So i have been working the past three weeks leading up to today. I am finally leaving for Riyadh to start the new market launch. Officially on the ground. Tomorrow will be the first time I get to see the stores construction progress since last month, and I start training the store managers and staff on Monday morning. I meet with the Saudi Regional director tonight when I get in, we have never actually met in person yet so am anxious for us to have dinner tonight.
The US teams are flying into Dubai Thursday evening, and so I will be flying back to Dubai to meet them and take them to their hotel. Then flying back to Riyadh where they will join me for the store opening days.
This week was a challenge on many levels as I tried to prepare everything before I leave Dubai. I have to bring so much with me because it is not as though I can just go to my office to pick it up. My excess baggage fees were 930 dirhams which was outrageous so I talked the guy down to 800. But that was still 240 American! But i had no choice as I had to make sure they make it with me for the week long trainings. Had I of been on Kuwait Air, this wouldn't have happened :-)
As I was sitting at having a coffee at the airport I saw a flight boarding for Vienna. All these Europeans with their fabulous wardrobes and wealthy Arabs getting on the flight and I thought how great it would be to be going there. The cooler weather, green landscapes, cafe society.
When I did get to my terminal I was brought back to my reality. The terminal was already full and i mean F U L L. This most be a worker flight as they call it. When the Indonesian, Filipino, and Indian workers come over they have to connect in Dubai as it is the main international airport in the Gulf. This means going through passport control will be a nightmare in Riyadh as the will be hundreds of people who will need to be fingerprinted, photos, and do not even get me started on the luggage nightmare we will be facing!
Ahhh, its such an experience.
Well i have to go get in line as it is now spiraling down the hallway past three other terminals.
I will try to post in Riyadh but like i said before it is sometimes hard to connect to the internet, or rather access certain sites when I'm there.
No comments:
Post a Comment