Another delivery service…
Yalla Utlub – Jeddah
Tele: 02 669 4348
May 22, 2009
May 21, 2009
May 25th Deadline for the Issuance of Exit/Re-entry Visas
Huge rush for fingerprinting as school holidays near By Sameera Aziz – Saudi Gazette Expatriates and their families are crowding Passport Department offices to get fingerprinted before the May 25 deadline for the issuance of exit-re-entry visas. Exit-re-entry visas will not be issued after this deadline to those expatriates who have not been fingerprinted. Children over the age of nine must also be brought for fingerprinting. All fingerprinting centers have womens sections, she added.
Expatriates should visit these centers with their passports and Iqamas. No other document is required. Fingerprinting is a must for expatriates to obtain residence permits (Iqamas), to transfer sponsorship and to request other passport services. Full article…
May 20, 2009
Cultural Exchange Center: Arabic Classes & City Tours
This is an FYI, not an endorsement.
- Old City Package
- Museum Package
- The “Baity” Package
- Masaajid Package
- Sooq Package
‘Arabic Language Courses for Non-Arabs
- Beginners:5 Levels - 1,200 SAR
- Intermediate:4 Levels – 1,200 SAR
- Advanced or Specialized Stage:4 Levels - 2,000 SAR
Specialized courses available in fields such as diplomacy, medicine, media, trade, business administration, banking and university studies.
Classes are available for both men and women.
Question of the Day: What Problems Might We Face While Living in KSA? Part 1
Culture Shock is the term used to describe the anxiety and stress people feel when they relocate to a new environment. It’s most obvious when moving to a new country where habits, customs and language may be very different from the person’s own country.
Culture Shock comes about because of difficulties in assimilating the new culture, uncertainty as to what behavior is appropriate and what is not, and sometimes disgust or revulsion about certain aspects of the new culture.
Phases of Culture Shock
There is often an initial honeymoon phase when moving to a new country. Everything is strange and different and is seen in a romantic or exotic new light. The food is exotic, the people look exciting and different, the atmosphere is charged and so on. But this is often followed by the new culture losing its freshness and a desire for one’s own culture: food, friends, language and so on. The contrast of the old and the new can become more pronounced and frustrating and develop into annoyance or anger that things aren’t “how they should be.” This is the hardest phase to cope with.
After time, the new culture becomes assimilated and most people find their balance. They accept what they like and try to ignore what they do not.
Coping with Culture Shock
Some people cope better than others with culture shock. Experienced travelers have developed strategies for dealing with the changes in culture and this helps to make their time in another country more enjoyable and profitable.
Before you go
- immerse yourself in your destination country
- learn about the new country beforehand. If you read about your destination before you go this will make it seem less strange and intimidating when you first arrive; for example you might read that the toilets are different which will mean when you first arrive seeing a completely different set up in the toilet won’t be so much of a shock.
- learn a few words – no matter how little you know, it will make a difference; immediately you will have one or two words to act as footholds in the new language. Especially important here is learning how to address people correctly: the local equivalent of Mr., Mrs., Madam, for example, so that you can establish some immediate rapport with people (even if you continue the rest of the conversation in English).
- read about cultural differences (such as body language) to avoid the possibility of offending local people
When you arrive
- After you’ve got advice on personal safety, get out and explore the area where you live. Spend time wandering the streets to see what is out there. Who knows, you may even meet a few people on the way.
- Use the same shops to buy your essentials so you can build a relationship with the shop keepers – it’s someone else to greet when you go to work in the morning.
- Learn the basics and then introduce yourself to your neighbors. They might be useful if you ever find yourself in difficulties.
- Find the essentials in your neighborhood: the police station, the post office, the doctor, dentist and hospital.
- Get into a routine. After breakfast, for example, have coffee at the same shop in the same seat each morning. This will make you feel more like a resident and less like a tourist.
- Look out for any social activity and don’t turn down an invitation so you meet as many people as possible. If you have a free day, make sure you do something with it rather than just sit at home.
Help during problem times
If you do have problems:
- Try talking to other people who have been in the same situation.
- Make sure you have packed a few “luxuries” from home which can help: your favorite books for example.
- Take up a hobby: it’s something to take your mind off the situation for a few hours be it fishing, knitting, building matchstick models, whatever.
- Keep a diary of your days. Write down all the new and strange details of your life and then, when you like to, go through it and you’ll realize that those situations which used to be so strange and frightening in the early days are commonplace and quite fun now.
Source: ICal Wiki To be continued….
May 19, 2009
Wash Me KSA
Wash Me KSA
Car Wash & Car Detail Service
They’ll bring their services to you, anytime, anyplace.
Tele: 660 9884 , 668 0400, 056 060 2000
Please call the number(s) above for details.
Haneefah
