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I've heard it's quite boring there yeah. Trying to figure out if they're willing to make it worth our while. This would be a maximum 4 year thing North Carolina at least had trees and rain. Total absence of mosquitoes is a huge plus though I have a high school friend who has been there for 9 years now that I reached out to and she's been quite happy but I think she is the type who is very happy living in corporate housing, stacking bills for retirement 4" rain per year is pretty bleak tho
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Apr 23, 2024 08:01
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I lived in Kuwait for half a year and by the end of that I'd had enough and I really needed to go home. Sometimes I wonder if I could do it again. I think if I'd make enough money to take a longish vacation somewhere nice every few months and still have more left over than I would at home, I could do it. I lived in the embassy where I also worked as an intern, though, so my living situation back then was nothing like what I would get as a "real" worker with real pay
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Apr 23, 2024 12:50
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If you’re adding an order of magnitude to current income, that’s where I start considering it as a DINK couple. I would not want my kid to grow up in that environment so the ME number is gone now that I have a kid. Have you spent much time in the ME? A week was enough to convince me that I really did not want to live in Dubai let alone Saudi.
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Apr 23, 2024 13:46
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Gucci Loafers posted:Are you single and comfortable with living in some fake but decent suburban community that's really corporate housing? Riyadh is like 7 million people now with 100 miles of light rail. There's a lot of new fake stuff but it's still a full size city. Dubai is just outside investors trying to build XYZ and yes I agree that is very fake. Same with Abu Dhabi next door. From what little I've seen. KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:If you’re adding an order of magnitude to current income, that’s where I start considering it as a DINK couple. Somewhere in that general direction. With a goal of significantly paying down the mortgage. KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:I would not want my kid to grow up in that environment so the ME number is gone now that I have a kid. This is a large concern for me. We just moved out of the city to a neighborhood with a very good public school district. As I understand it Riyadh has gated expat communities and expat schools so I think you can kind of dial up and down for as much uh, local flavor you want from day to day. I haven't talked up anyone who's actually lived there though so I'm just guessing based on Internet anecdotes. My friend I think lives near one of the oil fields "three hours away" so her experience isn't really comparable. Hadlock fucked around with this message at 18:47 on Apr 23, 2024 |
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Apr 23, 2024 18:43
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Hadlock posted:Riyadh is like 7 million people now with 100 miles of light rail. There's a lot of new fake stuff but it's still a full size city. Dubai is just outside investors trying to build XYZ and yes I agree that is very fake. Same with Abu Dhabi next door. From what little I've seen. I don't know your background but Riyadh is a city in the Middle East. And it's not as international as Dubai. Granted, it is still a city with tons of history but you are in incredibly different world. The only way I'd considered it is if I was in a ton of debt or made something >$150k/y+ with expenses paid.
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Apr 23, 2024 18:56
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Gucci Loafers posted:I don't know your background but Riyadh is a city in the Middle East. And it's not as international as Dubai. Granted, it is still a city with tons of history but you are in incredibly different world. The only way I'd considered it is if I was in a ton of debt or made something >$150k/y+ with expenses paid. Dude add a zero. Anyway Riyadh may be big but the number of places you will be welcome as a foreigner is quite small. I would consider Dubai at the right price or maybe Qatar but I would say hard no to Saudi. Edit: I cannot stress how much you will not be welcome outside of expat society.
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Apr 23, 2024 22:55
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I had someone tell me after a week working there that there's no amount of money he would go back there for.
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Apr 24, 2024 00:00
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A buddy of mine spent a couple years in Saudi teaching at a school that was close enough to the border of Yemen to be able to watch the ongoing battles in the war there. He left after some hardliners tossed grenades into the school he taught at because they allowed women to teach. He was on a flight the next day and has sworn off ever entering the Kingdom again. Your mileage will most assuredly vary.
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Apr 24, 2024 00:49
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Whenever I've had a short layover for a day in Doha, i couldn't quite shake a general feeling of unease. Talking to a very honest Nepalese Uber driver there didn't make me feel better. I imagine Dubai might be better, Riyadh worse?
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Apr 24, 2024 02:11
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I'm sure Riyadh is worse than Dubai but even Dubai looks pretty bad. Presumably as Americans you still get taxed on your income so... why would you do that? I am looking forward to heading to Chicago in a few weeks, my work buddies have booked us into a very nice looking restaurant https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/illinois/chicago/restaurant/alinea and my mate is opening a new Hawksmoor so I'll go to a friends + family soft opening there. I guess I should eat an Italian beef sandwich and some disgusting pizza while I'm there. Anything I'm missing?
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Apr 24, 2024 07:12
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Chicago dog, thin crust pizza, malort
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Apr 24, 2024 12:23
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knox_harrington posted:I'm sure Riyadh is worse than Dubai but even Dubai looks pretty bad. Presumably as Americans you still get taxed on your income so... why would you do that? Have some drinks atop LondonHouse, dump piss on the Trump tower building, go for a run along the lake, go to the observation deck in the Hancock building for a nice view if it’s not cloudy. E: a friend moved his family to Abu Dhabi for 4 years while he worked for the Cleveland Clinic there. Apparently they paid him very well, but they also paid for everything, so rent was paid, cars were paid and both of their son’s $25k/year schooling (each) was paid by the company. They put everything on credit cards and flew worldwide for free on points for years, going on vacations and following their kid’s international (American) football games. They’re back in the US now and from their social media posts, you can tell they miss it. Cacafuego fucked around with this message at 12:41 on Apr 24, 2024 |
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Apr 24, 2024 12:36
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Hadlock posted:Not sure where to put this I had an offer to go work there in 2016 as an instructor for the Saudi Air Force. They offered $90k and obviously the whole free housing thing. Despite being single I opted out of it, mostly because I had already spent six months in Qatar stuck on Al Udeid and figured Riyadh would have been the same. It sounded like most of the contractors working on base stayed in their base housing and didn't get out much. Also the general wisdom from anyone who was ex military was to not take a job over there if it was less than $100k. Also also I had just started a new job in Minnesota and didn't feel like burning bridges just yet, although I left that job and the state less than a year later, I'm sure I would have been just as unhappy in Saudi In more current travel news my first business related bit of travel since that deployment to Qatar in 2012 is a two night trip to... western Kansas, heck yeah Hotel Kpro fucked around with this message at 19:08 on Apr 27, 2024 |
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Apr 24, 2024 12:59
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in a well actually posted:Chicago dog, thin crust pizza, malort Yup
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Apr 24, 2024 15:16
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If you’re in Chicago, go to Kumiko. Also ya have malort but do it after
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Apr 24, 2024 15:31
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I don't know what these things are but will do my best
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Apr 24, 2024 15:37
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knox_harrington posted:I don't know what these things are but will do my best You will know of Malort.
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Apr 24, 2024 21:43
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sellouts posted:If you’re in Chicago, go to Kumiko. Kumiko rules and has a great cocktail program if you can’t swing a full dinner. Enjoy Alinea! If you’re staying downtown the architecture foundation’s tour is great. Taking the train in to the loop MAY be faster than taking a cab from the airport, depending on traffic. I’d check when you land. Also, you don’t have to buy a CTA card for the buses or trains, just use any tap to pay credit card.
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Apr 25, 2024 01:02
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Just got back from Chicago and they are working on the express lanes of the Kennedy so the blue line is faster in from the airport basically 100% of the time.
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Apr 25, 2024 01:57
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Alinea rocks too but totally agreed re: Kumiko. Go for the cocktails but if you can swing the Wagyu Katsu it is as good as you imagine. Kumiko just won best bar in the Midwest if that list poo poo matters to you.
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Apr 25, 2024 04:57
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Does anyone have experience with Meet and Assist (MAAS) in Changi? My elderly MiL is flying through, and we're concerned she could miss her connection if there's a gate change or similar. We're also considering grabbing a pay-for-use lounge pass.
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Apr 25, 2024 07:31
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sellouts posted:Alinea rocks too but totally agreed re: Kumiko. Go for the cocktails but if you can swing the Wagyu Katsu it is as good as you imagine. That does matter! Added to the list
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Apr 25, 2024 14:30
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The New Wave cocktail at Kumiko has been living rent free in my head for years, it's so good
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Apr 25, 2024 20:50
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Dude add a zero. If you are young with no commitments it can be quite attractive to pull $100k/y+ with all expenses paid to get rid things like student loans or quickly save up for down payment >%20 on a mortgage. It's great way to put yourself in solid financial position even if it's for a few years. I've also been told it works really well if you are old, broke, in debt and divorced!  KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Edit: I cannot stress how much you will not be welcome outside of expat society. I'll keep this brief as it is a sensitive topic and I've realized communicating with only text is difficult. My personal experiences with Middle East has been largely positive. For context, I am an educated, relatively wealthy white male with a tolerance for different people. It is critically important to recognize that you are in a predominantly Muslim region where religion is purposely integrated into law and it is very, very conservative. It is true some are more or less open like the UAE with occasional exceptions like the for tourists but Saudi Arabi is still quite strict. Gucci Loafers fucked around with this message at 00:04 on Apr 27, 2024 |
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Apr 27, 2024 00:01
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There are better ways to sell your soul to make six figures without leaving the US. If you’re going to go all in on the ME get paid
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Apr 27, 2024 16:16
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Gucci Loafers posted:If you are young with no commitments it can be quite attractive to pull $100k/y+ with all expenses paid to get rid things like student loans or quickly save up for down payment >%20 on a mortgage. It's great way to put yourself in solid financial position even if it's for a few years. I've also been told it works really well if you are old, broke, in debt and divorced! I would imagine SA is pretty attractive if you're divorced and your kid is 18 and you don't owe child support but still owe alimony and don't want to pay it $100k per year in somewhere like eastern europe, central africa, or the UK is probably a lot of cash, especially if you can put away $50k/year A lot/most of the YouTuber sailing vlogs found some financial loophole, saved aggressively and they're mostly retired minus the 80hr/wk videographer/editor job they have now If I had found a way to save $100k over two years in my 20s I'd probably have $300k+ equity in a house in Texas by now probably more The Saudis were unable to meet my wife's salary requirements so it's a moot point for now
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Apr 27, 2024 19:23
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Hadlock posted:
You’re looping the UK, with their housing crisis going on? honestly man, if you don’t know about something, it’s okay to not post. jesus christ
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Apr 28, 2024 10:17
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Hadlock posted:$100k per year in somewhere like eastern europe, central africa, or the UK is probably a lot of cash, especially if you can put away $50k/year Lol what a dumb thing to write
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Apr 28, 2024 11:27
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The current place I'm eyeing to stretch my money further is Japan. I can get a house in Odawara for less than you can get a house in Buffalo, yet still be closer to Tokyo by train than someone who lives in Long Island is to Manhattan.
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Apr 28, 2024 15:47
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KillHour posted:The current place I'm eyeing to stretch my money further is Japan. I can get a house in Odawara for less than you can get a house in Buffalo, yet still be closer to Tokyo by train than someone who lives in Long Island is to Manhattan. The exchange rate is definitely favorable at the moment.
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Apr 28, 2024 16:32
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I don't now much about the UK Housing Crisis but goddamn but if you save $50k USD and and are still struggling for housing that is just absurd.KillHour posted:The current place I'm eyeing to stretch my money further is Japan. I can get a house in Odawara for less than you can get a house in Buffalo, yet still be closer to Tokyo by train than someone who lives in Long Island is to Manhattan. If I ended up in Asia my first pick would be Thailand. Bangkok is ridiculously affordable, great city, easy to get around and welcoming to foreigners. The summers are definitely hot but Chiang Mai is also an option to escape the heat and live up north. Gucci Loafers fucked around with this message at 19:58 on Apr 28, 2024 |
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Apr 28, 2024 19:53
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sellouts posted:You’re looping the UK, with their housing crisis going on? I thought I was being generous, grouping them with two regions that didn't cede from the EU
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Apr 28, 2024 20:38
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Question for you international road warriors - next year, we’re flying NBO-DOH on Qatar in business class, coming in at night (~2300), then flying out in the morning DOH-PHL on AA in business. I had planned on getting a hotel room for the night as they have one in DOH, but how does that work with customs and such? Would we collect luggage in DOH, go through customs/immigration, check in at the hotel, then come back in the morning and go through security? Or is the hotel airside behind security? I’ve also seen some people mention staying overnight in “sleeping rooms” in the lounges, which I assume we’d have access to on business class flights (I’m also a one world emerald if that matters). So, if the hotel thing doesn’t work outs maybe we’ll try that.
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Apr 29, 2024 13:32
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Cacafuego posted:Question for you international road warriors - next year, we’re flying NBO-DOH on Qatar in business class, coming in at night (~2300), then flying out in the morning DOH-PHL on AA in business. I had planned on getting a hotel room for the night as they have one in DOH, but how does that work with customs and such? Would we collect luggage in DOH, go through customs/immigration, check in at the hotel, then come back in the morning and go through security? Or is the hotel airside behind security? If both flights are on the same ticket, your luggage will likely be booked through to the final destination. You can request to collect it for your stopover during baggage dropoff/checkin. But that means you'd have to go landside, clearing immigration into Qatar. They likely don't mind issuing transit visa, especially because you can clearly show them you're heading out in a few hours. I'd strongly consider taking some key items in your carryon and not collecting the checked luggage. I don't have anything smart to say about the lounges except to check reviews. Those will tell you what facilities are available, if it's often very busy or if there's things like time limits
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Apr 29, 2024 14:00
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Cacafuego posted:Question for you international road warriors - next year, we’re flying NBO-DOH on Qatar in business class, coming in at night (~2300), then flying out in the morning DOH-PHL on AA in business. I had planned on getting a hotel room for the night as they have one in DOH, but how does that work with customs and such? Would we collect luggage in DOH, go through customs/immigration, check in at the hotel, then come back in the morning and go through security? Or is the hotel airside behind security? We’ve done this. Most of the hotels are in the city away from the airport. We’ve gone through customs and just taken our carryons in to the city.
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Apr 29, 2024 14:08
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^^Thanks for the tips, I appreciate it. I had booked 2 separate AA award legs because they didn't have them available together. I'll call AA and see if I can get them to link the flights, not having to collect luggage would be much easier.
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Apr 29, 2024 14:20
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You can't link PNRs that are created separately. You'll have to ask the Qatar agent in NBO of they can check through which is pretty likely but not guaranteed.
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Apr 29, 2024 16:10
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Cacafuego posted:^^Thanks for the tips, I appreciate it. I had booked 2 separate AA award legs because they didn't have them available together. I'll call AA and see if I can get them to link the flights, not having to collect luggage would be much easier. Keep in mind there is no such thing as "linking" two different reservations even if the airline tells you that they will. Because it's booked through AA, QR will see the ticketing details as two different PNRs and treat them accordingly. It is theoretically possible to check bags through on two different PNRs, but it is up to the agent at check in to be able to do that and it is extremely unlikely that they will be willing or understand how to do so. Thus, you're left with checking bags to DOH, claiming and going through customs and out to a hotel, then back the next morning to check bags for the second flight.
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Apr 29, 2024 16:11
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^^Got it, thanks again! Oh well, it sounds like I’ll just have to collect the bags in DOH to be safe.
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Apr 29, 2024 18:10
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Cacafuego posted:Question for you international road warriors - next year, we’re flying NBO-DOH on Qatar in business class, coming in at night (~2300), then flying out in the morning DOH-PHL on AA in business. I had planned on getting a hotel room for the night as they have one in DOH, but how does that work with customs and such? Would we collect luggage in DOH, go through customs/immigration, check in at the hotel, then come back in the morning and go through security? Or is the hotel airside behind security? If you're referring to the hotel inside the airport, you just need to reclear security for your flight, and the hotel is accessible from inside the airport. We did the same thing with an overnight connection.
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Apr 29, 2024 18:50
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