When I received the Saudi job offer I stayed open minded and did my research. I bought the Lonely Planet (did the authors ever live here, I wonder?), I went to all the Web sites and bulletin boards and I spoke to people that were either former or current residents of the Kingdom.
Whilst I was mulling over the comparatively minor issues of giving up alcohol, pork and my illusions of safety, I was also having to contemplate how the move would affect my relationships with all my family and friends back in the UK.
In truth my desire to see the country and the region made the decision easier than many would expect. That is, until I saw pictures and videos of the camel spider!
Religious persecution and unbearable temperatures are one thing, but I'll be damned if I'm living with these monsters! That's it! The move's off!
When I read that "camel spiders prefer the shade" I had images of me standing under the sun in 48C heat because I didn't dare share the shade with an army of angry camel spiders.
I read a story by an American in Riyadh that used to see them regularly in airplane hangers and he described them as the most aggressive creatures he'd ever seen.
I also read that as the Camel Spider charges it's hapless human victim, that it emits a screaching noice known as the Camel Spider Scream! I am reliably informed by ex-pats in Saudi who have had the dubious pleasure of seeing a Camel Spider, that when they attack there is a lot of screaming....but this is usually attributed to the human frantically running away, rather than the spider.
As I have yet to see one in 6 months I've calmed down and I no longer jump every time I hear a rustle in the bushes or see a shape in the shadows.
I now see similarities between Saudis and the camel spider. No, really! They're shy, elusive desert dwellers. They both prefer the shade and only come out at night.
I'm happy to add that unlike the spiders, most Saudi's I’ve met aren't aggressive. So far I haven't been bitten once…
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