Sal-ittihad

[Frogfish]

I believe a lot of the footballers there don't even live in Saudi anyway. They live in Bahrain. Those who do live in Saudi though would be living in essentially purpose built communities.

I wouldn't personally want to live over there if I'm honest, but it certainly isn't risky or a poor standard of living.

Yes exactly. Most expats live in expat community villages (villas with pools) and many do the 'Bahrain run' for food, necessities and alcohol or dining out etc.
Not the most varied lifestyle but safe & mostly luxurious whilst they acquire a life changing nest egg.

 

[Farkmaster]

Yes exactly. Most expats live in expat community villages (villas with pools) and many do the 'Bahrain run' for food, necessities and alcohol or dining out etc.
Not the most varied lifestyle but safe & mostly luxurious whilst they acquire a life changing nest egg.

Sounds horrible, genuinely.

 

[Frogfish]

Sounds horrible, genuinely.

Don't knock it until you've tried it. My friends enjoyed it for a few years. What's not to like? Nice house, pool, business class tickets home 3 times a year, huge salary. Buy all the little luxuries you and the family want. Travel all over. That's a good life for a few years.
Better than struggling to save in the UK and just getting smashed every weekend.

 

[localny]

This was in 2017 remember. We had a bunch of meffs on this site saying it was a terrible signing, Chelsea reject, and he was the Egyptian Pennant. I'd say the majority of posters were dubious.

100% - it felt like another questionable signing. What do I know. Not much.

 

[doctor_mac]

100% - it felt like another questionable signing. What do I know. Not much.

I said he would become world class with us and would score at a much higher rate. But you have to get one right now and again.

 

[tomasjj]

Jadon Sancho isn’t joining Saudi Pro League before transfer deadline tonight. 23yo admired but move not happening. Same applies for Mohamed Salah but #SPL interest in 31yo remains for future + good relations between all parties @TheAthleticFC
#MUFC #LFC

 

[bluebell]

Jadon Sancho isn’t joining Saudi Pro League before transfer deadline tonight. 23yo admired but move not happening. Same applies for Mohamed Salah but #SPL interest in 31yo remains for future + good relations between all parties @TheAthleticFC
#MUFC #LFC

@binomial you still think he is going?

 

[binomial]

@binomial you still think he is going?

He’s already gone pal, I’ve wished him well on Insta and he liked my reply.

David Wankstein’s a little gimp.

 

[Hyena]

Well at least their social media guy has a sense of humour.

 

[SummerOnions]

My English friend lived in Oman for 6 months and came back addicted to prostitutes, cocaine and gambling but you also couldn't kiss on the street there or you would go to jail according to one sign.

Me and a friend went to visit him and we stayed in his exes father's 5* hotel in Dubai for one night on the condition that we never told her ma about all the mistress he had that we accidentally met.

I feel like there was more chaotic debauchery there and this is coming from your man who lives in Amsterdam

 

[Hansern]

Salah staying - who would have thought...

 

[bluebell]

My English friend lived in Oman for 6 months and came back addicted to prostitutes, cocaine and gambling but you also couldn't kiss on the street there or you would go to jail according to one sign.

Me and a friend went to visit him and we stayed in his exes father's 5* hotel in Dubai for one night on the condition that we never told her ma about all the mistress he had that we accidentally met.

I feel like there was more chaotic debauchery there and this is coming from your man who lives in Amsterdam

Depends how wealthy you are. If anything the accounts of Epstein billionaire links and their sexual escapades tell you its very debaucherous and sometimes very evil. On a billionaires yacht, an instagram model was killed, as to who and why she was killed no one knows. The police concluded it was suicide. Malinda Gates was though to have said Bill Gates had questionable behaviour

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/16/business/bill-melinda-gates-divorce-epstein.html

 

[Woland]

Hopefully it's Elon next for the embassy treatment, having cost MBS billions by being an absolutely massive tit.

 

[SummerOnions]

Hopefully it's Elon next for the embassy treatment, having cost MBS billions by being an absolutely massive tit.

He's probably gonna promise them solar powered self driving helicopters and have the Saudis declare war on San francisco

 

[My_Blood_Bleeds_Red]

My English friend lived in Oman for 6 months and came back addicted to prostitutes, cocaine and gambling but you also couldn't kiss on the street there or you would go to jail according to one sign.

Me and a friend went to visit him and we stayed in his exes father's 5* hotel in Dubai for one night on the condition that we never told her ma about all the mistress he had that we accidentally met.

I feel like there was more chaotic debauchery there and this is coming from your man who lives in Amsterdam

Back in the day, IG and TikTok influencers weren't even a thing yet when bunga bunga parties were thrown all over.

Now it's just debauchery, after another. It makes even Tarantino's Hostel look tame.

 

[tombrown]

What time does the Saudi window gently close?

Edit: When does Saudi Arabia's transfer window close? Saudi Arabia's transfer window closes on Thursday 7 September at 10pm BST.

 

[Farkmaster]

Don't knock it until you've tried it. My friends enjoyed it for a few years. What's not to like? Nice house, pool, business class tickets home 3 times a year, huge salary. Buy all the little luxuries you and the family want. Travel all over. That's a good life for a few years.
Better than struggling to save in the UK and just getting smashed every weekend.

Because that's the only alternative? Fuck that. You're raising your kids to have zero values other than money too, which isn't exactly a recipe for happiness.

It's like living on a resort, or a cruise ship. For me that's hell on earth.

 

[737Max]

Back in the day, IG and TikTok influencers weren't even a thing yet when bunga bunga parties were thrown all over.

Now it's just debauchery, after another. It makes even Tarantino's Hostel look tame.

RIP Berlusconi

 

[Woland]

Back in the day, IG and TikTok influencers weren't even a thing yet when bunga bunga parties were thrown all over.

Now it's just debauchery, after another. It makes even Tarantino's Hostel look tame.

*Eli Roth

 

[Frogfish]

Because that's the only alternative? Fuck that. You're raising your kids to have zero values other than money too, which isn't exactly a recipe for happiness.

It's like living on a resort, or a cruise ship. For me that's hell on earth.

Don't be a fucking idiot. I didn't say it was the only alternative. But you clearly have zero notion of how MNC expats live and the benefits (the children are mostly at the best funded international schools - all paid for by the MNC). And generally people with money are a lot happier than those without (I said generally).

No values? One of those expats from Saudi has two daughters, one's now a Met Police Detective, the other is a nurse. No values eh. Talking out of your arse about something you have no knowledge or experience of.

 

[TheRedCrusade]

Where do you live at the moment?

Not sure if you genuinely meant to ask. I am an immigrant living in a small town south of Frankfurt in Germany.

 

[TheRedCrusade]

you have no idea mate. It’s hedonist and luxury capital over there especially when you’ve got the money.

All that religion it’s just a facade.

My information comes from a mate who recently visited the place as a tourist and he said everything felt too controlled. He said - his passport was checked lot of times even when visiting restaurants with his family.

Everyone I know (and it's a few because Saudi is often the next step for expats leaving Shanghai) have seen their standard of living raised substantially and are now sitting pretty enjoying an early retirement.

Even alcohol isn't an issue and most pop across the bridge at weekends to drink and party to their heart's content (to say nothing of their bar at 'home).

It does indeed sound like Iran. I had a good friend from Iran studying with me, she showed me party vidoes from her home and also celebrations that they do, she says we enjoy our life. But on the street and everywhere else it is a bit different. I was surprised to know that their mindset is so modern.

 

[Dreambeliever]

Fucking delighted.

One of our greatest ever players is staying and continuing his legacy while adding goals and assists to a team in transition.

A lot to be said for Salah, where many would have had their heads turned. Hope he gets a wild reception next time out at home.

Mo Salah the new King!

 

[binomial]

Gutted he's gone, no chance John was ever turning down that 350m bid.

Still think we'll make top 4 mind.

 

[Farkmaster]

Don't be a fucking idiot. I didn't say it was the only alternative. But you clearly have zero notion of how MNC expats live and the benefits (the children are mostly at the best funded international schools - all paid for by the MNC). And generally people with money are a lot happier than those without (I said generally).

No values? One of those expats from Saudi has two daughters, one's now a Met Police Detective, the other is a nurse. No values eh. Talking out of your arse about something you have no knowledge or experience of.

I know two sets of people who have lived in these communities. One of them is my sister, who has lived in Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong for the last 20 years, and she has three kids. Her kids go to the best schools, indeed her company now owns several international schools and prep schools for wealthy chinese kids.

The other is a college friend who lives in Oman, all taken care of by Nestle.

They both make orders of magnitude more money than me. I don't spend a second being jealous of them, it doesn't look appealing, not when we've visited, not when they talk about it... never really.

You're right, having money helps you be happy. It tails off when you've got what you need though, which in my opinion is less than most people think. Every rich person I know needs time more than money. Time as a family, time with their kids, time not working.

I would generally rather avoid any situation where I'm alienated from a local community. Whenever we go anywhere for a significant length of time (months to a year), we look for our kids to participate in the same systems that the average person in those countries does. And, if I couldn't bear for my kids to go to those schools (and I worry about that where I live right now down the line) then I don't want to be in that community. I don't want to side step by shunting the kids into a bubble. International schools are colonial institutions. I'd rather live somewhere where the society at least attempts to function for everyone. It's part of why I want to live here less and less, and spend more and more time away.

It goes for everything too. My wife turned down a really cool opportunity at a lib arts school that was quite experimental where all the faculty families lived on campus. The benefit to this financially was insane, but all of a sudden a huge amount of the pull of your social life is coming down from your place of work, no matter how well meaning. I have a friend who worked at google in the bay area and took their busses and went to their gym and it really fucked his life up. It was so incredibly lucrative though! Kids at the same school as your coworkers, seeing them socially all the time, all existing in a society that is at best an adjunct to the culture? No thanks.

What do I know, though? Im probably too poor or drunk to really render a respectable opinion.

 

[Frogfish]

I know two sets of people who have lived in these communities. One of them is my sister, who has lived in Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong for the last 20 years, and she has three kids. Her kids go to the best schools, indeed her company now owns several international schools and prep schools for wealthy chinese kids.

The other is a college friend who lives in Oman, all taken care of by Nestle.

They both make orders of magnitude more money than me. I don't spend a second being jealous of them, it doesn't look appealing, not when we've visited, not when they talk about it... never really.

You're right, having money helps you be happy. It tails off when you've got what you need though, which in my opinion is less than most people think. Every rich person I know needs time more than money. Time as a family, time with their kids, time not working.

I would generally rather avoid any situation where I'm alienated from a local community. Whenever we go anywhere for a significant length of time (months to a year), we look for our kids to participate in the same systems that the average person in those countries does. And, if I couldn't bear for my kids to go to those schools (and I worry about that where I live right now down the line) then I don't want to be in that community. I don't want to side step by shunting the kids into a bubble. International schools are colonial institutions. I'd rather live somewhere where the society at least attempts to function for everyone. It's part of why I want to live here less and less, and spend more and more time away.

It goes for everything too. My wife turned down a really cool opportunity at a lib arts school that was quite experimental where all the faculty families lived on campus. The benefit to this financially was insane, but all of a sudden a huge amount of the pull of your social life is coming down from your place of work, no matter how well meaning. I have a friend who worked at google in the bay area and took their busses and went to their gym and it really fucked his life up. It was so incredibly lucrative though! Kids at the same school as your coworkers, seeing them socially all the time, all existing in a society that is at best an adjunct to the culture? No thanks.

What do I know, though? Im probably too poor or drunk to really render a respectable opinion.

Oh you know 2 sets of expats ? Wonderful. Moving expat families in and out of foreign countries was my job (and my own company for 13 of those years) for 20 years. I definitely know a few more than 2 'sets of expats'.

International schools are 'colonial institutions'?! Fuck me that just highlights how very very little you know. Most IS will have pupils and teachers from many different countries, it's a wonderful environment for children to grow up in, especially compared to the racist institutions many children experience in the UK or USA. I'd choose an IS virtually every time.

I could go on and pick the rest of your essay apart with multiple counterpoints to each of your 'examples' but really what's the point.

You should just stop here because your knowledge of expat life is frankly something you'd read in a 2 page pullout in the Guardian. It's been my life for the past 45 years.

 

[Farkmaster]

Oh you know 2 sets of expats ? Wonderful. Moving expat families in and out of foreign countries was my job (and my own company for 13 of those years) for 20 years. I definitely know a few more than 2 'sets of expats'.

International schools are 'colonial institutions'?! Fuck me that just highlights how very very little you know. Most IS will have pupils and teachers from many different countries, it's a wonderful environment for children to grow up in, especially compared to the racist institutions many children experience in the UK or USA. I'd choose an IS virtually every time.

I could go on and pick the rest of your essay apart with multiple counterpoints to each of your 'examples' but really what's the point.

You should just stop here because your knowledge of expat life is frankly something you'd read in a 2 page pullout in the Guardian. It's been my life for the past 45 years.

You know, for all my sophomoric points, and the fact that you command such authority on the subject, it's remarkable how easily you betray your own insecurities. How many do I need to have experience with before I'm allowed to have a different opinion on the matter?

It's ok, you'll still be in a job even if I don't look with admiration at travel via mnc, my wife's a professor, I write children's stories right now.

 

[Frogfish]

You know, for all my sophomoric points, and the fact that you command such authority on the subject, it's remarkable how easily you betray your own insecurities. How many do I need to have experience with before I'm allowed to have a different opinion on the matter?

It's ok, you'll still be in a job even if I don't look with admiration at travel via mnc, my wife's a professor, I write children's stories right now.

How about some actual personal experience rather than vicariously through your sister?

Insecurities? I'm assuming from all that you've written that you are the one with those issues and are attempting to deflect. Personally I retired 10 years ago, I don't have any insecurities as far as employment goes, we're just enjoying whatever is left of this life, as are most of the expats I'm still in touch with !

 

[Farkmaster]

How about some actual personal experience rather than vicariously through your sister?

Insecurities? I'm assuming from all that you've written that you are the one with those issues and are attempting to deflect. Personally I retired 10 years ago, I don't have any insecurities as far as employment goes, we're just enjoying whatever is left of this life, as are most of the expats I'm still in touch with !

It's true, my sister is a very tenuous connection I've drawn. I struggle to remember her name.

Personal experience, well, I suppose I am myself an expat whose family moved twice thanks to a large multinational pharmaceutical company. Does that count?

Or do I need to become a large multinational corporation to really understand what makes me tick? Corporations have personhood legally here, but ill confess I lack the courage to take enough shrooms to make that journey these days.

 

[tombrown]

I'm not entering this very personal argument, but I would like to LOL slightly at the notion that being in the Met Police means you "have values". I'll give you the nurse example, but the filth ...