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Why would you laugh and joke about it? Your job is done. He is grown and will make his own choices. ....
Well he started a phone conversation with "Guess where I got a job" and then announced "Saudi Arabia" knowing I would not particularly like that place out of all the places he has applied.
We laughed alot when I asked him how he would handle no porno sights, no girlfriends, no beer. That sort of laughing and joking, not laughing at the culture or the country but how he would adapt.
I'll ask him about compounds.
You all are so kind, especially with all the suggestions and info. Thanks Hopes. I would rep you if I could.
He tells me it is in southern part, near red sea and close to Yemen. Extremely hot like average 115 in July and 88 in January. He had painful kidney stones when he lived in Hawaii for 6 months and he thinks it's becausehe perspired so much but I say it's because he drank pineapple juice all the time. Anyway he is in N.C. and it is way hotter here than Hawaii and no kidney stones.
115 degrees is handled just fine by several million of us who live in the state of AZ. The thing to remember is that it "cools off" only to the 90's at night in the desert.
I can tell you from my own experiences of moving to where it's very hot: The first summer is the test. If you make it through a summer of months where it is up over 100 degrees every single day then you're practically a native. Everything is air conditioned. Here and there. Malls. Buildings. Cars. Houses. If he does decide to go tell him to buy his clothes over there. See how they dress. I have to say the anticipation of the heat is worse than then actually living it.
You do outside things early in the morning rather than in the middle of the day. Yard work. Walking the dog. Though I see joggers when it's 110 so people do it.
Is this the university? http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/40457 (http://http//physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/40457 - broken link)
If so, it looks like a great place to work. New building (most certainly air-conditioned - those Saudis Arabia have plenty of loot!), students and lecturers/professors from all around the world, as well as affiliations with Harvard, Oxford and a number of other top universities.
I agree with others who have said it will be a great opportunity for your son.
The university has its own website http://www.kaust.edu.sa/ (http://http//www.kaust.edu.sa/ - broken link)
Edit: I can't make my own links work LOL. Google King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
What field is he in? Is the salary compensation enough to overcome lost potential contacts/research/business opportunities here in the US? One family friend spent 9 years as a chemical engineer/project manager in far-flung places like Indonesia, Nigeria, Kuwait & the UAE. He said he was very well compensated, making 2.5 to 3 times the salary of his peers. Plus his housing was paid for. The only drawback is that there were limited opportunities to socialize & establish long-term relationships overseas and he didn't get married until his late 30's after he returned to the states.
It's exciting! I'd go for it. He might not like it, but he won't be there forever. It sounds like he's aware of some of the cultural differences and potential issues there, so presumably he won't be out there trying to seduce Saudi women. One of my biggest regrets is that I don't have experience living abroad (other than a college study program); I still think we'll make it work sometime, but it's a lot easier when you're young and single. And if he's a big drinker he can still get his booze during his travels. He'll probably also meet all sorts of interesting people. I'm thinking of this more from a younger person's viewpoint (my son is still a preschooler!) but I think it's a great opportunity for him, and will be worth it even if he ends up hating it there. It will still be a learning experience, and he's bound to have some great adventures. I'm envious!
LOL, as a former ex-pat, I know a bit about the system. The income is only tax free as long as the money is not brought into the United States, then, he has to pay taxes on it just like anyone else. It is, of course, a different scale and various other limitations apply. Including length of time outside of the U.S. he will get a bit of a break for 512 continuous days outside of the U.S. I suspect that income averaging will be his friend.
I think the experience will help him be more competitive for a positions at American and European universities in the future.
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