KAUST DAY One

My first day at KAUST was a bit of a blur.  I went to HR and got some paperwork started and was taken to get my ID badge.  That only took 1/2 hour or so.  From there I went to my work location and got reacquainted with my boss whom I worked with when he was at GM and I at IBM.  I was given a desk by his administrative assistant, a small, young Muslim woman wearing a pretty standard burqa and head covering.  She put in a request for my laptop computer, desk phone, and mobile phone.  By the end of the day I had changed desks (it was easier to go to the location of the  new 20" display for my laptop and the desk phone than have them come to me :-) )

I met what co-workers were available.   There are now 4 members on site of 18 projected to be in the department.  Three more are expected to arrive yet this month (February).   Including a services guy from Saudi Business Machines (the local IBM entity), we are a Finn, a Frenchman, an Indian, an American, and a Pole.  It's a great mix of people and cultures.

I went back to HR in late morning to begin the process of getting my iquama which is the Saudi equivalent of a US green card.  It will allow me to get a driver license, open a bank account, and assure any authorities that I am legally in the country.  Unfortunately, though I had been forewarned that I would need passport photos, the ones I brought were too large.  That process will have to continue on Saturday because Thursday and Friday are the weekend.  I did get a cursory health check and some blood drawn in the process, however.  Mobile phones were back-ordered so I received a new SIM for my existing Verizon global phone.  It has not been activated yet so I don't know when it will begin to work.

In speaking to other expats on the bus back to Jeddah, the pace of my processing turns out to be much quicker than most experience.  I was told of having to go back to security for badges multiple times; of hour-long waits; of no desks being available; of office assignments being already occupied.  They are still working out the kinks at KAUST. 

The ride back to Jeddah was about 30 minutes longer than the morning one because of traffic.  Now there is  a life-threatening proposition.  The roads strike me as barely controlled chaos.  Cars race by with inches to spare, cutting in and out.  The lane markers seem be merely suggestions and cars will form 4 lanes where the markings indicate there should be 2.  Defensive driving is critical because it's common for people to drive back in the wrong direction on a divided street, for example, if they missed their turn-off.  Families will drive along with a small 4 or 5-year old in Daddy's lap pretending to steer.  Seatbelts are obviously not a popular accessory.  It reminds me of life in the US when I was a kid climbing over seats and sticking my head out the window while traveling. 

Here are a couple of views from my hotel in Jeddah.