gun shots for fun

Last Monday evening I was alarmed by the sound of what I thought were gun shots. There were four shots (?) within a span of about five minutes. I peered out of my window to see if there were any clues to what was going on. There weren't. The last terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia took place many years ago. The government has done a good job in curbing terrorism. You can still see the security measures in place. The security barriers around key installations and compounds inhabited by Westerners, the prime targets of terrorists, and the check points on the highways are reminders that in spite of the prevailing peace, there is no room for complacency.

The next day I told a colleague that I heard some disturbing noise the previous night. Before I could say what sort of noise, he asked whether they were gun shots. He told me that guns are sometimes fired for fun during wedding celebrations. And I thought such things could only happen in Pakistan!

an american amongst indians and bangladeshis in saudi arabia

Al Isa Soukh is one of several shopping centres on Dhahran Street near where it meets the Prince Turki street. Take any alley to venture into the area behind the shopping centres, and you'd find yourself in a different world. This rundown area in downtown Khobar, I hear, is the point from where the city grew and spread outwards. The original inhabitants have moved out, to be replaced by migrant workers from South Asia. You will see more Indians and Bangladeshis here than Saudis. You will see signs in South Asian languages, Bengali and Kannara newspapers displayed in shops and snack bars serving puri, dosa or samusa. There's even a paan shop, selling betel leaf with everything that's supposed be in a cone of paan (betel leaf). People clad in lungi (sarong)roam about doing what South Asian men typically do: chat, sip tea and spit on the pavement. You'd feel like you are in a South Asian city. The filthy and smelly environment helps to reinforce the illusion.

So when I met Ted, who has never been to South Asia, I decided to give him a tour of the area. Ted is an American who is on a short visit to Saudi Arabia as an Aramco (the Saudi Oil Company) consultant. We met in blog space and decided to meet in person Monday afternoon in front of Al Isa Soukh. After the tour of the area populated by Indians and Bangladeshis, we headed for a Thai restaurant run by Filipinos. The food was good, although there was nothing special about the "special fried rice." And the "fried chicken" turned out to be stir-fried shredded chicken with assorted vegetables. Ted was surprised to find no napkins; there was a box of tissue instead.

We talked about our lives and families. By the time he looked at his watch, it was already 8 o'clock and he had missed his Aramco bus.

duststorm

On Wednesday morning when I met a young Saudi colleague, he began to talk about the weather after the usual greetings. This doesn't seem to be a common practice here, but my colleague had spent some time in England in a bid to improve his English; and the weather here that day was different and bad.


It was the first of two days of sandstorm. Actually it was more like a duststorm with more dust than storm. When I looked out of the window on Wednesday morning, it was like a thick fog had formed overnight. The sun looked pale, like the moon but a bit brighter. By nightfall, I could smell the dust inside my flat, like you do when you dust stuff that hadn't been touched in years. I had bouts of sneezes and coughs. By the next day everything inside was covered with a layer of very fine dust particles, although all the windows and doors were shut. Friday was spent cleaning up the place to make it habitable.

I am not looking forward to any further opportunities to talk about the weather.

pun intended?

The coverage of the sewerage network is not extensive here. The area where I live has no network. So septic tanks are used instead. The problem is, either due to the relative impermeability of soil, or the high level of underground water table, or both, the tanks get filled pretty fast. There's a big school near my house. A few weeks back I noticed a tanker lorry sucking out the contents of the school's septic tank. Yesterday, when I was going back home, I noticed malodorous water overflowing the tank. This morning on my way to work I found two tanker lorries stationed near the septic tank, getting ready to to swing into action. The name of the company engaged to do the work was emblazoned across the larger lorry-- Areeky. I think it's a mere coincidence but can't rule out the possibility that it was an intentional pun. I hope I won't pass a reeky septic tank on my way home today.

position available for a chimp

I like to read newspapers in their print versions. Internet versions can serve the basic purpose of giving you the news. But newspapers, to me, are more than just a medium of delivering news. It is an indispensable implement for relaxation and part of a lifestyle. The Internet cannot give you (as of yet) the exhilarating smell of fresh newsprint. With the Internet version of the daily newspaper, you cannot solve crosswords or sudoku while reclining in a comfortable position. You cannot drink a reinvigorating cup of hot tea while scanning the news on the Internet without the constant worry about accidentally spilling the beverage on your keyboard.

I like to read classified ads in newspapers just for fun. They give you insights into a society that you may not otherwise get. The two Saudi English dailies feature less than half-a-page of classified ads. Not much in terms of volume, but you can go through all of them without feeling guilty for wasting your time. Here is what I have learnt after following them for several weeks.

1. There are lots of Indian Sunni Muslim bachelors in the Kingdom who are desperately searching for brides. These men are in most cases. Hyderabadi.
2. Indians, bachelor or otherwise, are people least satisfied with their names. Everyday there are many Indians announcing that they have changed their names.
3. Do not entrust Filipinos with the safekeeping of anything valuable. They have a tendency of losing their passports. On any given day, there would be a number of them announcing the loss of their travel documents.
4. Doctors and nurses are a very optimistic lot. They presume they can swap their jobs in remote desert locations with people from the same profession working in bigger, more livable, cities.

There are also 'wanted' ads, looking for people to fill vacancies. Usually they require the prospective employee to have some training and/or experience and a 'transferable iqama'. I know that iqama means residence permit/document required by all expatriates, but I don't know what transferable means in this context.

Recently there was an advertiser looking for a trained chimpanzee. Chimpanzees are not native to the Kingdom, so I am sure all prospective candidates will be expatriates. No mention was made of transferable iqamas, though. I wonder what kind of training the advertiser is looking for. Eating bananas? Climbing date palms? Spitting in the face of onlookers? I mean, what sort of functions do chimps perform, apart from monkey business?

Photo credit: patries71