My name is Ikbal Valiyathodi , it is a deeply personal life story of my early working life in Kerala, the financial realities that necessitated a shift, and the often-challenging initial steps I took in Saudi Arabia to build a better future.
Early Entrepreneurship in Kerala
My professional life began right at home. Even during my student years, I spent my free time working at my father's shop. By 1998, I was fully integrated into the business. I managed the shop solo in my father's absence and assisted him when he was there, absorbing the essentials of trade and customer service under his guidance.
Around the year 2000, my uncle launched a distribution agency for the confectionery brand Nutrin , supplying sweets to nearby regions. My cousin Nooru and I became part of this venture. Though it was a completely new field, we managed to make headway. As the product line expanded, our mode of transport upgraded from a Jeep to a van
The Gulf Necessity
Despite being actively employed, I faced significant financial pressures related to my sisters' marriages, building a house, and securing my own future. I quickly realized that the income earned in Kerala, given the circumstances of the time, would not be enough to solve these problems. I became convinced that only by working in the Gulf could I overcome life’s difficulties—a widely held truth for many during that era.
With this conviction, I reluctantly resigned from the distribution agency and embraced the dream and promise of the Gulf.
Landing in the Kingdom and Initial Steps
My journey began on March 6, 2002. I flew from Kozhikode via Mumbai and landed at Dammam Airport in Saudi Arabia. From there, I endured a nearly 15-hour overland journey to reach Jeddah.
I spent the first week resting. Then, I began working at my uncle's store in Bawadi , near Jeddah Airport. I used this time to immerse myself—assisting my uncle, learning retail operations, picking up basic Arabic phrases, and mastering simple cooking. The location near the airport made for some fun plane spotting during my breaks, and exploring the Bawadi neighborhood remains a fond memory.
Simultaneously, I initiated an aggressive job hunt, but initial attempts at several large companies were unsuccessful. A month and a half passed quickly in this routine.
Job 1: Sugar Factory—The Eight Days of Hard Labor
I soon heard about a job opportunity at a sugar company in Jeddah. The role was as a helper for a contracting company handling maintenance work within the factory, paying 6 Riyals per hour .
This job was unlike anything I had ever done. It involved physically grueling labor—a level of hardship I was wholly unprepared for. After eight days of struggle, the contracting company laid off a few of us. Those eight days taught me the harsh reality of blue-collar work in the Gulf.
Following this, I spent three days learning the ropes for free at a Boofiya (local cafeteria) owned by a fellow Keralite. The late nights and early mornings intensified my recurring migraine headaches. Just as I was managing the pain, the next opportunity arrived.
Job 2: Ice Cream Factory—The 14-Hour Shift
My next job was in the packing section of an ice cream company.
| Work Schedule | Details |
| Standard Shift | 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM |
| Break | 1 hour for lunch and rest |
| Overtime (OT) | 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM (6 hours) |
| Total Daily Hours | 14 hours of standing and packing |
| Monthly Wage | 1,200 Riyals (including 6 hours of daily overtime) |
My job was relentless: standing for 14 hours a day, packing ice cream without significant breaks. The total monthly salary, inclusive of all that overtime, was the then-average of 1,200 Riyals.
To make matters worse, I constantly faced verbal abuse in Arabic from the Yemeni Mudeer (manager). Since my Arabic was rudimentary, I often didn't understand the full extent of the reprimands. I vividly remember a colleague commenting: "We struggle enough not knowing the language. Imagine how much worse it would be if we understood every single thing he was saying!"
Despite the long hours, I persevered for nearly three months. My only respite was the weekly Friday visits to relatives outside the factory environment.
It was during this time that I inquired about a local marketing role at Taj Clinic . Although the job was secured, I was advised to continue my current work temporarily. My long-term pursuit of a better, more sustainable career in Saudi Arabia had begun, marked by sheer effort and resilience.
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