Checking out the compound

 The first thing I did upon arriving was, as you've probably guessed from the title, look around the compound which will be my home for the next few months. For those of you who don't know, a compound is basically a cluster of houses enclosed by a wall. Employers in Saudi Arabia are obliged to provide accommodation to their expatriate staff (or an accommodation allowance) and compounds are the favored choice for this. There are many such developments in Saudi Arabia's main cities.

 Our compound is called "Sierra Village" and belongs to Arabian Homes. From the outside, you would think it's some type of military base.  Not only are the houses enclosed by a high wall, as I mentioned before, but there are also security guards and soldiers with machine guns at various points at the entrance.  The security guards walk around your car with a sort of bomb-tracking device performing a quick check as you are stopped in front of a bar. Once your car is confirmed to be bomb-free, the bar is lifted and you may pass. The military men mostly lean their chairs back and doze off behind the machine guns. I haven't seen one alert as yet. Security measures in compounds have always existed, but they multiplied and were upgraded after 9/11. In some compounds security is tight to the extent where visitors from ie. other compounds are denied entry.Thankfully ours is not one of them.

However forbidding the compound may seem externally, on the inside it's actually reminiscent of a holiday resort. There are about 600 villa-like homes, communicating by picturesque, banana tree adorned paths. Every few houses share a relatively large pool. The compound also accommodates sporting facilities, such as a number of tennis courts, an outdoor basketball course and two fully equipped gyms. There is a small park as well, in which 5x5 football games are held three times a week.  The compound's central point is the community centre. This includes the compound's reception, where information on every aspect of compound life, taxi service and more are provided, a coffee place/restaurant, a travel agency, a library, a bowling alley, a supermarket, a health clinic, an ATM and even a ballroom.

Life in compounds is generally very family oriented, safe and comfortable, even luxurious. Most importantly though, compounds provide expatriates with a familiar environment to live in which is much needed, as functioning in Saudi society requires adopting their customs and lifestyle, which are truly unique and certainly very foreign to the expatriate.