Assessment in Dammam

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I set a new record for travel to Saudi. I left on Wednesday and didn’t arrive until Friday! I got to Steineke Hall about 12:30 am this morning. Dave, who is an American but lives in Geneva missed his connection in Frankfort, Germany to Bahrain and he had to fly to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and change planes for Bahrain. So we needed to wait about 30 to 45 minutes for Dave. Also, because Koen (pronounced “Coon”) hadn’t been to Saudi before, we needed to stop at the Saudi border on the Causeway (long bridge) to Saudi to have him finger-printed. Koen and I flew in together from Amsterdam; he lives in The Hague, Netherlands. Why it’s “The” Hague, I don’t know, but although we arrived at 10 pm, I didn’t get to Steineke Hall (my living quarters) until more than two hours later.

I woke up at 6:45 am this morning to have breakfast and get ready for my trip to Dammam, which is where I am writing this blog entry. PDI is working with a client located in the United Arab Emiratis (UAE) and he is in Saudi for a few days. He needed an assessment today, so I am at the Sheraton Hotel in Dammam doing the administration for this person. Fortunately, I don’t have to be here all day and I can leave at about 1:30 - 2:00 pm. So that’s my weekend! Tomorrow (Saturday) starts our first of six assessment centers for Aramco. So you can see, it’s not all play despite the photos and blog entries. On the other hand, as I look out the window in this conference room (on the 26th floor), I can clearly see the Persian Gulf, or as they say in Saudi, the Arabian Gulf. It’s hot, but I’m not sure how hot.

9:10 pm: All my stuff is put away, I have received extra hangers for my closet (it’s the little things that count), the safe was opened by the magic master key (they always forget to reset the combination to the default code and they seem surprised that people would actually select a code different than the default code!), and I know not to leave my complimentary fruit basket out because they throw it away after three days (see, experience counts!). We had our trial walk-through this afternoon and I’ve found out that the new router I brought over as a back-up doesn’t have the correct settings. Well, that’s a problem for another day.

Ciao.

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Photos

Lovely Fruit Basket
This is what I received in my room. OK, I didn't really receive a White Castle hamburger. That's a coupon that I forgot to take out of my wallet before I came here. Yes, I'm a White Castle junkie.

Comments

[Ellen]

Nice to Have Blog Back
Ted: I know this is strange, but although you really weren't gone over a week, I missed the blog. Nice photoshop on the White Castle. It makes me want to have one. Ellen

[Bob Toohey]

Sounds too much like work!
Wow, Ted--I don't think I envy you this time around. You had such a short turnaround in the states, and then to jump right in after what sounds like a brutal flight--I hope you got some sleep on the plane. Keep me posted on the temperature when you can--I have to get my head right for when I am there in July!

[Manir]

Welcome back!
Ahlan wa sahlan again. There seems to be a positive corelation between your appearance in the Kingdom and the occurence of dust storms :)

[TedTravel]

Dust Storms
Hi Manir, Wa alaykum is salom. You are so very correct. I just assumed that the sand storms happen all the time. Is it only when I'm here? I feel honored to be welcomed by the desert!

[TedTravel]

Back in KSA - Too much work
Hi Bob. Yes, it was no fun to come back and do an assessment in Dammam right away. Actually the assessment was fine, but I would have liked some downtime. I hate to say it, but last week it was 108 degrees F. The dining hall doesn't seem the same without you. Are you buying the carpet when you return?

[TedTravel]

White Castle
The White Castle hamburger wasn't photoshopped. It was an actual coupon shaped like a hamburger that was in my wallet from when Abby and I went there. However, it might be the only White Castle hamburger in KSA.

[TedTravel]

White Castles
Tiner, amazingly no White Castles restaurants here. It's strange because they exist east of the Mississippi, but apparently this is a bit too far east! I'd say they are an aquired taste, but I think it's more genetic. See the comment from my sister, Ellen. It's in the genes.