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I told myself I would never take a job in Saudi Arabia. However, I was willing to take a great leap into the unknown. Part desperation and part curiosity, I knew it would at least be an interesting experience. After being flown into Bahrain for a night, I saw in the mini-fridge I would be legally allowed to have for a long time. I knew some people were being flown directly into Riyadh from Bahrain but for some reason my company decided to drive me there. I ended up in an 8 hour traffic jam at the border. Once we made across the border, I got settled into my new home, which I thought was going to be on a compound, but ended up being a fleabag motel. I was a little unsettled, but I gave it a chance. I thought this would be a temporary situation. That was until I was told that this place would be my permanent. I knew after a week it would not work out. I had to get out of there. I am pretty sure they had me working illegally since I was there on a business visa not a work visa. I knew I would be the one to suffer the consequences if anyone ever figured this out. This ended up working to my advantage, because in Saudi Arabia you need permission from your employer to leave the country. Since I was on a business visa, this would not be an issue. I was would be allowed to leave whenever I wanted. So I did just that. Luckily I had enough frequent flier miles to book a flight from Riyadh to New York City. With that taken care of, I took of to the airport in the dark of night. I got through immigration and security, but it was not until I saw a bar in the Amman, Jordan that I knew everything was going to be alright. Once I was safe and secure in my New York home, I got a threatening email from the agency that hired me. They said that if I didn't come back that they would sue me in Saudi Arabia and in the United States and that I would never be allowed to go back to Saudi Arabia ever again. This was of no consequence to me, as I knew it was an empty threat and I never wanted to go back. Of course, I never heard back from them. It was just another victory achieved in the course of my life. The moral of the story is if you think you are going to get a compound or a specific type of accomodation, make sure you know exactly what it is...and make sure you get it in writing.