e o p l e
Javier Villalobos.
Head of the Project Department
of the contract for optimising
the Riyadh Water supply system
(6,700 kilometres).
Pertenece a FCC Aqualia y lleva casi tres
He works for FCC Aqualia and has been
living in Saudi Arabia for nearly three years
after arriving on 11 May 2011.
What is your job in Riyadh?
Our project involves a technical part (de-
sign, studies, GIS, meters) and the other
part involves work on the projects. I’m res-
ponsible of all the projects contemplated in
the contract.
What is the impression in Saudi Arabia
of FCC’s activities?
When we arrived, nobody, of course, knew
anything about us and it was very difficult
to open doors. Now, after having worked
with the National Water Company for some
time and having been awarded the Riyadh
metro contract, FCC is a leader in the Saudi
Arabian infrastructures market.
What were your first impressions when
you arrived in the country?
The cultural change is enormous and from
the first day, it is difficult to get things done.
At the end, you realise that it is nothing per-
sonal and that this impression is shared by
the other expatriates that you start to meet.
¿What is it that makes it different from
Spain?
Entertainment and leisure activities are very
limited and there is hardly any life in the
streets. You spend almost 90% of your life
at the compound or in huge shopping malls
where you can find restaurants, shops,
and children’s playgrounds. All life revolves
around Islam. There are five 30-minute calls
to prayer each day and during this time,
all shops, restaurants, petrol stations, etc.
are shut down. Women have to wear an
abaya (a black garment that covers them
from their shoulders to their feet) and they
are not allowed to drive. Another big diffe-
rence is the legally established segregation
by sex.
There sections (family) at all restaurants and
public places, and another one just for men
(singles)
¿What do you like the most and the least
about the city?
What I like most is that it is a safe city. We
have never had an unpleasant situation in
this sense, neither my family nor I. The cli-
mate is warm and children can enjoy the
pool almost during the entire year and I
can ride the bicycle, my favourite pastime.
Lastly, my daughters are receiving a good
education at a multinational school whe-
re they can learn English in a natural way
and can have an open mind thanks to their
classmates from different parts of the world
and with different cultures. What I like the
least is the traffic which is chaotic and dan-
gerous, forcing you to spend a lot of time
in the car, and the restrictions imposed on
women’s freedom.
What do you have to have in order to live
in Riyadh?
Patience and you have to be very tolerant
with the local lifestyle, judging it as little as
possible. Keep a low profile when in public
places and, in the case of expatriate wo-
men, assume that the freedom and normal
customs in Spain are very restricted outside
the compound.
How is life at the compound?
Compounds are private enclaves whe-
re the Mutawa (Religious Police) are not
allowed access. This means that you can
live a Western-type life without any res-
trictions. There are villas and apartments,
usually with swimming pools, children’s pla-
ygrounds, and restaurants, depending on
the category of the compound. Security is
quite high and most of the compounds are
protected by the Saudi army. All maintenan-
ce is included inside and outside the house.
Compounds are designed to make up for
the lack of entertainment and leisure activi-
ties in the city and to be able to live as much
as possible the way we do in the Western
world. Even though the cost is very high,
there is a great demand and it not easy to
find house in the compounds, and this is a
problem of many expatriates. For a family
with two daughters and a newborn baby,
it is essential in order to be able to live in
Riyadh.
