What are the chances that some Saudi official is reading this thread?
Just curious.
Peace,
mangeorge
Considering he’s talking bad about our steadfast Saudi allies in the War on Terror, what are the odds that some American official is reading this? Sorry, dude, but did it really take you this long to realize you were working for/with a bunch of assholes?
No luck getting deported. A couple of months ago two of our contractor-techs (from Florida) overstayed their visas by a couple of days. So they went to the airport, tickets in hand to leave. They were there illegally, and so … the Saudis would not let them go!
This makes no sense at all.
In any case, I have changed my plane tickets. Since i was scheduled to fly late tonight, tomorrow counts as Day One of my hostage crisis.
I’ve wondered that myself.
What’s the deal? Is it testosterone poisoning as I perhaps prejudicially find many Arabic actions to be? Perhaps it is paranoid security. I am quite annoyed that the US Embassy people won’t demand that you be allowed to leave.
OK, people, we need a logo here, let’s hop to it! And a catchy title.
I’ve always received good assistance from American Services at the US Embassy here in Bangkok, although I’ve never needed them for an emergency situation. I knew someone who did, though. He fell ill while on a trip here and actually had to have brain surgery! American services were a big help to him.
That said, **Paul ** is correct. The mission of embassies abroad is primarily to advance the home country’s interests in the host country. Any assistance given to home nationals is a bonus. I suspect the Uruguayan Embassy in Kuala Lumpur may not be quite as busy as a US or UK Embassy and so even more personal assistance could be given.
Back in 1994, I met a Vietnamese woman attending a conference I was at in Indonesia. At that time, it was still not common for Vietnamese to leave the country. I learned she transited here in Bangkok, and the Vietnamese Embassy came out to meet her and make sure she got on the correct plane! (No, it did not sound like they were worried she would “defect.” She was so scared at being away that, I later learned, she would cry in her hotel room at night.)
I once knew two Brits who were living here because their wives were Foreign Office stationed in the embassy here. They had a lot of weird stories about Brits running out of money in Bangkok, then marching into the embassy and *demanding * money for a flight home or a hotel or whatever. An “I pay your salary!” sort of thing. They said it happened all the friggin’ time. I’m sure the US Embassy gets it, too, and so they’re going to be selective about whom to help. And from what I’ve personally been able to gather, the level of assistance at US Embassies differs wildly from country to country. Ours seems to be one of the better ones. (Yet another reason to live in Thailand 
)
I’ve been out of the loop. I thought you had another job lined up. You’re coming back to America?
During the street riots and massacres in Bangkok in 1992, The Nation, an English-language daily, kept running anti-junta columns by this one Thai writer. A friend of mine asked him later on after everything had settled down if he hadn’t been afraid at the time. The columnist told him, nah, those guys would never read anything in English.
I have to leave, get a new clean passport and then come back in.
Really? You’re coming back? Here’s a tip for you - any place that doesn’t let you leave, you don’t go back to. Ever.
I have to say, Paul, you’re starting to sound a lot like someone in an abusive relationship.
That Israeli sticker will ban you from lots of other countries too, most of the Mid East except maybe Dubai. Also Malaysia.
I see the US as becoming more and more a dictatorship and a theocracy. Living in Dubai has been fine - it is certainly a dictatorship, but I don’t worry about being murdered, mugged etc. The government doesn’t tax me, the city is clean and as long as you are not breaking obvious laws, most people are happy here.
The car thing in Saudi makes sense - if you left America and abandoned a car, what would happen to it? They want to be sure all your accounts are settled: PO Box, Cable TV etc. Expats tend to have a reputation of doing “runners” where they simply abandon things and leave others holding the bag.
What the heck? I really don’t get all the animosity for the Saudis. I have been reading Paul’s adventures since I joined, and it seems to me that he has mainly enjoyed being there.
Yes, his current (well ex-current… is that even a word?) job didn’t work out, he was having trouble selling is car when he was luckily hit and the problem was mostly resolved.
Paul I’m sorry the paperwork wasn’t filed in time or showed up or whatever the problem is. Here’s hoping it is cleared up for you Monday.
Be happy you are from Uruguay. The Azerbaijani Ambassador to Iran was super nice to me with a long chat, tea and biscuits when my Azeri visa needed changing, and personally endorsed it.
No American diplomat has even come close… I try to avoid dealing with them whenever possible.
I have the most remarkable luck.
I did a job interview today over breakfast. They asked me back to talk to the Director of Studies next week. I would not even have been here next week if not for that glitch. This could double my income.
Yay! What wonderful timing. 
At first I thought I smelt a hint of snark coming from that sentence, but in reality it was smoke from my smoldering Sarcasm-O-Meter. 
Well, the first time I left the US, I left my accounts settled and/or closed where I could; the car and its payments booklet I gave to a FOAF. Apparently the FOAF didn’t pay, as the repo is in my credit record (maybe not anymore, it took place in 1995).
So apparently the cars would get repo’d, at least in the US and not-paid-in-full.
Good luck, Paul!
Thank you Nava, I am really pleased about today’s breakfast job interview.