Going Saudi first

World Immigration

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hello everyone..

I kinda need to know if my step in the process of my career is okey. I am going to accept an offer in Taif, Saudi Arabia on the same field that I am exposed in the Philippines. The truth is , I also have a pending visa application to the U.S.A. but with the retrogression, I think I could be trained much better there.

Would this just be fine? considering that I only have a 1 year contract there in Medical surgical... do any of you think this is not a good step?:uhoh3:

Help...I am just confused

As a little girl, I have had the dream of working as a nurse in Saudi Arabia and riding my horse to work. LOL. I am not sure if it will come true, but if it does, I would only work there for about a month. I don't know if I could take the oppression for any longer than that. :) Let me know if you do go. I want to hear about your experiences.

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...this hospital is a military hospital. It is a government hospital and is linked with the Ministry of Defense. The pay is not as big as the other countries which recruit Philippine nurses but...the food and lodging is free... 2 nurses in a room, airconditioned, free uniforms, free meals and free scheduled trips to Jeddah ( 2 hours away) for any shopping and leisure. they also offer leisure sports activities. I hope water utility would also be free.:o

Barbie, I worked in Saudi for eight years. Most of that in Riyadh. I absolutely loved it. The last time I was there was in Sept. '05

Taif is a lovely city - much cooler than say Jeddah. True, the Filippino nurses are not treated as well as western nurse, which somehow includes South Africans, but all the Filippinos I spoke with said it was much better conditions than they'd expected and the pay was far more than they'd make at home.

The only thing to keep in mind about the money is that, while it is a lot more than at home, and your rent, utilities, meals, transportation, uniforms etc. are paid for, the groceries you buy will be considered expensive. Same price for everyone. Also any clothes you buy, though some places, like the souqs have tiered prices. Westerners pay most, Filippinos in the middle, and Saudi's the least. Helps if you bargain.

I would say to go. It's only a year contract, which is very unusual for Filippinos, and you'll have an entirely different experience to add to your life. Also, since there are so many Filippinos there, it is a very social time. Unlike now for westerners, since so many have left.

I never felt afraid, and the Saudi people are lovely. The press plays up problems and it may scare you, but it is really lovely there, and you'll get to spend your time waiting for your U.S. visa learning new things. The Saudi hospitals tend to have the latest equipment and techniques and the doctors are happy to explain and teach. Military hospitals are good as well.

Good luck with your decision!

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Thank you for sharing your experience Weetziebat. It sounds like something I may be doing. :)

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i have been to saudi arabia twice and it definitely is not as negative experience as people describe. I am 3rd generation american born to an Irish Italian family..... grew up with a liberal attitude about my place in the world..... the media is unfair to some cultures. how men and women interact and/or the separation of the sexes in certain situations is often depicted as "creulty" to women..... i will say that while i was there, i was always treated with respect......i have many filipino friends that have been there and loved it so much they made me want to go...... don't be fooled by negative statements from people who have NEVER even been there, possibly never even left american soil.....good luck to you

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It is amazing how different reality is sometimes. :)

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as a little girl, i have had the dream of working as a nurse in saudi arabia and riding my horse to work. lol.

you might want to make that a camel you ride to work on. have seen many camels in the back of pick-up trucks, and many goats in the passenger seats, but must say you'd be the first woman to ride a camel (or horse) to work.

thank you for sharing your experience weetziebat. it sounds like something i may be doing. :)

you're very welcome. i never mean to get involved in these saudi discussions, but when i read so many negative remarks, often from people who have never been there, it just irritates me so much i have to add my two cents. :uhoh21:

it is amazing how different reality is sometimes. :)

what is really amazing to me, at least, is how the press (newspapers, television, whatever) lies. we get told what our government wants us to know, or think. it is only when you get outside the country do you see how one-sided the info we hear about is. (i know i ended the sentence with a prepostion, as i frequently do, and appologize in advance to anyone it may bother.)

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I'm a muslim and I wouldn't even go. Just my two cents.

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

Fact: you are not free to practice your religion. Fact: women are not allowed to walk around without their hair covered. I find that oppressive, but make up your own mind. As for Saudi being a "beautiful" country, it has no permanant bodies of fresh water and very little vegetation. There are clouds of flies and oppressive heat. Again, make up your own mind, but I did not find it beautiful at all. By the way, those "lovely" Saudi people hate our guts and want us dead.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Cardiothoracics, VADs.
Fact: you are not free to practice your religion. Fact: women are not allowed to walk around without their hair covered. I find that oppressive, but make up your own mind. As for Saudi being a "beautiful" country, it has no permanant bodies of fresh water and very little vegetation. There are clouds of flies and oppressive heat. Again, make up your own mind, but I did not find it beautiful at all. By the way, those "lovely" Saudi people hate our guts and want us dead.

Hate whose guts and want them dead? I doubt the Saudis have anything against the Philippines, which is where the OP is from.

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There is a stark beauty to the desert, btw. As far as Saudis, I believe polls in most Muslim countries showed support of 9/11 destruction of the Twin Towers and dislike American policies of supporting Israel and having a miltary presence in Iraq. Just like us, however, people are able to look beyond Nationalism and get to know real people.

But the fact of the matter is that the country will not allow free religious expression, it suppresses Christians, and the rights of women are non-existant.

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Specializes in Case Management.
though some places, like the souqs have tiered prices. Westerners pay most, Filippinos in the middle, and Saudi's the least. Helps if you bargain.

QUOTE]

Any place where stores have 3 tiers of pricing is not somewhere I would want to go. Just my 2 cents, or since I am a Westerner, that would be 4 cents.

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Specializes in 6 years of ER fun, med/surg, blah, blah.

I also have heard & read about some Filipino nurses raped & murdered & their bodies found in dumpsters when I lived in the KSA in 1995 & 96. Only Islam is permitted & underground churches do exist but live in fear of discovery. If it's your only option you have do what whatever you can. There is a large Filipino community there & I met many really great nurses, doctors, lab techs etc, but they do not live a free life at all. Domestics have a harder time there too, can't leave the house, etc. Think carefully.

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