Finally arrived in Dammam/Al Khobar.
The train journey from Riyadh to Dammam spanned four hours, and I must admit it was quite pleasant. The train was well-maintained, and the seats were comfortable, but I digress. As anticipated, upon reaching Dammam, there was no one there to welcome me. It's crucial to understand that acquiring a mobile SIM card at that time was a complex process. So, here I was at the train station without a phone in a place I had only learned about the day before. This marked my third day of travel, and amidst all the confusion and excitement, I had scarcely eaten and was not in the best state of mind.
Summoning the courage, or perhaps driven by sheer desperation, I approached a local individual, utilizing my limited Arabic skills, and essentially begged to use his phone to contact the school. Fortunately, Saudis are generally generous and helpful, and this individual was no exception. I called the school in Dammam, and after a series of confusion and excuses, they assured me that someone was en route.
Two hours later, a school bus pulled up at the train station. In hindsight, it turned out to be helpful because the school's name was prominently displayed on the bus, making it easily identifiable. The driver, communicating in broken English, reassured me and conveyed that everything would be fine as we were only 10 minutes away from the hotel, emphasizing that the school in Al Khobar was quite nice.
"Stop the bus!!!" was my immediate response upon realizing that I was supposed to go to Dammam, and I had no idea what Al Khobar was. The driver calmly explained that Dammam is Al Khobar, maalesh (a phrase used to mean "relax, don't worry"). This, of course, only heightened my worry, but in my state of being lost, I figured I might as well get lost a bit more.
We proceeded to drive for the next four hours (supposed to be a 10-minute journey) from hotel to hotel. Apparently, there was some event that weekend, resulting in all the hotels being fully booked. After some time, he managed to find one, checked me in, and assured me he would return the next morning to take me to the school. Finally, I was in Dammam/Al Khobar, and I hoped things would settle down. Or so I thought.
FYI, DAMMAM IS NOT AL KHOBAR.
To be continued...
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