Saudi Arabia: Bogus Docs "En Vogue"

Someone once took a look at the certified copy of my doctorate degree and said it was fake. This happened at the airport in my home country! In my home country! You complete seven years of study and some tired fellow at the airport says without blinking or straining a muscle that your degree is fake. Strange enough, no one has ever questioned the authenticity of my degree in Saudi Arabia, especially when I brandish my professional licence card.  

People would do anything to have money. Certainly, I am not informing you. You should be scared that there is a fair number of professionals (even in the medical field) who possess bogus degrees. I'm saying so because I have met a couple of so-called "internists" who didn't know what to do with a patient in some situations, and they would wisely work their way out by asking a junior colleague his/her opinion about how to manage the patient.  

Now, how do some specialists who claim they are members of the Royal College of Physicians of London get their MRCP? How are they able to work in polyclinics and in some big hospitals when they are not registered with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCHS), and hence do not have the licence to practice medicine in Saudi Arabia? Ever heard of the black market where people buy fake degrees? I mean even in health care?! I heard about this for the first time from a brilliant young Egyptian general practitioner, who happened to be practicing without licence. From what I collected, some specialists, who thought it was the easiest path to obtain their postgraduate degrees, bought their degrees, including the MRCP, from the black market. They succeed to get jobs as specialists and even when nurses and "colleagues" notice that they have serious problems in handling patients, no one (not even the administration) says anything until the concerned specialist finally gets caught up (in a lawsuit). Some probably never get caught. Maybe  they are good after all but are too lazy to sit for an exam?

Fake degrees...you got them even in educational institutions. I bet some university students wouldn't find it funny that some of their so-called lecturers have not even completed high school, let alone have a Bachelor's or Master's degree in English or literature. I remember once I was helping an acquaintance prepare his CV. He had a Bachelor's degree in English (that was what he said), and when I asked him what his minor was, he blabbled over the phone for a good 2 minutes before asking me to hold on so that he could check it. Hum...you don't go to university and forget your minor just like that, huh?

What shall we say then? If people are able to do the job without the appropriate qualification, is it worth running a background check on every candidate who applies for a job? Are institutions willing to invest in running background checks on potential candidates? Which is better then? Qualification or skill? 

Al Naseem, Jeddah: Summer Camp for the Young

Good news for parents living around Al Naseem. Zahra Summer Camp has opened its doors to kids in kindergarten, including those who are preparing to start school this coming academic year. I have personally paid them a visit. The place is neat and well organised, with lots of games for the kids to have fun while learning.


You can call them on 0538552039 or 0582187954 for more information, or you can decide to pay them a visit too. They are open on week days from 3 PM to 8 PM and would be open throughout the Ramadan.

Djeddah : Evénement Pour Femmes

Bonne nouvelle pour toutes mes dames à Djeddah. Ceci est l'événement que vous attendiez pour pimenter votre week-end. Desi Entertainers organise un événement pour les dames uniquement. Cet événement est dédié à toutes les mères et sœurs qui résident dans la ville de Djeddah.


Desi Entertainers encourage les femmes de toutes nationalités qui sont prêtes à présenter leur travail ou à montrer leur talent de participer à l'événement. Si vous avez un talent dans une des ces catégories : le maquillage, la manucure, la cuisine, la coupe de cheveux, le dessin, l'art floral, la peinture sur verre, jouer de la guitare, la décoration intérieur, la mode, la conception de bijoux, le croquis, la photographie, la calligraphie, la décoration de table, l'art de mehndi, l'art de tatouage, le piano, etc, vous êtes la bienvenue à joindre les autres dames.


L'événement est prévu avoir lieu le 31 mai 2012. Pour plus d'informations, veuillez contacter Desi Entertainer à l'adresse suivante :


-desientertainers@gmail.com 
-0535079171 

Jeddah: All-Ladies Event

All my ladies in Jeddah, this is one event you have been waiting for to spice up your weekend. Desi Entertainers is organising an all-ladies event right here in the city. This event is dedicated to all the mothers and sisters who reside in Jeddah.

Desi Entertainers encourages women of all nationalities who are willing to showcase their work or talent to participate in the event. If you have a talent in any of the following: makeup, nail art, cooking, hair cutting, drawing, flower art, glass painting, guitar playing, interior design, fashion design, jewelry design, sketching, photography, calligraphy, table decoration, mehendi art, tatoo art, piano playing,etc, you are welcome to join the ladies.

The event is scheduled to take place on May 31, 2012. For more information, feel free to contact on:

-desientertainers@gmail.com
-0535079171

Jeddah: Taking the French Proficiency Test

Are you planning to take the TEF or Test d'Evaluation du Français? Have you searched far and wide for a tutor or the TEF practice book? You are not alone. Many candidates have faced similar problems when they were either looking for a tutor or the TEF practice book.

From the French Consulate, Jeddah.

There are a few tutors around town who charge up to 200 SAR per hour. You wouldn't pay that unless you don't understand anything in the French language and you really need to sit for the test. 
Another difficulty that some future candidates face is to buy the TEF practice book. Those who wish to practice on their own find that they cannot purchase the book at the big bookstores of Jeddah as they do not sell them, and most of the merchants who sell them on websites such as Amazon do not ship to Saudi Arabia. 
Fortunately for these candidates, the book is sold at a small bookstore called Bakshwain located at Sitteen Street (between Galnatha and Tahlia Street), contact number 026732417. 
Candidates can also contact the French Consulate in Jeddah for more information on where to take lessons or register for the test.

Djeddah : Test d'Evaluation de Français

Envisagez-vous de passer le TEF ou le Test d'Evaluation de Français? Avez-vous cherché le livre du TEF ou un professeur particulier? Vous n'êtes pas seul. Beaucoup de candidats ont été confrontés à des problèmes similaires quand ils recherchaient un professeur particulier ou le livre du TEF.

Affiche du consulat français à Djeddah.

Il y a quelques professeurs qui demandent jusqu'à 200 riyals saoudiens l'heure. Vous ne voudriez pas payer ce montant à moins que vous ne comprenez rien à la langue de Molière et vous avez vraiment besoin de prendre le TEF. Une autre difficulté que rencontrent certains futurs candidats c'est d'acheter le livre du TEF. Ceux qui souhaitent étudier eux-mêmes constatent qu'ils ne peuvent pas acheter le livre dans les grands librairies de Djeddah parce que celles-ci ne les vendent pas, et la plupart des marchands qui les vendent sur ​​les sites tels que Amazon n'expédient pas en Arabie Saoudite. Heureusement pour ces candidats, le livre est vendu dans une petite librairie appelée Bakshwain située à Shariah Sitteen (entre Shariah Galnatha et Shariah Tahlia), numéro de contact 026732417. Les candidats peuvent également contacter le consulat français à Djeddah pour plus d'informations concernant les cours ou l'inscription.

Saudi Arabia: Only for My People!

I have the habit of visiting free classified ad websites in Saudi Arabia, and to be honest, I am shocked by the degree of discrimination shown by some people on these websites. Not by the website owners themselves. Oh no! By the people who post the ads.

Normally, one would expect an employer to post a job offer and request for particular nationals because they can only obtain or have work visas for workers from this country. But what has nationality got to do with buying a car, renting a house, buying a piece of furniture or jewellery?

This is my story:

It was 1 a.m, but I couldn't sleep. Everyone else was asleep. I was so bored and nothing on TV was captivating. I turned on the PC and decided to browse. I saw a nice looking kitchen cabinet and decided I would contact the seller the next day to ask about the price. Then, I saw a nice jewellery set, and I also wrote down the number. The next day, I called the seller of the Kitchen cabinet. Ring, ring, ring...

"Allo." A deep male voice said.
"Good morning," I said.
"Min?" He asked.
"I'm sorry, Sir. I am calling regarding the ad you placed yesterday. I wish to purchase your cabinet," I responded.
"Inti Pakistani?" came the deep voice.
"La. Tatkalam engilizee yaa ustaaz?" I was getting impatient now because he asked me whether I was Pakistani.
"Maleesh. Ena abgha Pakistani baas." Then the line went dead. The guy had dropped the call after telling me he wanted only a Pakistani buyer. "Mean you!" I screamed, but stopped when I realised I was in my office.

Now lets try the second vendor. Maybe this one might be nice, and by the way, who wouldn't want to sell off her 18 karat gold-plated jewellery set as soon as possible? Ring, ring...
"Allo," said a nice gentle voice on the other end of the receiver.
"Allo. Good morning Ma'am. I am calling because I saw your ad yesterday. I would like to buy your jewellery set please,"  I said.
"Oh, that's good. I live at Aziziyah District. Are you far from here?" she asked.
"No, my home is about 10 minutes drive from Aziziyah," I replied, quite confident that I was getting somewhere.
Then came the chilling moment when she said, "Are you from Kerala?"
"No, I am not. I just wish to buy your jewellery set," I responded.
"You are not from Kerala?" she said.
"No," I repeated.
"मैं केरल से ही बेचते हैं," she said. I didn't understand a word of whatever she said.
"What? Could you say that in English please?" I calmly said, trying not to sound irritated.
"I'm sorry Ma'am, I don't speak English. Sorry. Bye" That was it. She had dropped the call. "Bad you!" I screamed. What was that? I was angry. Yeah, I was really mad. I had never ever heard of anyone wanting to sell only to a particular group of people--not even in my own country where we have over 200 tribes.

I have come across typical ads that said something like, "Two-bedroom house for immediate rent. Reason: We are going out on final exit. Please only people from Hyderabad should contact."

Kidding me? Why not just transport the apartment from Saudi Arabia to their country or village where only people of their tribe would live in it? Is it just me, or do you think that there is really something wrong with expats in this country? Does this happen in Western countries as well?

NB: I am just relating what happened to me and expressing my views in this post. My aim is not to target a particular group of people, and I believe that we all learn to tolerate each other in this multicultural world.