Peter North - CultureShock! Saudi Arabia. A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette

This 4th edition published in 2012 by:
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First published in 2003 by Times Media Pte Ltd; 2nd edition published in 2006, reprinted 2007; 3rd edition published in 2009.
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Culture shock is a state of disorientation that can come over anyone who has been thrust into unknown surroundings, away from ones comfort zone. CultureShock! is a series of trusted and reputed guides which has, for decades, been helping expatriates and long-term visitors to cushion the impact of culture shock whenever they move to a new country.

Written by people who have lived in the country and experienced culture shock themselves, the authors share all the information necessary for anyone to cope with these feelings of disorientation more effectively. The guides are written in a style that is easy to read and covers a range of topics that will arm readers with enough advice, hints and tips to make their lives as normal as possible again.

Each book is structured in the same manner. It begins with the first impressions that visitors will have of that city or country. To understand a culture, one must first understand the peoplewhere they came from, who they are, the values and traditions they live by, as well as their customs and etiquette. This is covered in the first half of the book.

Then on with the practical aspectshow to settle in with the greatest of ease. Authors walk readers through topics such as how to find accommodation, get the utilities and telecommunications up and running, enrol the children in school and keep in the best of health. But thats not all. Once the essentials are out of the way, venture out and try the food, enjoy more of the culture and travel to other areas. Then be immersed in the language of the country before discovering more about the business side of things.

To round off, snippets of basic information are offered before readers are tested on customs and etiquette of the country. Useful words and phrases, a comprehensive resource guide and list of books for further research are also included for easy reference.

In his book The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History, author Michael H Hart judged that the worlds most influential person of all time was an Arab trader who lived at the turn of the 6th and 7th centuries in Mecca in present day Saudi Arabia. The name of this individual was Muhammad, the founder of the Muslim religion. To Muslims, presently 20 per cent of the global population, Muhammad was the Prophet who delivered Gods word to the world. To non-Muslims, Muhammad was the man who delivered the Muslim religion to the world. Either way, Muhammads effect on global human affairs since his own time has been profound.

The other major influence, in terms of recent global interest in Saudi Arabia, was the discovery on the Arabian Peninsula of the worlds biggest oil deposits. The development of the Saudi oil fields after the 1940s cast Saudi Arabia as the swing supplier of the worlds energy and the most influential member of OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries). The interaction of these two factors, Islam and oil, have made Saudi Arabia one of the most pivotal countries on the planet.

Oil and the income it has generated has had a profound effect on the Saudi culture in this once dirt-poor country of limited interest to the rest of the world. In the modern era, Saudi Arabias economic prospects have varied with the oil price. In 1940s and 1950s, as the first oil revenue flowed into the country, the Saudi Royal family first experimented with conspicuous consumption in its most extreme formnearly driving the country bankrupt in the process. After the first big oil price increase in 1973, Saudi Arabia spent some of its petrodollars on national development and invested some in Western banks. The Western banks in turn invested in Latin American countries, which subsequently announced an inability to repay their debts. Laundered through various countries, these petrodollars found themselves in the accounts of Swiss banks in the name of various unsavoury Third World dictatorswell beyond the reach of the Treasury of Saudi Arabia, the ostensible owner of the money. The price of oil peaked again in 1979 during the Iranian Revolution, but then slumped over the 1980s and 1990s when Saudi Arabia survived by deficit financing, building up a massive overseas debt. Since the oil price spike that started in around 2002, Saudi Arabia has applied the bulk of its funds from the booming oil price into paying off its accumulated debt -and increasing its rate of development. As is common knowledge, the oil price peaked at US$ 147 in mid 2008, then quickly slumped as the great global economic meltdown of 2008/2009 gathered pace. At time of latest update the oil price is around US$ 100. Where it will go from there is anyones guess.

To implement its social and physical development programme, Saudi Arabia has, for many years, imported from other countries a guest workforce of skilled and unskilled labour. Saudi Arabia has a guest labour force five to six million strong in a total population of 26 million. Opportunities are many for guest workers inside Saudi Arabia to undertake an enormous variety of labour contracts, occupations and industries.