Is it just my imagination or are Post It notes something of a rarity here?
Fact is, trying to find a yellow sticky anywhere around my place of business is like trying to find a dumpster without a crew of cats.
It's hard to believe an office can function without a half-dozen sizes of Post Its but for some reason the Saudis just don't use them much. You can find them in a stationery store, but they're not stocked in my employer's supply cabinet. Those who want them usually load up at the Jarir Bookstore.
What they do have is pencils. The Saudis are crazy about pencils and each of our offices is equipped with a snazzy electric pencil sharpener. Furthermore, each newcomer finds a few pencils as part of his deskset.
For a while I thought it was just the students -- who are almost exclusively pencil users. But even the administrators keep a pencil handy at their desks. You'd be hard-pressed to find a student with a pen, by the way. Or a laptop.
They do all have mobile phones though, which, I suspect in a couple years will put laptops out of business among younger people.
My latest purchase, for myself, is a white board--also not considered a necessity, in this part of the kingdom anyway.
I'd write some more about office supplies but I've got to get busy cutting up my large Post Its into little squares.
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