Story Highlights
Gina Marie Collins, an
analyst with Sigmatech Security Assistance Management Directorate in
Huntsville, Ala., just returned from a four-year assignment with the Office of
the Program Manager-Saudi Arabian National Guard. Based at a secure military
compound where employees work and live, she served as an acquisition management
specialist for the aviation team .. and she loved it!
Moving
from the sun kissed beauty of Southern Florida to the arid, sand dusted climate
of Saudi Arabia might not sound tempting to most people. But for some
employees, it is the greatest adventure of their lives.
Gina Marie Collins, an analyst with Sigmatech Security Assistance Management
Directorate in Huntsville, just returned from a four year assignment with the
Office of the Program Manager-Saudi Arabian National Guard. Based at a secure
military compound where employees work and live, she was an acquisition
management specialist for the aviation team.
During an employee's downtime, the region is a virtual playground for
travelers, said Collins, who visited Abu Dhabi, Thailand, Dubai, South Africa,
Bahrain and many other locations. Collins said she struck out on so many
adventures while living in Saudi Arabia that she began blogging about her
exploits, GMarie's Page at http://gmarieflsblog.blogspot.com.
"Saudi Arabia is one of those places where you have to be creative in
finding things to do," she admitted, "but it's also the kind of
assignment that allows you the time, the financial ability and autonomy to do
so."
Collins' adventuresome spirit and creativity led her to learn and enjoy golf,
diving and horseback riding, activities she might never have thought to pursue.
TIME, LEAVE & AUTONOMY
Collins called the assignment a great place for reflection. A lot of people
come here to click the reset button, start a new phase in their lives, begin
anew. She called it the perfect location to leave distractions behind and focus
on yourself - pursue career, education and personal goals.
"It seems like you have a lot of time on your hands here since you are not
exposed to a lot of things you would be exposed to in the U.S. - movie
theaters, bars, dance clubs," she said.
She and many of her friends and co-workers enhanced their skill sets by taking
online classes. "You can finish a degree here, get a second degree,"
she said, "or master another language."
More importantly for Collins, "I broadened my horizons by meeting people
that don't necessarily think or live like I do and the result was lasting and
meaningful relationships."
Employees at OPM-SANG can also also enjoy a significant number of additional
leave days due to home leave and host nation holidays. Home leave is earned
after being in country for 24 months, and combined with host nation observes,
can nearly double some employees' leave days.
FINANCIAL BENEFITS
Jan Weston is OPM-SANG's chief of Contracting and, like Collins, has worked in
Saudi for four years. Although the typical assignment for military and civilian
personnel is one year unaccompanied (up to five with an extension) and for
civilians two to five years accompanied, Weston was not ready to give up the
many advantages of living and working in the Middle East.
For people who want to make or save more money, Weston said on top of
employees' salaries, they get a 25 percent hardship differential incentive and
additional money for post allowance. In all, it can add up to almost 30 percent,
based on the employee's spendable income and fixed calculations.
Another cash bonus is Sunday premium, a slight wage increase based on the fact
that U.S. employees at OPM-SANG mirror the Saudi workweek and work Sunday to
Thursday.
Employees who accept assignments at OPM-SANG store their household goods and
vehicles back in the U.S. and are provided fully furnished villas with enclosed
courtyards and relatively new automobiles.
"It (the military compound) is very accommodating and I think a lot of effort
is spent to make it that way so people will like being here," Weston said.
"You pay no rent or utilities; you get free cable, a cell phone and fuel
for your vehicle free of charge. Everything is taken care of. Really, the only
thing you have to pay for is Internet service.
"You're also allowed to shop at the commissary and Post Exchange,
tax-free. This can make a big difference in the expendable income you
have."
Another combined travel-monetary benefit is $4,500 that each employee receives
annually to travel wherever in the world they want to go. Called "aid in
kind," the money can be used by the employee to travel to the U.S. to
visit family or to several destinations throughout the globe.
While she is happy with the monetary advantages, Weston said she doesn't stay
for the money. For her, it's the thrill of a serving in a unique location and
contributing to a critical mission with national security and global impact.
"The work environment is so fulfilling and you get a completely different
perspective and a sense of purpose. It comes with an intensity that you might
not get at your standard stateside assignment," she said of the unique
work conditions.
And unique is an appropriate description for such an assignment, Weston admits.
The Orange County, California, native is no stranger to living in the Middle
East. She spent three and a half years in Iraq beginning in 2003, shortly after
the U.S. invasion. She spent another two and a half years in Kuwait and has
spent time in Afghanistan.
Attitude and adventure
While each country is unique, they have one thing in common: If you're going to
work in a place like this, you have to be adaptable.
"People who aren't open-minded and flexible are making a mistake coming to
an assignment like this," Weston said. "You are not going to have the
same creature comforts, the same TV stations, you won't have the same routines.
And if you're not emotionally or mentally prepared for that, it's not going to
be a pleasant assignment."
Weston said there have been employees who just don't realize that they are in a
different culture and that things work differently.
"We've hired a fair number of people who hate it here because they bring a
sense of American entitlement with them," she said.
"For me, it's just an extremely interesting environment and a great
culture to experience. The work we do here is helping to facilitate a U.S.
relationship with Saudi Arabia. And they'll tell you when you arrive that
everything you do is about the relationship; your performance and behavior and
how you interact with people, it is all helping to improve and make good the
relationship between Saudi and the United States."
One adjustment for some new arrivals is the size of the compound. The
relatively small area offers challenges similar to those of living in a small
town. But for those who come from that environment or who love small town
living, it is business as usual.
To combat the perils of small town living, Weston said the command offers lots
services and opportunities including woodworking and ceramic classes, a
library, a variety of sports including horseback riding, trips and tours,
volunteer opportunities and religious services. There is even a Spouses Club
for those on accompanied tours.
To avoid the too-small feel of an enclosed compound, home entertaining abounds.
Weston said a lot of people socialize at barbecues and host parties.
"Parties are put on by different people and everyone collects at someone's
house. The upside to this is you tend to have more friends and closer friends
than you would in a larger community," she said.
JUST FOR WOMEN
Any way you look at it, living and working at OPM-SANG is a very different
life. Women, for example have to wear head and body coverings called abayas
when they travel off the military compound. If not, you could be scorned by
Saudi's religious police and even some Muslim women.
Again, she said, it goes back to having a positive attitude. "You can look
at wearing the abaya and head covering as a drawback, or you can look at it as
not having to fuss over clothes or hairstyles," Weston said.
"You just have to recognize you are in someone else's country and you have
to respect their culture. You can't come here, thinking I'm an American and my
way is the right way," she said.
Weston said another unique aspect for American women working at OPM-SANG is not
driving. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are not
allowed to drive. OPM-SANG's female employees are issued late model sedans that
they can drive on the compound, but they must be driven off the compound by a
male driver. Fortunately, she said, OPM-SANG provides a shuttle service that is
available around the clock. She said it's only a matter of calling and waiting
to be picked up and transported to the destination of your choice.
"I don't hear women complain about that being an inconvenience because the
reality is a lot of men don't want to drive off post unless they have to. The
highways are extremely congested and driving is fast-moving and chaotic, not
the driving standards we are used to in the United States. Drivers don't use
blinkers and they use their horn a lot," she said, laughing.
CULTURE & CUSTOMS
When OPM-SANG personnel and family members go off the compound, "something
for everyone" is more than a cliché. "Everything is available -
amazing shopping and restaurants, just about anything you could expect any
normal large city - KFCs, McDonalds, Starbucks and Applebee's."
But it is the tourist-friendly souks that intrigue serious shoppers. Souks are
Arab marketplaces or bazaars where consumers can bargain for a good deal.
Weston said the bustling commercial center of Riyadh is jam-packed with the
most eclectic and the most commonplace items you can find. She said favorites
for shoppers include the reasonably priced gold, unique jewelry, Persian
carpets and knick knacks and souvenirs of every size and variety.
Although personnel must be aware of their surrounding and always pay attention
to personal security, Weston said she feels safe in Saudi Arabia.
"We have a two-person rule so we don't go anywhere by ourselves," she
said.
In addition to using the battle buddy system, personnel and residents report
their movements frequently as they move around when off the installation.
"Our command takes security very seriously and they indoctrinate us all
the time to be aware of surroundings because there are still people who don't
like Westerners everywhere. But I can say that, in four years, I've never had
an incident that caused me alarm. I've never been mistreated or had a security
scare of any kind," Weston said.
The cultural setting of Saudi Arabia is Arab and Islam, and it is deeply
religious, extremely conservative and family oriented.
"One misconception is that Saudi men are mean and they treat their women
like second-class citizens," Weston said.
She said that couldn't be farther from the truth.
"I have seen them treat women with more reverence," Weston said.
"And in the work environment, in my years here, I have experienced nothing
but extremely respectful relations with the men I've dealt with."
With many U.S. civilians working in Riyadh, Saudis are considered extremely
polite and gracious hosts, albeit unhurried in business dealings.
"That was really one of my biggest adjustments," said Collins, who
for a time worked at OPM-SANG's Health Affairs Division and advised the Saudis
on contracting issues at the King Fahd National Guard hospital.
She said some days work went at the organized, but breakneck speed typical in
American industry. And other days, Collins said the Saudis spent more time than
she was accustomed to in small talk.
"They are very family oriented and interested in what is going on around
the world, so they would sometime spend a lot of time talking about family and
world affairs," she explained. "Americans are always moving fast at
work and in our home environments. So I had to learn to pace myself and
exercise a bit more patience."
Collins said she adapted to this change in her work environment and grew to not
only accept, but understand the different pace in business.
For anyone who has not traveled broad, Collins and Weston agree on one thing:
Keep an open mind.
"Read up on the country's culture so you're not in total shock,"
Collins said. "Do not be afraid to go out and explore. My blog is proof
that you can come here to work and still have fun. Learn some Arabic. It is
impressive to the Saudis that you are at least getting accustomed to their
culture.
"Be patient to the way others do things in their 'backyard,' which will
seem different from where you are from in the world. Living abroad is a
challenging experience," said Collins, "but with patience and
understanding, you will adapt and enjoy this new way of life."
Thanks Adriane for the great reporting!
All the best,
GMarie
