Breaking my arm instead of growing old gracefully!!!!!

Not quite sure how I managed to forget this!!!

I've always been quite active person and played football regularly until I was about 35 but it got to the stage when waking up the morning after football with sore Achilles Tendons meant I couldn't play golf and every niggling injury would take 2 weeks to heal rather than 2 days so I decided to hang up my boots and start cycling.  When I got to back to Saudi their was an inter-company football tournament being organised so stupidly I volunteered!!!

We had a couple of training sessions which went well then on the 3rd one I strained my Quad muscle in my right leg, that should have set the warning bells ringing.  2 weeks later my niggling injury had healed however I'd missed the 1st game of the competition, which my team lost however I was in goal for the second game which went we won 2-0.  We followed up that with a 1-0 victory in appaling weather conditions, I honestly have never seen rain come down as hard, this meant we were well placed to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.

The remaining match which we had to win to qualify was played on Tuesday 2nd December, I think the score was either 0-0 or 1-1 with about 10 minutes to play when a lose ball was heading towards me in the box so I ran out to collect the ball.  As I slid across the floor and put my hands of the ball the defender and attacker had a tangle of legs and subsequently one of their knees went into the back of my elbow completely dislocating the joint.  As described by one of my teammates I sounded like a wounded camel lying on the floor and at 1st they thought I was play acting as the other team seemed to be auditioning for a parts in a remake of Platoon, going down like they'd been shot every anyone got close to them.

Anyway, I laid on the floor for what seemed like an eternity waiting for an ambulance to cart me off to hospital with my arm bent the wrong.  2 nights in hospital, lots of drugs and x-rays and my elbow was finally put back into the right place under general anesthetic.  I remeber going for 1 x-ray and the nurse took an x-ray of 1 side of my arm and then told me to turn my arm over so they could get another angle, well I rotated my upper arm as instructed but my lower arm and hand didn't move!!!!!  that wasn't very pleasant so as i turned my upper arm one of my colleagues had to rotate my hand at the same time.

The match was abandoned that night however my team won the replay 5-0.  We got all the way to the final to be narrowly beaten 4-3 where I was presented with an award for the best injury of the competition.

Yes, that really is my arm!!!

8 weeks of my arm in a cast then led to some physio sessions 3 times a week to regain the movement however I couldn't straighten my arm without being in pain and a lump had developed on my forearm so off I went for another scan which resulted in surgery to remove said lump and shave the end of my bone off as that was causing the pain. a further 4 weeks bandaged up and more physio.

Thankfully I've regained all of the movement in my arm but there's still some work to do to rebuild the muscle but what I must say is that the treatment and speed of getting anything I needed done In Saudi was far better than anything the NHS could offer.  

Nearly 1 Year on, it's definitely had it's up sand downs!!

Well, it's been 18 months since i left the UK and nearly a year since the family joined me, it's also been 9 months since I updated my Blog so I suppose now is as a good a time as any. 

It is with a very different outlook on life that I write now, when I took this job it was trepidation and fear about uprooting and moving to the Middle East.  Now, if you can settle in Saudi Arabia, you could settle just about anywhere in the world.  There are things that still drive me mad, the driving in particular, and as we now have a car it's more evident.  My driving has become better and worse for living here, better in that I am far more aware of what is going around me, but worse because if you don't adopt some of the aggression used here you wouldn't get anywhere.  1 of the other things that gets to me is how bloody ignorant and filthy some of the people in Jubail are, most of the people here are from Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka etc) and in great numbers (there are nearly as many expats in Saudi as there are Saudi nationals).  I don't know whether it's because of the way they were brought up or an attitude they adopt here but Old Jubail town is scruffy at best and like a waste disposal site at worst, why can't people just put stuff in the bin rather than throwing it on the ground and why do a lot them spit all the time, it's disgusting, do it in the bathroom not in public.  In typical British fashion I used stand in what looked like the queue when in shops but I quickly realised that queuing doesn't exist, if you just barge your way through and shout the loudest you get served 1st, it really is dog eat dog!!! 
The 2 stand out situations that have angered me the most involved Tilly while we were in a waiting room at the hospital and shopping in a local supermarket.  Girls don't have to wear an Abaya (the black dress) until they start to reach development age and Tilly is only 9 but she is quite tall and could pass for a 12 year old if you didn't know her.  I said when we arrived that I wouldn't force her to wear an Abaya until she had to as childhood is all too short and precious, however, on both occasions Tilly was wearing a dress with short sleeves that covered her knees.  The number of grown men who were staring at her and pointing her out to others so they could stare made my blood boil, I felt like grabbing each one of those men and punching them till they couldn't breathe, and that is totally against my nature.  It sickened me.  Needless to say Tilly never leaves the compound now without her Abaya on although she's got some Abayas that are hand made with nice coloured stitching and patterns n so she quite likes them.  If you plan to move to Saudi with a daughter around this age be prepared. 

I think I did Bahrain a disservice in my earlier Blogs as i wasn't very complimentary about the place but I've been several times now both with and without the family and there are some excellent places to go.  The Water Park, cinema, beach etc, in particular the Bahrain City Mall if you fancy a bit retail therapy, it's got everything and unlike Saudi it doesn't grind to a halt every couple of hours for Prayer.  You still get the call to Prayer in Bahrain but life just goes on, one of the nicer things about Bahrain is being able to go and do what you want, when you want rather than looking at your watch and planning your life around Prayer Time.  We've found a couple of restaurants\bars (Meat Company, Bennigans, Hard Rock Cafe) that welcome children during the day and it's a well deserved break when life in Saudi gets to you.  I would say the biggest negative about Bahrain is the causeway to get there, it can take 4-5 hours someday to drive the 40 kilometers across it.

Living on a compound was something new to us and there are definite negatives and positives.  We've met some really good people here and and from all nationalities that under different circumstances you wouldn't really have that much to do with, Linds has had some cooking lessons from Indian and Pakistani ladies which is a real bonus and Tilly loves the freedom she's got to play with her friends.  Like with any neighbourhood anywhere in the world you will get people you do and don't get on with which is just how life is.  What I don't understand about human beings (adults especially) is why some people just cannot make the most of the situation they're in and try to get on!!!!
Living on a compound is probably the hardest thing to get used to and Jubail Views just turned into a bit of a nightmare for us.  We got the opportunity to move to another compound in March that is more established, has more green space, better facilities and is twice the size so we jumped at the chance.  Our original plan of 8-10 years in Saudi was perhaps a bit ambitious, while we were in Jubail Views it was 'how quickly can we get out of this place'.  Now we can see ourselves here for the next few years, at least until Tilly goes into High School then we'll make a decision.  We'll probably stay in the Middle East for longer but doubtful it'll be in Saudi 

Something that was really easy to get used to up until April is the climate, 20c and sunny has been the daily forecast for most of the Winter.  March and into April it was in the 30's every day.  Having barbecues in February was quite strange and I remember being sat outside my neighbours complaining it was a bit chilly, we were both sat outside in February wearing shorts and flipflops so it can't have been that cold!!  It seemed like overnight that the temperature shot up into the 40's every day and although you do get used to it it's still quite oppressive at times.  
We've been out sand bashing in the desert a few times in our car and with some of the others here, it's great fun and very accessible, you literally drive along the motorway until you see a bit of desert that looks ok and off you go.  Life, generally is Ok, supermarkets are in abundance and well stocked with plenty imported stuff if the local produce doesn't measure up, restaurants and plentiful and if you look hard enough you can get anything you need in Jubail. 

We've made a conscious decision not to travel back to the UK this year for a couple of reasons.
1, Tilly is sick of flying, I wish I'd have had the opportunity to be sick of flying when I was 9 years old!!
2, I really need a holiday!! In the past 18 months I've covered close to 80,000 air miles and spent nearly 8 full days in airports and on planes and, we haven't had a family holiday for nearly 2 years so we're currently in Cyprus (only 3 hours direct Bahrain) for a few weeks to do nothing.   

Overall this has been a positive experience and knowing what I do now I'd still probably do it.  Yes, there are sacrifices that have been made, Lindsey can't drive, I can't play golf or cycle because of the heat but at the moment life is good and we are securing ours and Tillys future so we're just going to soldier on. 

Back together as a family :-)

All is good in my world now.  We've been back together for 3 weeks now, 2 of them in the UK and the last week at home in Jubail.  The house is starting to have that 'woman's' touch that was missing when I was here on my own so it's beginning to feel more homely, at the same time it also has the Tilly touch in that it could, at any given moment, look like a herd of elephants have been through it!!!

The 2 weeks I spent in the UK were quite strange because they were the last weeks I'll call it home for a number of years but as I'd already left in February and been back for holidays in April and August I didn't feel like it was a big deal, I suppose that's something you get used to.  I've learnt that you're not saying goodbye, just that I'll see you soon and to be honest after being away for 7 months it isn't as difficult as I thought.  I can't think of a better way of saying that, it's not meant to sound like I don't care and I don't miss them but it genuinely does get a lot easier.  We packed the remainder of our possessions up and sorted the house out ready for our tenant, which included a bit of decorating and at this point I'd like to thank my Father in Law for putting me to work painting skirting boards at 9am on the morning after I'd had a little bit too much to drink sitting round my fire pit with Scott, that was tough, thanks Barry!!!.  

I'm aware of a few guys who've fallen by the wayside and gone home over the last 7 months but I didn't know any of them so I couldn't really understand it however that changed a few weeks ago when one of the guys I know, who will remain nameless, approached me and asked for a quite word.  He explained how he felt, that this wasn't for him and asked what should he do.  He'd seemed ok up to this point as he'd been bottling it up but during our chat I realised that there was no point in trying to encourage him to stay, he was just so desperately unhappy with the situation I felt compelled to help him get home.  Could I have done anything differently to help him out if I'd noticed the signs beforehand?  Could we, as a group of lads at work, have done anything?  I don't know, I really don't but it hit home how this can affect you.  I met up with him and his Mrs back in the UK after he left and he looked so much happier and calmer.  If you read this mate, keep your chin up, you're in a happier place!!!

Our transition to KSA couldn't have gone smoother apart from Lindsey still packing when the taxi arrived to take us to the airport, we left UK soil at 10:05 and arrived in Dammam at 21:35 after a 2.5 hour stopover Schipol Airport.  I'd warned Lindsey that customs in Dammam can be a real test of your patience but from the plane coming to a standstill to clearing customs to collecting all 8 pieces of luggage and getting into our taxi took 50 minutes, without doubt the smoothest transition through any airport I've ever had!!  An hour later we arrived at Jubail Views.  More medicals on Wednesday morning, happily not for me this time but Iqama medicals for Lindsey and Tilly, very basic, blood sample and chest x-ray although getting a blood sample from Tilly was like the proverbial blood from a stone.  55 minutes of coaxing, cuddling, promising it wouldn't hurt and Tilly throwing more tantrums than I thought possible before she asked me and Lindsey to leave the room, 2 minutes later she walked out all smiles sample done!!!  That's definitely a learn for the future.  To be fair to the doctor and the nurse they were brilliant with her.

Tilly seems to love being here, there are loads of other kids to play with, she's made friends with our neighbour Ellie who's the same age,  and she is allowed a lot more freedom that she's used to with it being a secure compound, she can leave the house and come back when she's hungry, it's like a throwback to my childhood.  We visited her school on Thursday which looks fantastic, she'll be in Class 3C which has a pet turtle wandering around the floor!!!  Likewise Lindsey seems to enjoy the compound and loves the house other than the finish of the decorating which leaves a lot to be desired but that's something we can sort out.

I've been out twice on my bike since I got here, the heat is going to take some getting used to as what would normally be fairly easy 30 mile ride in the UK is a different proposition here even though James and I set off at 6am to avoid the heat.

Anyway, more to come as we settle down......

Settling down at last, home is now Jubail.

For anyone who finds this Blog 1st it's a continuation of my experience leaving the UK in February 2014 to live in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.  It covers a near 3 month spell in Khobar followed by a 4 month training period in Freeport, Texas.  This is the 3rd chapter, you can find the 1st 2 chapters here: 
Moving to Saudi Arabia
Training in Texas

Ok, for those of you have been following my Blogs here goes the next bit.
After my trials and tribulations of getting back to Saudi from Texas, which I'm trying to forget, I arrived at my new home, Villa 15 on Jubail Views Compound.  At last, I can unpack properly, I've got space I can call my own, If I want to I can walk around naked, I'm not going to but it's nice to have the option again!! 

The compound is still a bit of a building site and there is quite a lot of work to be done before it's finished but you can see what it will be like and it's encouraging.  Squash and tennis court, gym, shop, outdoor pool and other activities in the recreation centre.  I've been here for 3 weeks now and I'm starting to feel like I belong somewhere, I'm regaining a sense of identity that I'd lost 
living in hotels and apartments that I had to share knowing I was only there temporarily.  It's quite strange as I hadn't realised it had happened and in a way I resent Sadara a bit for doing that to me but needs must.  Waking up in your own bed, taking a shower in your own bathroom, going downstairs and making breakfast in your own kitchen and sitting on your own sofa watching your own TV is something we all take for granted and if I'm honest the incentive would have to be massive and I would have to think long and hard before doing it again.  

The single biggest thing that troubles me more than anything is that I've got used to living without Lindsey and Tilly.  We talk, message and Skype on a daily basis but in the 1st few months of this I said that I felt a bit useless as I wasn't there for them, well as time's gone on they've got used to me not being there.  Lindsey just gets on with things, things that I would normally do are being done without me.  I speak to Tilly but it's not as often, she seems to have grown up so much in the last 7 months and seems to have adapted to Daddy being a face on a computer screen.  Married couples and fathers shouldn't have to go through that and it's my biggest regret.  Would I have still done this knowing what I know now?  I honestly don't know!!!
Getting on with things once I'd arrived here meant going through the site badge and induction process at work but more importantly obtaining my 'Yellow slip' from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which allows me to bring my family here.  I submitted all of my documentation to HR on 26th August for various payments to be made and the final authorisation from the government, that arrived back on  the 10th September, which I've been told is quick.  The final hurdle that I would have to overcome, as you would expect, didn't go smoothly.  I set my alarm for 2:30am on Thursday morning to get up and set off on the 54 mile trip to Dammam to the Expatriate Affairs Office arriving just after 4am.  The office only see 100 people per day and sometimes if you don't get there early you don't get seen.  Chris and I put our names on the list stuck to the wall, we were numbers 20 and 21, all we had to do now was sit and wait until the office opened at 06:30.  At 6am a Saudi national took it upon himself to make everyone stand in line according to the number next to your name which prevented the usual scrum when the doors opened, I got to the counter to have my paperwork checked and be assigned my appointment when it all went wrong.  The guy behind the counter pointed at my paperwork and said something in Arabic which I didn't understand, he said it again after I shrugged my shoulders and a guy behind me in the queue said I was missing a company stamp on my application, my paperwork was rejected!!!  After all I'd been through the last 7 months upon hearing this the sheer fury that I started to feel is indescribable, the same happened to Chris along with another 3 lads from Sadara.  It took a few minutes for the red mist to clear before I started thinking straight, ok, it's not a problem.  Get a taxi to head office 12 miles away and get them to stamp the form, come back here and get sorted out.  
The Saudi national had said if we were quick and got back before 07:30 we should be ok,  We jumped in a taxi and set off with Saleh, a Jordanian, in the same position as us ringing the HR emergency number and explaining our situation to be told that someone would meet us at Al Turki in about 20 minutes.  In typical Saudi fashion he turned up after about 40 minutes!!!!!  We got our stamps and jumped back in the Taxi with the Sat Nav telling us we'd arrive at 07:31 but this was Dhahran rush hour now and we eventually got back at 07:50 after what seemed like the longest taxi ride of my life.  
Why is that when you're in a desperate rush everything seems to happen in slow motion, every set of traffic lights turns red as you arrive at them and inevitably there will be a traffic jam due to an accident!!!
We ran up the stairs to reception and handed our freshly stamped paperwork over and were given appointment numbers 87 and 88, I'm not usually a religious person but I admit to thanking God at that point.  I sat and waited until about 10am for my appointment, handed over my paperwork and Iqama and sat in silence while the guy tapped away at a computer, after what seemed like another lifetime I heard a printer kick into life and the guy handed me a printout with mine and Lindsey and Tillys names on and some Arabic writing.........on yellow paper.  I must admit to having a lump in my throat when he gave me it, this piece of paper meant everything to me at that point, no amount of money or riches could wrestle it from my hands, I'd cleared the final hurdle.  The journey from complete dejection to overwhelming elation had 3 and a half hours.  I climbed back in the taxi for the journey back to Jubail.

So now to the happy bit.  I've got to go into work on Sunday 14th September, I finish at 4pm and that's, I'm finished until the 12th October.  My flight leaves Dammam at midnight, I'll be back on Teesside at 09:30 on Monday 15th September for a 2 week holiday.  When I return to KSA on 29th September I'll be sitting on the flight next to my wife and daughter, it doesn't get much better than that.
By the time I return to KSA I'll have been though 12 different airports on 3 continents, taken 18 different flights spending nearly 5 days in the air and covered just over 55,000 miles since February, I've had my fill of travelling for a while.

Until the next time............