I needed to remit some money home. Somebody recommended that I do it through the Samba Bank. I thought it was a bank with a Brazilian connection. But it turned out to be the local avatar of the Citibank of USA. In this country all foreign banks must operate under a Saudi name, so the Citibank has become the Saudi AMerican BAnk, while HSBC has similarly become the SAudi British Bank (SABB). There is also a Saudi Fransi Bank and a Saudi Hollandi Bank.There was a big crowd inside, and I was told this was because it was the beginning of the month, so many expatriates were repatriating their wages. People were standing in serpentine queues with grim faces, visibly upset with the pace of the proceedings. I was unaccustomed with the procedures, so I needed some time to figure out what to do. After waiting in several queues, filling up five forms and putting my signature on numerous documents (including the aforementioned forms) I was finally through in only two hours and fifteen minutes (including the inevitable prayer break). The transfer was electronic, so the actual money transfer must have taken just a fraction of that time. The lesson is, if you want to send money through a bank, you'd better do it before pay day.
