Saudi Arabia

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1

I just got on the glu beta test. It is a new diabetes site.

https://myglu.org

I recommend you register. It seems pretty cool.

I made a familiar post about travel with diabetes.

https://myglu.org/discussions/dialogs/4ee66133ca34eb0c8a000002/posts/pages/1#post_4f1938d957f7bb2ffe000009

I am low right now. So I apologize if I sound short or cold. I just have to do something while I wait for the sugar to take effect. I am at work and sort of restless.

I am in Saudi Arabia. Exciting? Yah right...

It is bad in some ways, not so bad in others.

The rich Saudi Arabians don't work (not real jobs, usually place holder jobs with little actual work). The few poor Saudis that there are barely speak english and are mostly manual laborers. I say few because most manual laborers here are from Southern Asia. The professional workers are mostly Egyptian. Very few Europeans and even fewer Americans.

Being Anything but Muslim is illegal in this country. 5 muslim prayers a day. Which isn't so disruptive today because Thrusday and Friday are the weekend for Muslims. Luckily tomorrow is a holiday in the Kingdom so I am trying really hard to convince people I don't need to work tomorrow. I need to respect their traditions right?

Oddly enough I have heard birthdays are illegal here.

http://retardzone.com/2008/09/05/complete-guide-to-things-banned-in-saudi-arabia/

So speaking of Delta/KLM?

On my trip over here something silly happened? I checked my seat assignment in the airport and it said an upgrade was available. So I upgraded. My original seat was economy and I upgraded to economy comfort which has more leg room. When I got on the plane I saw that my original seat was actually a part of economy called tourist class, which is 1st class without the 1st class service, So my upgrade was actually a downgrade in comfort.

I had to fight 2 weeks after the fact but I eventually got a refund as a 'one time courtesy'.

Every time my boss sends me to a new location, I have a new temporary local boss that I feel compelled to tell about my 'condition'. It is hit or miss on whether they take it seriously or if they over do the concern and try to give me less work. Even then they are giving me less work because they don't want to be liable and not because they are being kind.

Another Day in the Kingdom.

2

How long will you be in S.A. ? Do you have any problem getting your D supplies there ?
We have quite few members of TuD who live in S.A. Maybe you could contact them while you are there ? Hope you came out of your low.

3

I remember the restrictions well, In S.A. for 8 months during Desert Storm. I would volunteer as a courier occasionally just to see my husband at his site (we were an hour from each other, but in the same battalion) the looks I got driving there were priceless. Actually some women in the back of a car were waving politely to me, and the man driving reached back and hit them all, felt so bad because he may not have noticed if I hadn't waved back enthusiastically. Shortly before my company left, they allows us a few excursions, it was a eye-opener. Being a women I had to wait outside some places, like on the curb for my Baskin Robbin's ice cream. There is not much of their culture I understand, so I won't judge, but I was taught to respect people rights, rights I guess from an American point of view.
Curious too, do you bring all ypur supplies?

4

Oh and I remember the sounds coming from the mosques. Was it 5 times a day? Felt like more. :)

5

Sorry for the rediculously long time since I have been on this site. Lots of stuff happened. I almost was transfered to SA, that place was rediculous. They drive worse than any place I have been. I was only there for a month thankfully (instead of the year they wanted me to). I bring everything with me. Two to three months worth of insulin, medtronic resevoirs and infusion sites. The mosques were bad but actually not as bad as Tanzania where I lived across the street from one.