About Me

How I Ended Up Here

In late 2021, my company announced a major project in Saudi Arabia. They needed someone to relocate for three years to manage it. The package was good. The opportunity was solid. But moving to the Middle East with a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old?

Sarah (my wife) and I had about 47 conversations about it. We read every article we could find online — most of which were either corporate PR fluff or doom-and-gloom warnings. Nothing actually helpful for families.

We took the leap anyway. Packed up our Manchester semi, put it on the rental market, and landed in Riyadh in March 2022.

The First Six Months

I won't sugarcoat it: the first six months were hard. The culture shock was real. Simple things — grocery shopping, finding a restaurant, figuring out where to take the kids — felt exhausting. Sarah was stressed. The kids were confused. I was questioning everything.

But slowly, things clicked. We found our routines. Discovered parks we loved. Made friends (other expats at first, then gradually local families too). Emma started at a wonderful school. Jake found his people at nursery.

By month eight, something unexpected happened: we started actually enjoying it.

Why I Started Writing

About a year in, a colleague's wife reached out. Her family was considering a similar move and she had questions. Not the big official questions — the real ones. Where do you buy decent cheese? Can kids actually play outside? What's this "family section" thing about?

I wrote her an email that turned into a 3,000-word document. She said it was the most useful thing she'd read. Her family moved here six months later.

That email became this website. Because every week, I meet someone with the same questions we had. And the information gap is still massive.

What This Site Is (And Isn't)

The Family

Since I write about them constantly, a proper introduction:

Sarah (39): My wife. Former primary school teacher, now part-time online tutor. She's the organized one. Also the reason we have any social life here — she's better at making friends than I am.

Emma (8): Our eldest. Started Year 1 in Saudi, now in Year 3 at British curriculum school. Loves swimming, hates Arabic class (we're working on it), and has become eerily good at navigating malls.

Jake (5): The chaos agent. Started here at age 2, so he doesn't really remember England. Obsessed with cars, dinosaurs, and convincing us to buy things at every possible opportunity. His Arabic is actually better than mine, which is both impressive and embarrassing.

What's Next

Our original three-year contract extended. We're now planning to stay through at least 2027, possibly longer. The project is going well, the kids are settled, and honestly? We've built a life here.

I'll keep writing as long as it's useful. The site updates when I have something worth sharing — no filler, no schedule pressure. Quality over quantity.

If you're considering a move, in the middle of one, or just curious about family life in this part of the world, I hope something here helps. And if you have questions I haven't covered, get in touch. I read everything.