Rugby enthusiast and Chairman of the Jeddah Rugby Union Football Club Scott McCarthy has been living in the Kingdom for the past few years and says that after months of experiencing difficulties adapting, he has finally embraced the country as his new homeBEFORE coming to Saudi Arabia, the nearest that Scott McCarthy came to being an expatriate was when he moved to Wales for his higher education. “I am from the East end of London. I was born at Mile End Hospital, within the toll of the Bow Bells, so I am proud to call myself a true Cockney,” he said. “I have lost the accent somewhat though. I moved to Llanelli in South Wales to do my Higher National Diploma and my degree, and ended up staying there – I love the place!” His Cockney accent may have mellowed, but he hasn't yet adopted the sing-song lilt of the Welsh dialect! He is an electrical engineer and came to Saudi Arabia in April 2007. Prior to this, he admits: “I had the typical, stereotype image of all Saudis driving around in huge Hummers and everyone here being extremely rich. Oil, sand and money – that was all I knew. So it was a big shock to come here and realize that there is also poverty here – much more than I would ever have expected.” His first impressions were marred by poor organization and communication between the UK company that had recruited him and the Saudi company that he was to join. “I got off the aeroplane and thought ‘Wow! This is hot!' Then I collected my luggage, did the Iris Scan and had my thumb prints done, and then made my way out through customs expecting to see someone holding a nice sign with my name on it — but there was no one! There was a barrage of ‘Taxi! Taxi! Taxi!' and I didn't want to go in one, so I was quite scared and didn't know what to expect. Luckily, I had phone numbers for my boss, and he told me to jump in a taxi and go to a colleague's house in Al Basateen Compound. When I arrived there, and woke him up, he didn't know anything about my coming to Jeddah. The next day, he took me for a meal at Al Baik where they bought me a ‘Scampi Al Baiq' – within an hour I was being sick. All I could think was: ‘I want to go home!'” After such an appalling start, things could only get better. Nonetheless, it took a long time for McCarthy to meet other expatriates. “People that I worked with were going to social functions and were involved with groups such as the Rugby Club, but they never asked me along. I think they thought I was only here on a three-week contract. So initially I didn't find the expat community to be very friendly,” McCarthy explained. He also put this down to the fact that he had been housed in a totally unsuitable compound: “I was in Al Basateen for three months and this is a family-orientated compound, not suitable for a single man. Also it had more Lebanese and Egyptian nationals and they have their own culture and cliques. Finally, after threatening to hand in my notice, I was moved to Arabian Homes Sierra Village. The difference was huge! There is a good western expat social life there. I moved in on a Tuesday, and walked into work on the Saturday and said: ‘Where's that six-month contract? I'll sign it!' Where you live as an expat helps in a big way.” Before long, McCarthy had joined the Jeddah Rugby Union Football Club (JRUFC) and he is now the Chairman. “We are currently a committee of two. It is very hard to get people to put the time in – and it does take a lot of time. As a single man, it doesn't bother me if I have to go for a meeting at 10 P.M. to sort out the pitch, or mark it, or do something at 6 A.M. A lot of the guys who play for the club do have families and their family time is precious, but there are still a lot of single guys here who don't pull their weight in the club. I hope to try to get them motivated.” Keeping the Rugby Club going has also proved difficult because of finding a ‘home' pitch: “Unfortunately we lost our regular home pitch – which is a proper grass turf pitch – at the American School. We had a contract for the next three years to pay them SR.15,000 per year for the use of it, so it was very disappointing as the Rugby Club had contributed significantly towards it and had built the stands. Then enthusiasm waned, but slowly and surely I am trying to resurrect the Club. Thankfully, the Conti School saved us, but it is not ideal because their pitch is Astro-turf, which is very hard for full contact rugby. However, it is a large area where we can train a lot of guys and the light there is always good. Among our members, we have English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, Saudis, Americans, Eritreans, Japanese, Lebanese, Egyptians – so it is very international. Two of our grass-roots Saudi players, who couldn't throw a ball to save their lives two years ago, are now going to be playing for the Saudi team in the Arab Sevens hosted in Sharjah.” When England plays Wales in the Six Nations Rugby, I wondered which team he supports? “England when they play against everyone else,” he said with a laugh, “And otherwise, Wales in second place!” Although he finds that there is plenty to do in Jeddah for single men, he commented on difficult aspects of the social life that are peculiar to Saudi Arabia: “During my first three months here, I went to work, came home, went to the gym, and went to bed. It was like that day after day and I just thought: ‘I am looking forward to getting out of here!' But things changed and I met some really nice people and I started to enjoy it. There is always something going on,” he remarked. McCarthy is also the Publications' Secretary for the British Business Group. His advice to anyone coming here: “Do lots of research, and get yourself a contact here to point you in the right direction. Find out which are the better compounds to live on and which ones to avoid – and make sure your company knows that you are arriving and that there is someone to meet you at the airport!”
