It's all over....for now

Well, talk about a roller coaster ride. I'm back in the states for now. The program is shut down at this point. Hopefully it gets up and running again. Not sure what's going to happen. It's good to be back home but wish I was still there working in a stable/fun job. It had a lot of potential of being a great place. We had a great group of people. The 7 weeks I was there was an experience, no doubt. For those of you planning to go there, do your research. There are 3 sides to every story. The 3rd side, usually closer to the truth. It's a shame it went down the way it did.

Leisure Activity

Things have been a little slow around here with work. So, poor us - we have to find lots of things to do. For instance, go ride ATV's in the sand dunes in the middle of a sand storm or fly little RC helicopters outside and take delayed shutter pictures to show it's flight path as seen above. We play ping pong, go bowling, play tennis or take a stroll out into Baata market. Sounds like a hard life huh? lol. I have learned one important thing, don't take your DSLR camera into the desert with you. I fried my sony alpha. Sand got in it and it fried the electrical system. So today, my goal is to find a repair shop and do some camera shopping. See if i can get a good price on a new one if they can't fix mine. It's starting to getting pretty warm here. It's been averaging right around 100 degrees. And it's only March. EEEK. It's gonna be hot. And there is no rainfall here. So other than that, not much else is going on. Just trying to plan my greece trip still. Got my plane ticket booked and my 1st hotel. It has a great overview of the Acropolis. That is gonna be a rockin trip. Can't wait. That's it for now. Take it easy

Planning my 1st leave in 5 weeks

I've only been here for 3 weeks now and it's time to plan my trip away. I am looking at flying into Athens where I will be meeting up with Eli. We will probably stay in the city for 3 or so days. I've never really done a lot of traveling, especially abroad. I'm glad Eli will be there as he has had the opportunities to do so. There is so much planning to do, but I think we will take it as it comes. Backpack around, bounce from town to town. There is so much to do out there. Just trying to find a way not to spend a butt load of money. Either way, it will be a great experience with lots of great photos. Things in Saudi Arabia are coming along. Just taking it day by day. Noticed there was a huge sign along the freeway that said Korean Palace. A little surprising finding a korean restaurant in SA. I am gonna risk it and try it with one of our pilots. Hopefully it resembles it somewhat. Finally found a good mall here that sells decent clothes that actually fit. Most places, an XL fits more like a schmedium. Jackpot! I know reside in a cabana at the same hotel. This is separated from the hotel and it is poolside. It's pretty nice, not as much storage room though. As long as I have somewhere comfortable to sleep at night. Went out hashing the other day with some fellow co-workers. Hashing is hiking to us americans. We went out to the desert with some low lying mountains or big hills. I'd say there were about 70 people there. All from foreign countries working as expats. Apparently lots of groups like this exist and go twice a week. Thurs/Fri which is considered our Sat/Sun in the states. It's good times. Next up is dirt bike riding and quad riding in the Red Sands and maybe a trip to the Summan Plateau where huge caves exist. With gorgeous stalagmites and stalactites. Lots to do outside of the city, its just a matter of getting out there.

Hi, hola, konecheewa, yobosay-o, asalam alaykum

Well, been here a week and already have some pretty good stories. Got my first flight today, good stuff. Still trying to catch up on sleep. Hopefully the lag passes soon. i have been going out and seeing the town. Went to an open market the other day called Baata. You can find pretty much anything there from electronics to old military stuff to nuggets of gold. The prices are borderline astronomical. You can barder down the price some but it's usually still well over US prices. Found out shipping costs a butt load of money to get things sent here. Got into our 1st auto accident. The driving here is 10 times worse than NYC. Everyone honks all the time like NY but they also make their own lanes. A 2 lane road turns into a 4 lane road somehow. People will make a left hand turn from the far right lane. We were going straight as someone on our right side decided to turn left. It's interesting what events happen when there is an accident. You stop exactly where you are at, wait for the police which could take minutes or hours. I've heard sometimes they will take everyone to jail and decide blame there, witnesses included. I also heard if you are passenger, it's a good idea to book it. We stayed around for this one and blame was placed on the other person on the spot. Anyhow, exciting stuff. Other than that, just trying to find things to keep busy. Well, that's about it for now. I'm sure i'll have more to write as I start traveling more. So take care all, catch ya next time

Welcome to the Kingdom

Well I made it to Riyadh. It was a long trip and I'm definitely feeling the jet lag now. My coworkers say it takes about a day per hour you lose from where you came from. So in about 10 days I should be back to normal. I have a very nice room with great amenities. Went into HQ today for a little bit and got some stuff done. So far so good. Everyone has been great and can't wait to start flying. Thanks to everyone for your support. Until next time.

Riley

Thought i'd have a pic of my dog up. I miss her

15 hours to go

Well I am finally feeling human. The reality set in that I am leaving. I am not nervous but ready to get going. Just found out my buddy / old pilot got his job offer yesterday to come fly. I'm stoked to have someone I will know that also knows the area. Liz, it was great seeing you today and I am gonna miss you a lot. Glad I had the chance to see you. And here is my promise I will come home safely. Well I can't sleep so I will just play with this new itouch I got. It rocks!

Bye Phoenix

Well i'm starting the first part of my adventure. I'm sitting at the airport waiting to go to Michigan to spend a couple of days with the parents. Thank you Liz for coming to Phoenix and I love you. Thank you dad for coming too. I gave my girl away to my sis - aka my grand cherokee. 10 years and she's been great. Treat her good. I thought i'd be getting a little nervous about all this but to my surprise I am not. I couldn't be more ready. I just want to get there already. I arrive in Riyadh at 2100 on the 16th and start first thing the next morning. Thank you everyone in Phoenix that have been great friends and given me lots of memories. I will cherish them. Godspeed!

My plane ticket is booked!

Well it's official, 100%. My plane ticket is set for Feb 15th. I am leaving for Michigan on the 11th to spend some time with family. I'm packing everything up right now and wow, do I have a lot of stuff. Thank you to my friends here that are helping me out. It really takes a lot of the stress away. I gave Riley to Karen, a nurse in Colorado. She has a great family and lab named Jake. I hope she does ok until i get back. I miss her a lot. So just tying up some loose ends here. Hopefully I get the chance to see most of my friends before I leave. My pops will be here Saturday and my Sis and Eli will be here Monday. About time my dad visits me in AZ. Well next time i post will probably be just before i leave or when i arrive in Riyadh.

3 weeks and counting

So i sent my documents for my work visa to the Saudi Embassy in D.C. They say I will have it back by the 29th. Once this happens, i'm good to go. I am planning on going around Feb 15th. So much to do, so little time. I hope I can visit everyone before I leave. My biggest concern now if finding Riley a good home until I get back.

my new office

the helicopter I will be working on. A little bit of a change from a Agusta Koala, but better than the Astar we just got.

Just got my contract

I began this process in the early weeks on December 09. I have acquired all my paperwork and just received my official contract today. It's 16 pages long, so I need to read it carefully. The process has been very smooth and the recruiter has been more than helpful. They have a tentative start date of Feb 1st. I was hoping it would be towards the middle of Feb. We'll see if i can change that. If not, i'm outta here in 2 weeks. The reality sets in as more things come together. I'm stoked to meet and work with new people and be in a foreign territory. I will keep everyone up to date on my progress.