missing out on love, sex, companionship etc.

It's not for everyone - if you're straight, like a beer, like women - not so great, doesn't mean it's all bad, it isn't.

[yick]

I worked out there for two years - I personally didn't like working for and with Arabs - some of them are nice people and everything but a lot of them are jealous, hating bitches because you're paid more than them - they'll backstab you in a second - same with the Indians - can't trust them. If they're in charge - a lot of them have this horrid combination of micromanaging and incompetence.

A lot of the western teachers are there because they need the money - a fair few of them have a Thai or a Filipina wife and they HAVE to be out there because they have mortgages and families - a lot of them are the magic ATM for the whole family - I knew one South African who was either married to a Filipina or it was his girlfriend and said every time he went back there in the summer - his savings would be gone in weeks - he was pretty philisophical about it but I thought 'f**k doing that' in fact it was that tale of woe that put me off ever marrying someone from that part of the world.

Lot of (western) gays working there - they love it! Lot of western Muslims and converts who keep themselves to themselves - the ones I got to know tend to be allright - if you are amiable and they are - you can get on with them because shared nationality/culture will overcome religious differences. A lot of the white westerners were interesting - some of the most interesting people I have ever met were there - lots of weirdoes, violent people, dried out drunks, drug addicts - people with anger issues - I saw lots of people lose it totally out there and many people couldn't hack it even for a week - on Monday they would arrive and - the shortest stay was some British guy who was gone by Wednesday.

Of course you're not dating anyone local (unless you are gay...) but you can make relationships with the nursing staff of the local hospital who are usually Filipinas - but it is hard taking them out though.

We taught all male classes, you got to know them and they were OK usually but a lot of them are lazy - well, in Riyadh they were and so we're the oil apprentices but I worked down on the Yemeni border at a university there and they were fantastic!

I got the funds to do my MA out of it, I will never do it again but glad I did it.

I always had a Kudu breakfast every morning before work.

[MarcosZeitola]

Saudi Arabia is strictly for adults. And those who know the rules and the laws. Just live a modest life and nothing will happen.

How's your modest life going for you, Ladislav, and how are things with you and your Filipina foster daughter? I remember when you shared that little story a few years back, it was cute and I wonder how she fares.

I worked out there for two years - I personally didn't like working for and with Arabs - some of them are nice people and everything but a lot of them are jealous, hating bitches because you're paid more than them - they'll backstab you in a second - same with the Indians - can't trust them. If they're in charge - a lot of them have this horrid combination of micromanaging and incompetence.

A lot of the western teachers are there because they need the money - a fair few of them have a Thai or a Filipina wife and they HAVE to be out there because they have mortgages and families - a lot of them are the magic ATM for the whole family - I knew one South African who was either married to a Filipina or it was his girlfriend and said every time he went back there in the summer - his savings would be gone in weeks - he was pretty philisophical about it but I thought 'f**k doing that' in fact it was that tale of woe that put me off ever marrying someone from that part of the world.

Lot of (western) gays working there - they love it! Lot of western Muslims and converts who keep themselves to themselves - the ones I got to know tend to be allright - if you are amiable and they are - you can get on with them because shared nationality/culture will overcome religious differences. A lot of the white westerners were interesting - some of the most interesting people I have ever met were there - lots of weirdoes, violent people, dried out drunks, drug addicts - people with anger issues - I saw lots of people lose it totally out there and many people couldn't hack it even for a week - on Monday they would arrive and - the shortest stay was some British guy who was gone by Wednesday.

Of course you're not dating anyone local (unless you are gay...) but you can make relationships with the nursing staff of the local hospital who are usually Filipinas - but it is hard taking them out though.

We taught all male classes, you got to know them and they were OK usually but a lot of them are lazy - well, in Riyadh they were and so we're the oil apprentices but I worked down on the Yemeni border at a university there and they were fantastic!

I got the funds to do my MA out of it, I will never do it again but glad I did it.

I always had a Kudu breakfast every morning before work.

I appreciate the fact that you actually went to a lot of places, lived in a lot of places and have lived-in experiences to share in great detail. Cannot say the same for many of the spineless whiners who complain a lot but have very little to show for their many miserable years on earth. I do hope the South African with the shitty Filipina spouse hasn't discouraged you too badly when it comes to my adopted homeland, haha.

And yeah, it does seem like an Arab country would be a perfect place for a gay man to live in, provided he is discreet about it. A straight man who is not terribly accomplished either career-wise nor blessed in the physical department would have a hard time. Doubly so if you are outspoken, have some controversial views and are the type to "not know your place"... this proved the downfall to a Filipino cousin of my wife, who did quite well for himself as an engineer in Dubai but f***ed up when he asked his boss for a raise he felt he deserved and ended up getting fired for his insolence; it's been five months and he hasn't found another job since, and it's gotten to the point where he may even lose his fiancée over the stress of it all.

[yick]

I appreciate the fact that you actually went to a lot of places, lived in a lot of places and have lived-in experiences to share in great detail. Cannot say the same for many of the spineless whiners who complain a lot but have very little to show for their many miserable years on earth. I do hope the South African with the shitty Filipina spouse hasn't discouraged you too badly when it comes to my adopted homeland, haha.

Thanks man, I enjoy reading your posts on here too.

It's a tough one really because I like beautiful women and of course there are lots of beautiful Filipinas - I come from a large Latin American family and she would definitely fit in culturally with them for sure (and a lot better than a British woman...) I am not totally against it but she would have to have a profession and an education but retiring to the Philippines sounds wonderful but it would be the journey getting there - I would hate to go back to the Middle East but a lot of the married fellas were married to Thais, Filipinas and Indonesians and that part of the world became their life - the South African was an extreme case I have to admit - nice guy - I suppose he should have had boundaries regards allowing his relatives to spend his money but I thought at the time 'if that's going to be my life f**k it' because I thought about a Filipina - a beautiful Filipina nurse for example - I would be up for that!

And yeah, it does seem like an Arab country would be a perfect place for a gay man to live in, provided he is discreet about it. A straight man who is not terribly accomplished either career-wise nor blessed in the physical department would have a hard time. Doubly so if you are outspoken, have some controversial views and are the type to "not know your place"... this proved the downfall to a Filipino cousin of my wife, who did quite well for himself as an engineer in Dubai but f***ed up when he asked his boss for a raise he felt he deserved and ended up getting fired for his insolence; it's been five months and he hasn't found another job since, and it's gotten to the point where he may even lose his fiancée over the stress of it all.

I knew a gay man at my workplace in the far south of Saudi and he said 'this is like Thailand for a straight man' he wasn't short of sex and companionship, he was a little, skinny guy in his late 50's with a dyed blond perm It was the one place where I have been wolfwhistled, meowed at and kerbcrawled - by Saudi men!

The chain of command is absolute, there or loads of OFW's in all the fast food places and service industries (and of course, the hospitals) and they put up with a lot of shit with a lot of dignity - nice people and they always respond to decent manners with a big smile - I remember some fat Saudi man (in front of his children, the animal) throwing a litre of cola at some poor Filipino fella behind the counter at Herfy's and I raged with 'what's the matter with you?' and he goes 'it's my country, I'll do what I want'. But it is a hire-and-fire culture - even with westerners - we get a bit gobby with them and we're soon shown the door.