Theo of Arabia: Part 16

If you get a Job in KSA, you won't have to worry about accommodation. Your company will do this for you. If your job is in a major city, you'll get to live in a compound. Compounds are apartment complexes for westerners. These compounds can be of different size, but the flats have more or less the same size and are similarly equipped. If you are single or with a partner, you get to live in a one bedroom flat with living room, kitchen and bath. The size is approx. 50-60sqm. If you have your family with you, you'll get a bigger flat with more rooms to fit in your dears.
All flats are fully equipped with furniture, microwaves, washing machines, oven, etc. There is also a high speed internet connection and a cleaner who comes several times a week. The best is yet to come: you live rent-free! You don't even have to pay any bills. No council tax, no water and/or electricity bills, nothing.
Depending on the size of the compound, it can consist of flats and a garden only, or be bigger, greater, posher and offer you sheer luxury. There can be a swimming pool, indoor, outdoor or both, a billiard room, a gym, restaurant, supermarket, tennis court, football field and much more. There is also an underground car park and security guards all day round. All the luxury you have always dreamed about and were never able to have.
For some, such a compound is terrific, because you have everything and don't have to pay for it. And if you come from a rainy and cold northern country you will surely enjoy the sunshine every day. The drawback is that you live like in a ghetto, in a western community in an oriental country. You don't get to see much of the Arabs and their culture and you hardly mix with them.
In Ar'ar, we might be lucky or unlucky, depends on how you see it, we don't have such a posh and luxurious compound, but a simple building with flats. It's only a few of us here, that's why. We might have significantly less luxury, but for that, we live in the midst of the Arab community. Each of us has a flat of about 50sqm and it is fully furnished and it comes with a flat TV, double bed, air-con, etc. The cleaner comes six times a week! On the ground floor there is the landry room, with washing machines, dryers, ironing boards, etc. All for free. You only need to buy the powder. The internet connection is very, very slow and sometimes doesn't even work. We don't have an underground car park, but there's plenty of room to park your car in front of the building. And in the shed is enough space for bicycles. What we don't have is curtains in the bedrooms. That's a pain if you want to sleep a little longer on your days off. I make use of my sleeping mask and manage to sleep until lunchtime sometimes.

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The entrance to my flat.